OIL CAPS: news briefs from the week

Inspired by the RS 6 GTO concept, a project led by 12 Audi apprentices in 2020, the RS 6 Avant GT pays homage to the iconic 90 Quattro IMSA GTO race car. This limited edition vehicle is restricted to 660 units globally. The front gets a new intake grille, apron-mounted vertical blades and a splitter. It also boasts a carbon fibre hood, carbon guards and 22-inch wheels. This exclusive colour palette includes Arkona White, Nardo Grey, and Mythos Black Metallic. The first option delivers white wheels and the decals in Audi Sport’s traditional black, grey, and red, while the latter two options include a darker finish.

Kevin Parker’s Outlander plug-in hybrid vehicle is getting on in age, and its electric battery is down to around 15km of range even when fully charged. Since Parker lives in a rural Marlborough, he said, the battery “only gets him to the end of the road” — meaning, for most of every journey, he uses petrol. Under changes to road user charges, this means he faces paying both petrol taxes and road user charges (for driving an EV) for most of every journey — a change he said made his vehicle “not economically viable”. Like some other plugin hybrid owners, he wants to remove the electric plug.

Toyota, fresh from leading the world in vehicle sales for the fourth straight year in 2023, has declared its ongoing commitment to developing new internal combustion engines (ICE). This announcement comes amid a global industry largely pivoting towards electric vehicles (EVs), including Toyota’s own four-fold increase of EV sales. Toyota’s chairman, Akio Toyoda, made this announcement at the company’s Vision Briefing in Japan. This initiative aligns with the Japanese company’s belief that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) will not completely dominate the future of transportation. Toyoda estimates that even with technological advancements, EVs may only represent about 30 per cent of the global car market.