BMW is reportedly preparing to introduce the M4 GTS at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The company quietly previewed an M4 MotoGP safety car this week in Geneva, featuring a water injection system that cools the intake charge and helps prevent knock. Engine tuning can then be revised to achieve more power and torque via higher boost pressure and more aggressive timing.

Water injection is already popular in track cars and has been offered in a few production vehicles. BMW will soon use the technology to help squeeze more power out of the M4 GTS, unnamed company insiders told Car and Driver.

Water is stored in a 1.3-gallon tank in the safety car’s trunk, presumably mixed with alcohol to prevent freezing. The system is said to be capable of still running the engine if the water is exhausted.

Consistent with the E92 M3 GTS, the F82 build is expected to be stripped down and outfitted with plenty of carbon-fiber components to further reduce curb weight. The track-focused M4 will also likely receive upgraded suspension and new tires to help reduce lap times.

If the report is accurate, the concept M4 GTS will be unveiled in August.

Elio Motors has detailed a new 0.9-liter three-cylinder engine that will power the company’s three-wheel car.
The startup has not backed down from its promise to deliver 84 mpg and a top speed in excess of 100 mph. To achieve both goals, the company asked German engineering firm IAV to design the diminutive powerplant specifically for the three-wheeler.

The engine has now been taken from the engineering stage to prototype assembly and initial testing.

“Seeing this new technology come to fruition has been one of the most exciting stages in our history,” said chief executive Paul Elio. “This prototype puts us right were we need to be at this stage of development.”

Elio Motors promises its made-in-America three-wheeler will arrive on the market with seating for two, airbags, air conditioning, a stereo and power windows and door locks, all for $6,800.

The company claims to be on track to ship the car sometime next year, after facing several delays that pushed the project back from its initial mid-2014 launch target.

Koenigsegg has big plans to keep expanding its hypercar lineup and developing innovative powertrain technology.
The company is seriously considering adding a four-door model, built to the same performance standards as the existing models.

“I can imagine a car like that,” chief Christian von Koenigsegg told Top Gear in an interview at the Geneva Motor Show. “Maybe within the next five years, possibly earlier than that.”

The company introduced the track-focused Agera RS and a new model, the Regera, earlier this week in Geneva. The latter marks a significant milestone, requiring the company to build two separate models simultaneously for the first time.

Christian von Koenigsegg is also working on new powertrain technology that could make its way to mainstream vehicles from other manufacturers. At or near the top of the list is an engine with no cams, finally nearing reality after 14 years of development.

“The way I see it, if you view the engine as a piano, and the valves as keys, with a camshaft, you’re playing the piano with a broomstick,” the inventor said.

He argues that eliminating a cam allows the engine to be much more flexible across the rpm range, improving performance, responsiveness and efficiency.

The new engine technology is expected to arrive within the next few years, though the company has not disclosed which OEM partners could use it.

Image by Ronan Glon.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may invoke an infrequently used provision in the National Traffic and Motor Safety Act to force suppliers to produce replacement Takata airbag inflator modules.
According to Reuters, NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind told lawmakers that NHTSA has the authority to require the production of replacement equipment by otherwise uninvolved manufacturers if a safety issue poses the threat of injury or death and a recall cannot otherwise address it in a timely manner.

The provision has been in place since 2000–not long after the Ford/Firestone recall.

Takata warned as early as November that it would be unable to meet the demands of a nationwide recall. NHTSA has since engaged several other suppliers to supplement production Despite pledges from multiple parties, the potential output is still far short of what is necessary to meet the demand of a recall that now affects as many as 17 million vehicles.

So far, potential defects in only 2 million of those vehicles have been addressed. Regulators have not yet reached a decision to invoke the Safety Act, nor do they have a timetable for doing so.

Chevrolet has introduced a new, off-road oriented trim package for its Colorado pickup truck at the Cleveland auto show. The new model, known as 2015 Colorado Z71 Trail Boss edition, will go on sale this spring.
Based on the Colorado Z71, the Trail Boss edition adds 17-inch wheels shod in Goodyear off-road rubber. A further package can be ordered, adding automatic locking rear differential, transfer case shield, front recovery hooks and spray-in bed liner. The Trail Boss also features Chevy’s GearOn moveable cargo tie-down rings that debuted earlier this year on the Colorado GearOn Special Edition.

“The Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is equally at home blazing an urban trail or following one to a favorite remote campground,” said Tony Johnson, Colorado marketing manager. “It gives owners the gear-carrying ability and versatility they need to venture off-road, with segment-leading efficiency and capability.”

When it goes on sale this spring, the Colorado Trail Boss will be available in extended and crew cab configurations, along with the choice of a long or short cargo bed. Four-wheel drive will be an optional extra.

The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss edition will carry a base price of $28,505, plus a package price of $3,320.

In the midst of the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz has traveled to the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis to introduce the new 2016 Metris van.
Outside, the Metris is nearly identical to the Vito that is sold across Europe and in a number of global markets. It stretches 202.4 inches long, 75.9 inches wide and 74.8 inches tall, dimensions that place it between smaller vans like the Ford Transit Connect and bigger vans such as Mercedes’ own Sprinter in terms of size.

Mercedes will offer two versions of the Metris, a two-seater panel van appropriately called Cargo that offers up to 186 cubic feet of cargo space and a less Spartan family-focused Passenger Van capable of comfortably seating up to eight adults. All models will come standard with Mercedes’ Attention Assist and Crosswind Assist technologies as well as a load-adaptive ESP.

The Metris will launch with a gasoline-burning four-cylinder engine that will send 208 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission. Properly configured, Mercedes’ newest van can haul over 2,500 pounds and tow nearly 5,000 pounds.

Buyers looking to keep fuel economy in check will be able to order the Metris with an optional start/stop system. Mercedes has not revealed whether or not the 2.1-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that is available in Europe will make its way to the United States later in the van’s production run.

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris is scheduled to go on sale across the nation and in Canada (where it will retain the Vito nameplate) next October. The Metris Cargo Van will carry a base price of $28,950 – making it the most affordable Mercedes-Benz model sold on our shores – while the Passenger Van will retail for $32,500. The prices do not include a mandatory $995 destination charge.

Mercedes has confirmed that the V-Class, the Metris’ luxury-focused sibling, will not make the trip across the Atlantic.

Audi has confirmed that the next generation of the A8 flagship will inaugurate its new Traffic Jam Pilot self-driving technology.
Speaking to Digital Trends on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show, Audi’s chief engineer for electronics development Ricky Hudi explained that Traffic Jam Pilot will be able to control the A8 without any input from the driver at speeds of up to anywhere between 37 and 50 mph depending on road conditions. The system will only be operational on the freeway when the lanes are clearly marked, and it is primarily being designed with traffic jams in mind.

Audi gave the world a sneak preview of its upcoming Traffic Jam Pilot technology when it introduced the prologue piloted driving concept (pictured) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that took place in Las Vegas last January. Like the concept, the next-gen A8 will rely on a laser scanner, several video cameras, sensors on both ends and ultrasound sensors to gather data about the car and its surroundings. The information will be transferred to a central controller that will handle driving duties.

Interestingly, the driver will need to remain focused on the road ahead. The A8 will send a series of audible warnings if it senses that the driver is distracted or asleep or if Traffic Jam Pilot can’t continue to drive the car on its own for any reason. The car will come to a full stop if the driver doesn’t respond in a timely manner.

Additional details about the next-gen Audi A8 will emerge over the coming months. Audi hasn’t revealed when the sedan will be introduced, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it bow either next fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show or at next year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show.

McLaren is wasting no time promoting its upcoming Sports Series unveiling, following the global debut of the P1 GTR and 675LT variants this week in Geneva.
The latest teaser video shows the Sports Series drifting around a snowy track during extreme cold-weather testing. The car is slightly blurred in the full shot, though its wheels and lights are clear in other segments.

“The Sports Series will complete the range of groundbreaking models when it is launched in April, and will introduce the unique McLaren DNA to the sports car market for the first time with a carbon fibre chassis and a mid-mounted V8 engine,” the company reaffirmed in an accompanying statement.

The entry-level model is expected to produce around 550 horsepower, below the 650S but still likely good for a zero-to-60 mph time of under four seconds and a top speed above 180 mph. Despite the lower output figures, McLaren chief Mike Flewitt promises it will still handily beat any rivals in terms of power-to-weight ratio and performance.

The model will mark a significant increase in annual production volume for the British automaker, with approximately 2,500 units expected to roll off the assembly line each year.

Full details will be revealed next month at the New York auto show.