Great Car, Low Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche 911 GT3 RS looks wicked, this way comes

Those who didn't think Porsche went extreme enough with the latest 911 GT3 likely won't be disappointed when the more focused GT3 RS arrives. And as you can see from these latest spy shots, it looks like it's speeding right around the corner. Tipped to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS is shaping up to be an enthusiast's dream - and with the prospect of a GT2 in doubt, could be the most hardcore Elfen in the range. Instead of the 3.8-liter flat-six in the current GT3, the new RS will pick up where the previous limited-edition GT3 RS 4.0 left off, with four naturally aspirated liters of unadulterated boxer power channeling a good 520 horses to the rear wheels. That will be a significant increase over the existing 475-hp GT3 and will match the 911 Turbo for output (if not the 560-hp Turbo S) and without any turbo lag to slow down the action, either. Whether it will keep the GT3's dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel steering system, or ditch one or both for a more analog approach, remains to be seen, but we're holding out hope. Either way, the modifications to the bodywork ought to make the GT3 RS stand out even further and stay glued to the race track it will call home. Notice the deep front splitter scooping up snowflakes like a shovel, a massive rear wing (which may or may not be the final production version), the Turbo-spec rear end with air intakes ahead of the rear wheels, and a set of awesome-looking gills over the front wheels – all of which you can scope out in the gallery full of spy shots above.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW to test autonomous cars, Korea bans sales of BMW, Nissan, Porsche models

BMW will test autonomous cars on public roads by the second half of 2017. The German automaker, with partners Mobileye and Intel, will operate a fleet of 40 self-driving vehicles using a "scalable architecture" that will be made available to other automakers. The partners plan to offer products ranging from key components to "a complete end-to-end solution" for autonomous driving. Since parting ways with Tesla, Mobileye also recently announced it would provide its technology to Lucid Motors. For BMW, it all leads up to its fully autonomous iNext model slated for introduction in 2021. See the video above, and read more in the press release from Intel. South Korea has banned the sale of certain models from BMW, Nissan, and Porsche over emissions cheating. Following an investigation, regulators determined emissions testing documents to be falsified. The country's Ministry of Environment has fined the three automakers a total of $5.9 million, and revoked the certification of 4,523 vehicles across banned 10 models. Six of the models were still on sale, while the other four have been discontinued. Read more from Automotive News Europe. China's prices for the Cadillac CT6 Plug-in are significantly higher than those announced for the US. The plug-in hybrid version of the luxury sedan recently went on sale with the two variants priced at RMB 558,800 and RMB 658,800. At the time of this writing, that's $80,420 and $94,812. Cadillac announced it would bring the CT6 Plug-In Í– which is built in China – to the US in the spring of 2017, starting at $76,090 before federal and local tax incentives. Hybrid Cars points out that China's own generous incentives could help to make it more competitive. The offering of a charger with free installation as well as an eight-year warranty on the electric powertrain should help, too. Read more at Hybrid Cars. A Connecticut court has ruled in favor of Tesla's gallery showroom in Greenwich. Last May, the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association brought the suit to block the showroom on Greenwich Avenue, which has now been dismissed by the Connecticut Superior Court. Tesla cannot offer test drives, sell cars, or operate a Supercharger at the location, but it can sell other branded items and educate the public about its vehicles. It's possible that the issue of Tesla's direct sales model could come up again this year in Connecticut state legislature. Read more at Teslarati .

Porsche continues facelift spree with 911 Turbo

If there's ever been automotive case for constant evolution, it is the Porsche 911. It seems like every time a new version of the rear-engined sports car debuts, Porsche is already hard at work on a facelifted version of it that changes some subtle, barely noticeable aspect.
Such is the case with this round of images of a facelifted 911 Turbo, which was seen undergoing winter testing alongside the facelifted, hardtop-version of the 911 Cabriolet we showed you yesterday. The new, 991-based 911 Turbo was just unveiled in May of 2013.
Like the Cabrio from yesterday, both the Turbo and naturally aspirated models shown here feature additional slats at the rear of the car, right behind the rear wheels. These slats on the standard model lend credence to what we learned yesterday - that even the regular 911 models could end up getting turbocharged mills.