Daily News: Tuesday 9/12/17

New Bentley Continental GT Debuts While it may seem the Continental GT two-door Bentley hasn’t been with us for very long, having been introduced in 2003, it is actually already on its third generation. The new 2018 Continental GT, revealed at this years Frankfurt Motor Show, is an all-new generational design, ushering the range into its third generation through evolutionary rather than revolutionary design.

To anyone who has seen a Continental GT before, the exterior [pictured in header] is simply a more refined looking, and to my eyes, handsome design. The interior is similarly refined and suitably decadent for a Bentley.

The major area of progress is in the drivetrain, with a plug-in hybrid model confirmed as being planned for the near future. Beyond that future powertrain, the previous turbocharged W12 and V8 options persist.

The new Bentley Continental GT is available to order now with customer deliveries starting in Q2 next year.

2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Detailed In another Frankfurt Motor Show debut, Porsche has released details and images for their new Cayenne Turbo. By now, the formula is established: take the Cayenne SUV, and put the most powerful engine with the best brakes into the package, fiddle with the suspension, and boom! Cayenne Turbo. Here, the formula is essentially followed to the T.

The engine is the twin-turbo four-liter V8 with 550 hp and 567 lb-ft of peak torque (increases of 30 hp and 14 lb-ft versus the previous Cayenne Turbo). This can accelerate the SUV to 60mph in 3.9secs or an optional 3.7 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package. Top speed is a pucker-worthy 177mph.

The suspension is new three-chamber air suspension with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) active shock-absorbers, which allow many modes to be chosen. Five to be exact: the standard on-road program, and four more for mild off-road terrain. These are Mud, Gravel, Sand, or Rocks settings.

The addition with the most potential impact is the addition of a 48-volt vehicle electrical system, which allows things like optional rear-axle steering, electric Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) roll stabilization, and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+). The PDCC is the main benefactor of the 48-Volt system and promises sports-car like handling through fancy roll-bar use.

The new 2019 Cayenne Turbo will be available for ordering in the U.S. market in December, 2017 with arrival at dealers in Fall 2018. MSRP is $124,600 excluding $1,050 for delivery, and processing.

Remember as well, that this isn’t even the Turbo S…

Lamborghini Urus SUV Set to Debut December 4th

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Lamborghini disappointed fans by not debuting their expected Urus SUV, instead teasing fans with the above image. They also announced a release date for what they have dubbed “The first Lamborghini Super Sports Utility Vehicle (SSUV)”, set to be seen on December 4th.

From Lamborghini:

“The Lamborghini Urus redefines possibilities, creating a class of its own: unprecedented SUV performance, luxury and versatility, with the distinctive dynamic design DNA of a Lamborghini super sports car.

Hyundai took to the familiar grounds of Frankfurt, the location of their European and German headquarters, to debut three new cars for the European market; the i30 N high-performance hatchback, i30 Fastback five-door coupe, and the sub-compact SUV KONA. America will more than likely receive none of these cars, however the engines and technologies they demonstrate will surely make their way to our shores.

The highlight for our shores is the i30 N’s engine. As the first offering from the new high-performance N division, the 2.0L turbocharged mill in the N will surely make it to our shores, more than likely in a second-generation Veloster. The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine is available with two power outputs: the Standard Package engine delivers 247bhp, whereas the Performance Package engine’s maximum power is boosted to 271bhp. Both outputs deliver a maximum torque of 260lb-ft (279 Nm with Overboost function) and reach a maximum speed of 150 mph.

Look for more information at future American automotive shows.