It’s finally happened – someone has raced a Tesla Model S sedan around Germany’s famed Nurburgring.

The stunt wasn’t a marketing ploy by Tesla Motors, but rather an earlier R&D exercise by Nissan GT-R tuner Iain Litchfield. Although Litchfield is best-known for modifying GT-Rs, he hopes to one day apply his go-fast knowledge to electric vehicle.

For the test lap, Litchfield handed over the keys to professional racing drive Robb Holland. Holland recounted his Nurburgring lap in the Model S on Jalopnik. A video of the lap was also posted.

The Model S scored poorly in Holland’s eyes for it 4,700 pound curb weight, lack of mechanical grip and numb steering, but that’s not to say the car was a total let down. Holland came away impressed that a new company like Tesla could develop such a competent car, especially when considering the technology behind the Model S didn’t really exist 10-years ago.

Moreover, the electrically-powered Model S was dead silent during its lap and even managed to keep pace with a Porsche 911 GT3 RS at one point.

The ride turned sour about 3 minutes in, however, with the Model S going into a reduced power mode. Holland surmised that an overheated battery was to blame.

Because of that snafu the Model S required about 10 minutes to get around the Green Hell, but Holland estimates that the car is capable of a sub-9 minute lap. That time is surely to drop even further once Litchfield finishes his tuning.

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat might sell out just as fast as it can run the quarter mile. A new report indicates Dodge is planning to cap Hellcat sales at just 1,200 units.

Dodge hasn’t officially announced sales targets for the new Challenger Hellcat, but a company insider revealed to Edmunds that the final figure will be 1,200 units. If true, the Hellcat’s $60,990 MSRP would be in serious jeopardy as dealers will undoubtedly demand a premium for the limited-edition model.

For its part, Dodge says it is still determining the right mix for the Hellcat.

“We are working on allocation formulas right now and scenarios on how we will allocate it,” Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said. “I can’t tell you exactly what we will do. Will we allocate based on past Challenger sales? Will we base it on Challenger V8 sales? On SRT and V8 (combined)?”

Kuniskis added: “Whatever it ends up being somewhere in that group of possibilities it will then be opened up to anybody who is a Dodge dealer.”

Dodge had about 2,400 dealers in the United States.

Dodge delivered 51,500 Challengers last year, which means the Hellcat should account for between 2-3 percent of total sales.

Subaru is ramping up its ad spending with the hopes of boosting Legacy sales by 40 percent over the next 12-months.

Subaru has been steadily building sales in the United States over the last six years of so, but most of that added volume has come from models like the Forester, Impreza and Outback. Looking to generate a little more notoriety for its Legacy mid-size sedan, Subaru has revealed that it will increase its advertising spending by “150 percent more”.

“In the past we would come out with a new Legacy, but we did not have any advertising. Now we have the advertising dollars,” Bill Cyphers, head of Subaru marketing, told Automotive News.

Cyphers made no mention of a specific dollar amount, but Subaru spent $226 million on advertising last year.

Subaru’s goal is to increase Legacy sales by 40 percent over the next year. Although a significant jump, that goal should be within reach. Subaru sold 42,000 Legacy sedans last year, meaning the Japanese automaker is targeting about 60,000 deliveries over the next 12-month. In comparison, Toyota sells more than 400,000 units of its segment-leading Camry every year.

Part of the new marketing push will include three new TV commercials that are scheduled to run through September.

Photos by Drew Johnson.

General Motors is reportedly preparing to discontinue the Chevrolet Volt’s European cousin, the Opel Ampera.

Sales numbers have not been impressive in the US market under the bowtie brand, however the rebadged hybrid appears to have been met with an even colder reception across the pond.

The Ampera achieved more than 5,000 sales in 2012, when Opel claimed it to be the “No.1 EV passenger car” with a 21-percent market share in Europe. The celebration was short lived, with numbers down by 40 percent in 2013 despite a price reductions. Shipments have entirely collapsed this year, with just 332 units leaving showrooms through the end of May.

The dismal performance has driven GM to cut its losses and kill the Ampera after the Volt is redesigned for 2016, unnamed sources have told Automotive News.

Opel is not turning its back on the EV market, with plans to launch an all-electric entry-level hatchback that will be much smaller and more affordable than the Ampera. Full details have not been revealed, though 2017 is viewed as a likely launch window.