Autos

Tesla Motors, known for their electric Roadsters, has released the final pricing details for their new 2012 Model S electric sports sedan. The Model S will be a full-size sedan comparable to the BMW 5-Series in terms of size and available in two trims, basic and performance.

The basic model is being offered in three battery options which include a 40 kWh, 60 kWh, and 85 kWh, priced at $57,400, $67,400, and $77,400. The price may seem steep but the $7,500 federal tax credit available for purchasing an electric vehicle should help somewhat in reducing the price tag of the Tesla Model S. Standard goodies on the vehicle include Tesla’s 17-inch Touchscreen monitor, 19-inch alloy rims, and a Universal Mobile Connector with three different adapters.

The McLaren MP4-12C has been around for a while now and we’re finally starting to see the European tuners putting their own twist on the British supercar.

German car tuners Wheelsandmore have tuned a demonic McLaren MP4-12C, why do I call it demonic?  Because the 3.8 liter turbocharged V8 engine now produces 666 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque.  In stock form the engine pumps out “only” 592 HP and 442 lb-ft of torque, Wheelsandmore is working on a more powerful tune that will squeeze out 800 horsepower from the engine but that doesn’t sound as cool as 666.

I guess automakers are running out of design ideas and are now mashing up completely different cars into one. But then again, that has always been the strategy of Chinese automakers.  This time, it’s the S11 from JAC Motors (Jianghuai Automobile).

From the rear, it appears to be inspired by the Ferrari while the design cues on the side profile appear to be borrowed from the Audi R8. And the sharp angles on the front are a bit Lamborghini inspired. Not many details are available about the S11 but it will be presented at the 2012 Auto China Show in Beijing.

Porsche is celebrating 60 years of the first Porsche Club that was started by 7 guys in Westphalia, Germany way back on May 26, 1952; 4 years after Porsche started producing cars. A few months later another Porsche club was started by 6 guys; today there are 640 official Porsche clubs with over 180,000 members in 75 countries around the world.

The extremely limited edition car is called the Porsche 911 Club Coupe and is based on the all-new 991 911 Carrera S.

The car that started the “four door coupe” craze now gets a station wagon/estate wagon/shooting brake – you choose what you want to call it.  The original CLS was the “four door coupe”, what is Mercedes going to call this?  I have a suggestion, how about a “really long 5 door coupe wagon thing”.  And since we’re nice people at Unfinished Man, Mercedes, you have out permission to use that description in your marketing material.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake is a very long car with the familiar low-slung roof from the CLS sedan coupe.  The car looks awkward but I really like it for some reason.  The low-slung back end looks like it has been filled with very heavy cargo and the rear bumper is about to hit the ground but it’s only an optical illusion.

Lexus is on a roll coming up with some very aggressive looking car designs lately; earlier this year they showcased the LF-LC Hybrid Concept car at the Detroit Auto Show and now they will bring the all-new Lexus LF-CC Hybrid Concept car to the Paris Motor Show.

Unlike the LF-LC, the Lexus LF-CC looks more production ready, which means it’s not as aggressive looking but still quite aggressive for a Lexus, and the LF-CC could be the base for the upcoming Lexus IS sport sedan/coupe.