Category Car News

If you have been following our articles, you may have already seen the newest V8 engine from Mercedes-Benz: the M177/178 with 4.0L displacement and twin-turbochargers, which currently is only available on the AMG models (the AMG GT and also the W205 C63 AMG). However, Mercedes-Benz has decided to gradually phase out the aging M278 4.7L turbo V8 with this new M177/178 V8, and the first non-AMG model that receives this treatment is the 2016 GLS500 (not sold in US).

According to Mercedes-Benz, the 2016 model year GLS500 (the previous GL500) will use a detuned version of the M177 engine, which output is rated at 421 ps and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque, mated to the 7-speed a...

Today Volvo announced that the S60L Plug-in Hybrid sedan will be officially on sale two weeks later (04/22). Currently this is for the Chinese market only, no plan for the US market at this moment.

The production version of this new S60 variant will be very similar (if not identical) to the previous S60L PPHEV Concept Car, first shown in the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. Below are highlights of the specification:

– 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine (front wheels), 238hp and 258 lb-ft of torque
– Electric motor (rear wheels): 68hp and 148 lb-ft of torque
– Gasoline engine mated to the Aisin-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission
– 0-100 km/h time: 5.5 seconds
– Charg...

While Tesla has been working on other new models such as the Model X, and the “upcoming” entry-level sedan which is said to be starting at the mid $30k range, it is constantly making enhancements to the existing Model S, to keep consumers exciting on the brand.

Today the bay area-based auto maker released a new variant of the Model S, named the “70D”, served as the entry-level trim as the product line. By its name, the Model S 70D has an AWD drivetrain. The total combined output of the front and rear electric motors reaches 513hp (383kW), and the battery capacity has been increased to 70 kWh too...

The current Audi A8 has been around for more than 5 years, and the next generation of the Audi flagship sedan (D5 A8) is set to be announced at the end of 2017. Today some of the 4th-gen Audi A8 powertrain options information is leaked.

Here are what we have known at this moment:

– Turbo diesel 3.0L V6, max output: around 286hp with 457 lb-ft of torque
– S8 will be using the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 engine, output raised to 588hp and 590 lb-ft (upped from current S8’s 520hp and 481 lb-ft)
– A hybrid S8 is also possible, with twin-turbo V6 + electric motor
– A new 6.0L W12 will replace the current 6...

Last year, we have reported that Volkswagen has been working on the electric turbocharger for a while. Now, it looks like VW is going to put this new technology in both gasoline and diesel engines.

Above Image: the 2016 Audi Q7

According to Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi’s CTO, the upcoming Audi SQ7 will use a brand new diesel V8 engine, with twin electric turbochargers. Audi names this to be “E-Boost”.

By using electric motors to spin up the turbo’s turbine without help from the exhaust gas, the electric turbocharger theoretically has zero turbo lag and it responses to your throttle input instantly...