Good morning and welcome to our weekly digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…
Tesla Can’t Advertise Its Cars As Full Self-Driving In California Starting Next Year
Tomorrow is a new year, and with it comes a new law from the state of California banning manufacturers from “deceptively naming or marketing” features related to fully and semi-autonomous driving. That means that Tesla is going to have to rethink its Full Self-Driving Beta tag, which many have criticized for misleading consumers into thinking the system is fully autonomous when it is not.
Check Out Our Tokyo Auto Salon Hub
The Tokyo Auto Salon will be in full swing come January 13, and a number of tuners have already begun showing us what they’ll be bringing to the table. Damd will show off five Suzuki-based creations, including three Mercedes G-Wagen-inspired Jimnys and a Defender-aping Every van. Japan’s NATS technical school will reveal a Toyota GR GT3 Concept, and Rocket Bunny has gone and made a widebody 2023 Nissan Z.
Driven: The McLaren Artura Gives You 671 Reasons To Love Its Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain
It’s easy to write off the McLaren Artura as “just” another high-performance plug-in hybrid supercar, but having been behind the wheel of one, we can confidently say that there’s so much more to the car than the figures suggest. There’s the lightweight construction, the Variable Drift Control system, and the spot-on brakes to name but a few things we came away impressed with. Read our full review for more.
Pontiac Firm Acquires 30 Leftover Ford GT Chassis To Create Limited GT40 Tribute
You can pour one out for the Ford GT, as from next year, the model will officially be out of production. However, it’s not quite the end of the chapter, with a new GT-based creation in the works. It turns out that Ford held on to 30 extra GT chassis for spare parts, which they sold to Fred Calero, the man behind GT1, based in Pontiac, Michigan. GT1 will match the skeletons to bespoke carbon fiber panels and a twin-turbocharged Roush Yates RY45 engine developing north of 1,500 hp. Only 30 will be made, and they will be limited to on-track running only.
Watch The 2024 Corvette E-Ray Go Drifting In The Snow
Here’s something for the holiday season: the upcoming 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray showcased drifting through the snow. The video didn’t appear on GM’s usual social media channels and, instead, was shared by a Corvette Forum member named “Corvette_Nut” who uploaded a short clip of the car on YouTube.
That Sunken And Frozen Rivian R1S Is Finally Free After Multiple Recovery Attempts
This week an owner of Rivian R1S decided to test the abilities of their one-week-old electric SUV by driving it into an abandoned quarry. Unfortunately for them, the EV truck soon got stuck, and had to be abandoned on Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, the ground then froze, further trapping the Rivian. Finally, thanks to the help of a 20,000-pound winch along with a Caterpillar excavator, the car has been freed — not without a failed attempt that shattered the rear window, though.
Please Let The R36 Nissan GT-R Look Something Like This
We can only hope that the next-generation Nissan GT-R comes close to looking as good as it does in these renderings by Hycade. While we have no idea what the next-gen will look like, this independent creation follows the design philosophy laid out by the R35. The front adopts a pair of sleek LED headlights, while the grille and bumper have been overhauled for a more dynamic and aggressive look. Then there’s the rear, with the sharp wing, quad tailpipes, and the traditional GT-R rear lights.
Brand New 2023 Corvette Z06’s Engine Dies After Just 52 Miles
If you’d just forked out $180,000 for a new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – roughly $50,000 above sticker – you’d rather hope that the engine didn’t let you down for tens of thousands of miles, if not more. However, according to one new owner, they were only able to make it 52 miles (84 km) before the engine failed. The car is reported to have developed a rattling noise from the engine, before it lost all power. To add insult to injury, OnStar wanted the owner to pay for the brand new car to be towed back to the dealership.
Spied This Week
2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Spied Hiding Minor Changes
Facelifted 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLB Spied In Rose Gold With Winter Wheels
Check Out The Funky Exhaust Of This Lamborghini Prototype
What Else Is Making The News
Police In Romania Detain Andrew Tate For 30 Days
Police in Romania will hold controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate for a further 30 days as they investigate allegations of human trafficking and rape. Tate, who was arrested alongside his brother Tristan, was deemed by a court as a potential flight risk. The former kick-boxer was recently in an online spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg. In a clapback video he was seen receiving pizza boxes, identified by those online as from a Romanian chain, which may have tipped police off about Tate’s location.
Avatar: The Way Of Water Makes $1.17 Billion Worldwide
The second installment in the Avatar saga has made $1.17 billion worldwide, to become the third highest-grossing post pandemic film. It follows Spider-man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion) and Top Gun: Maverick ($1.5 billion).