Author: Tabitha

Audi is testing a virtual-reality ‘holodeck’ for assessing the design of new car models. It creates a workable, virtual environment with a three-dimensional image of a car that allows engineers to gain a “realistic overall impression” of a new model and its proportions at an earlier stage, the company said in a statement. The idea is to cut the number of complex physical test models and save development time and costs. Audi has used virtually created 3-D models since 2003; the new ‘holodeck’ process is likened to the science-fiction series Star Trek in which special rooms can simulate virtual worlds.…

Porsche division Porsche Classic has begun 3D-printing parts for re-build and restoration purposes. Using traditional methods to make a few copies of rare out-of-production parts is slow and expensive, it said, citing the case of a clutch-release lever for the Porsche 959 model. With only 292 cars ever produced, the clutch part is no longer available, but was recently reproduced with 3D printing. Emerging-technologies magazine, New Atlas, said the part passed all tests, was installed and used in a vehicle. Porsche Classic is also now printing eight other parts of both steel and plastic, and is assessing printing another 20…

Promising “an electric performance SUV like no other,” Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace will deliver both rapid charging and performance when it goes on sale in the United Kingdom in March. That means 45-minute recharge times with sports-car like performance and utility-vehicle practicality. The I-Pace, which will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland on March 6, will be billed as “the perfect every day car,” the company said in a pre-show statement, “whether on the school run, daily commute or coping with sub-zero temperatures.” The vehicle was tested across extremes of terrain at Jaguar Land Rover’s cold-weather test facility in…

Mazda’s next-generation SkyActiv internal-combustion engine will be clean burning and efficient enough to compete with electric motors, in terms of environmental impact, said the company’s officer in charge of powertrains. Mitsuo Hitomi told business publication Automotive News that the SkyActiv-3 engine will have about 27 percent greater thermal efficiency than the upcoming SkyActiv-X iteration that’s also still under development. Mazda began the SkyActiv program in 2007 and said it improved overall miles-per-gallon consumption by 30 percent without resorting to hybrid or gasoline-electric technology. SkyActiv-X is the next stage in optimizing internal combustion and uses engine compression for ignition instead spark…

Skilled do-it-yourselfers can now install some serious mind-bending muscle their Dodge, Plymouth or Jeep project cars (or many other vehicles, for that matter). Fiat Chrysler’s Mopar parts division will sell you the same 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 that’s installed in the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat models, as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk. The basic ‘Hellcrate’ engine, which Mopar says has been ‘optimized’ to mate with manual transmissions, sells for $19,500. That doesn’t include the $2,200 you’ll need to purchase a Front End Accessory Drive (FEAD) kit that includes the alternator, power steering pump plus…

When it comes to piloting radio-controlled models, arguably the most fun you can have are those with giant knobby tires and trick suspensions for tackling rocks, sand and gravel. Redcat Racing has a vast assortment of such vehicles, plus all the necessary parts and accessories you’ll need to keep them running. The company also specializes in giant 1:5- and 1:6-scale versions, such as the four-wheel-drive Rampage Dunerunner, pictured. It comes with a 32-c.c. two-stroke gas engine, 700-c.c. fuel tank, disc brakes, adjustable suspension and (of course) aggressive rubber. A controller with rechargeable battery pack is also included. The Dunerunner is…

The Sleuth received a report from his sources a few months ago about a new small utility wagon that was in the works from Toyota’s up-market division. He can now confirm that the Lexus UX is indeed production bound and is slated for a 2019-model-year introduction. The UX will be based on the new-for-2018 Toyota C-HR, but the car’s distinctive sheetmetal, complete with giant ‘spindle’ grille, will make it look like a scaled-down RX model. The power source will be a 2.0-liter four-cylinder (in the UX 250) while a hybrid UX 250h will use that same powerplant coupled with an…

The Sleuth is more than a little impressed with the design of the next-generation Santa Fe utility wagon that launches later this summer as a 2019 model. At first glance he thought he was peering at something more upscale (an Infiniti or Lexus, perhaps) instead of a moderately priced conveyance. The five-passenger version will be known simply as Santa Fe (dropping the Sport designation), while current seven-passenger model gets adds the XL suffix and carries over for 2019. Despite this, the new Santa Fe can be ordered with an ‘occasional-use’ third row that seats two people, but a new four-cylinder…

Now that Hyundai’s subsidiary is adding a premium sports sedan to the stable (the Stinger), The Sleuth’s sources are reporting that Kia will also introduce a full-size utility wagon with three rows of seats. It’s expected to arrive by the first quarter of 2019 as a 2020 model. Word also has it that the vehicle will be based on the Kia Telluride concept vehicle that made the auto-show circuit in 2016. Ostensibly a replacement for the very short-lived Borrego that was launched for 2010, the Telluride will join a glut of similar models. The concept Telluride is equipped with a…

Despite a bloating in the utility-vehicle category, there remains plenty of interest (and demand) for traditional mid- and full-size family sedans. The most recent example is the 2019 Toyota Avalon. Despite the car’s massive grille, the automaker has created the sleekest Avalon yet. Overall length is up by close to an inch, while the distance between the front and rear wheels increases by two inches. Also striking is a luxurious interior with appointments and trim that rival most Lexus models (Lexus is Toyota’s luxury brand). Most striking is the oversize touch-screen that appears Tesla-inspired, but with more style. The Avalon…