Tesla eyes a return to the Roadster game
An electric supercar from Tesla? The Sleuth was shocked — pun intended — when Tesla founder Elon Musk unveiled the new Roadster at a launch event for his company’s electric transport truck. To put it mildly, the all-wheel-drive, two-seat Roadster stole the show. Using three electric motors (one for the front wheels and one for each rear wheel), the Roadster will reportedly accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in 1.9 seconds and breach the quartermile mark in 8.9 seconds. That easily makes it the world’s quickest production car. The top speed is “over 250 mph” (400 km/h). If those stats aren’t incredible enough, Musk claims that the Roadster’s range is nearly 1,000 kilometres on a full charge of the 200-kilowatt-hour batteries. Initial pricing will start at $250,000 US for the 1,000 “Founders Series,” but drops to $200,000 US following the 2020-model-year launch. It’s a car, it’s a plane, it’s a … plane: Geely of China, the automaker that owns Volvo and Lotus, is purchasing Boston, Massachussetts-based Terrafugia. This company is involved in designing flying cars and is planning to launch its first one, called the Transition, in 2019. The $280,000 US car/plane will tow a pair of folded wings when being driven on the highway, but with the wings fixed in place, it will travel the skies at up to 160 km/h and have a 600-plus-kilometre range. Terrafugia will follow it up four years later with the Transition TF-X that will have vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Other automakers developing similar craft include Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) and Toyota. Mazda takes the 6 sedan to the turbo zone: The Spymaster’s sources say that Mazda’s updated midsize sedan that’s due in 2018 (as a 2019 model) will be available with a significant power “boost.” The turbocharged four-cylinder engine that was originally introduced in the new-for-2017 CX-9 tall wagon will also find its way between the fenders of the Mazda6 sedan. It’s expected to produce the same 250 horsepower using premium gas (227 on regular) and 310 pound-feet of torque as it does in the CX-9 and will be matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. The standard four-cylinder engine makes 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet. The Mazda6 is also being treated to new front- and rear-end designs, a better grade of interior seat and door-panel materials, and improvements to the available dynamic safety technologies. Infiniti has plans for a new flagship sedan: For years, the Sneaky One has heard rumblings concerning a new halo model for Nissan’s premium division. This would replace the aging Q80 that’s now considered behind the times in the styling department. The Sleuth’s sources are telling him that a new and radically different Q80 in concept form (but close to being production-ready) will be unveiled in early 2018. The next Q80 is expected to be made in a one-size-fits-all length (the current “Q” can be had in regular and extended versions) and might drop the current gasoline-only V-8 engine and instead offer just a single hybrid powerplant that uses a V-6 engine plus electric motors and a battery pack. Assuming the Q80 resembles the Inspiration Concept from 2014, Infiniti should have a clear winner on its hands. Hyundai makes a seismic shift to utility vehicles: According to the Spy Guy’s operatives, the South Korea-based automaker is embarking on wholesale changes and updates to its lineup over the next two to four years. Along with the addition of a midsize pickup, buyers can count on the arrival of the small-size Kona tall wagon by the second quarter of 2018, followed by major changes to the Santa Fe and Tucson lines. There are also new, yet-to-be-named car-based tall wagons in the works. Equally important, Hyundai will increase the number of models equipped with turbodiesel, plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrains. The company will also dabble in hydrogenpowered models. A revolutionary tailgate for the Ram: The next generation of Dodge’s pickup will be available with a 50:50 split tailgate (with side hinges) that can open just like Dutch doors. The bonus is that the whole thing can also be lowered flat in one piece, just like a regular tailgate. The versatility should improve bed access. Hyperloop travel for cars: Los Angelesbased Arrivo, a company that was begun by a former SpaceX engineer, has plans for high-speed city-to-city transportation. Passengers would remain in their cars after driving onto a special pod and would then be transported at up to 320 km/h on special magnetic-levitation toll roads. A test track near Denver, Colorado, is planned for 2018.