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INEOS Grenadier 4X4

The seven-time British Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is known as a great car enthusiast as well as a collector. To his collection of rare and expensive cars, this time he could add a powerful SUV, the INEOS Grenadier 4X4.

The Grenadier is offered with two 3.0-liter 6-cylinder BMW engines: the B57 diesel with 245 hp (180 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, and the B58 gasoline with 281 hp (207 kW) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. The engine is paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Equipped with three locking differentials like the Mercedes G-Class, it is produced in the former Daimler plant in Hambach, France, where Smart cars used to roll off the assembly line.

At first glance, you’ll think it’s a copy of the Land Rover Defender, but the story behind the car is really interesting. INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe originally wanted to buy the rights to the old Land Rover Defender to continue production, but the company declined. Then he decided to take matters into his own hands and create a new SUV. After a legal battle with the Tata Motors-owned company because the Grenadier looked too much like the Defender, Ratcliffe won the case because the design of the original Defender was never protected.

In a recently published video, Lewis Hamilton showed off his skills in driving this SUV on off-road terrain. “If I were to buy it I would dim the lights, add LED lights to the roof and fit the biggest all-terrain tires available on the market,” said Hamilton, who was quite impressed with the INEOS Grenadier’s performance after the drive.

Source: INEOS Grenadier via YouTube

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Tesla Model 3 spotted floating in the sea

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is constantly in the media these days, and Tesla cars are increasingly being linked to accidents. A few days ago, not far from Santa Barbara beach in the USA, a Tesla Model 3 was found floating in the ocean.

The car was spotted by walkers who called the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department, and it is not yet known how the incident happened. The police contacted the owner of the vehicle, who is facing fines and large repair costs.

According to American journalist John Palminteri, firefighters immediately searched the car along with the surrounding area, but no one was found. The police launched an investigation into what actually happened.

“We made sure the car had not been reported stolen and informed the registered owner that it was their responsibility to remove the car. They were driving the car on the beach and then got stuck and left it. Then the tide came in,” a police spokeswoman said. Santa Barbara Raquel Zick.

Recently, a Ford Bronco was found in a similar situation, but luckily, this time nobody was hurt.

Source: John Palminteri via Twitter

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Fully electric VW R model is coming in 2024

At the end of last month, VW announced that it will stop producing R models with internal combustion engines from the next decade. This means that cars like the VW Golf R will disappear and be replaced by electrically powered R models.

In an interview with Auto Express, the head of the Volkswagen R division, Reinhold Ivenz, said that the R models will not be based on the existing MEB electric platform. “We have discussed several concepts in the MEB world and we are not convinced of what we can do with the battery at the moment. If we want a specific MEB R model, it would have to have its own battery, and that is so expensive that we are not currently planning such a car,” Ivenz said.

Although rumors said that ID.3, ID.4, ID. Aero and ID. Buzz could be covered by this decision, it will not happen. So those who want a more powerful crossover will have to wait. However, the good news is that Volkswagen is already working on a new electric platform. “The next-generation electric car platform will allow much more power. The MEB is not that powerful a platform, but we’re not thinking about horsepower, we’re thinking about acceleration. If we want to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds, we’ll talk about how much is the strength needed to make it happen,” Ivenz said.

Volkswagen will show its first R electric concept in 2024, and the production model is expected at least two years later.

Source: VW

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