Liberty Walk Lexus LC 500 is Riveting

And we thought the 2018 Lexus LC 500 looked pretty wild in stock form. Liberty Walk offers not just one, but two wide body kits for the cool coupe.

A new LC 500 will set you back at least $92,995, in case you need a donor car. The Japanese tuner’s first body kit for the car includes front, side, and rear diffusers, a big ducktail rear spoiler, and super wide fenders bolted on with visible rivets. Très JDM.

The car is also slammed to the pavement and will make you cringe at the sight of a speed bump outside of your local 7-11.

The package retails for $15,560 in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) or $19,440 for one made with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).

If you are on a budget, the second version of the wide body kit includes similar modifications with a rear wing variant. It sells for $13,380 in FRP or $16,740 for CFRP bits.

Both kits include lots of subtle fan boy graphics and a shout out to John Lennon on the doors that reads, “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” We don’t know what that has to do with a highly modified Lexus, but are those immortal lyrics ever not appropriate?

Quad tailpipe tips in electric blue complete the treatment. Wheels, rims, and suspension mods are extra—way extra.

Under the hood, the LC 500 packs a 5.0-liter V-8 engine that’s good for 471 hp and 379 lb-ft of torque. The V-8 is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It can sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 168 mph.

Inside, the stock LC interior is pretty carbon fiber- and Alcantara-heavy to start with, but we imagine an upgrade resembling the Jungle Room at Graceland would give this Liberty Walk Lexus a look that’s fit for a king. Or maybe even a comic book superhero.

Source: LB-Works

 

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Spied! Mercedes-AMG GT4 Caught One Last Time in 2017

Though you might think Mercedes has the four-door coupe niche covered with the new 2019 CLS-Class, its performance brand Mercedes-AMG has another swoopy sedan on the way: the AMG GT4. That car has been captured once again, this time conducting winter tests.

The AMG GT4 will be based on the same E-Class-derived underpinnings as the CLS, but will feature styling inspired by the AMG GT sports car. It will also be the sportier of the two four-doors, aimed at the Audi RS 7, Porsche Panamera, and BMW M6 Gran Coupe. As we previously reported, Mercedes will not offer a full-strength AMG CLS63 variant, but will instead have a CLS53 powered by a more potent version of Benz’s new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 “63” and “63 S” powertrains making as much as 600 hp will be reserved for the GT4. The concept that debuted this year in Geneva packed a hybrid drivetrain good for more than 800 hp, which could hint at a rival to the 680-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

We’ve spied the AMG GT4 several times before, and not a lot has changed since the last time we saw it. You can clearly make out the slender AMG GT-inspired taillights, active rear spoiler, and quad-tipped exhaust, but otherwise there isn’t that much new to see. Still, the images give us something to look forward to in 2018, as the car’s debut might be just around the corner.

Photo source: CarPix

 

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Nissan Leaf Grand Touring Concept Headed to Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan will debut the Leaf Grand Touring Concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon from January 12-14, the automaker announced this week. The concept is one of 15 Nissan models that will be on display at the event.

The automaker didn’t provide any details on the GT concept, but judging from this picture, it receives a slick two-tone color scheme. The rocker panels and blacked-out wheels and door handles also give the Leaf a semblance of sportiness.

But the true sporty variant will likely remain the Leaf Nismo Concept, which debuted in Tokyo a few months ago. Although pretty mild compared to other Nismo cars in the Nissan stable, it features some athletic cues such as Continental summer tires, a lowered, sport-tuned suspension, and sharper tuning that gives it quicker reflexes. Like the Grand Touring Concept, it gets a two-tone color scheme.

Be sure not to confuse the Tokyo Motor Show with Tokyo Auto Salon, a massive aftermarket car show in Japan. Given the purpose of this show, the Leaf GT concept should preview potential custom parts rather than an entirely new model with mechanical updates. Some of the other Nissan models on display include the Fairlady Z Heritage Edition, NV350 Caravan Grand Touring Concept, X-Trail Grand Touring Concept, and Serena e-POWER AUTECH Concept.

Source: Nissan

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Autonomous Cars Need More Durable Batteries, Says Lithium-Ion Pioneer

Across the industry, automakers are working to increase the energy density of their batteries so EVs can travel 200 miles or more on a single charge. This is all well and good, but future batteries will also need to be tougher to meet the demands of autonomous ridesharing cars, says Akira Yoshino, who invented a prototype of the lithium-ion battery back in 1985.

“A car shared by 10 people means it will be running 10 times more,” Yoshino told Bloomberg. “Durability will become very important.”

Yoshino says future batteries should have materials that can withstand constant expansion and contraction. Making these accommodations could require automakers that focus less on increasing a battery’s energy density and range, however. To boost durability, lithium titanate may be used in the anode of the battery instead of carbon.

Yoshino began researching a conducting polymer called polyacetylene in the early 1980s. He built a lithium-ion battery using this polymer as the anode, but later switched to carbon. He is currently an honorary fellow at Asahi Kasei, the world’s biggest producer of separators for batteries.

“Cars are a completely new application, and we’ll have to wait until we find out what kind of batteries will really be needed,” Yoshino said. “The future of batteries depends on what will happen to the future of the automobile society.”

Hyundai’s top executive for autonomous vehicles has also touched on the problem of making batteries suitable for self-driving cars. Speaking with WardsAuto recently, Woongjung Jang said these vehicles consume so much power, which can decrease driving range. We can thank the advanced data processing systems in autonomous cars for draining their batteries so quickly.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts EVs will make up 54 percent of new car sales by 2040. The proliferation of EVs is expected to coincide with the rollout of autonomous cars. A number of automakers are looking to bring out advanced autonomous systems in the early 2020s.

Source: Bloomberg

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2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Starts at $25,835

The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in completes the electrified Ioniq range, joining the lineup with a starting price of $25,835, including destination. The plug-in variant gets an all-electric range of 29 miles and has a total range of 650 miles.

Just two trim levels are offered on the plug-in, including the base model and the Limited, which starts at $29,185. For 2018, Hyundai also simplifies the Ioniq Electric line to just two trim levels. The Ioniq Plug-in undercuts the Toyota Prius Prime by more than $2,000, and also has a higher EV range at 29 miles versus the Toyota plug-in’s 25 miles. Both are eligible for a $4,500 federal tax credit. The larger Honda Clarity plug-in starts at $34,290 while the Chevrolet Volt starts at $34,095. Both qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit. The Clarity plug-in has an all-electric range of 47 miles while the Volt is rated at 53 miles on battery power alone.

Compared to a 2017 Ioniq Electric, which has a range of 110 miles, the base Ioniq Plug-in is $4,550 less expensive. However, the Electric qualifies for the $7,500 federal tax credit, which drops the price to $22,885, or roughly $1,500 more than the plug-in with its tax credit applied.

Like the standard Ioniq hybrid, the plug-in features a 1.6-liter direct-injected Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder that produces 104 hp and 109 lb-ft of torque. That engine is coupled to a more robust 60-hp electric motor and larger 8.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion polymer battery pack. Combined output hasn’t been revealed yet, but it shouldn’t be far off from the standard Ioniq hybrid’s 139 hp, if the Kia Niro plug-in is any indication. The plug-in gets the same six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as the regular hybrid.

The plug-in generally looks like the standard Ioniq hybrid, but it gets low-beam LED headlights and unique 16-inch alloy wheels—in addition to the telltale charging port on the passenger-side front fender. Like the rest of the Ioniq lineup, the plug-in features a 7.0-inch TFT gauge cluster display to relay relevant information including charge level, range, and speed to the driver. Meanwhile, the infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in is on sale at dealerships now.

Source: Hyundai

 

 

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Volkswagen to Double e-Golf Production in Dresden, Germany

The e-Golf seems like old news given Volkswagen plans to launch a host of longer-range electric vehicles on a new dedicated platform starting in the next few years. But apparently the small electric hatch is selling well enough in Germany to warrant an increase in production at the automaker’s plant in Dresden.

“To meet higher demand for the e-Golf, production capacity at the Transparent Factory is to be increased,” Volkswagen said in a statement released this month.

Production will gradually increase from 35 to 70 vehicles a day starting in March 2018, the automaker also announced. The plant in Dresden will add a second shift to accommodate this change.

Recently introduced federal incentives have increased the demand for EVs in Germany, as has a diesel scrappage program. Automakers have been offering rebates for drivers who scrap their old diesel cars and purchase more environmentally friendly vehicles. Still, the e-Golf isn’t performing spectacularly in the U.S. right now. Here, sales of the model are down 8.7 percent for the first 11 months of the year, from 3,494 units to just 3,191. Compare that to overall Golf sales in the U.S., which are up 7.4 percent.

The Volkswagen e-Golf received important updates for 2017, making it more sophisticated than its predecessor. Battery capacity has increased to provide an EPA-estimated range of 125 miles, an increase from 83 miles. The motor now puts out 134 hp and 214 lb-ft of torque, compared to 115 hp and 199 lb-ft from the previous model.

Volkswagen will sell the I.D. electric hatch in Europe by 2019, while the I.D. Crozz will arrive in the U.S. in 2020. The Microbus-inspired I.D. Buzz will go on sale in 2022 in the U.S.

Source: Volkswagen via Electrek

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