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Category: Highlight

  • Stellantis has disbanded the SRT engineering team

    The band has broken up. Former members of the SRT engineering team have been integrated into Stellantis’ main engineering group.

    On Saturday, Mopar Insiders reported that Stellantis disbanded the SRT engineering team. On Wednesday, a source within Stellantis confirmed to Motor Authority “it’s definitely true as far as the engineering side.”

    The move was made official on Feb. 3, when a company-wide announcement on the Stellantis intranet stated that the dedicated SRT engineering group was being integrated into the company’s global engineering organization, the source said. A Stellantis spokesperson confirmed the Feb. 3 announcement to Motor Authority.

    The SRT engineers worked solely on SRT performance vehicles. At one point this group consisted of approximately 100 people, our source said.

    Those team members can now be reassigned to work on a minivan and dial in the handling or make it a bit sportier, our source said. They could be moved to develop a base Dodge Charger and later charged with making an SRT version. However, the company spokesperson said these engineers are working on performance variants but are now reporting to the heads of each individual program.

    There will still be SRT-branded models. Going forward, the company’s highest performing vehicles will have still SRT parts, but they’ll be developed by “mainstream teams that have a performance mindset,” the source said.

    According to our source, “it’s early in the process so time will tell how things shake out.”

    “If and when the Hemi goes away it might all just fade away, but they’ll (Stellantis) still use that SRT model/brand as a marketing point,” the source said.

    SRT team members have already been reassigned and are being moved from product to product. The process began months before the Feb. 3 announcement.

    The future of performance will look different regardless of which team is working on any given product. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis told CNBC in February that the days of supercharged V-8s are numbered. While Hellcats might not survive the shift in times, performance will. Performance vehicles are here to stay thanks to electrification, which can mean both hybrids and full EVs.

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  • Preview: 2022 Infiniti QX55 crossover brings coupe-like styling, CVT for $47,525

    Infiniti on November took the covers off the QX55, a coupe-like crossover SUV due in showrooms in spring as a 2022 model.

    On Tuesday, Infiniti announced the stylish crossover will cost $47,525, including a mandatory $1,025 destination charge. That’s $7,000 more than the standard QX50 crossover SUV upon which it’s based.

    The QX55 targets vehicles like the Audi Q5 Sportback and BMW X4. Only one powertrain is on offer, a 2.0-liter turbo-4 good for 268 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission, and all-wheel drive is standard.

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    The engine features Nissan’s variable-compression technology designed to save fuel. It does so by altering the compression ratio between 8:1 (typical for high performance engines) and 14:1 (used by many manufacturers for high efficiency), depending on the driving style.

    The QX55’s styling up front is an almost exact match to the QX50, though things have been made bolder with a full-chrome grille and more aggressive designs for the side intakes. The real styling action is at the rear where a sloping roof leads down into a wide rump flanked by wraparound taillights. The taillights sport Infiniti’s new “piano key” graphic formed by 45 individual LEDs in each light cluster. The design was first shown on September’s QX60 Monograph concept.

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    The interior design is also a match to the QX50, though naturally the QX55 has less storage due to its sloped roof. With the rear seats folded, you’re looking at 54.1 cubic feet versus 60 in the QX50.

    Buyers will be able to choose from Luxe, Essential and Sensory grades, with even the base Luxe grade coming with plenty of standard equipment. The list includes 20-inch wheels, aluminum dash accents, active noise cancellation, twin touchscreen displays, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and multiple electronic driver-assist features. Just some of these assist features include blind spot warning and forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking. Nissan’s ProPilot system that can control a vehicle in a single lane is an available feature.

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    2022 Infiniti QX55

    Infiniti was a pioneer of the coupe-like crossover when it launched the original FX back in 2003, but surprisingly the automaker never expanded the concept to other segments. The key question is whether a new coupe-like crossover will propel Infiniti out of its recent slump and generate some hype. Infiniti’s lineup is now down to just six models, and the automaker’s future looks to be hinged on a range of models based on Nissan platforms. Time will tell if it’s a winning strategy.

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  • 1963 Aston Martin DB5: 100 Cars That Matter

    Aston Martin’s DB4 was an instant hit in the late 1950s. The sleek two-door was the first car built at the automaker’s plant in Buckinghamshire, England, and was a critical success when it was released. But history doesn’t celebrate Aston Martin for its DB4; that distinction is reserved for its successor.

    The DB5 bowed for 1963 with more elegant looks compared to the DB4, a seemingly impossible task. Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera was responsible for the exotic looks wrapped around British engineering.

    James Bond Aston Martin DB5 for sale

    James Bond Aston Martin DB5 for sale

    As a stand-alone car, the DB5 was nothing more than an incremental update to the DB4. The engine swelled to 4.0 liters (up from 3.7) and made 282 horsepower, it has a new 5-speed manual transmission, and the car was quicker than the DB4 predecessor.

    So how did the DB5 catapult itself past the DB4 to become one of the most beloved cars from the British marque? Bond, James Bond.

    ALSO SEE: Live your James Bond fantasies in small scale with this Lego DB5

    Aston Martin DB5 “Goldfinger” continuation car

    Aston Martin DB5 “Goldfinger” continuation car

    The DB5 made a silver-screen debut in the 1964 film “Goldfinger.” The film’s special effects manager, John Stears, persuaded Aston Martin to make a DB5 available for the film. The company obliged, which cemented the brand as a swanky co-star alongside Ian Fleming’s fictional secret agent.

    Two DB5s were shown at the New York World Fair in 1964 to promote the film and sales exploded thereafter. Since its debut in “Goldfinger,” a DB5 has appeared in six other James Bond films.

    Aston Martin DB5 “Goldfinger” continuation car

    Aston Martin DB5 “Goldfinger” continuation car

    Aston Martin continued to launch new versions of its DB line in following years, but none of them would come close to the classy character found in the DB5. The lightly changed DB6 arrive in 1965 but the DB5 simply looked the part better.

    Aston Martin’s choice to pitch the DB5 as Bond’s sidekick created an image few other brands and nameplates could ever touch. No, the DB5 doesn’t achieve outrageous levels of power or speed like other poster-car heroes that came later in the 20th century, but it’s hard to argue with the charm the DB5 oozes so easily.

    Note to readers: Motor Authority has compiled 100 cars that have forever changed enthusiasts. From supercars and sedans to SUVs and muscle cars, these are the cars that have sparked our love for cars. Think we’ve missed something? Leave a comment below or contact us here.

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