Current Events: This poor Porsche 996 on fire from protests in France is just sad

In my usual scrolling of my Facebook News Feed, a rather saddening picture of what appears to be a Porsche 996 engulfed in flames just surfaced, and immediately, I began to weep for it.

Now, I’m not particularly a diehard Porsche guy, but it’s never fun and quite sad to see any car in this state. Porsche’s are just awesome and sweet cars, how can you not like them and feel bad for them when things go wrong? It’s like when the world cries from the passing of a legendary pop star.

According to the individual who shared the picture to a private group I’m a part of, it’s from Nantes, France yesterday, where some violent protests happened regarding labor reform, and this poor Porsche 911 Carrera 4S from the Type 996 generation was one of the victims. It was from an undisclosed Instagram post.

Further searching on the web brought me to RT.com, which also had many other tweets and Instagram posts from yesterday’s protests in France. Low and behold, there was the burning Porsche in a tweet posted by an onlooker. You can see that below.

#LoiTravail #Nantes porsche performance prefecture.. http://pic.twitter.com/7r2pHtP3tO

— Guy Debord (@labofii) April 28, 2016

And really, I then have to ask those who were protesting, why protest against the cars? In fact, in any period of civil unrest, what good does flipping over, setting fire to, or smashing the windows of other people’s cars have to do anything with your cause, frustration, or your hot temper?

More specifically, what the hell did that specific Porsche have to do with labor reform? Why the nice car, and not the plebeian Renaults behind it?

As a result, us car people have to watch a bunch of fools cause senseless damage to other people’s property for no reason other than to smear a probably good cause for protest with the legacy of vandalism.

Just leave the cars alone!

RIP Porsche.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter; RT.com

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1TBaK2T

Report: Couple sues SnapChat for car accident, saying it caused their daughter’s crash

One of the latest facepalm-worthy calamities involves that social media app SnapChat, which basically combines instant video messaging with Vine-like snippets. In SnapChat, users can overlay filters to make their snaps witty, artsy and cheesy, and there’s one that cleverly uses the accelerometer built into everyone’s smartphone, plus GPS, to read out how fast one’s traveling, say in a car as a passenger, not as the driver.

This specific speed overlay is what caused a couple’s daughter to crash while driving, according to the lawsuit filed with Spalding County, in Georgia.

The suit claims that SnapChat is at fault because their speed overlay apparently encouraged their daughter to drive 100 MPH, just so she can show her friends how fast she was going. She ended up cracking 100 alright, actually topping out at 107 MPH, before crashing.

But that’s not the best part.

She even SnapChats her self in the gurney, with the captions, “Lucky to be alive.” Damn straight she is, because Charles Darwin must’ve been at lunch at the time, thankfully to her benefit.

Really though, these people are allowed to contribute to the gene pool? If this doesn’t get thrown out, I have lost all hope for humanity.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: WECT-TV Local NBC Affiliate

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1Tk7CG0

Report: Bentley’s CEO doesn’t think 600hp is enough for the Bentayga

The Bentley Bentayga is no joke of a performance car when it comes to numbers, and titles. It’s not only the world’s most luxurious and most expensive crossover SUV, it is also currently the most powerful and the fastest in the world.

Despite holding titles like these, especially with a mill like the 6.0L twin-turbo W12 found under the hood with 600hp, the same one from the Bentley Continental GT W12, CEO Wolfgang Durheimer believes such a power figure is simply not enough.

That said, Durheimer told AutoExpress that we should expect an even more powerful, 650hp Bentley Bentayga Speed to solve this issue.

Word came from Mr. Durheimer himself during an interview with AutoExpress and the fact that we’ve seen a Bentayga test mule running about reaffirms that something’s brewing, and this new Bentayga Speed could be what’s in the world.

In addition to the extra oomph, you can certainly expect other upgrades all around such as beefier suspension and brakes, as well as a 0-62 time that could drop to as little as four seconds or quicker. Top speed could crack 200 MPH as the current model is only capable of going 187 MPH.

In addition to the more powerful model, some other rumors exist to suggest Bentley could even be making a “coupe” version of the Bentayga, similarly to how BMW has the X6 and Mercedes has the GLE Coupe. Though specifics here have yet to be revealed Durheimer did share that it will look like EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept, but as a crossover SUV.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoExpress

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1WX3n8V

Video: Watch this guy hilariously fail at attempting a standing burnout on a sport bike

Bikes really aren’t my forte, but I couldn’t really help but realize how much wrong was happening in this video.

There is no specific caption or description, other than the catchy “clickbait-like” statement along the lines of, “WTF was this guy thinking?”

But despite the fact that I don’t do bikes and thus, I don’t know jack shit about them, I still can see that this guy is just failing miserably at trying to attempt a standing burnout on a sport bike.

Not can you only hear him holding the throttle wide open, he’s appears to be riding the clutch instead of dumping it and letting go completely, resulting in him just jerking forward and probably roasting the plate away.

Despite not getting it right the first couple times, he insists on trying, with others chiming in, appearing to tell him that he’s doing it wrong.

But, that’s not even the best part.

Watch what I mean below and just, prepare to laugh. It’s truly a facepalm-worthy video.

---

– By: Chris Chin

Source: WickedAutoVids Facebook

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1WX3mSx

Report: Cadillac was rumored to build new entry sedan based off Chevy Cruze, but is false

A report surfaced recently suggesting that Cadillac was going to tread down the path of the subcompact entry-level sedan, similarly to the Mercedes-Benz CLA and the Audi A3. But this was almost instantly met with some criticism as it immediately harked back to what could arguably be the worst Cadillac ever made, if it was even a Cadillac: the Cimarron.

The Cimarron was the last time Cadillac even attempted a really affordable sedan, before the ATS sedan. And it was, well, awful, because it was merely a Chevrolet Cavalier dressed up in some faux-leather.

Given the existence of the CLA and the A3, with BMW supposedly working on their own to make as the 1-Series sedan, it would make sense for Cadillac to make a move with their competitor as well. Right?

Wrong. According to MotorAuthority, who first reported on the topic, the outlet spoke to David Caldwell, Cadillac’s spokes person, who said these rumors were false. The rumor first suggested that GM’s new D2XX front-wheel drive platform would be the starting point, essentially making it a Cadillac version of the all-new Chevy Cruze.

But to the word of Cadillac’s spokesperson, no such project is currently under works.

Then again, they could be just saying no because automakers never tend to tell the truth or disclose information about new products just to keep us talking.

It’s the oldest trick in the book guys…c’mon.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: MotorAuthority

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1UlqGIR

Report: A mid-engined Porsche 960 will be a Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari 488GTB competitor

Rumors have been floating around about a potential new mid-engined sports car from Porsche and it appears some details were discovered, according to a new report form CAR Magazine.

The new model, supposedly called the Porsche 960, will basically be a more affordable and baby version of the hard-to-get and extremely exclusive 918 Spyder. The name was learned by CAR last year, which was the first tip that provided us with an idea of what to expect. However, expectedly, not much else was known about the car since manufacturers like to keep things hush-hush.

Hell, we don’t even know if half the rumors we write about are true, but we still ponder about because it’s semi-fun.

Nonetheless, the latest bit suggests the Porsche 960 is bound to get a new lightweight platform, built from a list of complex alloys and metals like aluminum, titanium, high-strength steel, and even some composites. All of this is obviously to keep the car lightweight and stiff, with the curb weight estimated to hover around 3,086lbs.

Motivation is likely to be made possible thanks to a quad-turbocharged 3.9L flat-six, resulting in 650hp and a 0-62 time of just 2.5 seconds.

A sticker price of around $290,745 is expected.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: CAR

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1VVWk1k

Report: Ford is working on a Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 long-range EV called the Model E

AutomotiveNews reports that Ford plans to continue with their idea of producing a long-range EV competitor to the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model 3. Naturally, the Ford car expected to be called the Model E.

Initially, several announcements from Ford’s executive team didn’t exactly express high hopes for the EV market. But due to changes in the trend and demand, Ford decided to change their outlook on the matter, beginning with CEO Mark Field’s confirmation of the Model E, as well as his desire to make Ford a “leader in electric vehicles.”

The plan is to offer a 200-mile range and will be built in Mexico, with aspirations to sell as many as 50,000 units annually.

Not much else is known.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutomotiveNews

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1pMCEhP

Revealed: The 2017 Hyundai Avante Sport is our new Elantra Sport as well

As expected from several confirmations given by Hyundai Motor America’s CEO, Dave Zuchowski, that a Hyundai Elantra Sport is on the way, Hyundai over in South Korea experienced revealed the new trim for the domestic market.

Originally announced at the SEMA show in November, and before that, at a product launch for the Elantra in San Diego, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport is expected to get the same 1.6L turbocharged four as the Sonata Sport Turbo. Around 200hp is expectd for the US-spec car, with a six-speed manual as standard and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

This would probably end up being the sportiest Elantra ever and moves the car closer to the slightly edgier driving experience of the Honda Civic.

Other changes seem to be more aggressive bodywork, larger wheels, LED daytime running lights, and a new “Sport” badge on the back. The headlights and taillights also appear to have a more shadow-lined look. The rear fascia is also festooned with chrome exhaust tips.

Performance won’t be mind-blowing, but the fact that Hyundai’s looking to increase the “sporty” factors of their cars makes it commendable for the effort. Don’t forget, if they really tried, they have the former chief engineer of BMW M helping them with chassis and suspension tuning and handling dynamics.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Hyundai South Korea via Hyundai-Blog.com

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1rm9OGK

BREAKING: The Volkswagen’s R400 “Super Golf” axed in the wake of Dieselgate

Talk about a tease. A breaking report from AutomotiveNews says that Volkswagen is apparently axing the highly-anticipated Golf R400 as a result of the damage done by Dieselgate.

The sad news was apparently voiced by some “insiders” at the company, after former research and development chief, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, confirmed that the Golf R400 Concept from the Beijing Auto Show a while back, was headed for production.

But now, it appears that this won’t happen at all.

This bit of news comes in after Volkswagen reported even greater losses and the need to dedicate more money to the “relief” fund being used to fix the issues that plagued the Wolfsburg-based auto giant. So far, Dieselgate damage estimates have leveled off at costing the company around $11.2 billion.

This so-called “Super Golf” would’ve featured Volkswagen’s most powerful production 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with around 400-420hp. The name was also changed to the R420 because they were gunning for 420hp in the production model. It would’ve handled the power with 4MOTION all-wheel drive and a DSG gearbox. There were even prototypes based off of the latest Golf R spotted.

But now, that’s not going to happen any more since the business case for the Golf R420 was entirely butchered by Dieselgate.

So, there’s that. Are there alternatives? Luckily, yes.

Volkswagen said in place of the R420, they want to focus on the next-generation flagship Golf R, which could lose around 300lbs and still get a more powerful 2.0L turbo four than the one currently on offer.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutomotiveNews

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1rDnYDJ