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Seat hatches hot little Ibiza Cupra Concept in Beijing [w/video]

Just about every brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella has its own performance line these days. Marques like Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche may not need them, but Volkswagen has the R line, Audi has the RS range, Skoda offers the vRS models, and Seat badges its under the Cupra name.
It's a nameplate that's become synonymous with Latin-flavored hot hatches in markets around the world, and one of those vital markets is China. Little wonder, then, that Seat chose the Beijing Motor Show to launch its latest Cupra model.
Technically billed as a "concept," even Seat admits the vehicle you see here is pretty darn close to the production model that is scheduled to debut later this year. It starts out with the latest Ibiza hatchback (which itself shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Polo) and upgrades it with VW's celebrated 1.4 TSI engine that packs a turbocharger, supercharger and direct injection to produce a solid 180 horsepower. All that juice is driven to the front wheels through an electronic differential and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

McLaren P1 GTR looks ready to hit the track [w/video]

McLaren may be first and foremost a racing constructor, but it's been known to make a few road-going supercars now and then. This, though, is something in between. It's the new McLaren P1 GTR, and it's just made its live debut on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show. In case you missed our earlier coverage upon its release, or the subsequent video of it hitting the track, allow us to reiterate: It's based on the P1 – McLaren's million-dollar hybrid hypercar – but it's tuned specifically for the track. Not for racing and not for driving on public roads – like the Ferrari FXX K or the Aston Martin Vulcan we'll be bringing you shortly as well, the P1 GTR was made specifically so that wealthy enthusiasts would have a toy to play with on closed circuits. To prep it for track duty, the engineers in Woking upped the output from the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain from 903 horsepower (as if that wasn't enough) to 986. They ditched 110 pound of excess weight. They fitted racing slicks, dropped the suspension and tweaked the aero package. The result, as you can see from the live images in the slideshow above and the video below, is pretty badass – even if you don't dig the throwback Harrods yellow and green livery. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. McLAREN P1™ GTR TO SHOW ITS LIMITED PRODUCTION FORM IN GENEVA - Makes the transition from concept to production with track tested modifications - Tuning in development results in 10 percent more downforce than the McLaren P1™ road car - Lightweight components and motorsport technologies trim a further 50kg - McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme confirms first locations - Geneva Show car livery inspired by iconic McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #06R - McLaren P1™ GTR will premiere alongside the recently announced McLaren 675LT on Stand 1240, Hall 1 at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT) on Tuesday, 3 March The track-dedicated 1000PS McLaren P1™ GTR will debut at the 85th International Geneva Motor Show in limited production form with only minor modifications to the Design Concept presented just six months ago. The most noticeable change is the livery that the Geneva show car will be sporting. It is one which will be available to the fortunate few who will be joining the McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme that kicks off at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain later this year.

California teens rent McLaren MP4-12C using stolen credit card [UPDATE]

As teenagers, we all entertain the idea of replacing our high school beater with a real car. Alas, for many of us, we are left waiting a few years until we have the disposable income to replace the rusty Pontiac Sunfire we learned to drive on with something more impressive. Maybe a hot hatchback or perhaps a gently used, entry level luxury sedan. A pair of 19 year olds in Santa Rosa, CA, though, just couldn't wait to pick up their very own "cool" car, so they did what any idiotic teenager would do – they swiped a credit card and rented a McLaren MP4-12C. The two teens, Mohannad Halaweh and Nhimia Kahsay, were arrested by Sonoma County Sheriffs after the car, which was allegedly rented for $13,000 using a stolen credit card, was reported stolen. The two also charged $27,000 to rent a $12 million vacation home, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. It's not entirely clear how the two teens were able to fool the unnamed rental car agency into releasing the car to them. Ironically, the arrest happened when Halaweh was leaving a court appearance for (surprise, surprise) credit card fraud, from an earlier incident in which he tried to use an illegally obtained card to purchase $10,000 from the Apple Store. Halaweh and Kahsay are now sitting in Sonoma County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 and $60,000, respectively, and are facing charges of credit card fraud and possession of stolen property. UPDATE: An official statement from Sia Bani, the president of Club Sportiva, the company that rented out the McLaren MP4-12C, has been released and is available below. Club Sportiva helps Santa Rosa police catch credit card thieves As many of you have read online, a repeat identity thief was recently caught in California with stolen credit cards in a McLaren MP4-12C. This was indeed one of Club Sportiva's vehicles. Club Sportiva filed a police report with the San Jose police department once discovering further issues with the claimed identity of the driver, and that led to the prompt arrest of both driver and passenger of the vehicle in Sonoma County. Club Sportiva's policy includes an age restriction to >25 years of age, with exceptions only made to entry level vehicles with an in-person interview with management, and a greater deposit, and only with a clear insurance background check. Our delivery team was provided fake identification and flags were only raised after further due diligence with the credit card company used for the "gifted" experience.