Here's Why the 2018 Tesla Model 3 Ascent Is Worth $ 350,000
If you were fortunate enough to attend the LA Auto Show recently, you no
doubt saw Tesla had a minty-fresh Model 3 on display. If you missed it,
however, the likelihood that
you'll soon be seeing Model 3s on the road is increasing. According to
reports from Reddit, Tesla has finally started to contact early Model 3
orderers regarding the delivery of their vehicles.
User ry8 posted in the active r/teslamotors subreddit this week that
he's received email confirmation from Tesla that his non-employee,
high-spec Model 3 is set to be delivered on Monday, Dec. 11. He also
reports that he's been issued VIN (vehicle identification number) 2079,
making his car one of a handful of cars spotted recently with VINs in
the 2000s.
This news suggests an uptick in production at the company's Fremont,
California, factory, though the notoriously tight-lipped EV manufacturer
did not respond to a Roadshow request for comment on the matter.
While the first 30 vehicles were delivered to Tesla employees back in
July, these first customer deliveries appear to be trickling out in
accordance with Tesla's revised production schedule for the Model 3, as
the company seeks to remove various production bottlenecks, with
larger-scale production estimated to be achieved closer to the end of Q1 2018. Tesla is focusing on building the highest-spec version of the
Model 3 to start, and while price tags far exceed the preincentive
$35,000 figure that was promised by Elon Musk at the vehicle's debut,
production of more affordable variants is promised in the near future,
likely some time in the second quarter of 2018.
The Model 3 has had a tumultuous gestational period, and while it
represents a potential high water mark for an everyman's EV, it remains
to be seen whether Musk and company can deliver at scale on the bright
new electric future they've envisioned.
Shortly after launching its mid-sized XC60, Volvo is here once again
with another SUV, its entry-level urban outdoor warrior, the XC40.
Built in Belgium, the smallest Swedish SUV will hit the market first
with four-cylinder turbocharged gas and diesel engines, but further down
the line, it'll also become the first Volvo available with a
three-cylinder turbo. Hybrid and pure electric versions will also arrive
at a later date. What's more, it is Volvo's first model to come with
the ‘Care by Volvo’ subscription service.
Volvo claims this national, already-negotiated monthly fee "will make
having a car as transparent, easy and hassle free as having a phone,
combined with getting a new car every 24 months." If that idea seems
familiar, that's because Volvo's parent company Geely is trying to do
the very same thing through the recently launched Lynk & Co brand,
using a car based on the same shared CMA platform as the Volvo XC40.
A classic front-engined, rear-drive sedan—all-wheel drive is
optional—the Stinger comes in two levels of sting, each with a standard
eight-speed automatic transmission. The base model has a 255-hp,
2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder. The Stinger GT has a 365-hp, 3.3-liter
twin-turbo V6, the same one as in the Genesis G80 Sport.
Biermann is at pains to point out that the Stinger is not meant to be a
track car, nor a full-blown M rival—just a well-rounded sport sedan that
doesn’t feel out of its element if you happen to stumble across 12.9
miles of one-way toll road in Germany’s Eifel Mountains.
He’s underselling it. Controlled and agile, with huge reserves of
front-end grip from its 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, the
rear-wheel-drive Stinger GT didn’t feel remotely out of its depth at the
Ring. Only the worst of the Nordschleife’s horrific dips that cause
extreme compression in every car’s suspension system questioned the
Stinger’s resolve and body control. The steering feels natural, and the
long, 114.4-inch wheelbase, coupled with a rear-driver’s limited-slip
differential, makes neat little tail slides easy to hold.
At the Goodwood Revival, TVR Chairman Les Edgar told me that the red
show car on display, its first complete Griffith prototype, is fully
functional, and that he would've loved to take it around the Goodwood
Circuit, if only the rules would allow. But of course, it being the
Revival, only cars made until 1966 could enter the holy asphalt.
Yet, we didn't need to wait long for some confirmation that this thing
runs. After leaving Lord March's playground, Edgar took the car back to
Gordon Murray Design, only to give us a hint of what that Cosworth-tuned
Ford 5.0-liter V8 sounds like through a very short sidepipe at idle. He
also made sure to demonstrate that a rear-wheel drive car with 500
horsepower and a dry weight of 2755 lb can be hairy on cold tires.
So far, typical TVR stuff. Except for the fact that the Griffith
actually has traction control. And that's not there to "take away its
soul." It's there to keep you alive on a cold British morning. Win-win
in my book.
The McLaren F1 is famous for its lack of a radio. As the story goes, designer Gordon Murray didn't listen to the radio, so the F1 came only with a six-disc CD changer, designed specifically for the car by Kenwood. The Aston Martin Valkyrie, however, will feature no such luxuries. That was revealed in a Bloomberg Businessweek story all about the the buying process for the Valkyrie. Aston Martin design boss Marek Reichman told Businessweek's Brett Berk that the Valkyrie won't include any sort of audio system—the only thing drivers will be able to listen to is a 6.5-liter V12. That shouldn't be a problem considering the Valkryie's V12 is a naturally aspirated unit developed by Cosworth that revs to 11,000 rpm and features a 12-into-one exhaust. Why is that exhaust setup good for noise? According to the Valkyrie's mastermind, Adrian Newey, it makes the car sound like it's revving twice as high as it is in reality. Given all that, why would you want a radio? The Valkyrie isn't totally devoid of luxuries, however—Reichman told Buisnessweek that it will have air-conditioning. Otherwise, it's pretty bare. Presumably the Valkyrie will have at least one speaker too. Chevrolet engineers famously wanted to sell the Camaro Z/28 without any audio system whatsoever, but they were forced to include one speaker for door chimes and other warning sounds. So if you want a radio in your F1-inspired hypercar, you'll need to buy a Mercedes-AMG Project One.
McLaren 570GT "Luxury" Car Is an Absolute Monster on the Track
The
McLaren 570GT is supposed to be the softest, most comfortable car in
the company's range. It has a more luxurious interior than its 570S
counterpart, along with more space, a softer suspension setup, and
steel, rather than carbon-ceramic brakes standard. Of course, it's still
a McLaren, as Top Gear presenter Chris Harris finds out in his latest
video. Harris got the chance to get behind the wheel of the 570GT
recently to see if all that softening up took away from the driving
experience on track. He finds that even with all that "downgrading"
compared to the 570S, the GT is still extremely pleasurable to whip
around at and beyond the limit. Remember, the 570GT still has that
562-horsepower twin-turbo V8, as well as that fast-shifting seven-speed
dual clutch. But Harris finds that even with the move to GT status, the
car keeps its balance as well, and on the road, rides better than ever.
