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Category Archives: performance
Mercedes-AMG Hybrid Wagon Coming to the U.S.
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) said today that its first performance hybrid wagon from Mercedes-AMG will be offered in U.S. later in the 2025 calendar year. There will be 12 exterior paint colors, including four MANUFAKTUR hues, along with the optional AMG Night Package, AMG Night Package Plus and AMG Exterior Carbon Fiber Package. Standard are 20-inch AMG 5-Twin Spoke wheels with 20-inch AMG 10-Twin Spoke and 21-inch AMG Forged Cross-Spoke wheels in several finishes are optionally available. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, marketing, mobility company, new vehicle, news analysis, performance, shows and events
Tagged AMG E 53 HYBRID wagon, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, MANUFAKTUR customization, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Benz USA, X @KenAutoinformed
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Mercedes-Benz USA Posts Q1 Sales Drop
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported Q1 2025 group* sales of 67,400 Passenger Cars. Mercedes-Benz Vans reported Q1 2025 group sales of 7700 units, bringing MBUSA to a total of 75,100 vehicles for the first quarter of the year. Amidst the generally tepid sales results is a sharp 52% decline in van sales.
“I am proud to see our teams and valued dealer partners continue to work together with an unwavering focus on the core of our business – our valued customers. We closed Q1 in a very strong position for wholesale group sales and celebrated our best-ever March in MBUSA’s history for retail sales,” said Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. Continue reading
Indy 500 Veteran Shigeaki Hattori Dead at 61
Shigeaki Hattori, one of eight Japanese-born drivers to compete in the Indianapolis 500, died April 5 in a car accident in Huntersville, North Carolina. He was 61.
“The native of Okayama in southern Japan, Hattori competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway three times, earning a pair of starts. After serving as the first alternate to the 33-car field in 2001, he finished 20th in 2002 for Bradley Motorsports, completing 197 laps. The next year, he finished 30th driving for AJ Foyt Racing as the car’s fuel system failed. Those two races in the “500” were among Hattori’s 34 career INDYCAR SERIES starts in a four-year span that ended in 2003. His best series finish came at Texas Motor Speedway when he finished sixth in 2002,” the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said this morning. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, people, performance, shows and events
Tagged AJ Foyt Racing, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Bettenhausen Motorsports, Bradley Motorsports, Indy Lights, INDY NXT, indycar, IndyCar Series, Ken Zino, Shigeaki Hattori, Treadway Racing, X @KenAutoinformed
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Aston Martin Debuts Vanquish Volante
Aston Martin in Gaydon today announced the arrival of the new Vanquish Volante. It is the fastest, most powerful open top (convertible in Brit speak – AutoCrat) series production Aston Martin to date. It shares with the coupe the claim as the fastest, most powerful front-engine production car on sale today. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, design and styling, electronics, engineering, marketing, milestones, new vehicle, news analysis, performance, shows and events
Tagged 5.2-liter V12 engine, Adrian Hallmark, Aston Martin twin-turbocharged, Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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First Look – 2025 Audi RS-3 Sedan
Audi of America today released pricing and specifications for the 2025 Audi RS 3. It retains the Nürburgring-Nordschleife record in the compact class. It also has the unique Audi five-cylinder engine.
Audi said the RS-3, “reaffirms the compact sport sedan’s position as the attainable entry point to the Audi Sport portfolio. Featuring a combination of visual enhancements to both the interior and exterior, more standard equipment, and performance benefits of fine-tuning; the latest rendition of the RS 3 invites drivers to experience the progressive union of luxury with the track-proven performance demonstrated through the new record lap set in the compact vehicle class on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife with 7:33.123 minutes.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, engineering, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis, performance
Tagged 2025 Audi RS-3 Sedan, Audi Sport Quattro S2, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, nürburgring nordschleife, RS Torque Splitter, X @KenAutoinformed
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Cadillac Formula 1 Team to Run in 2026
“We’re thrilled the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is official, as the team has been accelerating its work,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support from the FIA and Formula One Management leadership for us and for our collaboration with TWG. The excitement only grows as we get closer to showcasing GM’s engineering expertise on the prestigious global stage of F1.”
The integration between TWG Motorsports (it also owns Spire Motorsports, Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing – AutoCrat.) and GM creates a badly needed American team for is claimed to be a global series. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electronics, engineering, marketing, milestones, news analysis, performance, racing
Tagged 2026 F1 regulations, Andretti Global, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cadillac Formula 1 Team, Dan Towriss, fia, Ken Zino, TWG Motorsports, X @KenAutoinformed
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Interlagos Lap Record – Taycan Turbo GT
A Taycan Turbo GT* set a time of 1:42.1 minutes on the 4.3-kilometer Interlagos circuit on 5 February 2025, Porsche said today. The lap time trimmed almost eight seconds off the record set by the Taycan Turbo S in 2022 (1:49.8 minutes). It was also just under a second inside an earlier production-car lap record set by the 911 Turbo S (1:43.087 minutes).
“Coming to Interlagos and getting behind the wheel of the Taycan Turbo GT right after winning the 24 Hours of Daytona was an incredible experience. I expected the strong acceleration and brutal torque but, ultimately, it was the overall performance that really impressed me,” said Porsche works driver Felipe Nasr who was at the wheel. Continue reading
Posted in electric vehicles, engineering, milestones, news analysis, performance, racing, shows and events
Tagged ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, auto industry commentary, Autodrome José Carlos Pace, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Felipe Nasr, Interlagos circuit, Ken Zino, Peter Vogel, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, Weissach package, X @KenAutoinformed
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Genesis Magma Racing in 2026 FIA WEC
Genesis is into motorsports, with plans to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026 and the IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA) in 2027 with an Oreca-based car called GMR-001 Hypercar. “At Genesis Magma Racing, hyperspeed isn’t just a concept – it’s a reality,” said Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul in a recent interview with the Genesis newsroom.
“Building the team together and putting the different building blocks together is a challenge because nothing existed at first. It’s not just a car that we need to build. It’s a racing team. An organization. A new identity,” said Abiteboul. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, milestones, performance, racing
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cyril Abiteboul, FIA World Endurance Championship, Genesis Magma Racing, GMR-001 Hypercar, Ken Zino, Oreca, world rally championship, X @KenAutoinformed
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McLaren Automotive Using Aerospace-Grade Carbon Fiber
McLaren Automotive said today it has developed a world-first application of an aerospace industry composites manufacturing method scaled appropriately for volume supercar manufacturing. Deployed at the McLaren Composites Technology Center (MCTC) in Sheffield, UK, the new Automated Rapid Tape (ART) production method produces McLaren ART carbon fiber structures that can be optimized to be lighter, stiffer and stronger via advanced structural optimization. They are also produced with less waste material generation. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, design and styling, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, performance
Tagged Aerospace-Grade Carbon Fiber, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Automated Rapid Tape production method, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, McLaren Automotive, McLaren Composites Technology Center, X @KenAutoinformed
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Annals of Off-Road Marketing – Silverado EV ZR2
Chevrolet (NYSE: GM) today unveiled the Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race truck “concept” at the Mint 400 off-road race, where the truck will also compete as part of the Hall Racing team’s lineup. The Silverado EV ZR2 race truck concept joins the team’s Silverado ZR2 and Colorado ZR2 race trucks. Chad Hall will drive the all-electric off-road race truck in the Open Production EV class.
“There is no better proving ground to test the limits of our vehicles than competitive racing,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Chevrolet. “The Silverado EV ZR2 race truck concept, which uses 98% GM production parts, showcases some of the best of Chevrolet to produce a beyond-capable pickup to tackle a challenging race of the Mint 400’s magnitude.” Continue reading
Posted in aftermarket, auto news, electric vehicles, marketing, new vehicle, performance, racing, shows and events
Tagged 2026 Silverado EV Trail Boss, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Chad Hall, Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Hall Racing, Ken Zino, Mint 400, off road EV trucks, Scott Bell, X @KenAutoinformed
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Holy St Pete! Vivid IndyCar 2025 Season Opener
“What an amazing job by everybody,” Palou said. Palou is known for his racing smarts and the ability to adjust to conditions to earn points. “They gave me everything we needed this weekend to win. I told you yesterday we had a really, really fast car. Our strategy changed a lot during that first yellow, but I’m so glad we got that No. 10 in Victory Lane. It’s been 138 days since Nashville (2024 season finale), and I’ve been dreaming about this every single night,” said Palou, a charming and thoughtful Spaniard. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, people, performance, racing, results
Tagged Alex Palou, Andretti Global, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Firestone Firehawk tires, Josef Newgarden, Ken Zino, Kyle Kirkwood, NTT IndyCar Series, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet, X @KenAutoinformed
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AC GT Roadster Debut at ModaMiami Tomorrow
AC Cars* said today that it is debuting the AC GT Roadster at ModaMiami at the start of March before it kicks off its first client test drives and viewing appointments in the United States. Britain’s oldest active vehicles manufacturer said “it will be showing the iconically styled, but highly advanced, modern sports car to guests at The Biltmore Hotel luxury show, ahead if its initial client engagement events in the US over the following weeks. With the first two years of production already sold, AC cars will also host reception appointments in Miami for the exclusive roadster as it allocates the next round of limited production spaces.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, design and styling, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis, performance
Tagged AC Cars, AC GT Roadster, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, ModaMiami, The Biltmore Hotel luxury show, X @KenAutoinformed
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Honda and Oracle Red Bull F1 Machines to Run through Tokyo
Honda Motor Company and Red Bull said today that they are proud to support “Red Bull Showrun x Powered by Honda,” a special event featuring an F1 machine showrun organized by the International TOP Motorsports Experience Executive Committee [ITOM]. On 2 April 2035 (Wed) Honda and Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 machines will run through Tokyo. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, performance, racing, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. Icho Namiki at Meiji Jingu Gaien, FIA Formula One, International TOP Motorsports Experience Executive Committee, Ken Zino, Max Verstappen, Princess Yohko of Mikasa, Red Bull Showrun x Powered by Honda, X @KenAutoinformed, Yuki Tsunoda
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World Endurance Championship – New Ferrari 499P
“True to the philosophy of the Prancing Horse, the 2025 499P looks ahead, supported by the creativity of Ferrari’s designers. The livery has been modernized with a new composition, blending red – a darker shade that reinterprets the colors seen on Ferrari race cars from past decades, with Giallo Modena, accentuating the car’s body lines,” Ferrari said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, news analysis, performance, racing, shows and events
Tagged Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Fuoco, Antonio Giovinazzi, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ferrari – AF Corse team, FIA World Endurance Championship, James Calado, Ken Zino, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, X @KenAutoinformed
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Concepts of What Could be a C9 Corvette Concept?
The algorithmic-driven world of electronic media is taking over traditional automotive marketing communications. In the latest example, General Motors (NYSE:GM) used the opening of a new UK advanced design studio to show a concept of what a future concept of the next generation C9 Corvette might look like. The publicity ploy involves multiple studios that will see additional Corvette concepts revealed throughout 2025. Concepts of what could ultimately be a concept of what could be a production hypercar. In short, concepts, almost ad infinitum.
“Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles,” said Michael Simcoe, senior VP of global design. “While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM.” Continue reading →