Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) unveiled its new Model S 70D Wednesday, an all-wheel drive electric car with a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds and a 240 mile range at 65 mph.

This marks the removal of the Tesla Motors Model S as the company’s lowest end car, further enticing potential buyers. The car will mark a new chapter for the American car maker, ensuring its solid position as the leader in EV market is kept intact.

The new model comes with independently operational front and rear motors, allowing for superb traction and performance, combined with additional extras like the Autopilot hardware, navigation, blind spot detection and many other features. As with every Model S, the 70D will receive free over-the-air updates that add functionality and improve the driving experience for years to come. The updates received by Tesla Motors, available to current and future owners, may help providing additional range, potential new features and other items.

The new model will start at $75,000. In certain cases the Model S 70D will include additional fuel savings and incentives, which make the actual cost of owning Model S 70D about $55k over five years according to Tesla’s numbers (the average length of new car ownership). This is partly achievable, thanks to the Supercharging option included at no additional cost since the option is available included in the base price of this model shown.

The Tesla Model S 70D is available starting today. It is available in three new colors: Ocean Blue, Obsidian Black, and Warm Silver. The current color finishes are also available for ordering with this vehicle, giving would-be owners a nice selection overall.

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Already in its second generation, the 2015 Jaguar XF simply improves upon perfection in a lot of ways, creating a unique bland of style and excellence in one vehicle. Dubbed by many as a true competitor to the BMW 5 Series (ETR: BMW), it certainly gives the Bavarian car maker and their highly touted and rather successful model a thing to worry about.

The refreshed model will launch in Winter 2015 where it will bring several improvements upon its predecessor. These mostly revolve around the newly introduced all-aluminum chassis, granting better rigidity, improved handling, lowered weight and improved fuel efficiency resulting from that. The car will remain a beautiful thing of British design overall. There aren’t significant changes employed with the exterior and interior design. The car was already perfect to begin with.

However, the car is a bit longer than the previous generation. The wheelbase of the upcoming Jaguar XF is increased by 2 inches (51mm) to 116.5 inches (2,960mm) overall- However, the vehicle’s overall diameters have shrunken by 0.3in (7mm) to 195in (4,954mm) long. This longer wheelbase delivers superior packaging that liberates an additional 0.6in (15mm) of rear legroom, 0.9in (24mm) of rear knee room and up to 1.1in (27mm) of rear headroom.

Engineers at Jaguar have put a great emphasis on handling. This is where the all-new Jaguar XF exceeds expectations of how a sedan should ride, handle and steer. Comfort and refinement have been taken to a higher level and combined with excellent agility and responsiveness. The light yet exceptionally stiff body with its combination of aluminum and advanced high-strength steels delivers a near-50:50 weight distribution. Double-wishbone front and Integral Link rear suspension systems provide the inherently high levels of stiffness needed for agile handling and steering precision with the compliance essential for first-class comfort and refinement. Advanced damper technologies — both passive and continuously-variable — improve ride quality and extend the breadth of dynamic capability of the XF.

“The all-new XF has to deliver both driver reward through agility and immediacy of response when it’s called for, and yet great ride composure and comfort too. The light and rigid aluminum intensive architecture of the all-new XF is a key enabler for us delivering those attributes, as it provides an optimal basis for finely tuning the ride and handling characteristics of the car. The result is that the new XF is as satisfying to drive quickly, as it is comfortable to be driven in.” Mike Cross, Chief Engineer of Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar is quoted as saying in a press release.

As far as the powerplant offered goes, the performance oriented owners now have the choice of the Jaguar free-revving 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine in 340hp and 380hp ratings – equipped with either rear or all-wheel drive (AWD). The higher performance rated model is the Jaguar XF S which comes matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission, this model is capable of covering the 0-60mph sprint in 5.1 seconds on its way to an electronically-limited maximum speed of 155mph.

Additional performance, driving assistance and safety options, all matched with a bevvy of comfort oriented additions are available. The Jaguar XF is a worthy competitor to the BMW 5 Series, performing a role of the luxury daily driver and the high-performance monster equally good the same as its main competitor does. Overall, this is a viable alternative for people that want to pick and choose something different than the usual pickings in the business segment overall.

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After several years of mediocre sales in the high-end segment, Cadillac (NYSE: GM) has revealed the long anticipated Cadillac CT6 model.

This marks its return to the top of the luxury sedan segment,  a comeback that many will gladly welcome. The luxury sedan brings back the much needed attention to the luxury car maker, ensuring their survival in the highly competitive business area of high-end car models.

“The CT6 is nothing less than an entirely new approach to premium luxury – and an approach only Cadillac can offer,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Cadillac in a statement. “It is a bold endeavor with unmatched dynamism that reignites a passion for driving in large luxury vehicles. In short, it is prestige luxury reimagined.”

The Cadillac CT6 takes full advantage of new technologies, ensuring the driver is more involved with their surroundings, providing a better overall driving experience as well. These include such additions as active technologies, dedicated in providing a better feeling, but also a smoother ride for the passengers of this rather luxury model. The added powerplants are spearheaded by an all-new Cadillac Twin Turbo engine that rewards with stirring power on demand. Passengers are ensconced in the brand’s ultimate expression of comfort, luxury and connectivity.

The Cadillac 3.0L Twin Turbo engine offers an estimated 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 400 lb-ft of torque (543 Nm), making it among the most power-dense V-6 engines in the segment, at 133 horsepower (99 kW) per liter. Additionally, the industry’s first application of cylinder deactivation technology on a turbocharged V-6 engine, as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission allows for better fuel efficiency and better utilization of the engine’s power when needed and when the driving conditions don’t mandate all the power delivery.

Furthermore, the active-on-demand all-wheel drive featuring a continuously variable clutch that infinitely varies power delivery to the front wheels – up to 959 lb-ft (1,300 Nm) – to make the most of handling and stability in all conditions.

The CT6 features one of the industry’s most advanced automotive body structures, an aluminum-intensive architecture that incorporates 11 different materials to achieve strength, performance and efficiency thresholds practically unmatched among the world’s elite luxury performance sedans. This makes the Cadillac CT6 lighter, more efficient and it gives the luxury sedan better overall driving performance.

It is one of the world’s lightest and most agile full-size luxury performance sedans, with dimensions and spaciousness on par with BMW’s short-wheelbase 7-Series, but the approximate weight, agility and efficiency of the smaller Cadillac CTS – which is lighter than a BMW 5-Series. The CT6 is lighter than the BMW 5-Series, 6-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

“We reinvented the approach to structural underpinnings in the quest to develop a unique formula for the prestige luxury performance sedan,” said de Nysschen. “Melding that new approach with the dynamics conveyed in our other award-winning rear-driven sedans – including V-Series – results in something that has been lost in the segment: the exhilaration of a true driver’s car.”

Taking on the competition

Cadillac focused on three pillars that would coalesce to deliver the CT6’s dynamic experience – and do so with higher levels of presence, elegance and technological innovation to help elevate Cadillac around the world. “Luxury brands are built from the top down,” said Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus. “Adding a dynamic, top-of-the-range car is central to Cadillac’s elevation and global growth.”

Active rear steering with the Active Chassis System contributes to greater low-speed agility and high-speed stability. In parking lots, the turning circle is only 37 feet (11.4 m), comparable with the CTS, which has a 114.6-inch wheelbase vs. the CT6’s 122.4-inch wheelbase. This will amount to better handling, more stability, but above all it will exert much better comfort levels for the driver and their passengers, ensuring that the car performs its main task – ferrying passengers on long distances – with ample comfort levels overall.

According to Cadillac, the new body structure is lighter than some of its competitors like the BMW 5-Series or Audi A6. That state-of-the-art architecture is the foundation for its benchmark-establishing agility and vault-like solidity and quietness. The rather profound engine found in the top model also provides more than enough power for any driver requiring more performance and better handling overall. In a nutshell, the Cadillac CT6 will certainly stir up things in the luxury sedan market.

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The combination of classy looking projects and gorgeous women always brings the best in cars, no matter what. That’s the idea behind this Vorsteiner photoshoot. The shoot brings together the after-market wheels paired with a beautiful young model who rather profoundly fits as the potential owner of this gorgeous Riviera Blue Audi S3 seen here. The perfect appearance of a young woman joined together by one of the hottest small sedans on the market, this is a great way to finish off the week, wouldn’t you agree on that?

This Audi (ETR: NSU) S3 comes equipped with a set of Vorsteiner FlowForged V-FF 103 wheels. These are sized 19×8.5 in the front and rear. The squared combination works well with the Quattro all-wheel drive employed within this Audi S3, perfectly complementing the high-performance nature of this vehicle. The Mystic Black finish, this is what accentuates these contemporary style wheels just right.

As Vorsteiner describes it: “The comfortable V-FF 103’s featured on the 2015 Audi S3 symbolizes the thrill of a lifetime.” We couldn’t agree more. A lot of class, a beautiful showcase of modern lines with the Audi S3 combined with a stunning young woman, all makes for a perfect photoshoot. Take a look at the media gallery right below for further wallpaper sized images.

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With the 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 (ETR: DAI) and 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedans now available on the market, Mercedes has released pricing for these two models.

The base model starts at MSRP of $63,900 and the more powerful model comes with a price of $71,900 without destination and other fees included. Both of these cars offer plenty of performance, but also great design, powerful engines, amazing interior and a full range of class-leading safety technologies.

Both models will arrive in the United States market as of April 2015. The cars are powered by the all-new M177 V8 bi-turbo engine that comes with an output of 469 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque for the C63, while the C63 S has an output of 503 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. This will provide the luxury high-performance models with enough power to provide exciting driving scenarios and a lot of performance oriented motoring as well. With the 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 you get an acceleration from 0-62mph in just 4.0 seconds, while the more powerful 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 S model will do the same in mere 3.9 seconds.

The 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 is the best selling AMG model currently available. The sheer performance combined with the great design and well-known Mercedes-Benz interior luxury items all make for a great option to buyers that would like to have both a performance and luxury sedan, all in one vehicle. Please take a look at the media gallery below for some additional images of these models.

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Considered by many to be one of the most important automotive events, the New York International Auto Show always brings us a bevy of new models, concepts and general information from world’s most popular car brands.

The 2015 New York International Auto Show kicked off earlier this week, where we had one of our friends, a highly talented automotive photographer Cristian Guamanzara, visiting the NYIAS and taking a couple of interesting shots from the event itself.

Plenty more from the 2015 New York International Auto Show is coming up later today, with detailed information about several new models and concepts being released, all covered on our site in detail.  Take a look at the media gallery below the jump and feast your eyes on some rather exciting vehicles from one of the important annual events from the automotive industry.

2015 New York International Auto Show gallery

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Improved aerodynamics, hybrid drive and many other new details is what’s making the Audi (ETR: NSU) R18 E-Tron such an interesting vehicle. It’s ready for the 2015 Le Mans season, where Audi will certainly have more to say in a tough race against its competitors.

“The possibilities of the revolutionary regulations that have been in effect for LMP sports cars since 2014 are far from having been fully used. The rules harbor so much potential that there is room for future developments,” said Jörg Zander, Audi Sport’s new Head of Engineering, in a press release. “We expect that the technological progress resulting from the fierce competitive pressure exerted by four automobile manufacturers that are now involved will significantly improve lap times this season – while concurrently reducing fuel consumption.”

Even though the new Audi R18 e-tron looks similar to its predecessor, the racing prototype clearly differs both visually, performance wise and most importantly, technically. The fresh look results from a new way of conducting airflow around and through the front end, in the area of the sidepods and at the rear of the LMP1 prototype. Large air inlets in the front wheel arches reduce aerodynamic drag of the body and have led to an all-new design of the headlights. The lighting units feature Matrix LED technology combined with Audi Laserlight – two innovations that improve active safety in road traffic and that Audi customers can now order for their production models as well.

Audi has maintained the central safety aspect coming from the monocoque construction of the car, the hood together with the front wing and wheel arches is a completely redone design overall. A completely new crash test has been performed and it resulted in an element that incorporates the new crash structure ready for the 2015 season. Sidepods with new radiator configurations for cooling the engine and hybrid system further optimize the aerodynamic drag thanks to the modified airflow through the sidepods on the exterior

This year, Audi is again preparing two body versions for the various tracks on the FIA WEC calendar. In combination with an optimized chassis and in close cooperation with tire partner Michelin, Audi has further improved the performance potential of its sports prototype this way.

As a hybrid pioneer, Audi is taking the next step in recovering more energy through the vehicle as well. Audi is the only manufacturer to date that has won the Le Mans 24 Hours with hybrid sports cars. It is worth noting that, from 2012, the German motorsport team backed by the factory from Ingolstadt in every aspect, has not been beaten on the 24 hour race. This means that the hybrid system employed proved itself on one of the most daunting racing events out there.

During braking, energy is recovered which the system subsequently feeds back to the front axle on acceleration. The electrical machine that performs this task now delivers an output of more than 200 kW (272 hp), which is a significant increase compared to last year. Therefore, Audi has increased the capacity of the energy storage system as well. The encapsulated flywheel energy storage system that sits in the cockpit alongside the driver can store up to 700 kilojoules of energy that it subsequently returns to the electrical machine – which is about 17% more than in 2014.

Alongside the performance increase, Audi has made great strides to keep the weight down as the car weighs at a minimum of only 870 kilograms – notably in what is currently the world’s most complex racing category. This helps the hybrid, but overall, it results in a restriction for the internal combustion engine due to the rules applied in this racing series. According to the sporting regulations the fuel-energy amount has to be further reduced if the engineers opt for higher hybrid output. As a result, the R18 e-tron quattro has to make do with 2.5% less diesel fuel per lap than in 2014.

Furthermore, rectifying this but not made because of this issue, Audi has further developed the four-liter V6 TDI engine by performing a lot of detailed work to achieve the optimized consumption levels. Power output levels have been increased. The most efficient power-plant in the field now delivers 410 kW (558 hp). Apply this to the lightweight vehicle, add the overall improved fuel efficiency and this is a perfect solution for a race like this. In 2006, Audi’s TDI engine debuted at Le Mans, followed by eight victories until 2014. While lap times continually improved, fuel consumption decreased by 38 percent during this period.

As a result, the youngest generation of the R18 emphasizes the purpose which motorsport serves at Audi in many fields. Ever since the first Audi quattro was fielded in 1980, the brand has consistently been using circuit racing and rallying for the development of forward-thinking technologies that are subsequently used in production – from quattro four-wheel drive to TFSI gasoline direct injection, to the further development of TDI engines, through to innovations such as Matrix LED light and Audi Laserlight.

At the Geneva Motor Show in March, Audi unveiled two other innovations with a reference to motorsport. For the first time, the brand showcased a hybrid model – the Q7 – that combines the e-tron quattro principle with a TDI engine. And the new R8* is the first model featuring the Audi Space Frame as a multi-material construction. In addition to aluminum, the frame includes a component made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), a material that has long become a staple in racing.

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The newest  iPhone has been one of Apple’s (NASDAQ: APPL) best-selling smartphones yet. We didn’t have to wait long for fully customized Apple iPhone 6 models to come out. This one, coming from Vorsteiner features a pure gold outer skin created by Gold & CO London. The fully functional mobile device now features a highly luxurious exterior added, allowing the owners in the higher income ranges to even further adhere to their personal choices and requests.

Working with several prominent luxury companies, the London based customizer has created some rather stunning showcases of their work (remember the modified BMW F82 M4 we wrote about a few weeks earlier). This, done for a high-performance and high-quality aftermarket aero parts company Vorsteiner, features the same level of expertise and allure as their other work. Gold & Co. London’s 2014 iPhone 6 range is available for order in multiple finishes ranging from 24kt Gold, rose gold, black gold, Platinum and carbon fiber.

The iPhone does look remarkable with the golden exterior, but some may find it over-the-top in certain ways. Regardless of personal opinions, the phone seen here is a clear-cut example of where the world of luxury hand-held devices is going and we’ll be there to report these to you right away. Check out the media gallery showcasing this device right below.

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This year has started great for a few car manufacturers — especially Porsche (ETR: PAH3). The company said it delivered more than 14,800 cars to new customers worldwide in February 2015, and delivered 30,900 cars in the first two months of the year, marking a rather successful start worldwide. It’s clear that the new model lines of the famed Porsche 911 had something to do with it, but Porsche has seen steady growth for the past few years as well.

“Porsche was again successful in February, throughout the world, with figures higher than last year’s”, said Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG. “For 2015, we expect further momentum through the systematic expansion of our product range – at the moment, this refers to the two sportiest derivatives of the model range: the Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS.”

Both vehicles celebrated their world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show last week.

On the German home market, Porsche made more than 2,000 deliveries in February 2015, an increase of nearly 40% compared to the same month last year. In Europe, last year’s figure was surpassed by almost one-half: the sports car maker delivered exactly 4,848 vehicles to customers there. Deliveries in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy have more than doubled in each of these countries.

The share of the new Cayenne S E-hybrid is very high all across Europe: just fewer than 15% of the Cayenne models are equipped with plug-in-hybrid technology. In the United States, the monthly result was slowed slightly on account of strikes in several harbours and the inclement weather. For the first two months of the ongoing year, by contrast, the American market showed a growth of 13%.

With the markets eager to obtain the new Porsche cars, there is seemingly a lot more sales to be done for the German car maker. Overall, we are glad to see that Porsche is putting an emphasis on plug-in-hybrid technology. This is happening both with their ultra performance sports cars, as well as the more laid back, luxury sedans and SUVs like the Panamera and Cayenne respectively. It will be interesting to watch how the other German three go and react to these, specially with their M Department, AMG and RS divisions which compete directly with Porsche in this matter. Generally, Porsche is on a fast track to becoming one of the best car makers out there.

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A new report says that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA)  will cut jobs in China.

The highly touted technology company that produces one of the world’s most popular electric cars is about to lose 180 employees in the Middle Kingdom. Tesla currently has 600 employees in China, where the stated number of jobs to be cut is a rather high 30% of the employee numbers posted in China overall.

According to various sources, Tesla Motors aims to restructure and tighten its position in that particular market with this move. The goal is to provide a boost in sales. But overall, the market will be the deciding factor in China for the American company. Tesla Motors makes nice sales in its respective niche overall. We can say that Tesla is the leader when it comes to electric car sales, but this may come to an end in the future years as well. Globally, they saw some other heavier competitors like BMW (ETR: BMW), Cadillac  (NYSE: GM) and others joining in the fight for electric vehicle supremacy. This is naturally providing the car maker with plenty to worry in the forthcoming months as well.

Earlier this year, Tesla China has already seen turnover in its leadership. First, its President Veronica Wu left in December, while its vice president of communications, June Jin, resigned last month. This would be worry some for some bigger companies, let alone a rather small one (by comparison to other big car makers). Tesla Motors is in a rather difficult day in age with sales numbers growing slow on certain markets, specially China as one of the biggest sources of income for several larger car manufacturers.

China is a difficult country for Tesla (and other car makers) overall. The local car production companies are subsidized by the government, there is no clear charging infrastructure set in place, and overall, the cars Tesla Motors imports to China cost more. This is all due to local import taxes, added and set to protect the domestic car industry.

One of the solutions would be to produce the car on site or in the country itself, providing Tesla Motors with the same leveled playing field as the other Chinese manufacturers. While the future seems bleak for Tesla in China for now, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the car maker over there. The overall effort the Chinese government is inputting in making the country pollution free and depending less on gasoline consumption and import, might well be the beacon of light for the car maker going forward in the future.

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