Updated with new images.

Suzuki has released three very different concept vehicles in the past 12 months, all grouped under the same ‘Kizashi’ heading. The most recent of these was the Kizashi 3, a stylish sedan concept unveiled at March’s New York Auto Show that was the closest of the three concepts to resembling anything close to a regular production vehicle.
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Boxy urban utility vehicles have a strong following in many Asian countries, and have been around for many years. The theme is slowly beginning to catch on in the U.S. and Europe - Scion’s xB has made some inroads, the Ford Flex appears to be floundering and Nissan’s upcoming Cube hopes to expand the field further - but to date most of the entries have all been relatively small in size. Honda’s Pilot, while sharing a lot in terms of looks, is an order of magnitude larger, both inside and out. Whether that helps place it in a different and more broadly acceptable category or dooms it to outcast status is a question for some debate.
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Next year will see the launch of Toyota’s third-generation Prius, and the year after that the introduction of what could possibly the world’s first mass produced plug-in hybrid, however the carmaker is also working on a third eco-friendly technology – the all-electric car. Until now, Toyota had been reluctant to develop all-electric vehicles, but recent comments from its president confirm that the original unwillingness has changed.
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Malaysian carmaker Proton has launched a range of eco-friendly cars, in a similar vein to Peugeot’s recent BlueLion program, as well as numerous other manufactures who have undertaken similar eco-friendly schemes.
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Ford previewed its next generation Sync platform at a recent press event at its Irvine headquarters in California, revealing a number of new features that are set to appear this November. The new Sync V2.0 platform is coupled with Sirius Travel Link and offers greater support for the existing syncmyride.com portal, providing users with two new features.
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Toyota will present its third-generation Avensis sedan at this October’s Paris Motor Show, along with the upcoming iQ minicar and Urban Cruiser compact SUV. The Avensis will continue to be built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in the UK, and is set to go on sale in January next year. Note that the European Avensis is not related to the Avensis Verso MPV, which is based on a separate platform and built in Japan.
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General Motors is investing hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of man hours to develop the E-Flex powertrain for the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle, so to use the technology for just a single vehicle wouldn’t be the best business decision. Luckily, GM is planning to use the E-Flex technology for two Opel models to be sold in Europe, but there’s a strong chance the carmaker could launch even more Volt variants in North America as well.
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Tuners have been known to go to extravagant lengths to create a ‘unique’ interpretation of a vehicle, and German-car tuners are no exception, even if the company doing the tuning is Japanese. From over-the-top bodykits to insane amounts of power, no stone is left unturned. Wald’s 3-series bodykit is something of a change of pace, then, although its dramatic looks definitely let onlookers know this is not a stock BMW.
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Just a week ago Honda officially unveiled the 2009 Civic sedan and Hybrid, but today we can bring you all-new pictures of the coupe, thanks to a gallery released by Honda. The images show the changes for 2009 aren’t tremendous, as expected, but do include enough detail for the enthusiast to spot the differences from a distance - with a sharp eye.
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The racing series that bills itself as the ‘World Cup of Motorsport’, A1GP, has secured an entry from the principality of Monaco. Flying the red and white colors of the Monaco flag and carrying the personal blessing of Prince Albert II, the car will contest the full series for the 2009 season.
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Mercedes’ GLK compact SUV is still not officially on sale despite being revealed in production form ahead of the Beijing Motor Show in April. But that’s not stopping RENNtech from tuning a special Pikes Peak-inspired version for the upcoming SEMA trade show in November.
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Updated with pricing details

The 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX has had its internals and exterior tinkered with resulting in a performance upgrade from its predecessor. A 265hp (198kW) turbocharged intercooled boxer engine provides the grunt, while a retuned suspension system and wider, lower-profile summer performance tires improve the handling and ride. Despite the higher specification and model re-shuffle, pricing stays very close to the 2008 models, rising about $500 on average.
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Despite regular legal tussles with rivals like Tesla and the occasional production set-back due to the high-tech nature of the product, Fisker is aiming to get its Karma plug-in hybrid car to market by the end of next year. After the Karma sedan hits the streets, there are already plans for three more models based around the same core technology, including a convertible, coupe and even an SUV.
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Troubled Dutch carmaker Spyker is working on building a limited-edition road-going version of its C8 GTR2 race car. Sporting as much as 450hp (335kW) and race-car looks and handling, the C8 Laviolette ‘LM85′ is expected to make its debut before the end of the year. The new model was revealed in the company’s mid-year report and future outlook.
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General Motors reported a staggering net loss of $38.7 billion last year, and followed it up with a $3.3 billion loss in the first quarter of this year and a $15.5 billion loss in the second. Despite the dire situation senior executives are hopeful that the company can return to profitability by the end of this decade.

Their reasoning is that much of the previous losses are due to special one-off transactions, and that the company is now undergoing a massive restructuring program.

While not going so far as to make a firm prediction on a return to profitability, Lutz said that if all goes to plan GM could start making money again in 2010. “At this point the future is so cloudy in terms of the development of the market, when it’s going to pick up again,” he explained to reporters from the Associated Press.
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