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Mercedes AMG GT S hits the track in new HD video

The new Mercedes AMG GT S on track at Circuit of Americas The Mercedes AMG GT is the long-awaited replacement in the Mercedes range for the SLS AMG, but even though the new AMG GT (and GT S) offers performance almost the equivalent of the SLS, it’s price tag is a lot lower. In fact, at prices expected to start at around £100,000 – and an extra £10-15k for the GT S version – the new AMG GT is at least a third cheaper than the SLS, and aimed at cars like the Porsche 911 and Jaguar F-Type rather than the stratospheric supercars the SLS had in its sights. That also means Mercedes AMG are going to have to sell a chunk more GTs than they ever did SLS models, so you can expect more promos and more profile for the AMG GT than you’d ever have seen for the modest-run SLS – like the latest Mercedes has just released (below).

BMW & Toyota agree joint development of new sports car

BMW and Toyota have signed a binding agreement to co-develop a new sports car and continue with co-developed and shared technology. The way forward for car makers seems to be either to be as big as possible for the benefits of economy of scale, or to work together on joint products to cut development costs. Which is why BMW and Toyota are getting cosy.

Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.