But first, the snippets:
- This just in! The Geneva Motor Show has been canceled. The latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic, and we’re not even making this up.
- It's official, Subaru and Toyota are finally married. Bless them.
- Isuzu commits to R1.2billion investment in SA to produce the all-new D-Max bakkie.
- Meanwhile in New Zealand, a car tuner has been slapped with a cease and desist order from Ferrari upon news of his plans to drop a Mazda rotary into the engine bay of his 458.
- VW have blessed the latest Touareg with a potent R model. But it’s a plug-in hybrid with 340kW and 700Nm.
Feel it, because Mzansi, it is here. Your next Golf GTI
And GTE and GTD, as the official details are out at last.
Look we've given you the details before but can now confirm the new GTI will indeed sport 180kW and 370Nm which is a lot. The design well, most love it but we can’t help but feel it looks a little sleepy.
The cabin is fresh, with liberal digitization in the form of massive touchscreens, instrument clusters and such. That seven-speed DSG auto now receives a Porsche-like shift-by-wire system which is great because we reckon the manual six-shifter won't make it to South Africa.
So, anyone for Golf?
Meet the mud-slinging Ferrari Purosangue SUV
Image: courtesy Motor1
Did I say slinging? I meant navigating fashionably, as Ferrari finally go full sports utility vehicle with the Purosangue.
Is it a V8? A V12? Both? We don’t know but it is due in 2021 so if you were on the market for a very fast crossover maybe wait a year?
Enter the KTM X-Bow GTX
Remember the X-Bow? I don’t think we talk about it enough which is a pity because I have much to say, such as how I once did a 3,600km road trip from JHB to Cape Town in one taking in 5 racetracks along the way. That's impressive just for the fact that it doesn't come with a windscreen.
The GTX doesn't have that limitation, however, it even has a roof which is nice. The 1000kg racecar from Austria will also have 450kW courtesy of Audi's blown 5-cylinder 2.5-litre engine. Which is frankly a necessity when competing in GT2 which is precisely its job.
Too much? Well, if you'd like to trade paint in the lower race classes it also comes in a detuned GT spec with a mere 373kW. I said 'mere', haha!
Hyundai's new i20 looks great!
We're not massive fans of the current i20.
It doesn't deserve our scorn, though, as it’s perfectly competent just really underwhelming in a segment bristling with great options. The new car sets to fix it with very European styling and a face lifted off an Audi.
Damnit Herr Schreyer, have you stopped trying?
This is the Czinger 21C, and just... behold!
It's an American hybrid supercar, nay, ‘hyper’ car. A hyper-hybrid with access to 920kW.
So, what gives the carbon fibre Czinger wings? Sorry, I couldn't resist. The answer is complicated - a hybrid powertrain that drives all four wheels achieving a 1:1 power to weight ratio thanks to a 2.8-litre, flat crank V8 with twin turbos located mid-vehicle, and an electric motor assigned to each front wheel.
Numbers? Zero to 100kph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed of 432kph. And only 80 will be built.
The company’s founder and ideologist, Kevin Czinger had this to say about his hyper-baby, “This is a car that I’ve always dreamed of building. And if you have the tools to build something that’s totally off the hook, go for it. My vision is this layout because I love superbikes, love biking itself. Being in that center driving position is not only the optimal position from a driving standpoint but it’s also from an emotional standpoint.”
Well okay then, you’ve convinced us – we’ll park one on our driveways, thanks!
Watch below for more details as Top Gear get up close and personal with it.
