May has been almost ended and this week was fully loaded with cars. Coronavirus case numbers are dropping in the India, but the pandemic is still raging. Ford shut down a plant in southern India this week not because of the semiconductor shortage that has been upending production plans all year, but because workers staged a sit-in protest demanding leave and health benefits after 230 workers caught the coronavirus. At least two of the affected employees died.
The Mercedes-Benz GLA and the AMG GLA 35 models have been launched in India, priced between Rs. 42.10 lakh and Rs. 57.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The former comes in 3 variants, and the latter is just 1.
Mercedes GLA
Under the hood, the standard GLA is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine is a 1.3-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 163hp and 250Nm. It comes paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and is only offered in the front-wheel-drive (FWD) layout.
The diesel unit offered with the new GLA is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine that develops 190hp and 400Nm. It comes with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and can be had in both FWD layout or Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive layout.
Lastly, we have the performance-oriented AMG GLA 35 4Matic which is equipped with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that churns out 306hp and 400Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
BMW is launching the next iteration of a favorite. The droptop M4 returns, with more power, all-wheel drive, and a clumsy model designation: meet the 2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible xDrive. Competitively priced at $89,295, it will come to the U.S. shortly after production starts this September.
BMW M4 Convertible
While the M4 coupe and the M3 can also be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission and a slightly detuned engine, the convertible comes exclusively as the uplevel Competition version, which bumps the power rating of the S58 3.0-liter straight-six to 503 horsepower. Maximum torque is rated at 479 pound-feet, served up from 2750 to 5500 rpm. The engine redlines at 7200 rpm, down from the previous model's 7600 rpm.
The power is channeled to all four wheels via a ZF-sourced 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission; the sixth gear is the direct drive. This gearbox replaces the previous model's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The sprint from zero to 60 mph takes just 3.6 seconds. Top speed is rated at 155 mph and can be raised to 174 mph, both electronically limited. There is no more manual transmission; the row-it-yourself box is mated to the less powerful M4 and M3 versions that are not available as a convertible.
Clever as McLaren’s “Active Air Management System” (AAMS) is, the hugely fast Elva is still perfectly capable of totally ruining your face. Yup – McLaren will happily build you an Elva with a windscreen, washer jets, sun visors, and wipers instead of its impressive, but not infallible, Active Air Management System (AAMS). The windscreen-equipped Elva still does without a roof or side windows, mind, and there is a slight weight penalty. Though the windscreen car does without all the AAMS gubbins, McLaren expects the glass, wipers, and carbon surround to add around 20kg.
McLaren Elva with Windscreen
The World's most Expensive Car
Back in 2017, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Sweptail, an incredibly huge Phantom-based one-off coupe with a completely custom coach-built body, the first of its kind from Rolls in the modern era. Right after the Sweptail was revealed, Rolls-Royce had a number of clients asking for custom vehicles of their own, leading the company to today announce that it's spinning off Coachbuild into a division of the brand. But three specific customers had very similar visions of what they wanted, and after four years of development, the new Boat Tail was born.
Rolls Royce Boat Tail
Read more about this stunning car, click here
The Beast, Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO 2
The Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo was already a Pro-Am monster; a true production-based race car purpose-built to race in Lamborghini's own globe-trotting one-make series. An ultimate track toy, you might say, although toy doesn't do the beautiful violence of a Huracán Super Trofeo in action justice. Yes, it's not as intense as the Huracán GT3, but Lamborghini thinks of it as a stepping stone for some amateur drivers to graduate to. But it's a race car, and race cars evolve. Thus we have the new Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, featuring advanced aerodynamic changes and revised styling, along with a few other tweaks.
Like its Evo (and pre-Evo) predecessor, the Super Trofeo Evo2 is motivated by a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10, which makes a very healthy 620 hp. A six-speed sequential gearbox handles shifting duties. There do not appear to be any hardware changes in terms of the powertrain—nor do any appear to be needed.
Know more about this super Lambo here.
US-based SSC has revealed two new versions of its Tuatara model, which currently holds the record for the world's fastest production car. They are unlikely to make their way to India. Called the Tuatara Striker and Aggressor, these limited-run hypercars provide more downforce, generate up to 2,200hp of power, and offer more options for customization.
Just when you thought SSC was settling in for a long haul with its epic Tuatara hypercar, we now have upgraded versions to talk about. How does one upgrade from a 1,750-horsepower (1,305-kilowatt) machine that currently holds the record as the world's fastest production car? Simple – give it more downforce and naturally, more power.
That's what SSC has done, though it uses two new versions of the Tuatara to accomplish the goal. The Tuatara Striker focuses on aerodynamic enhancements to significantly increase downforce. Specifically, SSC says downforce is increased by a factor of three, producing 1,100 pounds for the entire car at a speed of 160 mph.
Click here to find out more.
Line-up for India:
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