Good morning and welcome to our weekly digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…
U.S. Finally Allowing Adaptive Headlights, Eight Years After Toyota’s Petition
It may have taken close to a decade to implement, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finally allows automakers to install adaptive driving beam headlights on new vehicles sold in the US. Adaptive headlight tech has been prevalent overseas for quite some time. It allows for greater illumination of the road without dazzling oncoming drivers — a win for those who like to see better at night, as well as drivers who prefer not to be dazzled by oncoming LED beams.
2023 Porsche Macan T Promises A Sharper Driving Experience For The Four-Cylinder Model
When Porsche introduced the modern-day 911T, it was touted as a lightweight, handling-focused take on the “Touring” genre. The Macan T follows suit, with trick suspension borrowed from varients higher up the food chain, yet retaining the 261 hp four-cylinder engine. That means stiffer anti-roll bars and a reprogrammed rear-biased traction management system. Moreover, the Macan T also gets a specially-tuned version of Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus.
The New BMW 8 X JEFF KOONS Limited Edition Is A Unique Way To Spend $350,000
At $350,000 (plus $995 destination and handling), the limited-to-99 BMW 8 X Jeff Koons is an expensive proposition — precisely $250,000 more than the standard M850i xDrive Gran Coupe it’s based on. But then, the new collaboration is more art than car (notably, though, it’s not a BMW Art Car). It’s not Koon’s first take on a BMW either, with his last creation, the M3 GT2 Art Car, actually hitting the track.
The Dodge Dart GTS 440 Was So Dangerous It Made A Corvair Look Like A Volvo
The Dodge Dart GTS 440 was a muscle car that was created to score some drag strip clout, but it did so at the expense of handling or stopping ability. The GTS 440 even forwent servo-assisted brakes, which seems crazy for car that had a 375 hp (380 PS) and 440 lb-ft (597 Nm) of torque 440 cu-in (7.2-liter) V8 from the Charger plumbed in! But it went like hell, with Drag Racing magazine able to get a 12.7-second quarter mile at 112 mph (180 km/h) out of it.
Cargo Ship With 4,000 VWs, Porsches, Audis, Lamborghinis, And Bentleys Is Burning In The Atlantic
Getting a new car these days is hard enough. But it’s potentially about to get more challenging for those who bought a vehicle from the Volkswagen group. That’s because a cargo ship carrying nearly 4,000 cars from VW has caught fire off the coast of Portugal. While the crew is thankfully safe, the fate of the vessel, and its cargo, remains unknown. Authorities were still trying to get the fire under control, while it’s not yet known if the vehicles will be salvageable.
2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE Debuts In Two Flavors With Up To 677 HP
The Mercedes-AMG EQE is the automaker’ performance take on an electrified future and will come in two editions: the EQE 43 4MATIC and EQE 53 4MATIC+, but it’s only the latter that will be offered to U.S. customers. The top-spec model will come as standard with 617 HP (460 kW / 626 PS) and 701 lb-ft (950 Nm) of torque thanks to an upgraded dual-motor, all-wheel-drive set up. That can be increased even further courtesy of the AMG Dynamic Plus Package, which boosts the output to 677 hp (505 kW / 687 PS) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm). Zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) comes in just 3.3 seconds for the most potent option, which has a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h).
This Is Our First Look At The 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible
A prototype of the new 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible has been spotted sporting thick camouflage. The covered test car doesn’t give away too many clues as to what lies under the hood, but it does feature a set of 19-inch alloys that looks similar to those that are on the High Performance Package and Mach 1. No launch date has been confirmed for the 2024 Ford Mustang, but it may debut in 2023 for the 2024 model year.
Veloqx Fangio Is A Coachbuilt Ferrari F12 With Serious Anger Issues
It might not look it, but underneath that coach-built metal is a chopped-up Ferrari F12. The Veloqx Fangio is the creation of Sam Li, together with Le Man racers Veloqx who promise to return to the track with a Ferrari V12. New footage of the car testing at the Abu Dhabi track gives us our best look yet of this special project.
Humble Hyundai Tiburon Transforms Into A BMW Coupe
Could This “BMW Tiburon” fit seamlessly into the Bavarian automaker’s line-up? Maybe not, but there’s no denying the great lengths that one Korean owner went to transform their Hyundai into a Bimmer lookalike. It even comes with a BMW steering wheel and key-fob, although the rest of the interior won’t be fooling anyone.
What Else Is Making The News
Disney To Build Neighborhoods Across The US
Dubbed “Storyliving,” Disney is about to start the construction of its first neighborhood in Rancho Mirage, California. CNN reports that the first project will have around 1,900 residential units, as well as a mixed-use district open to the public, with shopping, dining, entertainment, a hotel, and a beach park.
F1 Makes Safety Car Rule Tweak
Formula 1 has announced a tweak to its safety car regulations. It comes after the fallout from the 2021Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which led to F1 race director Micheal Masi losing his job. The Safety Car may now return to the pits once the message “Lapped Cars May Now Overtake” has been displayed to all cars. Previously, this would happen once the last lapped car had passed the leader. This should, in theory, speed up safety car restarts.