2010
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Buyers in the U.S. looking forward to purchasing the new 2010 Toyota Prius may have to wait longer than they initially bargained for, following strong demand for the latest hybrid in Japan. Going on sale just a week ago in Japan, the third-generation Prius was a hit before it even descended on showroom floors, with Toyota already sitting on 80,000 advance orders for the car. Toyota’s original forecast was to sell just 100,000 units of the Prius in Japan for the entire year, but with this goal almost in sight after just a week of sales company execs are now considering reserving more...
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March 2011 launch for Chevrolet Camaro ConvertibleFollowing a lrecent report that GM’s plans for a high-performance Camaro Z28 had been canceled and the Camaro Convertible was on hold, comes a little good news but also some bad. The good news is that the Convertible is back on track for a March 2011 launch, while the bad news – you...
Ralph Hanson -
BMW’s new 5-series GT makes official debutIn late 2007 BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed plans for several all-new models including a design study called the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Then, at March's Geneva Motor Show, BMW gave us the first tangible evidence of the new PAS in the form of the 5-series Gran Turismo (GT) concept...
Alex Kaufmann -
Six Aston Martins to tackle Nurburgring 24-hour raceAston Martin will return to the starting grid of Germany’s Nordschleife for its fourth consecutive year of the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance challenge, which kicks off on May 23rd. The carmaker will be using its latest super-sports car, the all-new V12 Vantage coupe, which will be kept in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen adds new Estate to Golf lineupThis week has been a relatively busy one for Volkswagen, which in the past couple of days has unveiled the all new Scirocco R sports coupe, a pair of GTI concepts based on the Golf and Polo, and now the Golf Estate wagon. Three different versions of the new Estate will be offered: Trendline...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: GM planning ‘Bumblebee’ Camaro to coincide with Transformers 2 movie launchWith the sequel to last year’s Transformers hit – Revenge of the Fallen - set to open across cinemas in the U.S. on June 24, Chevrolet is reportedly planning to start production of a new special edition Camaro based on the ‘Bumblebee’ version that very same day. Expected to...
James Martinez -
The fifth-generation Legacy (Liberty) and Outback were recently unveiled and to coincide with the car’s launch in Japan Subaru has added the new Touring wagon and sporty B4 to the range. Before you get all excited, the latest iteration of the B4 name only applies to a sports package in this case, not a high-performance twin-turbo model as in the past. As expected the new Touring model carries over the same controversial styling found on the sedan variant. Along with this styling, the Touring also adopts the same engine lineup as its sedan sibling, which means the base engine is a 2.5L...
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Volkswagen unveils ‘Wörthersee 09’ Polo and Golf GTI conceptsWhile this weekend’s Nurburgring 24 hour race will see the unveiling of the 265hp (198kW) Scirocco R, Volkswagen is using this week’s Wörthersee Tour in Austria to present two special GTI concepts based around the new Polo and Golf hatchbacks. Labeled the ‘Wörthersee...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New Toyota Prius gets sporty Modellista restyleToyota’s third-generation Prius officially went on sale in Japan this week and to coincide with the launch the company also revealed several new styling packs under the guise of its in-house accessories brand Modellista. Three different Modellista styling packs are available for the Prius -...
Jeremy Weber -
Camaro too popular for GM's own good?There's no denying the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is an eye-catcher, and it has the performance to match it, with even the V6 variant checking in at over 300hp. But all that mean and too little green could be making it harder for General Motors, despite over 18,000 sales so far. GM's new de facto...
Ralph Hanson -
GM ties with Saab will remain in future modelsThe future of Saab is starting to look much brighter, thanks in part to important concessions from General Motors to help it build and design its own range of cars in the future, as well as a likely extension from Swedish courts for its restructuring deadline. For a while it looked as though Saab...
Alex Kaufmann -
Custom Q5 highlights Audi stand at 2009 Wörthersee TourFor a few days in May the town of Reifnitz, Austria is overrun with a plethora of Audi and Volkswagen models as fans of both marques attend the world’s largest Volkswagen Group gathering. Known as the Worthersee Tour, the event has been running for almost 30 years and this year Audi decided...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Gauging the future of automotive design is a tough and tricky business. Anyone that's ventured through the winding courses of Disney's famed Autopia knows exactly how easy it is to get things wrong. But Toyota is charting its own course to the future, and it's using efficiency as its North star. A quick glance through the Toyota and Lexus lineup reveals a few interesting similarities. Take the new 2010 Toyota Prius and the upcoming 2010 Lexus HS 250h, for example. Though they are targeted at very different segments of the market and don't really look much alike, they feature some of the same...
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Ford Mustang scores 5-star NHTSA safety ratingThe 2010 Ford Mustang (Coupe only) has earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 5-star rating in the agency's latest round of testing, cementing the Blue Oval's position as industry leader when it comes to safety. The latest results include top scores for both the driver and...
Jeremy Weber -
New E-Class Coupe sits on older, cheaper C-Class platformMercedes Benz surprised many by offering its new E-Class Coupe for less money than the E-Class Sedan, with which it shares its styling, interior and positioning. After all, which carmaker makes a more exclusive coupe model and then sells it for less money than the sedan variant? If you missed our...
Jeremy Weber -
Ford exec confirms development of 5.0L ‘Coyote’ V8Ford’s iconic Mustang was given an update for the 2010 model year to keep it fresh alongside strong new competitors such as the Dodge Challenger, upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, and even Nissan’s all-new 370Z, but unfortunately the update didn’t entail any serious changes to the...
Ralph Hanson -
Lexus IS C gets F-Sport makeoverLexus recently expanded its F-Sport Performance Accessories line to include parts for the GS sedan and IS AWD, and this week the company revealed full details for new parts for the IS C convertible that has just gone on sale. Previously the performance range was only applicable for the IS 250 and...
Ralph Hanson -
Ventross expands range with new GT-R styling kitVorsteiner is an American tuning firm that until now has specialized in modifying German performance cars from the likes of BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Porsche. The company has now established a subdivision called Ventross that will be focused on Japanese models, and its second order of business after...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
When carmakers start tossing around terms like 'mischievous' and tapping into online markets for their cars, it's clear they're targeting a younger audience. And that's exactly what Lexus is doing with its new campaign for the 2010 IS C retractable hardtop convertible. Partnering with ABC.com, YouTube, UrbanDaddy.com and Brash Media, Lexus is making it plain that they are really going for the gusto with the younger crowd. The ads themselves depict this as well, with a 'Live a little...a lot' tagline, titles like 'Hop In', 'Running', 'Look Out' and 'Scream', high-speed driving and girls in sun...
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Ford shuts down $15,500 Fusion Hybrid scamWe've all gotten the email telling us we've won eleventy million dollars and all they need is for us to submit our bank account details and 'socal (sic) security code'. But a new and enterprising scam is offering a brand new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid for about half price - $15,500. Unfortunately...
Kenneth Hall -
Nismo to begin renting upgraded GT-R electronics to customers in JapanEarlier today we told you how Nissan is now offering to upgrade original-spec GT-Rs with a host of better parts including suspension upgrades and engine mounts. Now Nissan's racing and tuning arm, Nismo, has decided to release upgraded engine and transmission management software, but in a novel...
Nelson Ireson -
Lincoln reveals pricing for MKS with 355hp EcoBoost V6The Lincoln MKS has been a sales success for Ford, with the regular V6 version launched last year racking up thousands of sales and regaining market share lost mainly to Cadillac in the recent past. Lincoln is now expanding the MKS range to make even more flexible with the sales launch of the new...
Jeremy Weber -
Nissan Japan offers retrofit upgrades and SpecV parts for early model GT-RsThe Nissan GT-R first went on sale in Japan in December of 2007 and since then has undergone a series of minor updates to arrive at the current 2010 model year ‘Series II’ specification. During this time we’ve also seen the introduction of the lighter and stiffer SpecV model...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan GT-R posts new 7m 26.7s Nurburgring lap timeIt wasn't long ago that the public spitting contest between Nissan and Porsche regarding the GT-R's lap time around the famed Nurburgring was in the spotlight. Nissan started the tussle by recording an astonishing lap time of 7m 38s around the benchmark circuit and then withered this down to just...
Jeremy Weber