Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week, Cadillac shows off its new V-Series cars, Uber keeps lighting cash on fire, Jaguar says goodbye to the XJ… for now, and Ferrari shows-off its first plug-in hybrid super machine.
Cadillac unveils its new V-series vehicles
So Cadillac is really going this route, huh?
The former standard of the world has pulled back the wraps on a pair of new V-badged machines. Say hello to the CT4 and CT5. These replace the ATS and CTS, and each version is getting a V variant. You can call them CT4-V and CT5-V. You can also call them pretty disappointing.
That blue car up there? It’s the CT4-V. Under the hood sits a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is good for 320 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Not bad, certainly. But also certainly not good enough for a Cadillac emblazoned with a V badge. Remember the ATS-V? It made 464 horsepower.
On to the orange sedan. That’s the CT5-V and it does not make anywhere near the 650 hp of the recently shuffled off CTS-V. Instead, the 3.0-liter V6 breathes through a pair of turbochargers anre produces 355 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque.
Now, before we unload all of our remaining snark. Both engines sound entertaining. Each car is probably a hoot to drive too. Especially when you consider they ride on the excellent Alpha platform.
But these should not be wearing the V badge.
Uber has cash flowing… That flow is “away from the bank or investor”
The thing that Silicon Valley seems most intent on disrupting is the idea of normal stock prices, standard company valuation models, and showing profitability. Take Uber, for example, which has posted its first quarterly earnings report as a publicly traded company. How does that report look? It looks like Uber lost $1.034 billion in just three months time.
That’s one billion. In a time span of three months.
If Uber was hoping an army of robot slave taxis would be quick to arrive and save the balance-book day, it had better figure out another strategy. Or it won’t be long before people start saying “Remember when we used to Uber places? Man, that company was stupid…”
Adios to the Jaguar XJ
Say it ain’t so, Jaguar! My favorite full-size luxury sedan is getting the corporate thumbs down. Jaguar will stop production on the XJ, which means the 2019 model year is the last iteration of the large four-door. At least in this form. According to Motor Authority, Jaguar will rework the car and bring the name back… as an electric vehicle. One possibly shaped like a hatch, believe it or not.
Despite slacking in the sales department as of late, the XJ has always been a wonderful machine. Thanks to its liberal use of aluminum it weighs far less than its contemporaries. It’s priced a bit down as well, yet returns a fantastic driving experience.
So pour out a pint for the dearly departed Jaguar XJ. Here’s to hoping your electro future is a bright one.
Ferrari is going to build a… plug-in hybrid?
We have talk about an electric Jaguar XJ, and now we move on to a Ferrari that sips on the giga-juice. This is the SF90 Stradale. It employs a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which is good for 769 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s on its own, but when teamed up with a trio of electric motors, the total power output rises to 986 hp.
Each of the front wheels gets a motor. The third lives between the engine and transmission. All three are fed by a 7.9 kWh battery pack that sits behind the cabin and and runs across the car. When operated in a pure electric mode, the SF90 will cover up to 15.5 miles before it needs to fire up the engine.
We’re not dealing with an economy-minded machine though, as the SF90 can rip from 0-62 mph in a mind-bending 2.5 seconds. This wild whip is quicker than the hybrid LaFerrari, according to Road & Track.
Our friends at R&T have even more of the specs and a ton more pics. Head there if you’re curious about this Italian plug-in hybrid… supercar.
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.
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