News

Porsche 911 RSR in the virtual race “24 hours of Le Mans”

This weekend, there will be a virtual race “24 Hours of Le Mans” in which Porsche Esports will participate with two 911 RSR models. Porsche will provide live streaming from the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans race (Gronau, Germany) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Porsche is defending the title, and experienced professional motorsport drivers will share the wheel of Porsche with successful sim racing experts. The race will feature 50 vehicles, including 10 Porsche 911 RSRs, and this includes LMP2 prototypes. The endurance race at the virtual “Circuit des 24 Heures” starts this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Watch live!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDbby0ZgmoI

“Parallel to real motorsport, sim racing is becoming increasingly important for Porsche. Via this platform, we can ignite a passion for our brand among a totally new target group. That’s why we founded the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup in 2019, in which the world’s best sim racers pit themselves against each other. The Cup heads into its fourth season at the beginning of February, ”said Marco Ujhasi, Esports Manager at Porsche Motorsport.

In the endurance race, which is the main event, behind the wheel of Porsche 911 RSR will be sim racing drivers Martin Krönke (Germany) and Mack Bakkum (Netherlands), and Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich (Germany) and Mitchell deJong (USA). Heinrich is the driver of a 911 GT3 Cup race car in a real Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, and is currently in a 24-hour race in Dubai.

In the GTE category, the defending champions are: Ayhancan Güven (Turkey), Tommy Östgaard (Norway), Joshua Rogers (Australia) and Sage Karama (USA).

Source: Porsche

News

Mercedes is withdrawing station wagon models

Although demand is high, Volvo recently announced that it will not give up on the production of caravans. Some other companies, such as Mercedes, have decided to withdraw standard station wagon models from the offer by the end of the decade. The reason for this decision is the reduced demand in the markets of China and the USA.

Like other major car manufacturers, Mercedes is investing large amounts of money in electrification. This requires changes in design, especially in the construction of a double floor to accommodate batteries, but also large investments in the construction of new production lines.

Caravans are in high demand in the German market, but it is certain that Mercedes will offer worthy replacements. The only question is whether it will be crossovers or some other solutions. Recent data, released by car companies, shows that sales have not slowed, many companies have recorded historical sales results.

According to Automobilwoche, Mercedes has already made a list, and the first is the CLA Shooting Brake, which will be withdrawn in 2025. When it comes to other models, the E-Class caravans will remain until the end of the current generation, as will the C-Class.

Source: Automobilwoche

News

Toyota Yaris GRMN limited edition

Toyota recently unveiled a limited edition Yaris GRMN. The car is the work of the Gazoo Racing department and will be produced in just 500 examples. It will be offered only to customers in Japan, which was not the case with the most powerful and fastest Yaris GRMN of the previous generation that could be bought in Europe.

The car is lighter with a lot of carbon fiber. It is equipped with adaptive suspension (Bilstein), stronger brakes, specially made 18-inch wheels and front profiled seats in a dark cabin. An optional Circuit package will also be available.

Toyota Yaris GRMN is powered by a 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo engine with 268 hp (200 kW) and 287 lb-ft (390 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to all wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (iMT).

Delivery of the Yaris GRMN will begin earlier this summer. For potential buyers of the Yaris GR offered in Europe, Toyota has confirmed that it will optionally offer some of the components used by the Yaris GRMN at the end of the year.

Source: Toyota

Cars and catalogues