DrVertigo

Ugh, great. In the unlikely event anyone wants to actually discuss this, feel free to drop a PM. Meanwhile I'm backing away slowly.

Er, yup.... Don't take my word for it. The study's adapted from EPA data, the implication is backed by an EPA-funded institute, and a quick Google search will see it reported in many major news outlets. The health impact of diesel particulates is widely known, which is why these emissions are regulated in the first place, and continually more strictly as compliance becomes technologically feasible. We're not talking about a small discrepency from the published figures - if you live in a crowded European city (which tend to be swarming with VW, Skoda, Seat and Audi diesels), you'll effectively have had a fleet of small lorries driving past your house every day for the last seven years. Just as with smoking, many people will ostensibly be unaffected by that, others not so much. Well, they did. NOx reduction controls in the US are estimated to have reduced annual mortality by a couple of thousand over the last decade or so. As mentioned, though, particulates are an epidemiological agent, so hard figures are always impossible to come by - all anyone can do is estimate. Statistically speaking, it would be quite shocking if you had developed a major health condition, given that particulates aren't nearly as damaging as smoking (unless you get right up to the tail pipe I guess). Keep in mind how many millions of people will have been exposed to VAG diesel emissions, and that the mortality estimates are only in double or triple figures.

It's impossible to prove an exact number in terms of the death toll, but yes. NOx causes and aggravates lung and heart diseases, and these cars were pumping out a ridiculous amount of it in heavily populated areas.

Like I said in the other thread, the real problem is diesel particulate emissions, rather than greenhouse gases. As far as I can tell, they're suggesting that these engines emitted several times more NOx than a light duty truck... There will almost certainly have been people who got sick and died as a result of the tampering, and potentially quite a lot of them. Interesting that GM were only fined $35m for consciously allowing 13 people to be killed by their faulty ignition switch, going up to $900m when the death estimate rose to 124 (similar to what I've seen projected for VW's emission excess).

...And Rolls-Royce arguably have the best interiors in the world. BMW also made one of the best supercar engines ever for McLaren's F1. Lamborghini could do very well out of BMW ownership.

We all know they're not going to find anything - the Aventador's only slightly less dirty than the Murcielago was, despite having an engine almost 50 years younger. And more importantly, Lambo doesn't do diesel. This is probably only the start of governments and law firms around the world going after VAG; Italy just happens to have one of their subsidiaries on home soil. It's just the tip right now, wait until Germany goes balls deep.

That's about average size for an adult blacktip. I don't know how tight a canal that one is, but blacktips are used to navigating narrow and uneven passages, they're specialised for coral environments.

Holy shit that's fast! Looks like a blacktip, I guess they need that speed to nab little fish poking their heads out from reef openings.

Yup. They also need much less side room to open than conventional doors, a big part of the reason for them is so people can enter/exit through narrow spaces. Flip side is, they're pretty slow to operate.

Is this really the first car ever to be fitted with a proper HEPA filter? You can find these things in a £40 air purifier. It's not just that Tesla keeps making these amazing innovations... sometimes I wonder why the hell nobody else has been doing these things. That view-spanning windscreen, the sensors on the automatic falconwing doors... obviously these are things people would want, why is it taking the Paypal guy to get this stuff done? Makes me pretty sad when I look at one of my favourite brands, Jaguar, and just see them constantly playing a "me-too" game with the Germans instead.

Yup. Whether you 'believe' in human-activity-contributed climate change or not (in other words, whether you listen to scientific consensus), the big problem here is from diesel particulates (primarily NOx), which have nothing to do with gobal warming. These are local pollutants which hang in the air and damage your lung tissue when you breathe them in. People are affected to varying extents, but on average, you're estimated to be twice as likely to be killed by air pollution (of which diesel particulates are the primary component) than by a car crash. It's true that commercial traffic is far more polluting than cars, but unless you live by a dock or a heavy vehicle route, it's local runabouts that'll be the biggest risk factors in giving you a respiratory disease (primarily lung cancer). A car with 40 times the particulates can potentially be doing 40 times the damage.

Yup. For comparison, Tesla's superchargers work at around 480v. The Porsche is compatible with lower voltages, but you won't get anywhere near that 15min/80% speed.

The fast charging time is only possible with extremely high-voltage chargers that don't really exist at the moment.

Generally agreed, but for some reason, modern hard-tops are lighter than soft-tops. McLaren and Ferrari's folding hard-tops add just 40kg, whereas Lambo's soft-top adds 120kg. It's a weird choice, because the Huracan Spider's backside looks fat enough to hold a hard-top, and it seems to be the preference for most buyers (not me, I hate the extra panel gaps when the roof's up). Presumably either they wanted to do something different to Ferrari (which would be a first, they didn't mind copying the 458's steering wheel indicator/wiper switches or dial cluster MMI screen), or they couldn't afford to develop a new roof system.

We'll probably be seeing the design in March as well as details on the spec. It'll be using a new platform, apparently because the car will be so much smaller than the Model S. Unsure if that'll restrict the battery size. According to Autocar (print copy from the 9th), they're aiming for 300 miles, with the BMW M3 as its performance benchmark. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it delayed a lot. Packaging and profit margins seem much more ambitious than the Model X, and its production seems to go hand-in-hand with the gigafactory, which isn't due for completion for another 4/5 years.

Congrats! Model X SUV deliveries start September 29th, apparently. $5k premium over the equivalent S, falcon doors have sensors so they stop short of the garage roof, Xzibit mode does 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Interior pic:

BBC Top Gear seasons were made for £50m?! I thought they just paid with whatever coins they found down the sofa.

Not sure if it's over-familiarity, if the colours aren't suiting it, or if the Roadster isn't as well-made as the coupe, but I've got to agree that all these new shots have a strong smell of kit-car. And I say that as someone who really liked the Veneno when it was originally presented.

Clarkson's claiming they have carte blanche with Amazon. I think I'll wait til Clarkson states on-air that everyone in Chile is a lazy, inbred, uneducated prostitute-murderer that belongs in prison, before deciding whether that's an accurate statement.

Well, for starters, they're supercar fast, up to a point at least - 0-60 is faster than an LMP1 racer. Second, some of the world's best in-car tech, much of it thanks to that giant and well-thought-out touchscreen. I read recently that around two-thirds of new car buyers rank infotainment as a high priority, so even if it's not important for you, there are a LOT of people who feel differently. Other attractions are the frequent, automatic updates, the Cali tech image, the decent driving package and refinement, and the styling. Personally I think the Model S is vastly better-looking than any 4-door currently in production in Germany, but then I'm a big fan of the clean-cut, strong-shouldered Jag/Aston look; no accounting for all tastes I guess. Like Placid said though, #1 draw is the electric drivetrain, which Tesla still has sorted to a degree that eludes everyone else. The Model S has the range to suit the vast majority of drivers in supercharger-connected countries, and it's got navigation functionality to automatically route you to a charger if it's calculated you'll need one. If you're a reasonably local driver, in theory you'd never have to fuel it up anywhere - just plug it in at home. Also gives it ridiculously low running costs, and there's the environmental factor if that interests you - the energy efficiency is equivalent to a 100+ mpg petrol car.

Model X deliveries are due to start in September, as of yesterday's shareholder presentation. Anyone thinking of jumping on one of these?

Great looking car. Not usually a fan of LP-style front bumper mods, but that one looks perfect - do you know where it was sourced from?

Really? I'm sure I heard that Gary Lineker's SIARPC was filmed and ready to go.

Sex and the City was vastly more popular on its TV run, and had a much bigger impact in pop culture. Quick google search shows its finale had 4 times the ratings that Entourage's did. Haven't seen the movie yet personally. I loved Entourage for a while, but thought it fell off a cliff after its fifth season, when they suddenly handwaved away Vince's problems until that weird Sasha Grey/junkie arc in the penultimate year. Also thought it ended on a really poor note, with the later episodes forgetting that the draw of the show was the Hollywood 'insider' stuff and fake movies, and wrapping up the finale with some bizarre and inexplicable plot contortions. Plus... you know... they kept driving Ferraris. Bleh.

If you've enjoyed the Carrera GT, 918 and increasing sophistication of the 911 and Cayman, you can thank Porsche going after sales volume with the Cayenne. It's what paid for all those good things.