At the first sign of rain you simply raise the roof at the flick of a switch and in 13 seconds you are under cover.

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New York, NY – Nissan is offering a special early preview of the 2018 370Z Coupe Heritage Edition at the opening this weekend at the New York International Auto Show.
The Heritage Edition honours the iconic Nissan sports car as it approaches its 50th anniversary at the end of the decade since its launch under the Datsun brand.

The special edition also incorporates enhancements, including new headlight and rear combination light treatment, new rear fascia paint scheme, smoke chrome door handles and new EXEDY® high-performance clutch (manual transmission). The 2018 370Z Coupe goes on sale later this spring.

Available on the base 370Z Coupe, the best-selling trim level, the Heritage Edition package is offered in two exterior colors. The Chicane Yellow Heritage Edition features black outside mirrors, gloss black graphics and yellow interior trim. The Magnetic Black Heritage Edition includes gloss silver graphics and yellow interior trim.
“Over the past five decades there have been a number of special Z® trim packages that have added a sense of customization straight off the showroom floor,” said Michael Bunce, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America, Inc.

“The new 2018 370Z Heritage Edition honours that tradition, blending it with the modern design and performance of the 2018 370Z. We’re pleased to be debuting the new Heritage Edition in New York, one of the top Z markets from the very beginning.”
This 370Z will be available with a standard 332-horsepower 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL) and a choice of 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic with Downshift Rev Matching (DRM).
The car will be joined by the new 2017 Nissan GT-R Track Edition at the stand in New York International Auto Show and will be joined by specially-modified Nissan Rogue and Rogue Sport crossovers.
Driveway is at the show and will report next week on the highlights.
keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

“In the quest for near perfection they carried out 698 tweaks to produce the second generation CX-5.”

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Bentley Motors has unveiled a remarkable ground-breaking new Gigapixel photograph – one of the world’s most detailed landscape images.

At the heart of the photograph sits a Bentley Flying Spur W12 S in the luxury marina of Dubai – the world’s fastest-growing city. Zoom out, and the groundbreaking NASA-derived technology of the Gigapixel image allows you to explore and experience the city panorama in intricate detail, while beyond it the curvature of the earth is visible.

Zoom in and the image will take you in sharp focus, through the landscape, right up to the instantly recognizable hood badge of the Flying Spur.

With the new Gigapixel image, viewers can also explore the Flying Spur W12 S inside and out with a 360-degree film narrated by John Paul Gregory, Bentley’s Head of Exterior Design. Gregory talks to the audience from inside the car; the stunning Bentley Suite in the The St. Regis Dubai; and the new flagship Bentley retailer on the famous Sheikh Zayed Road.

The Flying Spur W12 S features enhanced power and torque outputs from the mighty 6.0-litre, twin-turbo W12 engine. This increase in power means that the Flying Spur W12 S achieves a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph) – the first four-door Bentley to exceed the 200-mph performance barrier.

The same attention to detail that is applied to the 130 man-hours it takes to build each Flying Spur went into creating the extraordinary Gigapixel image.

Bentley suspended a camera 264 metres up the Cayan Tower – one of Dubai’s tallest buildings – to capture what is the world’s most detailed landscape image. The innovative technology used had to withstand 40-degree heat that created a haze and 25 km/h winds that threatened to disrupt stability.

An incredible 57.7 billion pixels were carefully stitched together to create a single image that also balanced light levels painstakingly across each pixel. The intricate process took 48 hours and 1,825 frames to create. Downloading the image took a further 18 hours.

You can explore more at www.bentleymotors.com

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

Western Canada’s best attended consumer show brings together engaged and excited visitors over a six-day period where they can see hundreds of different car brands under one roof, manufacturers and dealers see the Vancouver International Auto Show as a major boost to the industry they cannot afford to ignore.

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During a short drive in the all-new Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, I began to wonder if its creators had discovered the secret to perpetual motion.

When I pulled off the lot, the screen readout indicated the maximum range that day, before a plug-in recharge was needed, would be a maximum of 244 kilometres. A full battery might have pushed the upper limit to 383 kilometres but what the range promised would be more than enough for my jaunt.

If I were heavy footed then I might be lucky to reach 169 kilometres; that would be embarrassing. The number 207 shone brightly through the spokes of the steering wheel. It was the more realistic range based on normal driving style and conditions.

And it offered an irresistible challenge to this competitive son of a gun! – Within a couple of minutes, it fell to 205; mind you the car had motored three clicks. When you lift your foot off the accelerator the car slows smoothly and regenerates electricity to top up the battery. Get the timing right and no more than a touch on the brake is necessary until you close in on the car ahead at the light. One pedal driving – almost!

This was going to be fun. By the time I’d clocked 10 kilometres, the readout had jumped to 209 – more range than when I set out. Cool. Maybe that 244 mark was not so optimistic. Stop and go traffic across town brought me down to earth, so to speak. My 25-kilometre drive came to an end at the recharging station opposite Granville Island Market in Vancouver. Didn’t need to plug it in but f

ree juice is free juice.

No sooner was I out of the car when a guy leapt from the other side of the road, narrowly missing a meet with one of those gas guzzling gas-electric hybrid powered taxi cabs. Just kidding. About it being a gas guzzler that is.

He wanted to know whether I would recommend the crossover-like vehicle. I proudly told him the display should really show a remaining range of 182, not the 190 he saw. Told him that if he couldn’t afford the $42,895 (plus taxes) sticker price (less a $5,000 point of purchase rebate from the Clean Energy Vehicles program) he could enter to win one at the Vancouver International Auto Show (March 28-April 2). Check it out on vancouverinternationalautoshow.com/bolt.

For the record, the gas economy equivalency is 1.8/2.1 L.100km (city/hwy). Green credentials intact, yours truly shopped and returned to drop a bag or two in the surprisingly generous space that lies beneath the rear hatch. Now for a stretch on the freeway, that would surely deplete the battery.

Well, it did and at a faster rate as I sped by some surprised faces at 100 klicks. The Bolt is similar in appearance to many cute utes on the road today but it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The electric power launches the small five door family car at a rate rarely seen off track. In less than seven seconds the needle is closing in on 100 km/h.

The Bolt is loaded with what every family wants in terms of safety equipment and entertainment systems. Available active safety features including Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Alert and Forward Pedestrian Alert.

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

“Vancouver International Auto Show attendees will have the chance to win Grand Prize vehicles, including an all-new 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum Midnight Edition and an all-new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. “

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Jaguar has unleashed its first electric vehicle – the Jaguar I-PACE – onto the streets of London for the first time.

Driving on the streets of London’s famous Olympic Park, the electric performance SUV concept previews the Jaguar brand’s first electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed in late 2017 and will be on sale in the second half of 2018.

“The feedback on the I-PACE Concept has been fantastic,” said Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum. “With the I-PACE Concept we’ve torn up the rule book to create a vehicle with supercar inspired aesthetics, sports car performance and SUV space, in one electric package. It has surprised people and the enthusiasm for our first electric vehicle has been beyond all my expectations.

“Driving the concept on the streets is really important for the design team. It’s very special to put the car outside and in the real-world. You can see the true value of the I-PACE’s dramatic silhouette and powerful proportions when you see it on the road, against other cars.”

The Jaguar design boss says the future of motoring has arrived in the shape of the I-PACE Concept.

Powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery, the I-PACE will be able to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in around 4 seconds, with a targeted range of approximately 355 kms. Charging is easy and quick; an 80 percent charge can be achieved in 90 minutes and 100 percent charge achieved in just over two hours using 50kW DC fast charging.

Compact, lightweight electric motors at the front and rear axles generate a combined output of 400HP and 516-lb ft of all-wheel drive torque, putting power down and maintaining traction on a variety of surfaces and weather conditions.

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

The new Infiniti Q50 premium sports sedan made its global debut and Mercedes revealed an eye-catching sports car at the Geneva International Motor Show.

The Hong Kong-based company says its new Q50 features “innovative technologies that empower and support the driver, taking a holistic approach to performance.”

As the company’s core brand-building model and best-selling vehicle worldwide, Infiniti has already introduced several world-first innovations with the existing Q50.

One of the available driver assistance technologies included in the new Q50 is second-generation Direct Adaptive Steering – a steer-by-wire system that supports the driver by providing smooth operation, more direct steering responses and easy maneuverability. Direct Adaptive Steering is a precursor to future steering systems that will form a key building block to achieving fully-autonomous driving.

The Q50 is powered by the award-winning 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine from the new and exclusive ‘VR’ powertrain family, which was recently named on the prestigious 2017 Ward’s ’10 Best Engines’ list.

It also features a refreshed exterior and interior design – bringing the car in line with the brand’s ‘designed to perform’ ethos.

Over at the Mercedes display, there were gasps when, as part of the 50th anniversary of Mercedes-AMG, the covers were ripped off the stunning GT Concept show car.

This four-door coupe heralds a further extension of the AMG GT family, following the legacy of the SLS AMG and AMG GT, which were completely developed at AMG’s headquarters in Affalterbach. The designation and fundamental design elements on the front and rear end denote the family affiliation to the AMG GT. The “EQ Power+” badging on the mirror camera indicates the increased performance that can be expected from hybridization at AMG.

The AMG GT Concept uses a combination of an ultra-modern V8 gasoline engine and a high-performance electric motor, both intelligently networked with an extremely powerful yet lightweight battery concept. This performance hybrid powertrain offers an impressive electric range and the opportunity to generate a system output of up to 805 horsepower in its last level of development, and covers the sprint from 0-100 km/h in less than three seconds.

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

“You could be forgiven for thinking that Crossover Utility Vehicles, or cute utes as they are affectionately known, are a 21^st century invention but they’re not.”

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