Lexus just unveiled its LF-C2 concept at the Los Angeles auto show, but the idea of a convertible RC Coupe is already dead.
The RC Coupe was actually designed from the onset to accommodate a convertible variant — in fact, the center section of the car’s chassis was derived from the last-gen IS C — but Lexus has squashed the idea of a low-volume drop top in favor of a three-row SUV.

Although the RC Convertible has been a long time in the making, Lexus ultimately decided to kill the project after fielding complaints from its dealer body. Truth be told, convertibles make up just 1 percent of U.S. sales while deliveries of utility vehicles continue to soar.

Dealers have been clamoring for a three-row SUV to sit atop the RX for some time, and the death of the RC Convertible has apparently cleared the way for that vehicle. According to Motor Trend, Lexus has diverted its resources from the RC Convertible to developing an Audi Q7 rival.

Lexus originally toyed with the idea of using a stretched version of the Toyota Highlander as the basis for its new utility model, but scrapped that idea due to scaling issues. Instead, Lexus will base the new vehicle — which could sport the GX badge — on the same rear-wheel drive architecture that will underpin the next-generation LS.

Lexus’ larger utility vehicle is still a few years off, but the three-row SUV should land on dealer lots sometime in 2017 as a 2018 model year.

Live images by Brian Williams.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has responded to criticism surrounding the Gigafactory incentive deal with Nevada, arguing that the terms are fair and ultimately beneficial for the state.
The executive points out that the package is not a $1.3 billion check written out to the company, but rather a series of long-term tax discounts that reduce its tax burden over a 20-year period. Tax rates will then revert unless the state drafts a separate offer.

“Of the $5 billion investment needed to bring the Gigafactory to full production in five years, state incentives will cover about 5%,” Musk wrote in a blog post. “Compared to the operational and upgrade costs over a 20 year period, expected to be approximately $100 billion, state incentives will constitute just over 1%.”

Tesla claims its Nevada facility will be the biggest and most advanced battery plant in the world, providing a “very large number” of high-paying direct and indirect jobs. The incentives are also performance-based, requiring Tesla to meet certain guidelines, such as hiring a certain percentage of Nevada residents, to receive the tax breaks.

“At Tesla, we believe in doing deals where both parties benefit, and, when there is an asymmetry or underperformance on our part, interpreting that in the other party’s favor,” Musk added.

A Texas judge has reportedly cleared a decade-old criminal negligent homicide conviction involving a Saturn Ion, after recent defect revelations cast doubt on the original charges.
Candice Anderson was behind the wheel when her 2004 Saturn Ion lost control and struck a tree, leaving her with serious injuries and killing her fiancee. The airbags failed to deploy in the crash, however she was blamed for the death after police determined that she had been under the influence of anti-anxiety medication.

Then 21 years old, Anderson accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced to community service and five years probation. She suggests the lingering felony record has interfered with her attempts to find employment as a certified nurse’s aide.

“Due to the wreck, and being charged with criminal negligent homicide, I lost my chosen career,” she said in a statement published by The Detroit News. “I applied and was denied positions at numerous jobs due to my criminal record.”

The airbag failure is now viewed as clear evidence that the accident may have been initiated by the ignition-switch problem, shutting down the engine and disabling the power-steering.

Anderson plans to seek compensation from the GM victim compensation fund.

McLaren has released a teaser image for its upcoming Sports Series coupe.
The shot mostly focuses on the butterfly door, confirming that the new entry-level model will not deviate far from the 650S in overall form. Both will share a similar carbon-fiber chassis and a mid-mounted V8.

A previous teaser shows the camouflaged front end that also appears to take inspiration from the 650S, while the carbon-fiber side mirrors resemble the design used for the flagship P1.

The Sports Series is expected to be priced around $210,000, approximately 20 percent below the 650S. Engine tuning is expected to step down to 450 horsepower, likely reducing the top speed to around 185 mph and stretching the zero-to-60 mph sprint to four seconds.

The first Sports Series model will be fully revealed sometime in 2015. The company will eventually add a convertible and other variants.

Tesla is no stranger to partnerships with established automakers, having collaborated with both Toyota and Daimler. The upstart automaker might soon add BMW to its list of partners, CEO Elon Musk disclosed in a conversation with Der Spiegel.

“We are talking about whether we can collaborate in battery technology or charging stations,” Musk was quoted as saying in an article published Sunday.

Although few details were given, Musk’s comments follow a report in June that indicated Tesla might open its charging stations to vehicles from other automakers. Such an approach could allow the automaker to increase the number of stations, which are currently only located at strategic points along major routes.

Musk also said he anticipates opening a battery production plant in Germany within five or six years — an ambition that would likely be bolstered by a partnership with a major German automaker.

Also of note were Musk’s comments about BMW’s use of advanced materials in its new hybrid-electric models. He said the use of carbon fiber in the i3 and i8 models was “interesting” and “relatively cost efficient.”

The record for world’s tightest parallel parking job has been broken yet again. This time it’s stunt driver and former record holder Han Yue, driving a Mini Cooper S.

Yue, who hails from China, set the record in 2012, when he managed to leave just 15 cm (5.91 inches) total on either end of his car. In July 2013, Britain’s Alastair Moffatt bested that distance with gaps totaling just 8.6 cm (3.4 inches), which, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, many experts thought was unbeatable.

On November 14, Yue managed to reclaim the title by sliding his car into a space with just 8.0 cm (3.15 inches) clearance, clipping 0.6 cm (0.24 inches) off Moffatt’s distance. For comparison, a standard business card’s width is 3.5 inches.

In fairness, this really isn’t parallel parking, even though the Guinness Book of World Records defines it as such. Yue is driving towards the space nose first, then sliding the tail around to slip into the opening.

The stunt took place at the China Drift Championship held in Chongqing Olympic Park, and answers the age old question posed by Seinfeld in 1992. Apparently, you can put it in head first.

Not to be outdone, Yue’s fellow countryman on the same day set a very specific record for “most drifts around a car driving on two wheels in one minute.” Watch the video of the record setting stunts below.

To bring attention to its partnership with the Lotus Formula One team, technology company EMC2 set a record-breaking stunt jumping a tractor-trailer over the Lotus E22 as both vehicles were in motion.

The stunt beings as both the Lotus E22 F1 race car and a large Renault semi-truck consisting of both cab and trailer drive in parallel down a runway. Then, as the truck hits a ramp and launches itself into the air, the Lotus criss-crosses underneath it as the truck is in mid-flight.

The truck lands on the other side with a force that jostles cab and trailer violently, but the stunt is successful. It also sets a world record for semi-truck jump at 83.6 feet.

Jalopnik reports that the feat was coordinated by Mike Ryan, who drifts a semi tractor on his days off from doing Hollywood stuntwork on movies like The Fast and the Furious and Terminator 2. Driving the Lotus E22 was Martin Ivanov, a stuntman who has worked on James Bond and Jason Bourne films.

How this relates to EMC2′s core business, defined as cloud storage and data security according to its website, is unclear, but we’ve actually heard of the company now, so that’s something. Watch the video below.

Audi has confirmed that it is in the early stages of developing an all-electric sedan aimed squarely at the Tesla Model S.
“[Such a car] is under development and it will be on the market in about 2017, but it will not be a sports car,” explained Ulrich Hackenberg, the head of Audi’s R&D department, in an interview with British magazine Auto Express.

Hackenberg revealed the sedan will be equipped with the same electric drivetrain that is currently being designed to power the upcoming R8 e-tron, a move that will allow Audi to benefit from economies of scale. Technical details are still being finalized but the sedan will offer a maximum driving range of about 280 miles thanks to next-generation electric motors and new battery packs that boast a much higher energy density than the units used today.

Citing insider intel, Auto Express reveals Audi’s yet-unnamed EV will take the form of a large sedan, a body style that will allow it to accommodate a sizable battery pack while still boasting a generous amount of passenger and trunk space. A similarly-sized electric crossover might be added to the Audi lineup before the end of the decade if public demand for the sedan is high.

Additional details about Audi’s Tesla-fighter will emerge over the next year or so.

Porsche-badged sibling
Audi is not the only Volkswagen-owned company planning to topple Tesla. A recent report hints sister company Porsche is also hard at work on an electric sedan that will slot beneath the Panamera. A precise timeframe for when to expect the sedan is not known; Porsche initially hinted the car was on track for a 2017 launch, but an earlier report reveals it has been delayed until at least 2019 for reasons that remain murky.

Note: 2012 Audi R8 e-tron prototype pictured.

Mitsubishi has introduced the new 2015 Triton pickup truck ahead of its public debut at the annual Thailand International Motor Expo that will take place in Bangkok next week.
Sold as the L200 in select markets, the Triton gets a brand new front end that borrows styling cues from the futuristic GR-HEV concept that was introduced at the 2013 edition of the Geneva Motor Show. It stands out from the outgoing model thanks to a chromed grille with six claw-like horizontal slats, shapely headlights and a muscular-looking bumper with a large air intake, while the rear end is fitted with bigger tail lamps that stretch far into the quarter panel and a sculpted tail gate.

The Single Cab, Double Cab and Club Cab body styles are carried over from the last-gen Triton.

Mitsubishi explains the new Triton is noticeably quieter and more comfortable at high speeds than its predecessor. The truck continues to offer a function-over-form interior but high-end models can be spruced up with niceties like leather upholstery, a touch screen-based infotainment system, a push-button ignition as well as imitation chrome trim on the dashboard, the door panels and the center console.

Triton buyers can choose from three turbodiesel four-cylinder engines whose outputs range from 128 horsepower and 177 lb-ft. of torque to 181 ponies and 317 lb-ft. of twist. A lone gas-burning mill rated at 128 horsepower and 143 lb-ft. of torque is also offered. Mitsubishi has not published key statistics such as payload, towing capacity and gas mileage.

Both rear- and all-wheel drive variants of the Triton are available. The engines are linked to either a five- or a six-speed manual transmission depending on their power output, and select units can be paired with a five-speed automatic gearbox at an extra cost.

The Mitsubishi Triton is on sale now across Thailand. The truck will eventually be sold in about 150 countries scattered around the globe, but the notorious Chicken Tax will likely prevent it from making its way to the United States.

Fiat-badged sibling
Mitsubishi has confirmed that the new Triton will spawn Fiat’s first-ever body-on-frame truck. Set to debut in 2016, the yet-unnamed truck will be sold across Europe and in a host of global markets such as Russia, Africa and Latin America but Fiat is not planning on adding the pickup to its lineup in the United States.

Fiat Professional currently sells a small unibody truck dubbed Strada, and company CEO Sergio Marchionne hopes the addition of a more rugged pickup will help the division sell 600,000 units a year by 2018, up from 431,000 last year.