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. I just throw in a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:
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Audi S8 Plus is 605 horsepower of yes
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New Mercedes-Benz SUV things are ready for your money
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Audi A3 Sportback e-tron will be the first e-tron in America
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96 Hours of Blipshift is live!
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Aston Martin will preview their second century at Pebble Beach
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What’s your automotive news?
Audi S8 Plus
Whenever Audi reveals a new model in the A8/S8 line, it’s bound to be something good. The large premium sports sedan sits near the top of the food chain at Audi, so they only update it when they’ve got a good reason to. I think 605 horsepower is a pretty good reason.
That’s the reason for the 2016 Audi S8 Plus, the new top-of-the-line sports sedan for Audi. It’s like an S8 but with “Plus” added to its name, which makes it better. The S8 Plus is a sharper, more powerful, and faster mode of transportation for the world’s financial officers.
The driving force behind those improvements is a retuned 4.0-liter TSFI biturbo V8 now capable of 605 horsepower and up to 553 lb.-ft. of torque with a temporary overboost mode (otherwise, 516 lb.-ft. of torque). The standard S8 for less fortunate hedge fund managers works with 85 less horsepower. Plebs. 0-62 mph takes 3.8 seconds and the typical 155 mph speed limiter can be pushed back to 189.5 mph.
An eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission distributes power to all four corners through a typical Quattro drivetrain and a sport differential. The chassis tuning is designed to fully exploit the power and AWD grip as well with features like specially tuned adaptive air suspension and dynamic steering.
If that’s still not enough sportiness for an 8 AM commute, opt for the Dynamic Package to get carbon fiber reinforced ceramic brakes and a sport exhaust system to complement the sonorous V8.
Visually, the S8 Plus can be distinguished from the mid-level manager’s S8 by its bespoke 21″ wheels, various carbon fiber trim pieces, a rear lip spoiler, some carbon blades in the air inlets, gloss black grille, darkened tail lights, and dual-branch sport exhaust. The interior follows a typical theme of black leather with red contrast piping and stitching.
The S8 Plus is loaded with all of the technology you’d expect from a €145,200 Audi, like Matrix LED headlight technology (Germany only), Bose surround sound, and the latest MMI system.
By the way, the S8 Plus costs €145,200. U.S. pricing isn’t official yet but availability will start by the end of this November.
[Source: Audi]
Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe and GLC pricing
Mercedes-Benz has two new crossover activity vehicle and/or SUV things arriving within the next few months, those being the GLE Coupe and GLC. Both have been covered here before but the riveting update this week is that they’ve been priced.
The GLE Coupe is Mercedes-Benz’s answer to the BMW X6, which is an answer to a question nobody thought to ask because they knew how stupid they’d sound. There are two models available for the GLE Coupe and both of them are AMGs. The base GLE Coupe is GL450 AMG featuring a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 which delivers 362 horsepower and 384 lb.-ft. of torque. A performance-minded all-wheel-drive system works with a new nine-speed automatic transmission to get the SUV coupe thing where it needs to go. This one starts at $66,025.
The next model up is the GLE63 S Coupe and that one is almost double the price. At $110,225, this one features a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 that moves the earth with 577 horsepower and 561 lb.-ft. of torque.
Now for something more reasonable, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC. This is the more well-rounded replacement for the awkward GLK and will serve as one of their entry-level SUVs. MSRP is $39,875 for the base GLC300 plus another $2,000 to add all-wheel drive. This one is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder 241 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque.
The GLC goes on sale in November and the GLE Coupe goes on sale later this month.
[Source: Mercedes-Benz via Autoweek]
Audi A3 Sportback e-tron ready for America
Audi is taking a big step for their electrified future with the announcement of the first e-tron vehicle destined for America. The Audi A3 Sportback e-tron will be the first of many Audi e-tron cars to arrive on US soil and go on sale here.
The A3 Sportback e-tron is a plug-in hybrid with a 1.4-liter TFSI gas engine and a liquid-cooled, permanent magnet-driven electric motor which join forces to produce 204 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. An 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides energy storage and is packed under the back seat so none of the trunk space is sacrificed for the polar bears. From a 240-volt outlet, charging takes no more than two hours and fifteen minutes. Full EV operation is available but they won’t yet say how far you can go without using the petrol motor.
Otherwise, it’s a perfectly normal Audi A3 Sportback. It still has all the equipment, comfort, and practicality of an A3 but with available EV modes. Pricing for the e-tron model starts at $37,900 and can go all the way up to $46,800 for the Prestige model. That doesn’t include the expected $4,168 federal tax credit.
So if you need a decent daily driver with the quality of an Audi and the efficiency of a PHEV, look no further. Expect to see the A3 Sportback e-tron in dealerships this October.
[Source: Audi]
BLIPS
The news this week was a bit more pricey than it normally is, but fortunately our friends at Blipshift have some good news that won’t force you to sell a kidney. From now till Monday, August 10 at 10 PM EST, Blipshift is having a massive sale as a send off to summer and to celebrate their third birthday. The 96 Hours of Blipshift as it’s called will feature 20 designs, many of which are restomods of old favorites.
This sale is also being used to debut posters available for each design on sale now and will continue to be sold for new designs going forward. They’ve also got a free four-pack of coasters to the first 500 orders but can also be bought. Other perks include free shipping on three items or more and a free shirt voucher to use net time when you get five qualifying shirts.
General awesomness all around, basically. If you need to restock your wardrobe and want more automotive art on your walls and underneath your beverage, click on the Blipshift banner to get started.
[Source: Blipshift]
Aston Martin probably won’t have an epic t-shirt sale, but they will bring a sample of their second century to Pebble Beach, which is cool too. Four new Aston Martins will be making the rounds at Pebble Beach next week as part of the awesome car week taking place. Aston Martin have their own estate set up to show off four of their new cars to customers and invited guests. It’s there that the new DB9 GT will make its global debut and be accompanied by the DBX concept, Vulcan, and Lagonda Taraf. Aston Martin also have a big presence planned for Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, so you may be able to catch a glimpse there.
[Source: Aston Martin]
What’s your automotive news?
I finally saw a Porsche Cayman GT4! This little thing drew a crowd at Caffeine and Octane (Atlanta’s big monthly car show) last week and it looked like it was dying to find some good roads. The owner is a regular to the show and he learned to drive stick with it. MSRP on this car is over $84,000… and he learned to drive stick with it… a Cayman GT4. Rock on, bro.
Now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, drove something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything newsworthy that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
[Image source: © 2015 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]
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