Electrification was the overriding theme at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, and virtually every brand represented (there were far fewer this year) headlined their presentation with one or more battery-powered offerings.
Mercedes-Benz’s AMG line-up is currently spearheaded by the hardcore GT-R Pro (pictured), but even its scorching pace will pale in comparison to the GT Black Series that’s due to be unleashed in 12 months.
The old Land Rover Defender became legendary for its offroading prowess while offering a minimum of modern conveniences. It was never particularly suited for markets outside Europe though, with its pathetic diesel engine (a weak petrol V8 option died a quick death by the late 90s), its unsuitability for extreme desert driving, its sky-high price that dwarfed more capable rivals, and its propensity for being unreliable even after half a century of development time. Owners and fans may vehemently disagree, setting a low bar for their expectations, but even I wore the Land Rover blinkers for several years before coming to my senses.
Tesla’s Model S has been ruling the roost in the 4-door pure-electric performance sedan category for a long time as, to be honest, there were no worthy competitors. But now, Stuttgart’s in the mix with its new offerings, the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Turbo S.
In this era, you should know by now that giant tech companies are tracking our data and passing it on to third parties. And now, Mercedes-Benz admits that they installed tracker devices in their cars that can track the customer’s location.
As reported by the British The Sun newspaper, the tracker devices are fitted to several new and older Mercedes-Benz models. The brand claims that these devices will only be used in “exceptional circumstances” where the customers default on the financial agreements with the company.
July was an eventful month with recalls spanning from regular airbag stories, wheels falling off and companies replacing cars for free.
Porsche has revealed the new 2020 Macan Turbo. Even though most new Porsche’s have a turbocharged engine, the German manufacturer has stuck to keeping the names of top models as “Turbo”.
Audi was one of the first Euro players to enter the luxury seven-seat SUV space when the first-generation Q7 launched back in 2005, and Ingolstadt’s big all-terrainer has since carved out a solid niche for itself. That said, a decade ago the Q7 didn’t have too many direct competitors, but it now must stave off the likes of BMW’s brand-new X7, reinvigorated Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti QX80 and Lexus LX570, all of which are arguably one size bigger.
Station wagons are boring, right? This is generally the impression most people have, as their vision of a wagon is an underpowered, boxy contraption that’s not fit for too much other than taking your kids on the school run, or your dog to the vet.
It is the era of electrification and carmakers are adding electric motors into every model that they can find in their lineup. Porsche has been no exception to this trend, with the German luxury brand revealing not one, but three electrified versions of the Cayenne.