TRAFFIC REPORT Tesla Unveils AWD Model, Aston Martin Loses Big Bucks and More
Sweet googly moogly Tesla just upped its game ten fold! Tesla’s CEO unveiled his D after tweeting out he would last week. The joke definitely didn’t get lost on either Musk or the rest of the internet and became one of the best marketing stunts I’ve ever seen.
While we didn’t get a strip show from Musk, we did get a look at the all new Tesla Model S D, the D stands for Dual motors. That’s right, the Model S went AWD, and to put the fear of god into everyone driving or other manufacturers, they upped the horsepower output to near 700 hp!
Slated as the Model S P85D, the new dual motor car uses the same 470 hp rear motor as the old P85, but also uses another 221 hp front motor, all of which makes for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds! That’s supercar quick. And that’s only slightly slower than the Hellcat Charger. It also achieve 1g of lateral acceleration. Holy balls.
When I drove the Model S P85 I didn’t think it needed any more horsepower, it was already rollercoaster quick, but this new one sounds like an absolute animal! I can’t wait to try it out, and I think I’m going to, I think my uncle just ordered it!
Aston Martin Loses $10,000 for Each Car!
Supercar manufacturers lose money all the time, usually though, they have a parent company to back them up. Look at Bugatti, they lost millions on each Veyron. Or Ferrari with the LaFerrari or Enzo, but they have Fiat to prop them up.
Supercar manufacturers lose money all the time, usually though, they have a parent company to back them up. Look at Bugatti, they lost millions on each Veyron. Or Ferrari with the LaFerrari or Enzo, but they have Fiat to prop them up.
Where losing money doesn’t work is when you have a smaller boutique supercar manufacturer with no parent company to bail you out. As is the case with Aston Martin.
According to Reuters, while sales have been up in the last two years, the small company from Gaydon lost a staggering $41 million on the 4200 cars it sold in 2013. That averages out to be around $10,000 per car. Ooof.
Aston’s future does seem more promising though. With the aid from Mercedes, new engines, and hopefully a new lineup of their aging fleet, Aston Martin is set to make a comeback. One that’s been in the works since they split from Ford a decade ago.
It doesn’t seem like a good time to be a British automaker unless you are Jaguar or Land Rover, but again, they have a parent to help them out and just push piles of cash into them. It might be time for Aston Martin to consider getting a sugar daddy.
Photo of the Week
Today’s stunning red hot Porsche photo (above) is courtesy of 6Speeder UAE991.
Bugatti Ownership Perks…
What else makes a Bugatti owner besides owning a Bugatti and having tons and tons of cash? Lots of cars, boats, and planes that’s what.
According to Bloomberg who did an interview with Wolfgang Durheimer, who is head honcho at Bentley and Bugatti, while the average Bentley owner only has a measly eight cars, the average Bugatti owner has a total of 84 cars, three jets, and a yacht for good measure.
That’s pretty staggering. But here’s my question, do all the Americans I see running around in Veyrons really have that many cars? I want to see the data Mr. Durheimer! Plus, who has three jets? I know these people are super uber wealthy, but come on, Autoblog points out that it’s probably more like three yachts and a jet.
The last of the Veyrons are on the production line now and will be completely sold out soon, that means if you have 83 cars, two yachts, and you are going halves on a jet, a Bugatti may not be the right car for you. But then again, Simon Cowell has one.
Viper Sees Sales Boom!
I’m a huge fan of the Viper. It was my first poster car. I have a model sitting on my desk as I write this. And I just finally got to drive one last week. I can’t stop gushing about this car. But for a long time, it wasn’t doing so hot in sales. It had months that sales dwindled to only handfuls of cars going out. It caused two stoppages at its assembly plant. Dodge then made the choice to cut the price drastically. Guess what? It worked.
This month saw sales rocket to twice the monthly average. While still small numbers, only 108 units total, that increase is a massive boon for the company and hopefully it stays that way. The Viper has always been a halo car for the brand. Something to show off with. Something completely ludicrous and wonderful. But as the price has been steadily rising for the king snake, sales have begun to dwindle.
In the coming months, Chevy will launch the new Z06 Corvette and that car will be in direct competition with the new Viper. Time will only tell if the price slash will give enough pause for buyers to buy the Viper instead of the Corvette.
Honda Chief Engineer Wants a NSX Type R
I’d love to say that I have spy shots, or confirmations that the new NSX is coming, or better yet is here. But sadly, it continues to be the biggest teases in modern automotive history. However, that isn’t stopping chief engineer Kisayuki Yagi to state he wants to make a Type R version of the new NSX already. Yagi, before saying you want a Type R, can we get a regular version first?
The Type R is Honda’s performance additions to its cars. Back when the first NSX came out, Honda built a Type R version that was setup more for the track then the street. It was a harder, faster version of the already brilliant driving NSX. When speaking to TopGear at the Paris Motor Show, the chief engineer stated, “We had a Type R with the first generation, so yes, personally, I’d love to see a new NSX Type R.” He went on to state that a bunch of other cars within the automaker has Type R versions, so why not the NSX.
The regular version of the NSX is slated to again arrive next year, but with the recent setbacks with one of the prototypes burning to the ground at the Nürburgring, those dates might be pushed back once again, thereby reinforcing my belief that the NSX is pure vaporware. Hisayuki, if you have any power, please either admit it’s all fake or just put it out already? The entire internet is about to burst from all the teases you guys have dropped.
There Might be a New Ford GT on the Way!
Hold the phone, hold the presses, hold my hand! Ford is rumored to be bringing back the Ford GT next year! According to Road and Track, Ford is gearing up to bring back both the iconic racecar and road car to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GT’s first victory at LeMans. We told you about Ford possibly coming back to LeMans back in June, but our sources said that they were just considering using a modified Daytona Prototype to compete in the P2 or P3 class of racecar, now it seems that Ford has a much more ambitious program.
A Ford representative was recently spotted at the Circuit of the America’s for a GTE constructors meeting. GTE has no affiliation with the Prototype class and is all production car based, and unless Ford is planning to bring the Mustang to LeMans, which is doubtful, then the rumors of the GT’s return could be very real.
When the representative was questioned about the return of the GT, he gave a pretty long winded answer divulging nothing. But he didn’t say no. He pretty much said I cannot speak to future products, which means it’s definitely either being talked about, or it’s already a done deal. We will have to see!