BMW builds self-drifting cars

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, BMW has showcased a pair of cars with, seemingly, only one aim in mind: to irritate the Stig. This is not advisable.

They've done this with a 2-Series Coupe and a 6-Series Gran Coupe, wearing the very latest autonomous technology designed to bring us one step closer to a driverless future. And also to get massively slidey and sideways.

It's a new element of BMW's ActiveAssist tech, which uses 360-degree radar, ultrasound, lidar (laser radar, not radar that detects liars, sadly) and camera detectors dotted around the car to bring the vehicle back into line during "demanding" driving situations. Normally, a car's reaction to changing situations is anchored around the brakes, but BMW's system brings in the steering too. This prototype can sail through a high-speed slalom run, run round a marked-out circular course, manage lane changes and even maintain big lairy drifts.

The system prevents understeer and oversteer too, and can even react to sudden hydroplaning. In fact, the latest-gen ActiveAssist has already covered over 9,000 miles of testing, including a run between Munich and Nuremberg where it accelerated, braked and overtook slower traffic without any driver intervention, while keeping pace with traffic at speeds of up to 81mph.

It also follows on from BMW's 2009 Track Trainer project, which showcased the ideal line around the Nürburging, and later Laguna Seca, Zandvoort, Valencia, Hockenheimring and Lausitzring.

Research is still ongoing, and we'll likely see several more test BMWs later this year with near-production-ready autonomous technology - which, as TG's Paul Horrell explained here, is coming your way soon. But is this what we really want? An automated, self-drifting BMW? We sense our automated, self-drifting automaton may not be impressed.

Meet the new Porsche 911 Targa

This is the brand new Porsche 911 Targa, unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. And it looks fantastic.

Though we suspect you will require some more information other than the blindingly obvious, so here we go. Underneath it's the latest generation of the Porsche 911; up to the windowline it's identical to a 911 Carrera 4 Cabrio, though above this, it's the latest version of that classic 60s icon. Here you get a soft-top and glass rear window panel. And there's no c-pillar, as you can see.

Press a button, and the rear window opens and tilts. Simultaneously, two flaps open in the Targa bar, releasing the soft part of the roof which then folds into a Z-shape and stows behind the rear seats. Then the flaps in the bar and rear window close, and the whole process is said to take 19 seconds (both ways). See? Easy.

There's a magnesium roof shell and panel bow, sound absorbent material in the soft squidgy bit of the roof, lightweight rear glass and a nice little motif inspired by the original '65 Porsche 911 Targa. And as per its predecessor, this new Targa is only available in four-wheel-drive: you can choose between the 3.4-litre Targa 4 (350bhp, PDK ‘box, 0-62mph in 4.8s, 175mph top speed), or the 3.8-litre Targa 4S (400bhp, PDK ‘box, 0-62mph in 4.4s, 184mph top speed).

You get a little more, too: a leather interior, sports seats, climate control, a 7in colour touchscreen, stability control and traction control. Plump for the range-topping Targa 4S, and you also get Porsche Active Suspension Management, torque vectoring with a limited slip diff, and 20in wheels.

Like it? Prices for the Targa 4 start at £86,281, while the 4S starts from £96,316. And if you're wondering, the name Targa is taken from the Targa Florio race. See? We can be informative.

Kia finally reveals RWD Stinger concept

After the slow drip of pictures comes the real thing. Welcome to theKia GT4 Stinger concept - a rear-drive, 311bhp, pared down sportster concept revealed at this year's Detroit motor show. Yes: a 300+bhp, rear-wheel drive Kia.

It's been built on a bespoke chassis with all-round independent double-wishbone suspension, powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine you'll find in the manufacturer's Optima racer, and its 1304kg mass is distributed at 52 per cent up front and 48 per cent at the rear.

There's no fancypants double-clutch ‘box here, either - it's a resolutely analogue six-speed manual, which sends power to 20-inch rims wearing Pirelli P-Zero tyres. Behind them there's a set of 15-inch Brembo brakes. Tres racey.

Inside, it's pretty stark. Like the lightweight Porsche Boxster Spyder, it has no stereo, lightweight doors, slim bucket seats, and those silly nylon door pulls instead of proper handles. Kia's gone one step further too, leaving out the carpet and fitting rubber mats behind the billet alloy pedals instead.

Not a million miles off Toyota's back-to-basics GT86 remit, then, only with a lot more power. And yes, while it's just a concept, Kia's Chief Scribbler at the company's American design studio says, "If anyone were to ask if Kia has the credibility to build a car like the GT4 Stinger I would simply point out that Kia races Optimas - and wins - against some of the world's most legendary performance brands [in the Pirelli World Challenge series]."

Fightin' talk. And lets not forget, that this follows the racy(ish) and unfortunately named Provo concept, and an announcement that the company will build a RWD super-saloon based on the GT concept.

So it's official. Kia are officially no longer boring. Just as long as they build this...

Could this be the new Toyota Supra?

Toyota pulled the first surprise of the Detroit Motor Show by unwrapping the FT-1. It's a serious high-end sports car. Beautiful too.

Unfortunately it's only a concept and they're being a bit cagey about whether it will go into production. On the other hand they have made a virtual FT-1 too, and from tomorrow you can download and drive it on Gran Turismo 6.

It was designed at Toyota's California Studio, Calty. Calty President Kevin Hunter says the FT in its name simply stands for 'future Toyota'. It's the same message as the company was giving out at November's Tokyo Show: we don't just do appliance-cars now. Hunter says the company used to be very conservative about moving on from a successful (if dull) formula. Now the top management in Japan want cars that excite the fizz. The FT-1 is the current state of that art.

"It's a sexy halo sports car, period." says Hunter.

At the same time as the physical concept was being designed, Calty sent the digitised shape to Polyphony. The game people went ahead and developed the virtual car's performance.

"We put [Toyota global boss] Akio Toyoda in the virtual car around Fuji Speedway," says Hunter. "He posted his best time." Toyoda immediately told them to get the concept built and shown.

Hunter says the concept has a "powerful internal combustion engine" but won't go into detail. But TG asked him if it's a hybrid and he said no. It's rear-drive. Much of the body design is about dealing with clean air in and dirty air out.

But it also pays reference, in the wraparound screen and side glass, to the epic Toyota 2000GT of the late-1960s. They also mention the Supra as an indication of this car's position.

Inside, there's a head-up display and race-type steering wheel peppered with controls. The upholstery is light and spare.

So will it be built, and if so will it look like this? Hunter says: "The dimensions are exaggerated for a show car." Toyota has a pretty good record of putting concepts into production, and certainly all its sports cars appeared as concepts first (though not all its sports concepts did make production).

TG mentions this and pushes Hunter on the possibility of a road version. "Our concepts always have a purpose. But," and he shrugs and looks resignedly at his PR minder, "I can't say more than that at this time."

But he does insist, repeatedly, that elements of the design theme do show how Toyota is thinking for all sorts of cars. The company wants to get more sexy.

Vijay Pattni13 January 2014 The Corvette Z06 is here, and it’s fast

Chevrolet has announced that the brand-new Corvette Z06 will deliver "at least" 625bhp, which is an unsubtle but effective way of saying the brand-new Corvette Z06 is "really bloody powerful".

That power gain is significant, because not only is it more than the sixth generation Z06, but it's almost as powerful as the last-gen ZR1 - that's the halo car. And this power comes from a supercharged engine; a first for a Z06.

So, here it is: the seventh generation of a modern performance icon. Taking the new Stingray as its base - a car we described as stunning- the new Z06 gets a supercharged LT4 6.2-litre V8, producing over 625 horses and a not insignificant 635lb ft of torque. The compact supercharged and intercooler assembly is mounted in between the cylinder heads, while that V8 features cylinder shutdown tech to make it more efficient.

But you don't care about such things. Not when there are forged pistons, lightweight titanium valves, aluminium cylinder heads, stainless steel exhaust manifolds and a dry-sump oil system on offer. It'll come with either a seven speed manual ‘box (with rev matching) or an eight-speed paddle-shift auto, driving the rear wheels, obviously, through a standard-fit electronic limited slip differential. There's no word on performance data just yet, but the old Z06 could do the sprint in 3.9s. Expect much more fastness.

The adaptive dampers are standard on this new Z06, adjustable for comfort or track attack, together with traction control, launch control, stability control and that e-diff. There are flared arches, larger wheels and tyres (19s on the front, 20s on the rear), steel brakes, a new front splitter, carbon fibre bonnet and rear spoiler, cooling elements and a removable roof panel too. Inside there are magnesium seats, soft touch materials and a ‘fully-wrapped' cabin.

If all this isn't nearly as quick as you desire, there's the option of the Z07 performance pack, which adds larger carbon ceramic brakes, winglets to the front splitter, an adjustable rear spoiler (to give more downforce on the track), and stickier tyres. With this fitted, the Z07 pack has lapped quicker than the old ZR1.

"The Corvette Z06 is a great example of the technology transfer between racing and production Corvettes," said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. "We took what we learned on the Corvette Racing C6.R and applied that to the all-new Corvette Stingray. Then, using the Stingray as a foundation, the Z06 and C7.R were developed to push the envelope of performance on the street and the track." Oh, that's right - there's a C7.R racer too. This new Stingray certainly means business - if the Z06 is this quick, how quick will the ZR1 be?

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