Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. There’s also just a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:

• Lotus Evora Sport 410 is finally US-bound with a gorgeous GP Edition

• Chevrolet brings street performance to Tahoe and Suburban

• Buick Regal Sportback is lighter, sharper, more advanced, and gorgeous

• Subaru lightly updates the 2018 Outback, as they do

• Nissan releases Heritage Edition 370Z because even they know it’s old

• Audi confirms RS3 Sedan is headed to America

• Volkswagen competitively prices the Atlas at ~$30,000

• Other stories from the week, including Regal TourX and Civic Si

• What’s your automotive news?

Lotus Evora Sport 410 GP Edition

You know it’s been a good week when I can present a Lotus that’s actually coming to our side of the Atlantic. That’s finally the case with the Evora Sport 410, a high(er)-powered and more track focused Evora that was always meant to come stateside, but only after it was allowed to. The fastest and most focused Evora ever will be on sale in the US and Canada this summer, and just to make up for the wait, we’re also getting it with an available GP Edition shown here.

The Evora Sport 410 has undergone considerable development to meet our market-specific demands related to crash and efficiency standards, which is mostly why it took us so long to get it. But it’s fully legal, it hasn’t lost any of the power (except for those lost in unit conversion), and it’s only twenty pounds heavier than the UK-spec car. Since this car was already covered in more technical detail last year, here’s a condensed version.

It weighs in at 3,020 pounds (132 pounds less than the standard Evora 400) or 2,910 with all lightweight options and no fuel, has more sophisticated aerodynamics which can produce double the downforce of the standard car, rides on a bespoke suspension setup, can be fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires or optional Cup 2s, and has more power than ever before.

A mid-mounted supercharged 3.5-liter V6 producing 400 horsepower and 301 lb.-ft. of torque is paired with a six-speed manual or super quick six-speed automatic gearbox and there’s a Torsen-type LSD to keep things planted. 0-60 mph takes just 3.9 seconds and it’ll top out at 190 mph.

Only 150 examples will be produced each year worldwide, but if you want even more exclusivity, this 1 of 5 GP Edition is the way to go. It has all the lightweight options checked and a racing-inspired black and gold livery that any F1 fan will recognize. Team Lotus’ iconic F1 color scheme from 1972 to 1986 is beautifully adapted for the Evora Sport 410 GP Edition. It’s a shame only five of these will ever exist.
US pricing for the Evora Sport 410 starts at $104,200 and the GP Edition goes for $110,000. These are available to order now.
[Source: Lotus]

Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban RST

“Because we can”, said the engineer to the executive.
Chevrolet will soon offer a special edition Tahoe and Suburban with increased street performance looks, and in some cases, even more power. The RST (Rally Sport Truck) package is really just an appearance package that unlocks the potential for other performance-enhancing options, mainly for the Tahoe.
The RST package follows aftermarket trends and eliminates virtually all exterior chrome in favor of body-color grille surround and door handles as well as a gloss-black grille, mirror caps, window trim, roof rails, and badging. RST also adds exclusive 22″ wheels wrapped in Bridgestone tires.

Both the Tahoe and Suburban RST can be fitted with Borla performance exhaust which improves exhaust flow and can unlock 7-10 horsepower. There’s even a Brembo brake option with six-piston front calipers and 16″ Duralast rotors.
But the real news here is the other option on the Tahoe RST; the Performance Package. Opt for that and your family-friendly Tahoe will be equipped with Magnetic Ride Control, a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque, and a new ten-speed automatic transmission. As of now, factory estimates call for an 8,400 pound towing capacity and a sub-six-second sprint to 60 mph (just not at the same time).
It may be the closest thing we’ll get to a GMC Typhoon revival for a while but you’ll have to wait till this fall to get it.
[Source: Chevrolet]

Buick Regal Sportback

The Buick Regal that we may or may not have forgotten about is all new for the 2018 model year with a European design, new levels of refinement and luxury, and some new hardware. As expected, it carries the exact same design as its former European cousins from Opel and Vauxhall despite the recent separation. So what did Buick do with their version?
It runs GM’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine capable of delivering 250 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels or up to 295 lb.-ft. of torque when fitted with all-wheel drive. FWD cars feature a nine-speed automatic while AWD cars will just have to make do with the eight-speed automatic but get the added benefit of a twin-clutch differential. On a car that weighs 200 pounds less than its predecessor, that’s more than enough to have a good time.

Handling is also expected to be dramatically different than the previous car as its chassis is vastly different. The wheels are pushed farther out to the corners, the wheelbase is three inches longer, and the body structure is stiffer. Additionally, AWD models get a five-link rear suspension for road noise isolation and enhanced capabilities.

Inside, drivers will appreciate the center stack being skewed towards them and passengers will have premium seating surfaces and loads of tech options to enhance the experience. Every Regal comes with an OnStar 4G LTE WiFi hotspot and other OnStar apps, a seven-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support (an eight-inch screen with navigation is optional), available Bose premium audio, and active noise cancellation that’s standard on AWD models.
The Buick Regal Sportback and TourX (which you can read about here) will be coming over from Germany later this year. Pricing wasn’t announced.
[Source: Buick]

BLIPS

Subaru has a lightly updated Outback on the way and it’s been revealed ahead of the NY show. Its exterior design is slightly updated to reflect changes made to other models, it gets more premium materials inside, new multimedia capabilities including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, voice recognition, and steering-responsive LED headlights. They aren’t very big changes individually… or even as a whole, really, but it’s better than nothing. The 2018 Subaru Outback will be ready to explore this summer.
[Source: Subaru]

Because even Nissan knows the 370Z is hilariously old, they’re launching a Heritage Edition model at New York. It also previews all the numerous and wonderful changes for the 2018 model year, such as “refined exterior treatment”, a high-performance clutch for the manual transmission, and probably nothing else. The Heritage Edition offers a choice of Chicane Yellow or Magnetic Black with custom graphics and yellow interior trim. Just so everyone is aware, the 370Z has been in production fundamentally unchanged since 2009.
[Source: Nissan]

Audi will be bringing the RS3 sedan to North America for the first time ever and it’ll start at $54,900. The RS3 is one of the only ways to get a turbocharged five-cylinder engine at the moment and this one makes 400 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard as is the performance-tuned Quattro AWD system. You can read more on it here, and even though that was technically the European model covered, it’s mostly unchanged. It launches this summer.
[Source: Audi]

The all-new Volkswagen Atlas will start at $30,500 when it arrives in dealers this May. It’s the cheapest way to get a seven-passenger SUV. Yep.
[Source: Volkswagen]

Other stories from the week

The news is finally picking up again ahead of the New York Auto Show, so we’ve got two other stories that have already been covered. Kamil talked about the highly-anticipated and awesome little Civic Si that’s headed our way soon-ish and I covered the gorgeous Buick Regal TourX, Buick’s first wagon in years.

What’s your automotive news?

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Have a good weekend.
[Image © 2017 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]