A rumored deal between Volkswagen and Suzuki has been revived after the VW CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn told a German magazine that Suzuki would make an “interesting partner.” “Suzuki would be an interesting partner because of its competency in small cars,” Winterkorn said in an interview with German publication Manager Magazin. It is believed that...
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Demand for the new 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrid sedan is so high in Japan that the automaker fears it might not be able to keep up with expected sales volumes in the U.S. The world’s first stand-alone luxury hybrid has just gone on sale in Japan and its popularity has far exceeded expectations. Toyota initially...
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Lexus is set to debut a new hatchback model for the European market at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month and now word comes that the U.S. may also get this luxurious hot-hatch. Initially it was believed that the baby Lexus would not be offered in North America as it would be too close to...
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Honda is planning to bring an electric car to market in the U.S. by 2015. News comes from a company spokesman in Japan, as reported in the daily business paper Nikkei. The new model would be a minicar and rumors point to a concept or prototype of the electric Honda to debut at the Tokyo...
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The Scion brand is all about being youthful, modern and relevant. But apparently no one told that to the tC. Once a rival to Honda’s Civic Coupe, the tC has outlived its stay with (so far) a six year production cycle. As the brand’s flagship it has even been surpassed by the edgy xB. In...
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It’s official, Honda will debut the 2010 Accord Crosstour on September 1st and it will have… wheels and… tires. OK, so Honda’s teaser image isn’t much to go on, but knowing these sorts of manufacturer images, it was either this or some abstract of a headlight or door crease. Besides, spy photos of the upcoming...
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First shown as a concept (above) at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Scion will reportedly bring the iQ to market by the Fall of 2010. After receiving an excellent reception at the show, Scion’s VP, Jack Hollis has said he is fighting to get the car to market. One large Toyota dealer,...
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Lexus has just released a quick teaser image of a new model the luxury automaker will unveil at the Frankfurt auto Show this September. The car is a hatchback and is designed specifically for the European market. It is also expected to be a hybrid as Europe will not get the HS250h hybrid model. Small...
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While the real stars of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are the vintage autos, the Concept Lawn is a special place where future show-stoppers are put on display. While some of the models are actually concepts, many are rare coachbuilt models and a few are full-production cars. In the concept category there was the luxury...
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Battered and bruised, Lexus had on display one of the two LF-A race cars that competed at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hour race. We’re left to assume this isn’t the model that caught fire during the grueling endurance car race. The showing of the car is surprising considering Lexus didn’t exactly hang with the best....
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As promised Infiniti gave a “virtual” preview of the upcoming 2011 M today at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Using state-of-the-art 3D video mapping technology, an image of the new M was projected onto a molded styrofoam shape, revealing the third-generation of the sedan that is both sporting and luxurious. The new design is a...
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Based on a new system to rate the fuel-economy of plug-in hybrids, Chevy announced yesterday that it’s Volt will get 230 mpg in the city. Using the same math, the folks at Nissan have determined that their upcoming electric Leaf will get 367 mpg. The 367 mph rating was posted on the automaker’s Twitter page...
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Acura is considering introducing a wagon version of its TSX luxury sedan in North America. John Watts, product planning boss at Acura told Car & Driver that they are “closely, closely looking at it.” Watts believes that younger buyers, Generation Y in particular, are interested in wagons and don’t regard them with the same sort...
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The fully-electric Nissan LEAF, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. next year, will be priced from $25,000 to $33,000. Word comes from Nissan North America product VP Larry Dominique. “Competitive pricing is going to allow mass-market appeal, which is going to set Nissan apart,” said Dominique, commenting that the LEAF will...
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Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has, for the first time, officially made clear that the automaker is in fact working on a joint project with Subaru to build an affordable sports car. Toyoda made the statements at the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan The new car will be stylish, yet...
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Before sales of Nissan’s new electric car go full-tilt in the U.S., the Japanese automaker will start with 5,000 units in five different markets. The targeted areas include the Phoenix-Tucson region of Arizona, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee. Nissan’s product planning boss Mark Perry says that this is just the first step in a...
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To help celebrate the MX-5 Miata’s 20th anniversary, Mazda will show the MX-5 Superlight concept at the Frankfurt auto Show this September. And to wet our appetites, the Japanese automaker has released a few renderings of just what this speedster will look like. An homage to early race cars, the Superlight has no windscreen or...
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The 2010 Prius has been a popular car for Toyota since it first went on sale several months ago, but the pace of sales will slow considerably over the next few months. The reason for the lull is that the Prius’s battery supplier, Panasonic EV, can’t keep up with the demand. The third-generation of Toyota’s...
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Nissan is looking to turbochargers as a method to deliver high-output performance with low fuel-consumption in its future lineup of vehicles. Tetsuya Takahash, a top engineer at Nissan, made the exciting comments to the folks at MotorTrend. While Nissan currently uses turbochargers in high performance vehicles like the GT-R, this new line of turbo cars would use...
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For 2010 Acura has given its flagship MDX SUV a mid-cycle refresh which includes a new six speed transmission, an exciting Advance Package and, of course, the company’s new corporate shield grille. And we have to say, while the grille is “controversial” at best on Acura’s other models, it really seems to work on this...
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If the recession is slowly beginning to end, it’s companies like Subaru that are leading the charge. The Japanese automaker recorded its best sales ever in July with 21,839 units sold, compared to 16,271 units during the same period last year. That’s an increase of 34 percent! While a lot of credit can be given...
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Acura has just released official info on the 2010 RDX luxury crossover with the biggest news being a new base model that comes standard with a front-wheel drive layout – unless if you live in Canada. Previously only offered with Acura’s SH-AWD system, the new FWD RDX gets better fuel-economy and costs $2,000 less. A...
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With the U.S. government’s Cash-for-Clunkers rebate now available, Nissan is improving the fuel-economy of its cars to increase the chances that you’ll qualify for the full $4,500 at one of its dealerships. The CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) program works by giving a $3,500 or $4,500 voucher towards a new car when it gets 4...
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Nissan has just unveiled a new zero emissions vehicle that is slated to go on sale in Japan, Europe and the United States next year. Called the LEAF, this C-segment (sub-compact) car is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery packs. Nissan says it will be able to drive 100 miles on a single...
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