MOTOR BRIEFS
high-tech all-wheel-drive system that employs a separate clutch for each rear wheel, resulting in quick-reacting torque vectoring that can send up to 100% of the power to any of the four wheels.
The A45 should make its debut soon, possibly at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.
WHOOSH! HERE COMES A 560KM/H SPORTS CAR
In 2013, Dubai-based sportscar manufacturer Devel revealed the prototype of a supercar to beat all others: a mid-engined, jet fighter-inspired beast with an astonishing power output of more than 3,700kW.
The quad-turbo, 12.3l V16 engine would give the Devel 16 the ability to blast the 0-100km/h in sprint in just 1.8 seconds, and to a top speed of 560km/h.
After the project seemed to have stalled partly because of a reported tendency for the V16 engine to overheat and the car to take flight at high speed
the car is now said to be ready to go into production by the end of the year.
A production version of the Devel 16 was unveiled at the Dubai Motor Show late last year, sporting a super lightweight carbon-fibre body with improved downforce.
PORSCHE TAYCAN SPORT TURISMO SPIED
Spy photographers have caught the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo during cold-weather testing in Scandinavia, ahead of its production reveal in the coming 12 months.
Confirmed for production in October last year, the Sport Turismo will be a wagon-bodied version of the Taycan four-door coupe, similar to how the Panamera and Panamera Sport Turismo are sold side by side.
The wagon’s powertrain should be similar to that used in the concept shown at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. It put out around 441kW from its dualmotor electric setup.
The Taycan Sport Turismo’s driving range is claimed to be an impressive 500km.
It’s believed the Taycan twins will be offered in several trim grades offering different states of tune, like Tesla’s. At the moment, the names being thrown out are Carrera, Carrera S and Turbo. Rear and all-wheel drive are expected to be offered, too.
MECHANICS COME TO YOUR DOOR
A new travelling mechanic service called Car Care Click launched in Gauteng allows motorists to have their cars conveniently serviced at their home or office.
The service has teamed up Master Mobile Mechanics who specialise across all major car brands and are on call seven days a week.
The online price calculator gives clients a quote, and the price won’t change if it takes longer to complete the job than estimated. With easy-tounderstand quotes, customers will know what’s included in their service so there are no surprises. If a car needs additional repair services, the mechanic will provide an itemised list of what is required.
Visit www.carcareclick.co.za for more information.
END OF THE ROAD FOR BENZ ROADSTER
Daimler will cease production of its Mercedes-Benz SLC roadster in 2020, citing a challenging market for compact two-seat roadsters as customer tastes move towards SUVs and crossovers.
The news comes just as BMW and Toyota are launching their rival roadsters, the Z4 and Supra respectively
European sales of the SLC fell 36% to 5,389 units last year. Mercedes says there are no plans to build a successor to the car, which started out in 1996 as the SLK and started a trend with its retractable hard roof.
The third generation was launched in 2011 and Mercedes will continue to build it into next year.
In total, more than 710,000 units were built since 1996.