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:

• McLaren announces the 570S

• Jaguar shows off the all-new XF

• Porsche’s new 919 Hybrid is ready for Le Mans

• Toyota’s new TS040 Hybrid is also ready for Le Mans

• Aston Martin will bring the Vulcan to New York

• Mazda to debut MX-5 Club Edition

• Ford Focus RS to make US debut at NY

• What’s your automotive news?

McLaren 570S

Up to this point, no one has really been sure what to call McLaren’s upcoming sports car. Early rumors suggested it would be called the P13 and other news releases until now have called it the Sports Series. This week though, McLaren finally gave it a real name – the 570S. Sports Series isn’t necessarily the name of the car, but rather the name of McLaren’s new product range that will include the 570S and [probably] other sports cars that slot in underneath the current 650S and 675LT models.
With the official name come some preliminary details, like the fact that this sports car will be V8-powered, carbon-fiber structured, and will be aerodynamically optimized to deliver the kind of performance McLaren is known for. As with other McLaren models, the name 570S gives away its power figure: 570 metric horsepower, or 562 ‘Murican horsepower.
The McLaren 570S will be shown in full at the New York Auto Show on April 1st, where it will be revealed that it also features rear-hinged scissor doors and 26-inch spinners.
[Source: McLaren]

All-new Jaguar XF didn’t fall in the water

Last week, Jaguar announced they would reveal the all-new XF before its official debut at the NY Auto Show by driving it across a suspended high wire over Canary Wharf in London. Fortunately [depending on who you talk to], the Jag didn’t get wet and the first details were announced after it make its record crossing.
Other than the new styling, which we’ll see even more of at New York, the biggest party trick of the new XF is its added lightness. Like other Jags, the XF is aluminum-intensive in its construction which results in a significant weight loss. The XF is at least 170 pounds lighter than any of its closest competitors, which contributes to its much improved efficiency. Available engines range from a 2.0-liter diesel offering 70 mpg (EU measurements) and a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 petrol engine offering nearly 360 horsepower. There’s even a twin-turbocharged diesel offering over 500 ft.-lbs. of torque! A six-speed manual transmission is offered with some engines and an eight-speed automatic is available on everything. Meticulously tuned electric power steering passive dampers are standard and all-wheel drive is available as an option.

The interior will feature an innovative 10.2-inch touchscreen in the center console with Dual View technology which allows the driver to view navigation and the passenger to watch a DVD simultaneously. The InControl Touch Pro system running it all is backed by a solid-state drive and a quad-core processor for a powerful infotainment system.
We’ll of course know and see a little more of the all-new Jaguar XF at the New York Auto Show next Wednesday, but this is already pretty much everything we need to know.
[Source: Jaguar Land Rover]

2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid

After a rough 2014 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Porsche’s first with this new program, the Stuttgart-based team is looking forward to the start of the new season with their updated Porsche 919 Hybrid prototype.
More power, better energy recovery, and updated aerodynamics all fit within the new FIA regulations and will give the team a more potent car to run with. In fact, the energy recovery package they’re running is the most powerful one they’re allowed to use. The new 919 is also more efficient, more rigid, easier to handle, lighter, and more robust. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged V4 (not a typo) petrol engine producing more than 500 horsepower to the rear wheels. An electric motor kicks out another 400 horsepower to the front wheels. Porsche will also give them more cars to run with, as three 919 Hybrids – one white, one black, and one red – will race at the season’s high point: the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The starting number (17) and color of the red 919 Hybrid is a tribute to the Porsche that captured the first of sixteen Le Mans victories in 1970 and will be driven by Timo Bernhard of Germany, Brendon Hartley of New Zealand, and Mark Webber of Australia. The black 919 will run with the number 18 after the road-going 918 super car which has a close technical kinship with the LMP1 racers and will be driven by Marc Lieb of Germany, Romain Dumas of France, and Neel Jani of Switzerland. The white 919 carries number 19 and a color that is traditional of German race car. This will be driven by Earl Bamber of New Zealand, Nico Hülkenberg of Germany, and Nick Tandy of the UK.
This year’s Le Mans should be very interesting.
[Source: Porsche]

2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid

Not to be outdone, Toyota also revealed their new version of the TS040 Hybrid LMP1 car. Last season, Toyota didn’t win Le Mans but they did win the overall championship and driver’s titles after winning five of last season’s eight races.
For 2015, the TS040 Hybrid features a new FIA-compliant aero package, a revised front end including crash structure, and new suspension kinematics to optimize tire usage. Also, added lightness. Toyota’s Hybrid System is also updated and boasts excellent thermal efficiency and up to 1,000 horsepower. That also includes a revised super capacitor, which I’m only mentioning because it sounds cool.
Toyota will run two TS040s: car #1 will be driven by Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, and Kazuki Nakajima whle car #2 will be driven by Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, and Mike Conway.
Toyota had a strong showing during last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, but they just had a few technical issues that held them back. This year’s car is also meant to be more robust, fortunately.
[Source: Toyota]

Blips

If you want to see the insanity that is the Aston Martin Vulcan, the New York Auto Show is your next chance to see it. Aston Martin will be in NY with an impressive display, featuring their main lineup and the 800 horsepower, fire-breathing, rare beast that is the Vulcan. This is a car that may not be shown very often, since only 24 will ever be built.
[Source: Aston Martin]

Mazda will bring the MX-5 Club Edition to New York next week. Not much is known about it, other than that it’s going to be improved in some way for canyon carving or track use and will be the “most aggressive road-going iteration of Mazda’s fourth-generation flagship roadster”. Sounds awesome. No more details were given, but when they become available, it’s going to be featured here for sure.
[Source: Mazda | Image source: Copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]

The Ford Focus RS will appear at NY for its US debut. It’ll be shown in US spec and in a new color called Nitrous Blue, which is the first color we’ve seen on this car that will actually make it to production. It will also be available in Stealth Gray, Shadow Black and Frozen White. The car will hit US dealerships in Spring of 2016. So until then, we’ll just have to sit and wonder how awesome that “drift” button will be…
[Source: Ford]

What’s your automotive news?

BMW’s Ultimate Driving Experience was in town this week. I went and autocrossed a 328d and a 428i, which was fun. But the Z4 35is they had on the street drive was even more fun. They let us drive that on the street without adult supervision, which was their first mistake. I haven’t experienced acceleration like that in a long, long time. It’s a blast, and I’ll defend the Z4 35is to anyone that says it’s fat and sluggish. The power is awesome, the seven-speed DCT is awesome, and the top-down experience under full power is intoxicating.
Your turn! Sound off in the comments with anything you’d like to share.
[Image source: me]