AMG electric Fastback - June reveal.

[freinando]

Definitely prefer the Taycans elegant interior better.

Agree. The Mercedes interior is too much in your face. Tacky even.

Sponsored

 

[AutoX]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think we need to stop with this Horsepower war. 1000-2000hp is just plain ridiculous for street use. I would argue that it's dangerous. Especially once it depreciates and hits the second hand market.

 

[69Mach390]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I think we need to stop with this Horsepower war. 1000-2000hp is just plain ridiculous for street use. I would argue that it's dangerous. Especially once it depreciates and hits the second hand market.

I guess??

But it’s still safer than even a cheap motorcycle let alone a superbike, yet those are everywhere.

Model S plaids are fairly inexpensive now used too. Haven’t really seen any uptick in danger on the streets as a result.

The most dangerous part of any car is the driver. I see way more low horsepower vehicles driving aggressively and causing accidents than these high horsepower cars.

I say all that to finish with this- get off my lawn, these cars are cool!

 

[69Mach390]

Interior shots revealed with lots of screens. The new Mercedes interior design is going to a flat dash, full of screens.
Definitely prefer the Taycans elegant interior better.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a70627214/mercedes-amg-gt-4-door-ev-interior/

Based on the article, we aren’t sure what this is yet.

I’m guessing this is still in “concept vehicle” phase.

“Notably, Mercedes says that these photos are of the "new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe," not mentioning whether this is the announced electric model or a previously-unannounced continuation of the existing internal combustion GT super-sedan line. That odd choice is made even more confusing by the dashboard display in the photos, which seems to show both a tachometer with a 7000 rpm redline and an electric range of just over 316 miles.”

 

[RED!]

There are decisions here that Western Govts will have to make.

Keep following this path and be in hock to the Chinese govt. Or change tack.

We have a crossroads coming.

The danger with the current path is that Chinese companies kill all non-Chinese competition and then our markets are hostage.

Yes, there are lessons to be learned from Japanese inroads into the motorcycle and car markets. But I think we also need to assume that China is nowhere near as benign in its wider objectives.

Fun times ahead.

In the 1990s Ford was a client. I remember sitting with one of their Futuresight people talking cars and he told me that the number one country for US car (not truck) sales would be Korea in the next 20 years…

I predicted ten years ago that the Chinese would dominate EV sales globally if they can manage the politics. We had an office in china from 2004-2018 and I watched the banning of motorbikes and motor scooters to see them replaced with electric. It was clear that when you’re making millions of cars a year to fill a hole in the market that you’re going to get REALLY good at it fast.

Here we are! The Japanese created the NSX, amazing platform but it doesn’t have the brand story of the Ferrari that it could out perform. I have a feeling that everything has its place and people pay $100k for a Hermes Birken bag when a Coach will carry the same stuff.

Problem is that GM, Ford, Stelantis etc aren’t making Birkens… and the common people are already pretty happy with Kia’s so BYD can get a lot of traction if they can figure out the political situation and solve for it. Hwawai is an example of them failing to break into the “old western boys” market.

 

[AutoX]

I guess??

But it’s still safer than even a cheap motorcycle let alone a superbike, yet those are everywhere.

Model S plaids are fairly inexpensive now used too. Haven’t really seen any uptick in danger on the streets as a result.

The most dangerous part of any car is the driver. I see way more low horsepower vehicles driving aggressively and causing accidents than these high horsepower cars.

I say all that to finish with this- get off my lawn, these cars are cool!

That's my point, I think the Model S plaids are too fast for the street also. I don't trust my fellow driver with 1000+HP cars with instant torque.

Cheap motorcycle and superbikes are more likely to injure the rider, whereas 5000+ lbs cars with 1000+ HP can be a real danger to the public.

As far as cool cars. Is the Taycan 4S less cool than a Turbo S? At some point, there is enough horsepower for a street legal car. Not too long ago, we marveled at the 1000hp Bugatti Veyron. Now you can get that acceleration in a car that cost less than 50k.

 

[RED!]

That's my point, I think the Model S plaids are too fast for the street also. I don't trust my fellow driver with 1000+HP cars with instant torque.

Cheap motorcycle and superbikes are more likely to injure the rider, whereas 5000+ lbs cars with 1000+ HP can be a real danger to the public.

As far as cool cars. Is the Taycan 4S less cool than a Turbo S? At some point, there is enough horsepower for a street legal car. Not too long ago, we marveled at the 1000hp Bugatti Veyron. Now you can get that acceleration in a car that cost less than 50k.

Personally, I’ve noticed (and hate) the fact that most car reviewers these days “test” launch control but tend not to drive the cars on a track. Throttle house is 50/50 (a great Canadian show! ) I think if you’re looking for a dragster to show off with you’re silly. I recall a friend of mine buying his model S with ludicrous mode for $20k more, trying it twice in a row and getting out of the car to throw up.

My feeling is the Model S Plaid is just a car with great acceleration, average brakes (which is a bad pairing) and mediocre suspension (also a bad pairing) but I’m a performance snob all these new 1000hp cars are more marketing than anything else and certainly not needed or even accessible on city streets.

 

[chun]

I think it's great that EVs are normalizing 1000-2000hp.
Not because it's important, but because it reduces the abusrd non-sensical prices on some cars. No reason why a 911 should be 300-400k.

It forces car manufacturers to innovate in other aspects that have been ignored for a long time, especially by german automakers: software, cost, design (most new designs coming out of germany are horrendous or copy paste for 20-30 years), materials (imagine putting plastic B pillars in a 250k car - porsche/mercedes/audi/etc - while 30k EVs from china come covered in leather), sound systems, sound insulation (Lucid/xiaomi/zeeker and others have better noise insulation from the road and wind), self driving, etc.

And it works. Merceds started its zonal arhitecture platform because their EVs were not selling. They improved their software because their EVs weren't selling. They couldn't just ask 100-150k just because the car has loads of horse power and off the shelf air suspension - because all EVs have that

 

[JackSparrow]

Here’s an odd but interesting finding:

This is a live analysis/teardown of a rear BYD drive unit used in the new Tan and Hang sedan and SUV. The drive unit is manufactured by BorgWarner and integrates the motor and drive.
It’s surprising that the motor/drive unit is not produced in house.
There are Brembo branded fixed calipers on the Taycan-adjacent Xiaomi SU7. So western suppliers are seeing revenue from the production and sale of Chinese EVs, at least for now.
This also points to cost competitive production experience of western parts suppliers. The elephant in the room is that the “Software defined vehicle” needs great software, and that remains a sore point for manufacturers.

 

[RED!]

Quote:
This also points to cost competitive production experience of western parts suppliers. The elephant in the room is that the “Software defined vehicle” needs great software, and that remains a sore point for manufacturers

Response:
I think they out brembos on becuase everyone knows the brand and it says something about the performance (sort of) so it levels up their car for a few hundred bucks more than no-name

Software Defined Vehicle: 10000%!! What I don’t understand is why there isn’t a Porsche NVIDIA partnership and these cars are cool right through. Both brands would benefit from a flagship partnership like this and we, the consumers, would have amazing cars!!

 

[69Mach390]

That's my point, I think the Model S plaids are too fast for the street also. I don't trust my fellow driver with 1000+HP cars with instant torque.

Cheap motorcycle and superbikes are more likely to injure the rider, whereas 5000+ lbs cars with 1000+ HP can be a real danger to the public.

As far as cool cars. Is the Taycan 4S less cool than a Turbo S? At some point, there is enough horsepower for a street legal car. Not too long ago, we marveled at the 1000hp Bugatti Veyron. Now you can get that acceleration in a car that cost less than 50k.

So only the super rich can be trusted with horsepower?

I get what you’re saying, but even when manufacturers don’t give people high horsepower, car drivers have been modifying them to make more power ever since cars existed….

As far as safety goes, I guarantee the Plaid is safer on the street than one of my other cars- an 800 hp supercharged 6 speed 2011 Mustang GT. Sure is fun though.

And there are likely way more supercharged v8 muscle cars like mine on the road than Plaids. That would continue to be true even though they killed the Model S and Model X.

On a related note, there are a ton of S and X plaids in my town.

Never once have I seen someone drive one fast. Same goes for the cyberyuck.

 

[AutoX]

So only the super rich can be trusted with horsepower?

I get what you’re saying, but even when manufacturers don’t give people high horsepower, car drivers have been modifying them to make more power ever since cars existed….

As far as safety goes, I guarantee the Plaid is safer on the street than one of my other cars- an 800 hp supercharged 6 speed 2011 Mustang GT. Sure is fun though.

And there are likely way more supercharged v8 muscle cars like mine on the road than Plaids. That would continue to be true even though they killed the Model S and Model X.

On a related note, there are a ton of S and X plaids in my town.

Never once have I seen someone drive one fast. Same goes for the cyberyuck.

I'm not saying that only the super rich can be trusted with horsepower, but rather that once car depreciate, more people will have access to it.

Personally I think there should be different license class for different horsepower levels. Also there should be a HP cap on a street car. If Corvette ZR1X ( https://www.autoblog.com/news/the-corvette-zr1x-is-so-fast-it-breaks-nhra-street-car-rules ) needs a cage to run on the drag strip because it's too fast, it shouldn't be legal on the street either.

 

[gnr3312]

Looks like a catfish.

 

[prj]

Looks like a catfish.

AI slop video.

 

[69Mach390]

I'm not saying that only the super rich can be trusted with horsepower, but rather that once car depreciate, more people will have access to it.

Personally I think there should be different license class for different horsepower levels. Also there should be a HP cap on a street car. If Corvette ZR1X ( https://www.autoblog.com/news/the-corvette-zr1x-is-so-fast-it-breaks-nhra-street-car-rules ) needs a cage to run on the drag strip because it's too fast, it shouldn't be legal on the street either.

I guess every hall needs a hall monitor.

I prefer living in neighborhoods without an HOA myself. I do understand your points. I just disagree as to whether or not they should exist.

The same laws apply on how you can drive on the street for EVERY vehicle. Whether it’s got 100 hp or 1000.

The roll cage requirement on the drag strip is because you can legally go 150-340 mph there.

This isn’t much different from the fact that pretty much every car can break every legal speed limit today. Even my son’s 1.3 liter 3 cylinder car can go over the legal 70 mph limit.

If you start drawing lines as to the legal horsepower, just wait until we all end up with 50 hp cars with a 70 mph top speed. No thanks!

Sponsored