The daughter of actor Paul Walker, who was killed as a passenger of a Porsche Carrera GT in 2013, has received a $10.1 million settlement from the estate of the car’s driver, Roger Rodas.

Walker was a co-star of the Fast & Furious movie series, about a gang of Los Angeles street racers that go on to become an international special ops team. It has always centered around stunts in fast cars, and it was at a southern California car enthusiasts’ charity gathering that Walker took his fated ride with Rodas.

The settlement was reached in November 2014 but was revealed Friday. Rodas’s estate accepted partial responsibility for Walker’s death and will pay the settlement amount into a trust for Meadow Walker. Her lawyer, Jeff Milam, said, “The amount paid by the estate of Roger Rodas into a trust for Meadow Walker only covers a fraction of what her father would have earned as an international movie star had his life not tragically been cut short.”

Meadow Walker will continue with her lawsuit against Porsche. Just this week, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled that Porsche was not responsible for the deaths of Walker and Rodas. That suit had been brought by Rodas’s widow, who claimed that the Carrera GT lacked safety features and had a flawed suspension design. However, both the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have already determined that speeds in excess of 90 mph just before the fatal crash was the cause of the two deaths.

Chinese automaker JAC is teasing a mid-size SUV ahead of the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.

Called the SC5, it promises to be a close-to-production concept whose final version will be on the streets in 2017. The electric blue SUV appears to blend a rugged, squared-off side profile with muscular fenders with a softer, more rounded nose. A large trapezoidal grille flanked by LED headlights is reminiscent of Lexus’s trademark spindle but, dare we say it, may actually look better.

The profile is rather handsome, with a proper, flat roof and C-pillar that doesn’t try to be different for the sake of it. A roof spoiler is likely an option for top trim levels. The rear is standard SUV, with nondescript headlights and some brightwork on an upright hatch.

Details are scarce for now, but while rumor has it that the concept will be a hybrid, it is expected that the production SC5 will come with two all-gasoline engine options, a 1.5- and a 2.0-liter. Both will be turbocharged, with a maximum output of 200 horsepower.

The JAC SC5 will be unveiled on April 25 in Beijing. Plans for export are nonexistent at this time.

Ford is preparing an eco-friendly hatchback aimed right at the Toyota Prius, the Chevrolet Volt, and the Hyundai Ioniq, a new report finds.

The car will be called Model E, a name trademarked by the Blue Oval in December of 2013. It will take the form of a compact that will be offered as a hybrid, as a plug-in hybrid, and as an all-electric model. Consequently, it will replace the hybrid and plug-in variants of the C-Max, and the Focus electric.

The Model E will be built on the same platform as the next-generation Focus that’s expected to arrive in 2018. It will stand out thanks to model-specific design, though it’s too early to tell what it will look like.

The Ford Model E will likely be unveiled at a major auto show in 2018, and it will go on sale shortly after as a 2019 model. Industry trade journal Automotive News believes that production will take place in a new $1.6 billion factory that Ford plans to build in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The next-generation Focus will also be built there.

What’s in a name?
The name Model E hints at the car’s electrified drivetrain while paying homage to historically important Fords like the Model T and the Model A. Tesla tried to protect the Model E moniker in 2014, presumably so that its lineup would spell out the word “sexy” once the Model Y crossover arrives, but Ford prevented the company from using it on a production car. The sedan born as the Model E was consequently re-named Model 3.

Volkswagen has hinted that the production version of the wild Golf R400 concept is right around the corner.

“There might be a surprise coming. We have this year the 40th anniversary of the Golf GTI. Be surprised in May or June. Let’s see what will happen,” said Dominik Hoberg, Volkswagen’s head of product communications, in an interview with Australian website Drive.

Hoberg didn’t provide a more specific time frame, but his comments suggest we’ll see the car either next month during the annual Wörthersee meet in Austria, or in June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that will take place in England.

While the R400 concept (pictured) was powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four put on steroids, the latest rumors indicate that the production model will use a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine borrowed from the Audi RS 3. It will send at least 400 horsepower to all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The super-Golf will be capable of hitting 60 mph from a stop in less than four seconds, and it will go on to a top speed of over 170 mph, figures that will make it the fastest series-produced Golf ever. Sitting on model-specific wheels, it will use brake and suspension components borrowed from the Golf R and modified to handle the extra power.

The Volkswagen Golf R400 will go on sale in select markets before the end of the year. It will be priced well above the Golf R, which carries a base price of $35,650, and production will be strictly limited.

Photos by Ronan Glon.