{also piping hot}
Taking on all Challengers: Oneupping the mighty 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat probably seemed impossible, but there is another Challenger. Literally. The new Demon uses a similar supercharged 6.2-litre V-8, but with 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque (on 100-octane racing fuel). The internal components have been strengthened to accommodate the extra grunt, while a larger supercharger produces additional boost. A “Power Chiller” also directs cool air from the air conditioning system to help reduce the power-robbing heat soak that occurs between runs down the track. The Demon loses, among other things, the front passenger seat and rear bench, for a near-100-kilogram weight reduction (to about 1,950 kilograms). Zero-to-60-mph (96 km-h) takes 2.3 seconds and a quarter-mile time is 9.65 seconds at 140 mph (225 km-h). Expect a $100,000 price tag when the limited-production (300 cars for Canada) car arrives this summer. And yes, it’s covered by factory warranty.
Rumours of a four-door Corvette:
For Covette purists, the idea of their favourite car morphing into a fourdoor hatchback is heresy. However The Sleuth’s sources claim that certain Chevrolet biggies are convinced that extending the Corvette brand to include four seats is a viable way to increase interest and sales. They point to Porsche’s success with with the Panamera (in spirit, a four-door 911 model) and the planned Mercedes-AMG GT four-door. So long as the Corvette sticks with a front-engine model, (a separate mid-engine version is rumoured) the possibility looms large for a future sedan or even a wagon
What’s a Qashqai?: The Sleuth recently chatted with a senior Nissan executive about the new Rogue Sport, or more specifically that the vehicle will be named Qashqai (pronounced Cash-kye) in Canada. The U.S. exec, who was formerly based in Canada, was adamant in a previous discussion that Canadians would appreciate the Qashqai name because it’s also used in Europe, and Canadians have a strong kinship with Europe. Now that the exec is based stateside, he seems less sure about that kinship. The Sleuth thinks that Canadians have a stronger connection to the United States and that the Qashqai name means very little. Not to mention that if the name was Roque Sport in both countries, the Canadian market, which watches American TV, could receive many spin-off marketing benefits.
Honda’s hot ones revealed: The Civic Si in both coupe and sedan body styles will arrive in dealer showrooms by early June. Each comes with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder with 205 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. That’s the same number of horses as the previous Si, but torque has literally been boosted by 18 pound-feet. The Civic Type R will arrive a few months later with a 306-horsepower 2.0-litre four-cylinder (295 pound-feet of torque). Both the Si and Type R use six-speed manual transmissions to direct power to the front wheels. A unique nose graces the two models, but the Type R’s rear spoiler is more aggressive.