Tanak bounced back from his Monte Carlo Rally misdemeanours by taking a comprehensive victory around Rovaniemi. Despite easing off slightly in the closing stages, the Hyundai i20 Coupe driver finished with a 17.5s cushion over Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera. Team boss Andrea Adamo spoke publicly before the second round of the World Rally Championship about the need to win, with this leading to an under pressure Tanak to lean more heavily on his mechanics. "This victory is very important and allows us to take away good points for the championship," said Tanak, who moves up to fifth in the drivers' standings. "We came to Finland - the home country of one of our closest rivals - so the pressure was on for sure. "We knew it would be complicated to take on the fight but, in the end, we did a very good weekend. "The pre-event test was held in very different conditions, so we didn't really know what to expect. "I was pushing the engineers quite a lot, but their hard … [Read more...] about Tanak “pushing” Hyundai for improvements in Arctic Rally win
2016 hyundai veloster turbo
Land Rover Strongly Suggests Defender Pickup Is Planned
The company seemingly changed its mind about building a Defender truck. The pickup version of the modern Land Rover Defender looks a little bit more likely to happen, despite the company downplaying the possibility for years. Nick Collins, Jaguar Land Rover’s executive director of vehicle programs, says "there is customer demand" for the truck, and "there were no structural limitations" for building it, according to Autocar . "We always said the Defender would be a family," Collins told Autocar , and he suggested to "watch this space" about the truck's future. Gallery: Land Rover Defender Pickup by Kahn Design 6 Photos While there were rumors about the pickup variant before the new Defender's launch, the company eventually dropped the plans. An unnamed source previously made the argument : "Why would you buy a dual-cab ute when you see what you can put in the … [Read more...] about Land Rover Strongly Suggests Defender Pickup Is Planned
Lexus LC 500h detailed, packs 354 hp [video]
After being unveiled earlier this week, the Lexus LC 500h is back to reveal all of its technical specifications along with fresh imagery and footage. After being unveiled earlier this week, the Lexus LC 500h is back to reveal all of its technical specifications along with fresh imagery and footage. The rumors were true as the hybrid version of the LC 500 does indeed come with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine working together with an electric motor. Also part of the package is a lithium-ion battery pack and a four-speed automatic transmission which has a manual mode. The combustion engine develops 295 horsepower (220 kilowatts) at 6,600 rpm and 257 pound-feet (348 newton meters) at 4,900 rpm, while the e-motor has 60 hp (44.6 kilowatts). This gives the hybridized coupe a combined output of 354 hp (264 kilowatts) which will be enough for a sprint to 62 miles (100 kilometers) per hour in less than five seconds. This is all possible thanks to Lexus’ “Multi Stage Hybrid System” … [Read more...] about Lexus LC 500h detailed, packs 354 hp [video]
2017 Lexus LC 500 provokes Detroit with 467 hp [video, LIVE PICS ADDED]
The Lexus LF-LC Concept has finally transformed into a production model, as the LC 500 has debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The Lexus LF-LC Concept has finally transformed into a production model, as the LC 500 has debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show . The good surprises today are continuing as we have official photos and technical details regarding Lexus’ LC 500 flagship sports coupe. It took the automaker four years to develop the production model and finally it is here, making “the strongest statement yet about the brand's future product direction.” Starting with the design, we are happy to see the coupe is sharing most of its key design elements and its proportions with the concept that inspired it. The front end is dominated by a massive radiator grille, bordered by chrome on three sides and a new 3D mesh design. The grille is surrounded by sleek triple LED headlights, integrating L-shaped daytime running lights. Moving further back, we see athletic … [Read more...] about 2017 Lexus LC 500 provokes Detroit with 467 hp [video, LIVE PICS ADDED]
Arctic WRC: Tanak beats record-breaker Rovanpera
The final day consisted of two passes through the 22.47 km Aittajarvi stage and Toyota claimed a 1-2 on its morning run as Elfyn Evans claimed his second stage win of the event from Rovanpera, with the Hyundai of Thierry Neuville just 0.1s behind in third. The battle between Rovanpera and Neuville for second place on the rally would also determine the provisional championship lead. The points leader coming into the Lapland-based rally was defending title holder Sebastien Ogier, who had battled an unfavourable road position throughout the event, and restarted on Sunday after crashing out at the flying finish of Saturday’s final stage. The Frenchman’s only objective was to rescue some points from the Powerstage and he duly treated the world to a textbook performance on the ragged edge. Ogier’s time was almost 11 seconds faster than his morning run, but this provisional fastest time was something at which the rest of the field took aim. The first to challenge Ogier was … [Read more...] about Arctic WRC: Tanak beats record-breaker Rovanpera