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Lamborghini's replacement for the Aventador will arrive in 2020. That's according to Autocar, which in a report published Thursday also claimed the supercar will feature a hybrid powertrain that Lamborghini will first use in a limited-edition model due in 2019. The limited-edition model is said to be the code-named LB48H supercar that Lamborghini plans to launch as the next member in its series of “one-off” cars, which includes the previous Centenario and Veneno models. The LB48H is thought to be coming with 838 horsepower, which interestingly works out to be a round 850 hp in the metric figures Lamborghini uses to state power levels. Autocar's report didn't mention power figures but said the powertrain will combine a naturally aspirated V-12 with a single motor. This differs from a report from Automobile published in September, which claimed the Aventador replacement will come with a V-12 and three electric motors good for 1,200 hp. Lamborghini's head of ...

What started as a joke has turned into a real-life prototype. Elon Musk japed that he'd dig tunnels under Los Angeles to avoid traffic, and on Tuesday his Boring Company opened its first prototype tunnel in LA. The entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX also provided more details on how the system works. Musk started The Boring Company as a solution to traffic and congested cities. Machines dig tunnels to fit a vehicle, and an elevator shaft drops them down. From there, the car deploys tracking wheels that rub against the walls to guide it along the tunnel. For now, it's unclear how a vehicle will be outfitted with the tracking wheels or how it will deploy them. Musk tweeted that the retractable wheel gear "turns a car into a rail-guided train & back again." The rails are actually the sides of the tunnel and the cars remain cars. When completely realized, the vehicles could move at speeds in excess of 150 mph. CNN Business, which was present at the opening eve...

The second-generation Ford F-150 Raptor ditched its 6.2-liter V-8 for a twin-turbo V-6. While that's fine and dandy, it certainly doesn't provide the same soundtrack. Enter Hennessey Performance Engineering, which has installed a 5.0-liter supercharged Coyote V-8 engine to appease those who can't swallow a V-6-powered F-150 Raptor. New video from the company shows the V-8-swapped 2018 F-150 Raptor on the dyno where it makes 557 horsepower and 449 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. The V-8 and supercharger help the off-road performance pickup best the standard Raptor by a 258 hp in total as it makes 758 hp, according to HPE. Plus, the twin-turbo V-6 can't touch the sounds the 5.0-liter V-8 produces. HPE marries the V-8 engine to the Raptor's 10-speed automatic and also performs the necessary component and electrical swaps (wiring harness, computers, etc.) so the V-8 runs in tip-top shape. The 2.9-liter supercharger is installed and dialed in to run 7.0 psi of ...

It was two years ago that we first learned of a Chinese design company by the name of CH-Auto looking to branch out into production of high-end electric cars, starting with a small electric sports car to potentially be built in the United States. CH-Auto has been quiet since then but last week it announced the signing of a partnership agreement with California's Mullen Technologies to develop and assemble electric cars in the United States for sale across North America under the brand name Qiantu. The first model will be the Qiantu K50 electric sports car first shown at the 2016 Beijing auto show. It will feature an aluminum chassis wrapped in a carbon fiber body and generate a combined 402 horsepower from a pair of electric motors. Performance estimates include a 0-60 mph time of around 4.5 seconds and a top speed governed to 124 mph. The plan is to start production in 2020, utilizing components sourced locally and from China. Mullen will start accepting orders in 2019. At...

Only a year after the Kode 0 coach-built supercar made its debut at Monterey Car Week, one example has surfaced for sale in Japan. Perhaps someone has a serious case of buyer's remorse, or maybe they just need the money. Classic Driver listed the unique supercar for sale. The Kode 0 was the work of Ken Okuyama, a former Pininfarina designer. Okuyama designed and oversaw the production of five Kode 0 supercars, each of which used a Lamborghini Aventador as the starting point. The exterior was completely reworked for a wedgey look that recalls a 1990s concept car—in a good way. The rear end is a little more anonymous. We see some Lexus LFA influence at the rear, and those green fans are mighty cool. Kode 0 Lamborghini Aventador-based supercar for sale Inside, the interior remains identical that of the donor Aventador, save for a few trim pieces and green accents. The 6.5-liter V-12 engine also remains unchanged. The Kode 0 is truly a coach-built supercar for someone who beli...

BMW in 1966 hired Italian design house and coachbuilder Frua to pen a convertible based on the bones of the GT sports car manufactured by Glas, the automaker most widely known for the Goggomobile series of minicars, which BMW had acquired earlier that same year. The result was the 1600 GT Convertible of which just two prototypes were built. The cars featured the basic Glas GT body but sported several BMW design cues like the signature kidney grille and round headlights borrowed from a BMW 1602. More importantly, they also featured a 105-horsepower engine and rear axle borrowed from the sporty BMW 1600 TI. The plan was to sell the cars in the United States, with the proposal originally coming from famed European vehicle importer Max Hoffmann, who had earlier inspired BMW to build the 507. The 1600 GT Convertible was to be a more affordable alternative to the 507 which failed to ignite the market due to its high price tag. Sadly, production never went beyond the two prototypes. ...

Audi's Q7 is approaching the midway point in its life cycle and prototypes for an updated version are out and about. The prototypes reveal that Audi's updated Q7 will receive only minor changes on the outside, but that things are in for a major revamp on the inside. On the outside, you can expect the usual tweaks to the internals of the lights along with redesigned front and rear fascias. The changes to the lights are already clearly visible on the prototypes. Inside, the dash of the current Q7 will be replaced by the more advanced design found in the related Q8. While the digital instrument cluster is still present in the shot below, the old center stack has been replaced by two screens. 2021 Audi Q7 facelift spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien These screens control almost every vehicle function, with a tactile and acoustic click confirming when a finger activates a function. Voice activation with natural speech is also included in Audi's latest operati...

The first model from Volkswagen's new family of ID electric cars has been spotted testing in prototype form. The car is a compact hatch similar in size to VW's Golf, and its arrival will mark the start of VW's transition to an electric car manufacturer. The design was previewed in 2016 by the ID Neo concept and this production version is confirmed to roll off the line in late 2019. Unfortunately, a launch in the United States isn't expected. Instead, the first of the ID cars here should be a small crossover SUV based on 2017's ID Crozz concept, due around 2020. A spiritual successor to VW's Microbus based on 2017's ID Buzz concept is also planned. It will come around 2022 and most likely be joined by a commercial version. As expected, the design is very similar to what we saw on the concept. Conventional side mirrors have replaced the camera-based system of the concept, however, and conventional door handles have replaced the show car's elect...

General Motors is in the process of renewing its full-size truck and SUV fleet and the latest member to be spotted is the redesigned GMC Sierra Heavy Duty. The debut should be coming up soon as GM this month gave a first look at the redesigned version of the truck's Chevrolet twin, the 2020 Silverado HD (shown below), and confirmed its debut for next February's 2019 Chicago Auto Show. We should see the covers come off the Sierra HD early next year, with the truck, in both 2500 and 3500 guises, rolling into showrooms by the fall as a 2020 model. This particular prototype is for the Sierra 2500HD in upmarket Denali trim. The design of the truck's face can clearly be seen through the camouflage gear, suggesting the HD will feature a more rugged look than the light-duty Sierra 1500 which was redesigned for 2019. The extra ruggedness is emphasized by the larger, more rigid designs for both the grille and headlights. 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD High Country We ca...

Mini launched an updated version of its Hardtop earlier in the year and on Wednesday the covers came off the car's John Cooper Works performance variant. Both the updated JCW Hardtop and Convertible have been revealed. The updates represent a mid-cycle update for the current third generation of the modern Mini, and in the case of the JCW models the changes are minor. The key update is a gasoline particulate filter, which is integrated into the sports exhaust system and has no negative affect on performance. Specifications for the United States are yet to be announced but in other markets the JCW-spec 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 delivers an unchanged 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Buyers can still choose from either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic, and in the JCW Hardtop you're looking at 0-60 mph acceleration in the low 6.0 seconds with either transmission. The JCW Convertible is about 0.3 seconds off the pace of its hatch sibling. 2019 Mini Joh...