Now Is Your Last Chance To Get a C7 Chevy Corvette – Order Books Close June 25

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June 7, 2019

Chevrolet dealers are offering killer discounts, too.

If you wanted to get your hands on the last front-engined Chevy Corvette, now is your last chance. Well, technically you have a little over two weeks, as the order books will soon close. CorvetteBlogger reports that, while Chevrolet has already closed the books on the ZR1, other variants are still up for grabs, at least for now. As of June 25, that will change, as the C7 Corvette order books will close for good.

The article contends that there is some conflicting information on exactly how long dealers have to place orders. Right now, the site says that “sold” customer orders must be in the system by June 25. However, orders on the convertible will halt next Monday, June 10.

The end date to get an order in on a 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 has already passed. Those books closed at the end of May, and Chevrolet is getting ready to wrap up its production.

C7 Chevy Corvette ordering books will close June 25

Plenty of inventory on dealer lots

Bear this in mind if you aren’t able to get an order in on time. There is plenty of dealer inventory left out there. That said, be careful if you’re looking to buy a brand new ZR1. These are now hot-ticket items since dealers can’t order any more, and they know that. As a result, some dealers are placing ludicrous markups on the 755 horsepower flagship model.

However, the ordinary C7 Chevy Corvette is an entirely different story. Since dealers have huge inventories right now, you can walk onto a Chevrolet lot and drive away in a Corvette for well under MSRP. On everything from the humble 1LT to the Z06, dealers are offering up to $13,000 or more off unsold 2018 models.

The last C7 Chevy Corvette will be a black Z06 with a seven-speed manual transmission and fully loaded 3LZ package. That includes Napa leather seats, navigation, and Chevy’s onboard performance data recorder. The car will sell at auction on June 28, with proceeds going to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The car’s MSRP is a bit over $91,000, but we expect it to go for way more than that.

Stay tuned on the results of that auction near the end of the month. In case you missed it so far, check out more on the mid-engined C8 Chevy Corvette below:

The Nightmare Continues! This Is How Much It Costs (So Far) To Fix Our Tesla Model 3: Thrifty 3 Ep. 11

By

Zach Butler

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June 7, 2019

How much does it cost to fix a broken Tesla?

At this point, we are nearly two months into the saga of repairing our crunched Tesla Model 3. One of our newest long-term arrivals suffered a minor fender bender in mid-April, and has yet to actually be repaired. In this video, Tommy and Roman give an update on how timely — and expensive — the situation has become over the past seven weeks.

When Tommy took the Tesla in for an original estimate back in April, the damage was approximated at just over $6,000. That is already a sizable chunk of change for a minor accident. Even knowing Teslas are expensive to fix going in, that number can still come as a shock. Fortunately, the insurance deductible should take most of the sting out of the repair bill.

Ah, but that was before the wait began. Since that April estimate, we and the repair shop have been waiting for parts to come in. Even worse than the wait was the realization that this may get even more expensive once the collision repair shop started digging in. And it did get more expensive. As technicians starting pulling the damaged pieces off the car, they discovered hidden damage that necessitated more parts than what was in the original estimate.

From the rear bumper to the trunk lid, quarter panel and light assemblies, the parts alone amount to $4,509.01. Factor in paint and labor, and the cost balloons all the way to $10,369.36. Thanks to a new round of parts, it’s also unclear exactly when our Tesla will actually be repaired.

Tesla Model 3 - Thrifty 3 repair update — The Tesla Model 3 has a great design, but repairing those panels when they are damaged is expensive…*really* expensive.

Headaches and broken glass

Another headache in our saga is the matter of broken glass. Apparently, fixing this damage required technicians to remove both the front and rear glass pieces. In the process, they ended up breaking both pieces, adding over $1,000 to the repair bill. Some of you have commented in the video that neither we nor insurance should be responsible to pay for the broken glass. According to the repair shop, the glass breaks “about 50 percent of the time.”

Whether or not insurance does ultimately end up paying for it, we will provide more Tesla Model 3 repair updates down the line. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more coming soon!

If you missed the last Thrifty 3 video, check it out below:

This Is Your Chance To Own A Near-Mint Saab With Just 3 Miles On The Clock

By

Zach Butler

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June 7, 2019

There’s something to owning the last-ever Saab.

Remember Saab? The Swedish car company faded away in 2011 as it halted production. However, there are still near-mint examples kicking around. NEVS, the company that relaunched production in 2013, is auctioning off a 2014 Saab 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo with just 3 miles on the clock.

The company said in its statement, “The final batch of Saab’s were manufactured in the original factory with original parts sourced from around 400 suppliers. During 2013-2014 only 420 cars were made — the last ever to roll off the assembly line in Trollhättan.” NEVS will display this particular Saab 9-3 this weekend during the Saab Car Museum festival before heading to auction later this year.

Now, those who remember the last Saabs will no that it’s not a major performance car. In fact, the last 9-3 had a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 217 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That engine sends power to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. That said, it is the last-ever Saab, so that ought to add some collector value.

For now, we will have to wait and see more details on the NEVS auction. Stay tuned for more updates!

Mazda Reveals European SkyActiv-X MPG and Power Specs

By

Nathan Adlen

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June 6, 2019

Mazda Reveals European SkyActiv-X MPG and Power Specs — The new Mazda3 should get the company’s new SkyActiv-X engine, but there’s no set date for its U.S. arrival. [Photo: Mazda]

SkyActiv-X has some official MPG and power figures – for Europe.

Initially, we were expecting Mazda to debut its SkyActiv-X engine in the United States in the all-new Mazda3. Unfortunately, that never happened. Mazda is still planning to bring this engine to our market, but there’s no exact date just yet, other than later in 2019 or possibly in 2020. When it does arrive, the SkyActiv-X engine is suppose to be much more efficient than the carryover SkyActiv-G unit we have now.

It’s a complex power unit, combining some of the qualities of a traditional gasoline engine with compression ignition commonly associated with diesels. “Mazda’s unique Spark Plug Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) technology, the 2.0 litre, four-cylinder SkyActiv-X engine is the world’s first commercial petrol unit to combine the spark ignition of a petrol engine with the compression ignition of a diesel,” the company said of its new technology.

Fortunately, we now have some numbers, at least of the European version of the engine. Mazda says that the European-market 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X will make 178 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. By contrast, the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G that comes standard in the 2019 Mazda3 puts out 186 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque.

Fuel economy improvements?

Its combined fuel economy numbers according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) are approximately 53.5 mpg. Mind you, the NEDC cycle test is quite different to the EPA, so our numbers will certainly be lower than that. Even still, it should manage better fuel economy than the older 2.5-liter engine.

Mazda’s SkyActiv-X prototype. [Photo: Mazda]

We’ve actually had a chance to get up close and personal with the SkyActiv-X when it was testing in the United States. Given how much time and resources they poured into its development, Mazda will almost definitely bring the engine here sooner or later.

Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates. Check out our time with the prototype below:

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Touring Loses The Rear Wing To Be More ‘Discreet’

By

Zach Butler

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June 6, 2019

Don’t worry, it’s still packing nearly 600 horsepower.

Remember the Jaguar XE SV Project 8? The crazy fast, crazily-styled small sedan that tackled Laguna Seca with a 1:37 lap time. It was faster than both the Cadillac CTS-V and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio around the track, thanks in part to its massive rear wing. Now, though, Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations have dialed back the car’s track-focused look by replacing that wing with a small spoiler on the trunk lid.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Touring — Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations took the massive rear wing off the XE SV Project 8 Touring, and put on this decklid spoiler instead.

This ‘Touring’ specification aims to make the Jaguar Project 8 more ‘discreet’. Take that for what you will.

At the front, there’s still a bespoke front bumper and carbon fiber spoilers and skirts all around. It’s modified 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine still cranks out 592 horsepower. Jaguar claims the XE SV Project 8 Touring hits 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and can achieve a top speed of around 200 mph.

This may be a bit more of a sleeper — mind you, the carbon fiber and all the holes in the front still give the game away — but don’t expect to see one where you live. Jaguar is limiting production to just 15 units worldwide, so it’s incredibly unlikely you’ll ever see one.

Jaguar originally announced a production run of 300 units for the XE SV Project 8. Pricing for that model starts from £149,995 in the UK, or around $190,600. The company did not announce pricing for this Touring model with the rest of the specs. It is a more exclusive model, though, so it certainly won’t be cheap.

Kia Readies The Next Cadenza Sedan’s Korean Launch With These Teaser Sketches

By

Zach Butler

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June 6, 2019

This is the new Kia Cadenza – at least in sketch form. [Image: Kia Motors]

‘Cadenza, you say?’

Kia took to social media to tease the imminent arrival of the next-generation Cadenza ahead of its official Korean launch. A series of sketches show off the new model, known as the K7 in South Korea.

You may not be too familiar with the Cadenza name, but Kia does sell this car in the U.S., and it slots in between the Optima and the K900 in their sedan lineup. This particular update sports a more aggressive concave grille design with sharp headlamps and daytime running likes that run down the bottom of the headlight assembly and, strangely, flow into the grille itself.

Look around the back, and the Cadenza takes on a new taillight aesthetic as well. Instead of a chrome strip, a light bar connects the two rear light assemblies. Kia also moved the rear badge higher up on the trunk lid.

Changes inside and out

The new Cadenza’s interior is not too drastically different than the current generation. However, this design has a much larger infotainment screen, while everything else blends into the flowing surfaces. The gear lever, for instance, is a smaller unit that mirrors the Stinger. Kia updated the air vents and shuffled the center stack around a bit to put the center vents closer to the driver and passenger.

At the moment, Kia has been mum on powertrains for the updated Cadenza. The current generation uses the brand’s 3.3-liter, 290 horsepower V6, transversely mounted and connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is more of a mid-cycle refresh than an out-and-out redesign, since Kia last updated the model in 2016. Granted, we’re at the four-year point that would usually necessitate a major update, but the first-generation model was around for seven years prior to the current generation’s debut.

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The Kia Cadenza is one of Kia’s slowest-selling models in the U.S., only ahead of the limousine-like K900. So far this year, Kia shifted just 633 units, as opposed to 39,379 Optimas. As it is by no means a popular model here, I wouldn’t expect Kia to radically update the powertrain, but they may go ahead and do it for the sake of the Korean market.

Whatever the changes, Kia will almost certainly bring a nearly identical version over to North America. The current model starts at $33,100 and comes in three trim levels. The Limited already tops out at around $45,000, so it’s likely Kia won’t make the car any more expensive with this updated version.

While we wait for the new one, check out how it looks compared to the current generation shown below:

Breaking: FCA Withdraws Renault Merger Proposal After Delayed Vote

By

Zach Butler

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June 5, 2019

Renault’s board postponed its decision on a merger with FCA.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) confirmed it had withdrawn its merger proposal to Renault Wednesday, as Nissan reportedly refused to support the deal. The Wall Street Journal stated that Nissan representatives were doubtful about the automaker’s commitment to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance if the merger actually went through.

The French government holds a 15 percent stake in Renault, and they asked the company to postpone its decision until Nissan declared its support. Officials said they would not support the deal unless Nissan reaffirmed its commitment to the alliance. As a result, Renault’s board of directors postponed the vote for a second time this week.

FCA, of its own accord, decided to withdraw its proposal. In a statement, the company said, “The Board of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, meeting this evening under the chairmanship of John Elkann, has resolved to with draw with immediate effect its merger proposal made to Groupe Renault. FCA expresses its sincere thanks [to Renault], in particular its chairman and its chief executive officer, and also to the alliance partners at Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, for their constructive engagement on all aspects of FCA’s proposal.”

Were job cuts inevitable with the merger?

Going further, the company said the political conditions do not currently exist in France for the merger to happen successfully. Here in the U.S., however, several parties were concerned about the merger’s impact on local jobs.

Erik Gordon, a law processor at the University of Michigan, gave his thoughts on the proposal Tuesday, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “The problem is that a merger makes little sense without job cuts. Without cuts, the resulting company would be an inefficient, bloated hippopotamus of a company.” FCA contended that this merger with Renault would happen without any job cuts. Furthermore, it would not affect FCA’s planned plant expansion in the Detroit area, which aims to add 5,000 jobs to the local economy.

For the time being, it seems, the FCA-Renault merger proposal is dead. The company concluded its statement by saying, “FCA will continue to deliver on its commitments through the implementation of its independent strategy.”

With Latest Update, Cadillac Makes Super Cruise 70,000 Miles More Useful

By

Nathan Adlen

-

June 5, 2019

2019 Cadillac CT6 with Super Cruise engaged. (Photo: Cadillac)

Cadillac’s Super Cruise is currently available on the CT6 sedan.

By the end of the year, Super Cruise will support over 200,000 miles of compatible highway for drivers in the United States and Canada. On Wednesday, the company announced it would expand its network by an additional 70,000 miles of divided highways, including more interstate coverage.

Cadillac’s Super Cruise system is a somewhat autonomous driving system. It combines a variety of technical elements to allow the car to operate largely without the driver’s involvement. According to Cadillac, “The expansion builds on Super Cruise’s unique combination of precision LiDAR map data, high-precision GPS, a state-of-the-art Driver Attention System and a network of camera and radar sensors.”

Cadillac says its customers have traveled over 2.5 million miles since the company launched Super Cruise.

Cadillac Super Cruise update — This is the new Super Cruise map. [Photo: Cadillac]

New feature: Dynamic Lane Offset

One update makes Super Cruise activation easier for the driver, and adds dynamic lane offset. This assists the vehicle with Super Cruise to slightly adjust its position while its in a lane. The aim is to make the car a bit more comfortable to operate when passing large vehicles. Another addition is gauge cluster messaging. The system will alert the driver as soon as Super Cruise becomes unavailable in certain situations. For instance, it will alert the driver and disengage if it reaches an area that is not supported.

Cadillac goes on to say, “Some of the divided highways added will include limited intersections and traffic control devices. In the cases of railroad crossings, pedestrian crossings, stoplights or stop signs, Super Cruise will alert drivers to take back control of the vehicle.”

Lidar map image of a compatible, divided-highway that will be added as a result of the Super Cruise mileage expansion. [Photo: Cadillac]

2018 and 2019 Cadillac CT6 owners have access to the expanded system at the end of 2019. Beyond that, the system will be available on the all-new Cadillac CT5 and 2020 CT6 next year.

Chevrolet dealers are offering killer discounts, too.

Plenty of inventory on dealer lots

How much does it cost to fix a broken Tesla?

Headaches and broken glass

There’s something to owning the last-ever Saab.

SkyActiv-X has some official MPG and power figures – for Europe.

Fuel economy improvements?

Don’t worry, it’s still packing nearly 600 horsepower.

‘Cadenza, you say?’

Changes inside and out

Renault’s board postponed its decision on a merger with FCA.

Were job cuts inevitable with the merger?

Cadillac’s Super Cruise is currently available on the CT6 sedan.

New feature: Dynamic Lane Offset

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