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  • Audi RS Q E-Tron super SUV gets ready to rock at 2022 Dakar Rally

    It was less than a year ago that Audi announced its intention to enter the 2022 Dakar Rally with a bespoke SUV powered by electric motors, and on Friday we got our first look at the brand with the four rings’ contender.

    Called the RS Q E-Tron, the wild off-roader has been designed as a rally raid-style vehicle, much like Prodrive’s BRX Hunter which competed for the first time earlier this year in the 2021 Dakar Rally.

    The Audi is a much more sophisticated beast as it is powered by an extended-range electric powertrain that relies on a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 mated to a generator to keep the battery on the boil. The battery is a 50-kilowatt-hour unit that alone weighs 815 pounds.

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    The wheels are driven exclusively by a pair of electric motors, with a single motor at each axle to form an all-wheel-drive system and software controlling the torque distribution. The electric motors, which feature a single-speed transmission, can also act as generators under braking and help to top up the battery. Peak output is 670 hp, though this may be limited depending on the rules for the 2022 Dakar Rally.

    The electric motors are the same Audi uses in Formula E, a sport the automaker will quit after the current season. Audi said the motors needed only minor modifications for use in its Dakar contender. As for the range extender, it was lifted out of Audi’s former RS 5 DTM race car. It will operate between 4,500 and 6,000 rpm, which is the engine’s optimal band for efficiency, Audi said.

    Competing in the Dakar will allow Audi to stress test multiple components similar to what will feature in the automaker’s future electric road cars. Unlike Formula E, whose races last just 45 minutes, the Dakar Rally has multiple stages spanning two weeks, with some stages running close to 500 miles in length and lasting multiple hours. The 2022 rally will run through the deserts of Saudi Arabia next January.

    2022 Audi RS Q E-Tron Dakar Rally contender

    2022 Audi RS Q E-Tron Dakar Rally contender

    “What we are trying to do has never been done before,” Andreas Roos, head of Audi’s Dakar project, said in a statement. “This is the ultimate challenge for an electric drivetrain.”

    Audi has made a multi-year commitment to compete in the Dakar Rally. And while it has never competed in the event before, fellow Volkswagen Group brands Porsche and Volkswagen have experience to call on—especially VW which scored a hat track of wins between 2009 and 2011.

    Concurrent with the Dakar program, Audi plans to compete in the new LMDh class serving as the top class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and World Endurance Championship. LMDh’s first season will be in 2023.

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  • First Lewis Hamilton Formula One car up for grabs sells for millions at auction

    A race-winning McLaren Formula One car driven by Lewis Hamilton was sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction over the weekend, and the final bid came in at 4.73 million British pounds (approximately $6.45 million).

    It isn’t the highest price paid for a F1 car from the modern era. That honor goes to Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 car from the 2021 season that sold in 2017 for $7.5 million. Of course, when it comes to the highest price paid for an F1 car, Juan Manual Fangio’s Mercedes-Benz from the 1954 season takes the prize, selling for almost $30 million back in 2013.

    Hamilton’s car is the McLaren MP4-25 from the 2010 season. It was driven that season by both Hamilton and his teammate at the time, Jenson Button, with its best finish being Hamilton’s win at the Turkish Grand Prix. It’s the first of Hamilton’s former F1 cars to hit an auction block.

    The car was put into storage at McLaren after the 2010 season and only brought out again in 2019 when it underwent a restoration in 2019. The work was performed by McLaren’s heritage department and included a complete teardown of the car, after which all safety-critical items were inspected, tested, and replaced as needed. The engine was also sent over to its original supplier, Mercedes, to have it brought back to factory standard.

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    The car is fully certified by McLaren, and it can still be used for track driving, the listing claims, though even a decade-old F1 car is likely far too much for most drivers to handle. We should also add that you need multiple engineers just to start a modern F1 car, let alone see it run smoothly on a track.

    Powered by a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter V-8, the MP4-25 was notable for introducing the infamous “F-duct.” Named for the positioning of an outlet near the letter “f” in sponsor Vodafone’s name, the duct was activated by the driver covering up a small hole with his leg. This redirected airflow, reducing aerodynamic drag and adding up to 6 mph on straights, according to the listing.

    The F-duct was briefly a must-have feature in F1, allowing teams to keep downforce-generating aerodynamic appendages for corners while eliminating some of the drag penalty on straights. Most teams introduced their own versions, but the system was eventually banned.

    The MP4-25 also represents the end of an era for McLaren. The team began a decline after the 2010 season, in part because it had to play second fiddle to the Mercedes factory team. Hamilton joined Mercedes for the 2013 season, and has now won six of his seven championships with them. Meanwhile, McLaren is once again achieving solid results, and has gone back to Mercedes power after lackluster years with Honda and Renault power units.

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  • Preview: 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup priced from $25,175

    If you can’t beat ’em, build pickup trucks to join ’em. That’s what Hyundai has done with its new 2022 Santa Cruz which was revealed in April and now on sale with a starting price of $25,175, including destination.

    Hyundai first previewed the compact pickup in 2015, when it rolled out a concept of the same name, and for a while it wasn’t certain the concept would make the transition to production. Given the strong interest in pickup trucks, both as a workhorse and lifestyle vehicle, Hyundai has likely made the right decision.

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    The Santa Cruz is 195.7 inches long, making it between 15 and 20 inches shorter than popular mid-size pickups. This results in a much smaller bed; it measures about 50 inches long, which means you aren’t going to fit much construction gear here. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Hyundai said at the reveal of the Santa Cruz concept that the vehicle isn’t an alternative to traditional pickup trucks, as it doesn’t prioritize towing, payload, or ground clearance. Rather, Hyundai said it wants to appeal to crossover buyers who want the extra utility of a bed without having to opt for a bigger, body-on-frame truck.

    The advantage is that the Santa Cruz will be easy to maneuver around town. It should also drive more like a car due to its unibody construction. Honda does the same for the larger Ridgeline pickup which is related to the Pilot crossover, and Ford also has also just revealed its own compact, car-based pickup in the form of the 2022 Maverick. The Maverick is the Santa Cruz’s closest rival, and is priced to start from just $21,490, including destination.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    The Santa Cruz is offered with two powertrain options. The base option is a 2.5-liter inline-4 that delivers over 190 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque, and is hooked to an 8-speed automatic. Above this is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 that delivers over 275 hp and 310 lb-ft, and is hooked to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

    The turbocharged engine is an extra $11,690, but you get a lot of extras thrown in including all-wheel drive which is a $1,500 option on the base model. The all-wheel-drive system features a rear bias whenever the Sport mode is activated. Hyundai quotes 3,500 pounds of towing for the naturally aspirated engine and 5,000 for the turbo.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    The exterior of the Santa Cruz looks rugged, which pickup buyers tend to appreciate. One interesting element is the design of the headlights. Each headlight cluster is made up of multiple smaller units integrated with the grille. For the interior, the designers have focused on practicality. There are plenty of storage cubbies, including under the rear seats, and buyers are able to opt for premium touches like a Bose sound system and 10-inch digital instrument cluster. A 10-inch infotainment screen in the center stack is standard.

    Production of the Santa Cruz is being handled at Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama. The plant is where the Elantra, Sonata, Santa Fe and redesigned 2022 Tucson are bolted together, with the Tucson the closest to the Santa Cruz. Hyundai spent $410 million in preparing the plant for production of the compact pickup. Around 200 direct jobs will be created plus an estimated 1,000 at suppliers and related logistics companies.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    Hyundai has seen its sales in the U.S. slide since a high of 768,057 units in 2016 due to a sedan-heavy lineup and the lack of a pickup. The tally in 2020 was 622,269 units. The automaker is turning the ship around with new additions like the Kona, Palisade and Venue crossovers, and now the Santa Cruz pickup.

    For more on the Santa Cruz, head to The Car Connection.

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