Autos

Hyundai Group’s 134,000-ton natural gas tanker, the Prism Courage, has set a new record as the first ultra-large ship to make an autonomous ocean passage of over 10,000 km (6,210 miles). While many modern vessels are equipped with autopilot, a truly autonomous ship must be able to make various critical decisions without a captain at the helm including how to respond to passing ships, currents, and weather while complying with maritime laws. Making its journey from Freeport, Texas to the Boryeong LNG Terminal in South Chungcheong Province, Korea, Prism Courage employed Hyundai’s HiNAS 2.0 artificial intelligence system to guide the ultra-large carrier through the Pacific Ocean towards the latter part of the 33-day journey. The results indicated an increase of 7% in fuel efficien...

BMW has added a new model to its electric vehicle lineup: the iX1 SUV. The car, which marks the first fully-electric iX1 model, will arrive with a dual-motor powertrain that produces a total output of 313 horsepower and 364 lb-ft of torque. The company estimates that the vehicle will be equipped with a range of up to 272 miles (438 kilometers). Additionally, the car is capable of recharging 80% of the range in 29 minutes at public high-speed charging stations, with a charging speed of 127 kW. The front exterior boasts a distinctive, square-shaped double kidney grille with de-selectable blue accents and slim Adaptive LED highlights. The back features three-dimensional L-shaped rear lights with transparent and dark-smoked glass. Meanwhile, the car employs 21-inch M Performance light alloy wh...

Porsche has invested in EV supercar company Rimac, TechCrunch reported. The Croatian-based company, which was founded in 2009, said it raised $536 million USD in funds that will aid in its global expansion as an EV supplier. Rimac was valued at $2.2 billion USD in a Series D investment round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs. Alongside those investments, Porsche reportedly contributed an “eight-figure sum” and now owns 20% of Rimac. Founder and CEO Mate Rimac, meanwhile, is still the largest shareholder of Rimac. According to TechCrunch, the funding will be utilized to hire new employees, build an approximately $200 million USD campus for the company in Zagreb, Croatia and further the development of EV batteries and software. The hypercar division of Rimac merged with French ...

Five years after presenting the initial concept, Mercedes has officially revealed the finished version of its highly-anticipated Mercedes-AMG Project ONE. The One hypercar is Mercedes-AMG‘s new dream car, the pinnacle of the automaker’s road offerings. Transferring the latest and most efficient Formula 1 hybrid tech to a street-legal car for the first time, the One boasts a 1,063-horsepower hybrid powertrain powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engine and four electric motors that take the hypercar from zero to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. The muscular form of the car is said to be based on a simple principle, “for each design detail to offer a specific benefit for the overall performance of the vehicle,” with proportions based on a mid-engine concept featuring large wh...

The Audi R8 holds its cards close to its chest. It’s unlike many modern-day supercars, choosing to give nothing away rather than shouting its credentials. The R8 borrows its V10 engine from the Lamborghini Huracán, but this German machine is an all-rounder, and could arguably be described as subtle despite HYPEBEAST having a “Vegas Yellow” specification on hand.  Open Road has enabled HYPEBEAST’s petrolheads to test a number of supercars. The McLaren 720S Spider was loveable yet untamable, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera was the perfect all-rounder for everyday use, and the Maserati MC20 was pure driving bliss. With this at the back of the mind, it’s hard to not compare supercars with one another, especially when most are priced at around $200,000 USD. Couple that with the R8 now being o...

Earlier this year, footwear designer Sean Wotherspoon revealed an eye-catching custom color-blocking design for the Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo. To match the exterior paintwork which include hand-painted panels in Nash Blue, Loretta Purple, Ashley Green and Sean Peach, the interior also corresponds in detail. The interior utilizes “inverted colors to break up the large area,” while also maintaining the color blocking concept. Staying true to his streetwear design looks, the designer has also incorporated corduroy and cork to the interior, materials specified by Wotherspoon. Corduroy has traditionally been used by sports car manufacturers. As for Porsche, the company has used the material in their designs since as early as 1952 to ensure soft, ribbed material that adorns the...

SSC has announced that it will be launching a lineup of new hypercars within the next few years. In an interview with Motor Authority, CEO Jerod Shelby said that an electrified version of the company’s classic Tuatara will be arriving sometime soon. Development on the vehicle is already underway, the publication reported. The car will be produced outside of the non-electrified Tuatara line and may not even bear the Tuatara name. The electrification of the car will be assisted by electric front hub motors. This means that the car will be all-wheel drive, rather than a rear-wheel drive. “The electrification of the car will make it a more well-rounded vehicle,” Shelby said, per Motor Authority. The electric edition of the Tuatara will reportedly prioritize dynamics such as acceler...

E.C.D. Automotive Design has just unveiled its newest Land Rover build in the form of the “Project Naw.” The one-off build sees a vivid Lamborghini-Green paint job with an all-white interior, but it’s what is under the hood that is most impressive — a Corvette LT1 engine. This engine swap allows for the Defender 110 to put down 450 horsepower with 465 lbs of torque at 4,600 RPM — it has a 0 to 60 mph time of just six seconds. “Project Naw is a brilliant example of what we do at E.C.D., where everything is possible,” said the Co-Founder of E.C.D. Scott Wallace. “Unbound by convention and driven by our clients’ creativity, our talented craftsmen and engineers bring dream cars like Project Naw to life, and they remain unmatched by anything else ...

Rick Ross is no stranger to the finer things in life. The rapper recently held his inaugural car show called the Rick Ross Car Show at his 45,000 square foot Atlanta estate, the Promise Land, earlier last month. Ross opened up his home to car enthusiasts from across the country for guests to attend his first-ever car and bike show. Rozay himself hit the lot to observe some of the most unique cars out there. While he was perusing the grounds, a fan’s 1975 Chevy Impala Convertible caught his eye. He later struck a deal with the fan, handing him $150,000 USD in cash for the car. The Maybach Music Group owner took to Instagram to share the interaction. The owner of the car, who goes by 134coke on Instagram, appears to be ecstatic with the transaction. Rick Ross had allegedly given the fa...

According to a report from the German publication Automobilwoche, Mercedes-Benz will completely phase out its manual transmission offerings for its production vehicles by the end of 2023. “With increasing electrification, we see that customer demand is shifting towards electric mobility components, batteries and electric drive systems,” reasoned a spokesman at Mercedes. Just last year, the automaker announced plans to go all-electric by 2030 with all newly launched architectures to be electric-only from 2025 onwards. Currently, only Mercedes’ A-Class, C-Class, and CLA passenger vehicles offer H-patterned manual transmissions after its Sprinter commercial van was discontinued last year. It’s interesting to note that no Mercedes-AMG performance vehicle has ever come w...

The two German companies RIMOWA and Porsche recently joined forces to create a limited-edition Hand-Carry Case Pepita featuring details inspired by the first-generation Porsche 911. To celebrate the collaboration, artist Benedict Radcliffe has crafted a striking sculpture out of hollow steel tubes resembling the iconic shape of the Porsche 934. Benedict Radcliffe is well-known for his automotive sculptures as seen through his BLUEPRINT and LAMBORGHINI TWIN TURBO COUNTACH projects which are often crafted with thin and colorful steel wiring. His latest project adopts a stainless steel body, alluding to RIMOWA’s signature raw metallic finish. The life-sized replica is fitted with real Porsche wheels and features the RIMOWA logos outlined on the laterals with the special RIMOWA x Porsche...