According to Japan’s daily Nikkei daily business paper, Toyota will not sit back and watch Honda succeed with its Insight. Nor will Toyota let Honda hold on to the claim of selling the most affordable hybrid in the U.S. for long.

A yet-unnamed sub-compact model from Toyota is scheduled to go into production and be on sale in Japan as early as 2011. The new model will use a gasoline powerplant smaller than the 1.5-liter four-cylinder in the current Prius model – one possibility being the new 1.3-liter engine found in the iQ in Europe.

Currently the Insight sells for $19,800 – or $20,470 with the destination charge included. This makes it significantly cheaper than the $22,720 Prius. The new model from Toyota would be priced below $20,510.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line via Nikkei]

The upcoming Palm-Beach Barrett-Jackson auction will once again feature a a few quality collectibles from the Ford Motor Company, including a 2010 Ford Shelby GT500, as well as the 2003 Mustang GT Coupe and Convertible Concept cars. The proceeds from the sales of all three cars at the annual Palm-Beach auction will be donated to two charities with sale of the Shelby GT500 helping The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation and the sale of the concept cars helping the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“During the last three years, Ford and Barrett-Jackson have raised more than $2 million for charity through the auction of Ford vehicles,” noted Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company’s president, The Americas. “Ford and Barrett-Jackson will continue this important tradition at this year’s Palm Beach auction. The winning bidders for these fantastic Mustangs will be contributing to worthy causes while purchasing automotive history.”

The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 will be auctioned off in Kona Blue with white stripes, as chosen by Carroll Shelby.

As for the other two models, the Redline Red Metallic Ford Mustang GT Convertible Concept is a real eye-catcher with 20-inch wheels and Brembo brakes. It also features red and charcoal leather with 4-point racing harnesses, watch-style instruments and a billet-aluminum shifter for the 5-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle, it should be noted, is actually based on the Ford Thunderbird rear-wheel drive architecture.

The final model is the Tungsten Silver Ford Mustang GT Coupe Concept, with a glass roof and red and black leather inside.  Under the hood is a 400hp superchared 4.6-liter V8.

The Palm Beach Barrett-Jackson auction takes place from April 9th to 11th.

GALLERY: 2003 Mustang Coupe & Convertible Concept Cars

More on Mustangs up to Auction at Palm-Beach the after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Chevrolet has just released boat-loads of information on the new 2010 Camaro, but one of the most surprising revelations is that the base-model V6 sportscar will get 29 mpg on the highway.

As for city driving, the V6-powered LS and LT models will get 18 mpg with the automatic transmission and 17 mpg with the manual transmission. Also impressive is the fact that both the 6.2-liter V8 engines that come in the SS (the L99 making 400 hp and 410 ft-lbs of torque and the LS3 making 426hp and  420 ft-lbs of torque) get a rating of 16/25 mpg with the auto. and 16/24 mpg with the manual.

This is important because it means no Camaro offered is subject tot he federal gas guzzler tax.

All this fuel economy might sound great you’re saying to yourself, but what about the power. The good news is that the LS and LT models not only get great mileage but they make 304hp at 5900 rpm and 273 ft-lbs of torque at 5200 rpm. The engine is a cast aluminum 3.6-liter V6 with direct injection and even with a compression ratio of 11.3:1 it uses regular pump gas.

GALLERY: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

More on the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Not only will Nissan use the New York Auto Show to debut its new 370Z Roadster, but the automaker will also have a surprise Z on hand. What this Z will be, the folks at Nissan aren’t willing to say, but there’s a good chance it will be a NISMO version of the all-new coupe with some mild suspension tweaks, light-weight wheels and more aggressive aerodynamics.

As for the 370Z Roadster, we don’t expect much in the way of surprises – although it is unclear if Nissan has chosen to stick with the soft top or go the way of the retractable hard-top like the rest of the industry. Considering the coupe’s focus on lightweight performance, however, we expect a soft top is most likely.

The Z roadster will use the same 3.7-liter V6 engine as the coupe with 332hp.

See our Nissan 370Z Coupe review here:

2009 Nissan 370Z First Drive

It’s barely just 2009 and already Nissan is announcing some minor tweaks to the GT-R as a 2010 model. Most notably the twin-turbo V6 gets a slight bump from 480hp to 485hp. Most importantly, however, is that the dual-clutch transmission (the fragility of which has become a running joke in many online communities) will get new program for the Transmission Control Module to increase acceleration times while improving every day drivability when the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) is switched on.

Other highlights include upgraded brake lines and brake calipers that now feature the Brembo and Nissan logos. The suspension also gets some adjustments thanks new spring and shock rates as well as a completely redesigned Bilstein shock setup.

Outside, the standard vehicle gets a slightly darker set of 20-inch RAYS forged wheels while a new “near-black” finish comes standard on the Premium model. One new color, Pearl White, will also be offered.

Safety has also been improved for 2010 with standard front seat, side impact and curtain airbags.

As we already mentioned, the 2010 GT-R will also get a slight price hike, with the standard model coming in at just over $80,000 ($80,790 to be exact) and the Premium model priced at $83,040.

It seems every time the Nissan GT-R is in the news it’s getting more expensive, however, it’s hard to complain considering it’s still a bargain.

More on the 2010 GT-R after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Ahead of the New York Auto Show, Acura has released just two images of a concept vehicle it will have on display. And thanks to the folks at AcuraZine we have three more (significantly more revealing) photos of the car… or should we say SUV.

Stealing a page directly out of the BMW design book, this new CUV looks like a serious copycat of the BMW X6 – especially with that sloping rear and mild tail on the trunk. Speculation on other details about the vehicle is endless. For starters, will it have a V8 powerplant. Will it use Acura’s SH-AWD technology?

One thing that may be clearer, is the name. The test-mule has been caught at the Nürburgring wearing badging that says MSX.

Acura is looking to expand its lineup of vehicles in the near future as it recently announced plans to become a Tier 1 competitor to German luxury rivals. That being said, this seems like a strange direction to take as any sporty SUV would certainly be a niche market vehicle and Acura continues to lack a coupe in its lineup, let alone a V8 powerplant.

GALLERY: Acura MSX Concept

To help boost sales Jeep has just launched the new Rocky Mountain Edition versions of the Patriot, Liberty and Grand Cherokee. This new trim level delivers $2,300 in options for an add-on price of just $1,595 over the base MSRP.

The Jeep Patriot Rocky Mountain Edition gets 17-inch wheels, a sunroof, a leather steering wheel with radio controls, “Rocky Mountain” badging and a uconnect tunes 30-gigabyte stereo with SIRIUS Satellite Radio and a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics audio system with a subwoofer and 458-watt amplifier.

The new Jeep Patriot Rocky Mountain Edition will also come with a monochromatic paint scheme in four colors including a new Optic Green Crystal Pearl.

The new Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition is based on the Jeep Liberty Sport model and gets 17-inch wheels, a power sunroof, tinted glass, “Rocky Mountain” badging, a uconnect tunes 30-gigabyte radio and speed control. It will be offered in Deep Water Blue, Bright Silver Metallic, Inferno Red and Brilliant Black paint colors.

The final model, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition gets many of the same options including 17-inch wheels, a power sunroof, a uconnect tunes 30-gigabyte Boston Acoustics sound system and Rocky Mountain badging. It also gets a 12-volt power outlet, chrome side moldings and heated front seats. Jeep will offer this model in Light Graystone, Bright Silver, Brilliant Black and now in Inferno Red.

“The new 2009 Jeep Patriot, Jeep Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Editions add more value and features to our iconic Jeep lineup,” said Mike Accavitti, the Director of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Brands. “And with Jeep’s best-in-class legendary 4×4 capability, our new 2009 Jeep Rocky Mountain Editions are ready to make any adventure—from the snow-covered mountain trails to sand dunes at the beach—even more fun.”

Pricing is listed as $19,765  for the Jeep Patriot Rocky Mountain Edition, $25,355  for the Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition and $32,825  for the Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition. All three new trim models are available to order now with vehicles arriving in dealerships later this month.
More on the Rocky Mountain Edition Jeeps after the jump:

Continue Reading…

As we have previously reported, Volkswagen will bring it’s sub-compact Polo to the U.S. but not until 2011. Even more surprising is that the vehicle won’t be the same one that was just unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show.

According to a Automotive News report (soured on AutoBlog) the 2011 Polo will come to the U.S. in two different versions: a sedan and hatchback. VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News that the current Polo is still too small for the U.S. market – which is surprising because it looked pretty large to us in Geneva.

To resolve this issue, VW will build two new version of the car with a longer wheelbase and a slightly taller roof. The sedan model will be smaller than the Jetta and the four-door wagon/hatchback will be a competitor to the Honda Fit.

Jacoby did say that pricing for the sub-compact would have to be between $13,000 and $15,000 in order to compete in the segment, so expect the final products to have base prices in that range.  In order to achieve that price, the vehicle will likely have to be built in North America – potentially at VW’s Puebla, Mexico plant.

[Source: AutoBlog]

Lamborghini has just released the first official photos of the new Murciélago LP650-4 Roadster and as the name suggests, it’s more than just a drop-top version of the coupe. The coupe, (the LP640) makes 640h, whereas this roadster makes an additional 10 ponies for a total of 650hp.

The same 6.5-liter V12 engine is used, but has been tweaked for the additional power. Torque is rated at 487 ft-lbs.

Lamborghini claims the naturally-heavier roadster will still achieve an alarmingly fast 0-62 mph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph.

To keep demand high, Lamborghini has decided to limit production of the new LP650-4 Roadster to just 50 units. All models will come with a Grigio Telesto grey exterior (as shown) with a bright orange Arancio color used for details like the front spoiler and side skirts.

The brake calipers will also be orange and at the rear of the car there is a clear engine cover to show off the massive V12 engine.

Inside the roadster gets some orange details as well as a unique split-down-the-middle two-tone color combo. The driver’s side comes with black Alcantara Nera and black leather Nero Preseus is used for the passenger’s side.

A graffiti-like LP650-4 logo appears on the side of the front bumper as well as on the air intake behind the driver.

GALLERY: Lamborghini LP650-4 Roadster

Despite the tough economic times, Dodge is currently celebrating the success of its new 2009 Ram – and the company intends to keep the ball rolling with a great new incentive.

In the month of February the Ram posted it’s best result in the truck market with a share of the pie totaling 20 percent. On the back of this news, Chrysler has declared March “Truck Month” and to celebrate the company is offering the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine as a no charge option on Ram 1500 models (Yup, Christmas just came early for horsepower lovers).

Dodge’s revised HEMI V8 makes 390hp and 407-ft-lbs of torque and now gets improved fuel economy thanks to a more advanced MDS (multi-displacement system) setup that allows for four of the cylinders too be shut off when not required.

The no charge HEMI option is a value of $1,200. (Current MSRP on a 2009 Dodge Dodge Ram 1500 is $22,170 including a $900 destination fee).

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram has won 13 prestigious awards including: MotorWeek “Best Pickup Truck,” Cars.com “Work Truck of the Year,” ICOTY “2009 International Truck of the Year” and Edmunds.com “Editors Most Wanted 2009.” Recently it also beat out the F-150 to be named Car & Driver‘s top choice for a full-sized pickup.

We’re not sure if Dodge’s new incentive was created to move a backlog of the more powerful, more expensive and thirsty HEMI V8s, or if this move is a ploy to grab the interest of shoppers looking at F150s or Silverados. Either way, for some it will be a silver lining to the ever-present dark clouds.

For more on the 2009 Dodge Ram, see our review here:

2009 Dodge Ram Review