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Hot Wheels' 2022 Green Speed cars bring EVs to small scale

With more and more EVs hitting the market, it was only a matter of time before the new breed of cars would find representation in diecast form. For 2022, Hot Wheels is coming out with a new Green Speed series that puts the spotlight on a diverse lineup of electric cars. The five-car series features a fun mix of EVs from different manufacturers and in a wide range of styles. Some are completely bone stock. For a traditional luxury sedan, there's a Lucid Air in silver, complete with glass (or in this case, clear plastic) canopy. For fans of Teutonic 4-door "coupes" there's the Audi RS e-Tron GT in Daytona Gray. Ticking the truck box is a Hummer EV in a yellow that can only be described as a throwback to the H3. But because this is Hot Wheels, there are "hot-rodded" variants in the lineup as well. Rather than just a regular Nissan Leaf, they've elected to cast the carbon fiber-bodied NISMO RC 2.0 race car. Likewise with Ford, instead of the standard Mustang Mach-E, they've gone with the Mustang Mach-E 1400 drift car. This isn't the first time Hot Wheels has put out a Green Speed series. The line debuted in 2016 but reflected the limited EV choices in the real car market at the time. The only non-fantasy cars in the series were a first-gen Tesla Roadster, a Tesla Model S, and Chevy Volt. Hot Wheels revisited the line again in 2019, this time adding a Tesla Model 3 and a Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Hot Wheels also makes other mini EVs that don't fall into this specific line of models. If you want to collect 'em all, there's the second-generation Tesla Roadster concept, Cybertruck, Jaguar I-Pace, Pininfarina Battista, Porsche Taycan, and a Volkswagen ID R. Similarly, Matchbox has released a version of the Tesla Roadster with sustainable packaging to boot. If you must have an old school gasoline burner, Hot Wheels has plenty of options for you too, like, say, this snazzy FJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser. The 2022 Hot Wheels Green Speed series should be on shelves at your local retailers now. Related Video:

2013 Audi RS6 Avant hauls ass and then some

Holy moly. Despite the fact that Audi first released details on its 2013 RS6 Avant back in December, we're still just as smitten with it now as we were a couple months ago. And why wouldn't we be? This stunning piece of forbidden fruit combines two of our favorite things: fast Audis and useful wagons.
The meat and potatoes behind the RS6 Avant is its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, tuned to crank out 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the all-wheel-drive wagon can scoot to 60 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 155 mph. Opting for the Dynamic package ups that v-max to 174 mph, and selecting the Dynamic Plus pack increases that even further to 190 mph.
This RS6 Avant certainly looks the part of an extreme ass-hauler, fitted with the usual RS-spec gaping air intakes, 21-inch wheels, sport exhaust and carbon fiber ceramic brakes. Combine all that goodness with dynamic ride control, an adaptive air suspension and torque-vectoring Quattro all-wheel drive, and we have no doubt that this thing will scare off every other station wagon in the parking lot. (Well, except maybe that Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. Woof.)

NHTSA awards Audi A3 and S3 sedans five stars

The Audi A3 and S3 sedans aced the New Car Assessment Program tests run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each scoring five stars overall. The A3 sedan adds this latest five-star rating to its Top Safety Pick+ award bestowed upon it by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earlier this year, and Audi says it's the only Euro premium luxury compact to do that double. The only place either car dropped a single star was for a male driver in the frontal barrier test and in the rollover test. It's clear from the lengthening list of top marks – and its list of safety technology – that it's among the safest sedans you can buy. Featured Gallery 2015 Audi A3: Review View 36 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [1], [2] via Audi World Government/Legal Audi Safety Sedan crash test audi s3