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What is the fastest car in the world in 2024?

It wasn't that long ago that the notion of reaching 200 miles per hour in a car, on a road, seemed basically impossible. As you likely know by now, that time has passed. And once that threshold was crossed, the automotive world immediately began eying the next triple-digit benchmark: 300 miles per hour. It may have taken a little while, but the 300-mph line has been crossed, and some cars have moved well past that seemingly insane speed number. While some of these speeds have been achieved in simulations (including the fastest car listed below), there's little doubt that a driver with nerves of steel and a heavy right foot could indeed push several automobiles up to 300 miles per hour and beyond. Interestingly, it’s not just one car or automaker in the 300-mph club, as a handful of models have earned a place (sometimes claimed but not yet demonstrated) on the leaderboard. The fastest car in the world is: Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut (330 MPH) That title goes to the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, which recorded a staggering 330 mph top speed earlier in 2023. The carÂ’s twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 lays down 1,600 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque, which plays a significant role in delivering that speed, but KoenigseggÂ’s engineers have given the car a lot more than mind-blowing power. The Jesko Absolut has a super-slippery 0.278 drag coefficient and a nine-speed transmission that shifts so quickly itÂ’s almost imperceptible. Koenigsegg calls it a Light Speed Transmission (LST), saying its shifts happen at almost light speed. While that might be a slight exaggeration, the gearbox is impressive, bringing several wet multi-disc clutches and a super lightweight construction. As Koenigsegg says, "the Jesko Absolut is destined to achieve higher, more extraordinary speeds than any Koenigsegg or any other fully homologated car before it." How expensive is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut? If you were reading that and wondering how much the fastest car in the world costs, the price tag is just another dizzying number on the Jesko Absolut's spec sheet. All 125 Absolut cars offered sold out at a price of almost $3 million. Of course, being able to afford the Koenigsegg is just the first step in realizing its full potential. There are very few places on the map that can support a 300-plus-mph speed run, and the locations that do are not conveniently located.

Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Koenigsegg Lego sets coming this summer

Lego has announced a slew of new automotive-themed sets. As is typical fashion for brand of building toys, the subject matter leans toward ultra-exotic, ultra-expensive vehicles, ranging from a $139,000 Mercedes SL63 on the low end to a $3 million Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut on the high end. If you can't afford those cars in real life, soon you'll be able to build your own plastic models of them. Some of the real-world counterparts aren't obtainable no matter what the cost. Take the Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo, for example. The one-off concept was designed by Lamborghini exclusively for Gran Turismo, the PlayStation racing simulator. However, Lamborghini did build a 1:1 version for the physical world, with the 808-horsepoewer hybrid V12 from the Sian FKP 37 beneath its bodywork. The Lego version is part of the company's Speed Champions line, which measure about 6 inches long. It does an excellent job of capturing the original's insectoid look and Y-shaped taillights. The set is made up of 230 pieces and will retail for $26.99. This is Lego's first Vision Gran Turismo car but we hope to see more.  Also joining the Speed Champions line are two 2-car sets. An Aston Martin-themed set pairs a Vantage safety car with an AMR23 Formula 1 racer. Both are finished in AMR's bright green with actual sponsor logos. The set contains 564 pieces and will cost $44.99. Also arriving as a 2-car set are a pair of Mercedes-AMGs. A black G 63 and yellow SL 63 Roadster, along with a pair of sunglasses-clad bros, make up the 808-piece set. It also retails for $44.99. All three Speed Champions sets arrive on June 1, 2024. If you're looking for something a bit more advanced and detailed, Lego also offers the Technic line. First up is a Porsche GT4 e-Performance, a 1,000-horsepower race car based on the 718 Cayman. This set can also function as a remote controlled car that moves forward, backward, and steers via a downloadable smartphone app. The 834-piece set costs $169.99. Last but not least, there's the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, a model of the Swedish supercar that is said to have a top speed of over 300 mph. The model does an admirable job of capturing the car's 0.278 Cd drag coefficient, considering it's comprised of 801 individual plastic bricks. This set will retail for $49.99 and, along with the Porsche, comes out August 1, 2024. Related Video LEGO Speed Champion Build: 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback

Fastest cars in the world by top speed, 0-60 and quarter mile

A claim for the title of “Fastest Car in the World” might seem easy to settle. ItÂ’s actually anything but: Are we talking production cars, race cars or customized monsters? And what does “fastest” even mean? For years, car publications have tended to define “fastest” in terms of an unbeatable top speed. ThatÂ’s distinct from the “quickest” car in a Usain Bolt-style dash from the starting blocks, as with the familiar 0-60 mph metric. Professionals often focus on track lap times or elapsed time-to-distance, as with a drag racer thatÂ’s first to trip the beam of light at the end of a quarter-mile; or the 1,000-foot trip of nitromethane-powered NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car dragsters. Something tells us, however, that you're not seeking out an answer of "Brittany Force rewriting the NHRA record books with a 3.659-second pass at a boggling 338.17 mph." For most barroom speed arguments, the focus is firmly on cars you can buy in showrooms, even if many are beyond the financial means of all but the wealthiest buyers and collectors. Here are some of the enduring sources of speed claims, counter-claims, tall tales and taunting dismissals that are the lifeblood of car enthusiasts – now with EVs adding an unexpected twist to these passionate pursuits.   Fastest from the blocks: 0-60 mph Thirty years ago, any car that could clock 60 mph in five seconds or less was considered extremely quick. Today, high-performance, gasoline-powered sedans and SUVs are routinely breaking below 4 seconds. As of today, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 crushes all with a 0-60 mph time of just 1.66 seconds. That's simply absurd, but keep in mind the Demon was engineered with the single-minded purpose of going fast in a straight line. It's also important to realize that direct comparisons are difficult, because not all of these times were accomplished with similar conditions (prepped surfaces, adjustments for elevation and so on). The moral here is to take these times with a tiny grain of salt. After the Dodge, the Rimac Nevera comes in with an officially recorded 0-60 mph time of just 1.74 seconds. EVs crowd the quickest list, with the Pininfarina Battista coming in a few hundredths slower (1.79 seconds) than the Nevera and the Lucid Air sapphire (1.89 seconds) right after that. Eventually, you arrive to the Tesla Model S Plaid, which has a claimed 1.99-second 0-60 mph time, though instrumented testing by Car and Driver shows it accomplishes the deed in 2.1 seconds.

Toyota says president, chairman of scandal-hit Daihatsu unit to step down

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday both the president and chairman of Daihatsu Motor will step down almost a year after the small-car unit said it had rigged collision safety-tests. The departures are among the most drastic changes Daihatsu has made so far, as Toyota seeks to return the brand to its roots as one of Japan's most iconic compact car makers. Toyota faces a potential hit to its reputation from the safety certification lapses at Daihatsu, as well as separate governance issues at truck maker Hino Motors and affiliate Toyota Industries. The scandals at the three companies triggered a rare apology of Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda last month. In a statement, the world's top-selling automaker said its chief executive officer for the Latin America and Caribbean region, Masahiro Inoue, will replace Soichiro Okudaira as Daihatsu's president effective March 1. Daihatsu's chairman, Sunao Matsubayashi, will also step down and will not be replaced, Toyota added. The outgoing Okudaira had worked at Toyota for nearly four decades before becoming president of Daihatsu in 2017, a year after it became a wholly owned Toyota subsidiary. Toyota Chief Executive Koji Sato told reporters, however, that the organizational change at Daihatsu was not carried out as a punishment for the outgoing executives. In volume terms, Daihatsu accounted for 7% of Toyota's total group sales of 11.2 million vehicles in 2023, including those of the luxury Lexus brand and Hino Motors. Given the misconduct over the safety test certification applications, Daihatsu also will be removed from a commercial vehicle partnership known as the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies (CJPT), the automaker said in a separate statement. The partnership was established in April 2021 by Toyota, Hino and Isuzu Motors to facilitate technology development for commercial vehicles. Suzuki Motor and Daihatsu joined in July the same year. Daihatsu's 10% equity stake in the partnership will be transferred to Toyota, the statement said. (Reporting by Daniel Leussink and Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Kim Coghill & Shri Navaratnam and Miral Fahmy) Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing Toyota Daihatsu

Toyota outsells VW for global sales crown, apologizes with a vow to 'be honest'

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda bows in apology during a press conference Tuesday over the group companies' quality scandals. (Getty Images)   Every quarter, the stock market hangs on how much sales growth Tesla and other startups have experienced. There's growth, but then there's sheer output, and when it comes to deliveries dominance, one company can't be touched. Toyota on Tuesday announced that it remained the world's top-selling automaker for the fourth year running, with record sales of 11.2 million vehicles in 2023. Toyota's global group sales jumped 7.2% last year; the numbers include sales at Daihatsu and truck unit Hino Motors. Toyota's parent-only vehicles, which include the Toyota and Lexus brands, hit a record of 10.3 million vehicles in 2023. Gasoline-electric hybrids made up about a third of those. Battery electric vehicles accounted for less than 1%. Toyota's annual output handily beat runner-up Volkswagen Group, which this month reported a 12% rise in deliveries last year to 9.2 million cars. That growth was driven largely by demand for Audi, which sold 1.9 million vehicles. The auto industry in 2023 enjoyed a post-pandemic recovery as supply chain bottlenecks eased, though shipping problems through the Red Sea so far this year have stalled that progress by some automakers, causing some car plants in Europe to suspend production. Toyota's global group sales have now topped 10 million vehicles for nine of the past 10 years, except for 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a blow to the auto sector. Scandals and an apology Toyota's chairman apologized on Tuesday for scandals at the three group companies. Daihatsu, Hino and affiliate Toyota Industries have been beset by governance issues involving certification test procedures for cars and engines that could potentially hurt the brand's global reputation for quality and safety. "I would like to express my deepest apologies to our customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the successive irregularities at Hino Motors, Daihatsu and Toyota Industries," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters. He was speaking at an event to announce a vision for the Toyota group, which was founded by his great-grandfather and now includes 17 companies.

Toyota's Daihatsu unit halts all vehicle shipments over widespread safety cheating

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its subsidiary Daihatsu will suspend shipments of all its vehicles in and outside Japan in a damaging safety scandal after an investigation found improper testing involving 64 models. The safety test irregularities earlier this year prompted an independent panel investigation, which found widespread and systematic problems. Toyota, citing results of the panel, said its probe found 174 new cases of irregularities in safety test and other procedures in 25 test categories, in addition to the problems reported earlier. “We are sorry to have betrayed the trust of our customers,” Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira told a news conference Wednesday. He acknowledged the cheating on safety testing and procedures is tantamount to neglect of safety certificates. “We take it very seriously as the problem that has shaken the foundation of an automaker,” he said. A lawyer and a member of the probe team, Makoto Kaiami, who also attended the news conference, said workers under pressure to meet management demands for tight development deadline resorted to cheating, and that the management should take the blame. The issue first emerged in April when Daihatsu reported improper testing on the door lining. Problems in the side collision testing also surfaced in May, officials said. The problems were found in 64 models and three engines of vehicles, including 22 models and an engine sold by Toyota, the company said in a statement. The investigation also found that the problems involved some models for Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. sold at home, as well Toyota and Daihatsu models sold abroad. Daihatsu is Toyota's unit specializing in small cars and trucks that are popular in Japan. Toyota expressed “sincere apologies.” "We believe in order to prevent recurrence, in addition to a review of certification operations, a fundamental reform is needed to revitalize Daihatsu as a company,” Toyota said. Toyota said it will take a significant effort, including a review of management and business operations as well as the organization and its structure, as well as mindset of employees and that the company will provide full support to revitalize Daihatsu. Daihatsu Safety crash test

A presumably stolen Lancia Ypsilon prototype is pulled from a canal in France

Lancia is a long way from its heyday. The Italian automaker’s time in motorsport is far behind it, and its business efforts have been reduced to a single model sold only in Italy. ThatÂ’s changing, at least according to company officials, as the automaker is gearing up to release a few new vehicles in the coming years, starting with an updated electric Ypsilon. Though itÂ’s not due to be revealed for a few more months, a Ypsilon prototype recently made news after it was presumably stolen and crashed into a river in France. ? FUITE ! Voici la future Lancia Ypsilon dans des conditions tres particulieres. ?? Ce prototype sans camouflage a ete repeche a Montbeliard, non loin de lÂ’usine Stellantis, et selon lÂ’Est Republicain, il sÂ’agirait dÂ’un vol. Cependant, rien nÂ’a ete confirme.#Lancia #Ypsilon pic.twitter.com/mxNmIWJ9hL — Le Rendez-Vous AutoÂ’ (@lerdvauto) December 12, 2023 Officials havenÂ’t handed out many details but said that firefighters arrived on the scene to find the white hatchback submerged in a canal near Rue du Port, near the local Stellantis factory. No victims or other wreckage was found, and the team lifted the car out of the canal by crane. While a presumably stolen prototype is interesting on its own, the secondary story here is that this is likely the best look anyone outside of Lancia has had at the new car. Every image seen to date has been of a heavily camouflaged car with hard-to-discern lines and details. We can see the rear door handles in the C-pillar and unique design elements that set it apart from the Opel Corsa upon which it is based. Though Lancia likely wishes firefighters had been more discreet in pulling the car out of the water, the automaker has an exciting few years ahead of it. After the new Ypsilon, Lancia said it would deliver a compact SUV in 2026, followed by another hatchback in 2028. It has also expressed plans to expand outside of its home market, Italy, to other European countries. The automaker may also expand to other continents, but itÂ’s unlikely Americans will see a Lancia on our streets anytime soon.

Junkyard Gem: 2005 Suzuki Verona

The ways of the far-flung GM Empire could be mysterious, a couple of decades back, especially when Daewoo and/or Suzuki were involved. After The General's (relative) success selling the Daewoo LeMans with Pontiac badges here, Daewoo decided to bring three models to the United States with its own badging: the Lanos, Nubira and Leganza. Unfortunately for that effort, Daewoo's CEO fled South Korea to evade embezzlement and fraud charges just as the first models hit American showrooms in 1999, and the company went bankrupt soon after. The last year for the trio of Daewoo-badged models here was 2002… but we weren't done with those cars yet! Today's Junkyard Gem is an example of the next-generation Leganza, found in a Denver-area self-service wrecking yard recently. GM began selling Suzuki cars in North America with the Chevrolet Sprint (aka Suzuki Cultus) in 1985. The following year, Suzuki began importing the Jimny with Suzuki Samurai badging. Many Suzukis followed over the next quarter-century, with Chevrolet, Geo and Suzuki branding applied along the way. Since GM bought all of Daewoo's car-building operations during the chaos of the early 2000s, it made sense to keep selling the descendants of the three Daewoo models that had been offered here. They'd have made sense as Geos, but the Geo brand got the axe after 1997. Saturn? For Opels, sure, but not Daewoos. Isuzu had gone all-truck here after the final Styluses and Storms left the showrooms as 1993 models (though the Honda Odyssey was sold here with Isuzu emblems), so that was out. So, Chevrolet and Suzuki got the honors. The next-generation Daewoo Lanos subcompact became the Chevrolet Aveo, the next-generation Daewoo Nubira compact became the Suzuki Reno, and the next-generation Daewoo Leganza midsize sedan became the Suzuki Verona. The Verona was available for just the 2004 through 2006 model years. Note that the dealership decal features the Pets.com Sock Puppet. That's because the now-defunct 1-800-Bar-None company bought the rights to the Sock Puppet in 2002 (two years after Pets.com went kerblooey as the highest-profile casualty of the Dot-Com Crash) and used it in their advertising. All Leganzas had four-cylinder engines driving the front wheels, but the Verona got this very unusual longitudinally-mounted straight-six rig. It thus joins the Volvo S80 in the elite club for this powertrain setup.

Koenigsegg details the madness of his Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission

We always tune in when Christian von Koenigsegg steps in front of the camera for another tour of his car company's new technology and facilities. He's obviously enthusiastic about what's being designed and built in Angelholm, Sweden, but not overly so (not in his videos, at least), he's talks about technology in simple terms, and, best of all, the stuff coming out of those factory machines is not only innovative, it's beautiful. The fearless leader checks all the boxes again with this quick look at the new transmission and twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 block going in the two-seater Jesko and available for the four-seater Gemera. A quick refresher on the LSTT, or Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission. During Gemera development, engineers wondered if the Gemera could fit the TTV8 and Light Speed Transmission (LST) from the Jesko into an engine bay designed for the Tiny Friendly Giant (TFG) three-cylinder engine and Direct Drive transmission from the Koenigsegg Regera. The engineers answered that question in the affirmative with what's now called the LSTT, the addition of "tourbillon" referring to a mechanical feature that makes a wristwatch more accurate. On top of giving the Gemera a huge boost in available output, reworking the LST for its new employment made it smaller, lighter, and better. It's super compact form fits nine gears and weighs just 198 pounds including the attached starter motor; the eight-speed dual-clutch Tremec TR-9090 for the Chevrolet Corvette weighs 307 pounds empty in its lightest configuration. A tour of the 5.0-liter V8's rotating assembly shows Koenigsegg doesn't skimp on artwork. The ceramic coating on the top surfaces of the forged pistons is etched with the Koenigsegg logo, the connecting rods are etched with the Koenigsegg name, as are the anodized timing chain guides. Christian says the entire engine is "under 200 kilos," or 441 pounds. That's not far off the 445-pound weight of Ford's Gen 3 5.0-liter V8, but the Koenigsegg carries two turbos and their ancillaries. He also shows off bits like the 3D-printed thermostat, intake plenum, and Inconel exhaust manifold, all of it art. After that, a trip to the dyno to see what the motor can do on E85 and on our own 91 octane. If you like mechanical bits and what they can do when cost is no object, you should have a watch. Video Koenigsegg Technology Coupe Luxury Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars

Daihatsu reveals Miata-fighting roadster and more for Tokyo Mobility Show

Daihatsu left the U.S. market way back in 1992, but the brand is still going strong in Japan. The company is wholly owned by Toyota now and specializes in building kei cars and trucks, a special class of lightweight compact city cars. These days most kei vehicles are sensible rectangles to maximize passenger or cargo space inside the strict footprint allowed allowed by the class, but Daihatsu proves some fun can still be had.  And few of the concepts say that more than the Daihatsu Vision Copen (pictured at top). Design-wise it's a modern interpretation of the original Copen roadster introduced in 2002, with almost identical overall shape and round head and taillights. However, the original was more of an open top cruiser with practical front-wheel-drive layout. The Vision Copen, on the other hand, is rear-wheel-drive, showing muscular flared wheel arches that the original never did. It's powered by a 1.3-liter engine running on carbon-neutral fuel (whatever that means), a displacement that exceeds kei car regulations. So does the Vision Copen's footprint, which measures 150 inches long and 67 inches wide, almost the size of the Mazda Miata. It would be amazing if Daihatsu actually produced this car, even though it wouldn't be legal to import until 2049 or so, because the world definitely needs more rear-drive sports cars.  Then comes the me:MO, described as a car that will stay with the owner through many stages of life. It looks to be comprised of modular body panels. It's a trick Daihatsu has actually put on a production car, the Copen roadster, with composite fenders and doors that can be swapped with those of different shape or color. The me:MO appears to be an electric vehicle that has modular components on the inside as well, but the company has not released full details just yet.  The Daihatsu Uniform is the distilled essence of the kei car. Boxy and utilitarian but still exuding a bit of funkiness in the design, it was built to accommodate the working men and women of Japan. Vehicles like this usually serve as cargo haulers in dense urban areas where they can fit down extremely narrow alleys. The name derives from the fact that these workers are required to wear uniforms as they deliver everything from Amazon packages to food. The Uniform comes in two flavors, a cargo van and a truck.  The Daihatsu Osanpo is an open-top kei car built for leisurely cruising.