After news reports late last week that Suzuki was in talks with Volkswagen, the Japanese automaker’s CEO has officially denied the story. “So far there’s been absolutely no contact (with Volkswagen),” said Chief Executive Osamu Suzuki to the Chunichi Shimbun daily. “Lately, we’ve been the victim of a lot of rumors (of equity tie-ups and...
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In the latest issue Consumer Reports tests 22 small cars and hatchbacks and Honda’s new Insight only rates a “Good.” That might not sound all that bad, but CR usually gives all Hondas an “Excellent” or “Recommended” or “Top Pick” rating. Out of 22 cars, the Insight is just 21st. The only car to rate...
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Toyota will bring its iQ city car to North America by 2012, badged as a Scion model. Scion debuted a concept of the iQ (shown above) at the New York Auto Show this year. When it does launch, however, expect it to look significantly more tame. Currently the mini car (about the size of a...
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Toyota may share a version of its Prius hybrid with General Motors according to a recent report by Bloomberg. Sources say Toyota President Akio Toyoda and GM CEO Fritz Henderson will meet in August in Michigan to discuss the possibility of selling a version GM-badged Prius – or possibly using Toyota hybrid technology to build...
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To help promote the launch of the Infiniti brand in the U.K., the luxury Japanese automaker will bring its stunning Essence Concept to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in September. Alongside the Essence will be Infiniti’s brand new G37 Convertible. Sadly, Infiniti explicitly points out in its press release that while the G37 will be...
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Aston Martin has just released details of an upcoming concept car the luxury British automaker is working on… and it’s not at all what you might expect. Rather than a high-powered exotic, this new machine, called the Cygnet, is a tiny commuter car. The Cygnet is based on the Toyota iQ and while it sounds...
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According to its sources, 7Tune is reporting that Toyota is in fact preparing a successor to the Supra. This top-level sports car has taken a back seat to the economy-minded 086A – the code name for the yet unnamed joint Toyota/Subaru project. It’s also likely that development of a Supra-successor has been slowed due to...
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Volkswagen is reportedly looking at purchasing a 10 percent stake in Suzuki as it looks to create a solid partnership with the Japanese automaker. Te reason for VW’s interest is Suzuki’s expertise in mini cars – like the Suzuki Alto, pictured above. The Alto is currently the best-selling vehicle in India and Volkswagen wants to...
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Several months ago world renowned racer Steve Millen announced his intentions to race in the Targa Newfoundland road rally in a Nissan GT-R prepped by his own tuner shop – Stillen. Now Stillen has announced that it is running a contest, the winner of which will receive an all expenses paid round trip for two...
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Thanks to Lequios, you can do more for the environment once you’re dead than just become fertilizer for pushing up daisies. The Japanese hearse manufacturer is designing a hearse based on the 2010 Toyota Prius, meaning your last trip in a car can be an environmentally-responsible one. And you thought saving the planet for future...
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According to a recent report in Japan’s Best Car magazine, Lexus is planning a sport version of its flagship LS sedan. The LS460 SZ, as it is to be called, will get a stylish new aero kit with a new front and rear bumper, new side skirts and a dark black chrome grille. The SZ...
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Subaru of America is looking to set a Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Subys… er, Subies… um, Barus? And its reaching out to fanatical, AWD, boxer engine owners to help. Subaru and the Subaru Great Lakes Region is asking owners from all over the country to meet on July 11 at 500...
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One of the last things Shoichiro Toyoda did as honorary chairman at Toyota Motor Corp., was to assemble all of the company’s executives and give them a tongue lashing. Toyoda even called out president Katsuaki Watanabe and blamed him, as well as those other executives in charge of the Japanese automaker, for leaving behind the...
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A U.S. government initiative that would see low-interest loans granted to automakers who build environmentally-friendly cars in the U.S. appears to have one taker – Nissan. The Japanese automaker will spend anywhere from $500 million to $1 billion to update its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to build a green car and produce lithium-ion batteries. While no...
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We recently reported that Honda tuner Mugen was planning a version of the Euro-spec Civic Type-R and now that story has essentially been confirmed as Mugen has released photos and a short video of its front-drive hot-hatch. Mugen still hasn’t release any details on the model, but it is expected to follow the format set...
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Subaru has just released its EPA fuel-economy numbers for the 2010 Legacy with some impressive figures. The base 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, when paired with Subaru’s CVT transmission, gets 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway for a combined total of 26 mpg. This rating is better, Subaru notes, than base-engine competitors...
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The Toyobaru, in case you haven’t heard, is a secret car that, as the name would suggest, is being built as a joint project by Toyota and Subaru. Code named the 086A, the possibility that the two Japanese automakers might actually build the thing sounds like a dream – and yet the rumors about it...
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Honda is warning that it may not meet its forecasted sales target for the all-new 2010 Insight hybrid and is citing both the worldwide recession and the low cost of gas as factors. The Japanese automaker set an ambitious target of 200,000 units for the car’s first year, with almost half of those vehicle sales...
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While Toyota’s sales may be suffering as a whole, sales of the all-new 2010 Prius are well above expectations. In fact, the Japanese automaker is having trouble keeping up with demand – something which may result in lengthy waiting lists for the third-generation of Toyota’s successful hybrid. At the two facilities where the Prius is...
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Honda’s odd-looking Euro-spec Civic Type-R hatchback is about to get the Mugen treatment. With the success of the Honda Civic Mugen RR sedan, the Japanese Honda-tuner wants to take on the latest Type-R, adding power, dropping weight and making an already amazing package that much better. Mugen isn’t releasing any hard and fast facts yet,...
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Is this the face of a race car? Subaru certainly thinks so. The latest rumors indicate that the automaker intends to enter a version of its new 2010 Legacy model (launched at the New York Auto Show this year) into Japan’s top-level Super GT series. The car will no doubt receive numerous modifications, but engine...
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Scion has added yet another product to its already extensive list of dealer-offered accessories – a Kenstyle aero kit for the xB model. The kit includes a new front bumper, side skirts and a rear bumper, all for a reasonable $1,299.99 plus installation. The kit is a part of Scion’s Optomize accessory program and is...
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Toyota has finally made the decision to stop producing the Solara Convertible. It’s not likely to be missed. The Coupe model was discontinued last summer (in case you hadn’t noticed), but Toyota decided to keep up convertible production as there were no other drop-top models in the entire company’s vehicle lineup. A few months later...
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Scion has just rolled out its final special edition model for 2009, the xB Release Series 2.0, starting at $14,650 – just $1,270 over the base price. What you get for that amount is a long list of extras, not to mention Electric Wasabi green paint and the knowledge that only 1,600 such models will...
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