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:
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Alpina details updated B4 S Bi-Turbo
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Porsche sets a personal best with new 911 GT3 at the ‘Ring
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Elon Musk sheds more light on upcoming Tesla semi truck
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Kia builds one millionth Sorento in Georgia
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What’s your automotive news?
Alpina B4 S Bi-Turbo
Alpina brought the updated B4 S Bi-Turbo coupe and convertible to the Geneva Motor Show a few months ago (which got lost in all the supercar buzz), but we got more details on it this week which were absolutely worth talking about. Coinciding with the recent BMW 4 Series face lift, this refreshed B4 S features some styling updates, more power, and some more equipment.
The BMW-sourced 3.0-liter straight six gets the Alpina treatment with Alpina-specific twin turbochargers and a new high-performance cooling system. It now produces 440 horsepower and 487 lb.-ft. of torque which is quite a bit more than the standard BMW M4.
A revamped eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox handles that power and channels it to the rear wheels as standard or all four (available on the coupe only).
0-60 mph happens in as little as 3.9 seconds (coupe with AWD) and its top speed is as high as 190 mph (coupe with RWD). That capability is backed up by the adaptive Alpina sports suspension which combines electronically adjustable dampers with springs, auxiliary springs, and anti-roll bars. Drivers can adjust the rest of the suspension independently from the active dampers.
Lightly updated headlight and tail-light clusters, both with LED technology, come courtesy of BMW’s own 4 Series updates, but Alpina-specific updates include lightly updated front and rear aprons with light chrome accents. The interior is largely the same but it now features standard split-folding rear seats and BMW’s ConnectedDrive Services for better connectivity on the go.
They aren’t huge changes by any means, but you could argue that an Alpina doesn’t need much more. Prices start at €63,277 ($69,545).
[Source: Alpina via MotorAuthority]
Porsche 911 GT3 goes faster at the ‘Ring
Because I literally have nothing better to talk about from here on, have another Nürburgring lap time. This time it’s not a record, rather a personal best for the Porsche 911 GT3 which just ran a 7:12.7 around the legendary Nordschleife configuration. That’s a 12.3 second improvement over the previous 911 GT3.
According to Porsche, it approached the start/finish line in its standard trim which includes a roll cage for safety, Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, an in this particular case a seven-speed PDK (though a manual is now an option). As is tradition, Porsche released the entire timed lap for your viewing pleasure. For some high-revving, naturally-aspirated flat six goodness, I recommend it.
[Source: Porsche]
Elon Musk talks Tesla truck
Genius and savior of humanity, Elon Musk, gave a TED talk (as influential geniuses do) and took the opportunity to talk a bit about the upcoming Tesla semi truck. We’ll see the full thing in September, but our savior graciously provided us with a teaser shot and some preliminary information.
It’s designed to be a long-range, heavy-duty semi truck that can actually work like a truck is supposed to. It’ll take full advantage of an electric motor’s instant, flat torque curve to “tug the diesel semi uphill” and be surprisingly quick. As with other Teslas, it only has a single gear, so eliminating the need for several changes will only make it quicker.
Now he did say “long range” but didn’t clarify what that entailed. Battery tech is constantly improving and it could theoretically have space to carry tons of them, so that’s probably not much of a stretch. But we’ll see sometime in September.
[Source: Autoweek, TED]
Kia builds one millionth Sorento in Georgia
In 2009, Kia turned on the lights at their new $1.1 billion West Point, Georgia manufacturing plant and launched production of the first American-built Sorento. The Kia Optima was added in 2011 and that’s contributed to a total of 2.4 million vehicles built there between the two models, but this week the one millionth Kia Sorento rolled off the line.
Even though the plant already produced its one millionth car a few years ago, this milestone is a bit special because the Sorento was the first thing to roll off the line here. Kia has come a long way since 2009 but their commitment to the state is unwavering. Between Kia themselves and their parts suppliers, 15,000 jobs are supported by this plant and they’ve opened their doors to locals before. Truck loads of new Kia Optimas and Sorentos are a common sight on Georgia highways. In short, Kia loves Georgia and Georgia loves Kia.
The honorary 2018 Kia Sorento SXL in snow white pearl will be on display in the coming weeks at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, presumably in the atrium before TSA gates where a Kia has been parked since 2009.
[Source: Kia]
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]
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