Hello, and welcome to your new format of Cold Start. You may have noticed that there was no report on Thursday, and that's because we're no longer going to give you a roundup of the biggest news from the past 24 hours every single day. Instead, we'll check in weekly with a selection of the entire week's most important developments. This week, we learned that the Ferrari Purosangue will be revealed on September 13, and Porsche has formally announced its intentions for an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
But we'll be taking a closer look at other matters. We have the latest Dodge "Final Call" special edition to unpack, as well as the reveal of two new EVs. We'll also dive into the unraveling of the Porsche/Red Bull F1 deal, seventh-gen Ford Mustang news, and a new innovation from BMW.
Dodge Swinger Gives You A Choice
Dodge wants you to get loose and have fun. That much is obvious in the revival of the Swinger nameplate as part of the brand's muscle car celebrations. The name was originally applied to the Dodge Dart, and now it gets new life in special-edition Chargers and Challengers that make up the third and fourth of Dodge's seven celebratory models. 1,000 Challengers and 1,000 Chargers will each get the unique treatment. Each model is based on Widebody versions of the Scat Pack, meaning beefy bodywork propelled by 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, there are special badges, decals, and accents scattered throughout the green-on-green muscle cars.
Click here to see the Swinger special editions in detail
Ford's Latest Mustang GT Teaser Hints At Extra Performance
The Ford Mustang is, according to the rumor mill, not getting a hybrid powertrain or AWD for the seventh generation. However, a new teaser shared by Ford on Monday suggests that it will be getting a big boost in performance. A short clip shared to social media showed the trunk of the new S650 Mustang GT closing. This gives us a close-up look at the area between the taillights, which is now color coded. But we also see the bold new GT badge, and thereupon is inscribed the word "Performance." Could this suggest that the Performance Package - with its Brembo brakes, Torsen diff, and other handling upgrades - will morph into a standalone trim? We'll find out next week, on September 14.
Click here to see the teaser video
Porsche And Red Bull Give Up On Each Other
Porsche has filed a trademark for the stylized word "F1nally" and leaked legal documentation showed that it had supposedly acquired a 50% stake in Red Bull's Formula 1 team, both of which suggested that the German automaker was moments away from announcing a collaborative entry into the sport. But over the past few weeks, comments from senior Red Bull F1 staff have indicated that the two are not suited to working together. On Friday, the news was confirmed in a press release from Porsche. While we're disappointed, the sports car manufacturer is keeping a close eye on developments and may well return to the sport someday soon.
Click here to read the full article
BMW Makes Customizing Your Car's Roof Easier
In patent documents filed with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, CarBuzz discovered that BMW is working on a new modular roof design. This design proposes that, regardless of whether your car has a carbon fiber roof, a sunroof, or a plain metal roof, the same basic construction method can be applied. Instead of unique molds being cast for each type of roof's supporting structure, the basic design of each type would be identical, making it possible to assemble cars with different features on the same assembly line, thereby reducing costs. There's a lot more to it than we can cover here, so click the link below to get the full scoop.
Click here to see BMW's latest innovation
Jeep Reveals Two New EVs
As part of the brand's 4xe Day, Jeep revealed two exciting new electric models. One is codenamed the Wagoneer S and is an electric SUV with 600 horsepower and a targeted range of 400 miles. This is not simply an electric variant of the existing Wagoneer SUV and will offer a unique alternative to the gas-powered full-size SUV.
The other is called the Jeep Recon, and this is a fully electric alternative to the Wrangler. This will arrive in the US in 2024 with extraordinary off-roading capabilities and is not intended to be a replacement for the Wrangler - at least, not for the time being.
Click here to learn more about the Wagoneer S
Click here to learn more about the Jeep Recon