Drive Wire: January 29, 2016

A mild hybrid, the DeLorean returns, a new police interceptor, awesome earbuds, and drone racing.

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: January 29, 2016
Share

Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Friday, January 29th.

Hot on the heels of the announcement that we’ll be getting a Wrangler pickup, Fiat-Chrysler has confirmed hybrid and diesel powerplants for their new off-roader. The plan is to introduce a “mild hybrid system” first, which will use braking energy to power ancillary systems like climate control, and then roll out gas-hybrid and diesel systems later on to help meet stricter emissions and fuel economy targets. For now, we’re just happy that the new Wrangler will hit showrooms later this year as a 2018 model.

Great scott! The Delorean may be back for an encore. A Texas outfit called the Delorean motor company—  no relation to the original— intends to make 325 replicas each year. Thanks to something called the low volume motor vehicle manufacturers act of 2015, DMC is allowed to make a few hundred replicas a year as long as they meet emissions standards. Fortunately that means they will not be using the old abomination of an engine and will likely use a more efficient and more powerful V6. This new DMC plans to start production on their replicas next year, but they’re still working out pricing and so on. Whatever the final tweaks may be, we’re happy someone’s taking a chance on going back to… you know. The 80s.

Speeders beware, France is testing the RS01, a police interceptor concept. It’s a Renault sport RS01 set up for traffic duty and powered by the twin-turbo motor from the Nissan GT-R. Although the vehicle was deemed too fast to race in the GT3 class, this speedy interceptor is the ultimate tool for catching up to those pesky supercars. Right now it appears to more of a public relations stunt than a reality, but we won’t take any chances next time we’re in France.

In today’s gear spotlight we have the absolute coolest wireless earbuds we’ve ever come across. The Dash Earbuds from Bragi are wireless in every respect, such as not even attached to each other. They just sit in your ears and play music, in addition to incorporating biofeedback sensors for your exercise monitor and gesture controls so you don’t need to take them out to adjust them. Get yours at bragi.com.

In today’s ridiculous video, we have highlights from the Drone Racing League. A lot of so-called sports of the future have come and gone but the DRL has a real chance—it’s exciting, it’s visual, and you can fool yourself that you’d be good at it. Check it out.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

stripe