Lately, the Spymaster has noticed that Honda has been more heavily amping up its involvement in motorsports, including plans and broad hints of sportier production vehicles. Recently, the automaker released details of the Project 2&4 concept machine that combines elements of an open-wheel single-seat racer (except for the tiny fenders) and a motorcycle. The latter consists of a 1.0-litre four-cylinder motorcycle engine that produces 212 horsepower and 87 pound-feet of torque and connects to a six-speed automated manual transmission. Given its 400-kilogram curb weight, the Project 2&4 would likely prove an extremely agile track car/cycle, but is destined to remain a fanciful one-off rather than come anywhere near production. Then again…
Elantra gets a makeover:
The 2017 Hyundai Elantra that will be revealed in North America later this year impresses The Sleuth greatly. The signi§cantly redesigned compact car is pretty much the same size as the current model, save for about a 2.5-centimetre increase in length and width. The standard engine is a 147-horsepower 2.0-litre four-cylinder that’s harnessed to a six-speed manual transmission, or optional seven-speed automated manual. There’s word a turbocharged option will be added that would counter a similar powerplant available in the upcoming 2016 Honda Civic, which is the Elantra’s primary rival. The new Elantra is expected to go on sale by the spring of 2016.
More concerns about self-driving cars: As if hacking into the computerized control systems of autonomous (self-driving) vehicles isn’t concern enough, The Spy Guy has learned of the possibility that the laser-based guidance systems (called LIDAR, for Light Detection and Ranging) installed in these cars can be compromised through the use of an inexpensive laser pointer. According to one security researcher, the pulses from laser beams can confuse the vehicle’s LIDAR to an extent that it could falsely “read” an obstruction directly ahead and slow down or stop the autonomous vehicle. It could also scramble the LIDAR so that it would simply freeze up entirely. This type of hack points out the need to ensure that self-driving systems have been thoroughly tested and approved before coming to market.
VW’s Tiguan gets bigger, but lighter: The Sleuth believes that the recently unveiled second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan should be just what der Doktor ordered. The long-overdue replacement model, which is expected for the 2017 model year, will be available in both §ve- and extended-length seven-passenger seating con§gurations, the latter due to arrive in about a year after the §ve-seater’s launch. A turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is the most likely the base powerplant candidate, with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel optional. Outwardly, the Tiguan’s nose appears in§uenced by the Passat sedan, while the rest of the vehicle displays an update of the current model, except with a few more shapes and creases (surface tension, as the designers call it). The §nished §ve-passenger “Tig” is expected to weigh about 60 kilograms less than the original, despite the larger dimensions, and burn less fuel as a result.
The 2016 Camaro seems spec-tacular: The Sleuth has seen the new Chevrolet Camaro’s of§cial performance data and other details and he’s somewhat bowled over, gobsmacked and otherwise blown away by what he has read. To begin with, the Camaro weighs up to 175 kilograms less (depending on trim level) than the outgoing model, which is cool. The base turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder has an output of 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, while the optional non-turbo 3.6-litre V-6 produces 335 horsepower and 284 pound-feet. Topping the lineup is the Camaro SS with 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque emanating from a 6.2-litre Corvette-based V-8. Chevrolet claims the SS ‘Vette will hit 96 km/h from rest in 4.0 seconds, or 1.5 seconds quicker than the turbo.
In brief:
• The cost of time as a fashion statement: In what has to be the most expensive available feature ever on any automobile, buyers wishing to have the solid gold (with diamond numbers) Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon clock §tted to the dashboard of Bentley’s forthcoming luxury sport utility vehicle, the Bentayga, will have to pay $170,000 US for the privilege. That’s on top of the $229,000 US base price for the car.
• Debate on the Trans-Paci§c Partnership:
A new free-trade deal between 12 countries, some of the largest trading partners in the world, will end or cut the protectionist practices used by some countries. Here in Canada, for example, Conservative politicians had said the auto industry will be just §ne while some economists were predicting the loss of up to 20,000 manufacturing jobs. The TPP includes Canada and the United States. New Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he won’t pass judgment until he sees more detail on the impacts.