After an embarrassingly dismal experience at last year’s Nürburgring 24 Hour race, Lexus is once again set to take on one of the world’s most challenging endurance races with it’s LF-A sports car.

The car will run in the Division 2 SP8 class, meaning that the race car will be close to the production car – which is expected to be officially introduced at the Tokyo Auto Show in the fall..

What we know about the car is that it is powered by a 500hp 4.8-liter V10 engine, with a rear-mounted transaxle that is actuated by a paddle-shift sequential manual gearbox.

For the race the LF-A race car will be equipped with a roll cage, fuel-cell, rear spoiler and additional aerodynamics. Otherwise the “engine, powertrain and frame specifications differ little from those of the base vehicle.”

Lexus intends to use the race to further develop and test the vehicle before it sees production and has hired on the experts at Gazoo Racing (which run Lexus teams in Japan’s Super GT series) to assist in the Nürburgring 24 Hour effort.

The Nürburgring 24 Hour race runs from May 23 to 24th.

Will Lexus have better luck this year?

Official release after the jump:

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Suzuki WRC fans have something to cheer about for the first time in four months. Yes, it’s been that long since the Japanese automaker announced it would with draw from the World Rally Championship, but now it seems they may already be planning a return.

RallyBuzz is reporting that Urmo Aava, who raced five seasons for the Suzuki team in the Junion World Rally Championship (JWRC), told the Estonian news website Postimees that Suzuki is building a new car and will “probably do a full WRC programme,” in 2011.

Aava made the comments while testing a Suzuki Swift S1600 rally car for the company’s JWRC team.

According to Aava, the new car is an S2000 spec vehicle, in keeping with the new “no-turbo” rules and while Suzuki has made no official comment since pulling out of WRC, comments were made earlier that Suzuki intended to race an SX4-based vehicle in the S2000 class.

[Source: RallyBuzz]

GALLERY: Suzuki SX4 WRC

Toyota is expected to release pricing for the new 2010 Prius tomorrow and the cost of ownership will be 21,000. This is $1,000 less than the current model.

Bloomberg is reporting the drop and citing an unnamed source.

This news comes several weeks after Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported Toyota made a similar move in it’s home market of Japan. At that point, doing just the basic Yen to dollar comparison showed a Prius priced at $20,750 – so the $21,000 price expected to be released tomorrow isn’t far off.

The cost is still above the Insight, which starts at just $19,800, but the Prius does offer superior fuel-economy with 51/48 mpg (city/highway) compared to the Insight at 40/43 mpg. The Prius is also roomier as it is technically classified as a mid-sized vehicle as compared to the Insight, which is a compact.

[Source: Bloomberg]

The Canadian Auto Workers union, after burning the letter written by Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli and joint-president Tom Lasorda, has now responded with its own statement.

CAW president Ken Lewenza denies that a $19 labor gap exists between Canadian and U.S. workers and refuses to re-negotiate a contract that has already been re-neogotiated. 

Lewenza calls the $76 per hour wage “inflated and artificial” and says that it, “includes many non-relevant factors, such as expenses associated with retirees who have not worked at Chrysler for years, and payroll taxes which are paid to government not to workers.” He continues: “Perhaps most galling of all, Chrysler’s number even includes the proportional cost of downtime and lay-offs. In essence, we are being ‘charged’ for our own unemployment. The best way to reduce that artificial $76 number is to put Chrysler workers back to work: that alone would reduce hourly costs by several dollars per hour.”

Regardless of how you view the statistics, Lewenza makes two other strong points. First, he says that Toyota and Honda (both of which are non-unionized) have made it well-known that they match wages and other benefits with unionized automakers. In other words, the wage that Chrysler employees are making is fair because it’s what the other companies are paying their staff. Second, Lewenza says that the bond holders haven’t had to make any concessions at all.

Unfortunately for Lewenza and the CAW, it doesn’t matter what they say and it seems that if the $19 gap isn’t closed then Fiat won’t partner with Chrysler, the federal governments in both Canada and the United States won’t keep the cash flowing. As a result Chrysler will be forced into bankruptcy, something Lewenza calls, “an increasingly likely prospect.”

Read the full letter after the jump:

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At the Shanghai Auto Show Jaguar teased the press with a short video (above) of the upcoming XJ flagship model, which will officially debut in July.

While the video certainly doesn’t show much, Jaguar Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll did have some interesting news to report. The 2010 XJ will be significantly lighter than past models due to a new all-aluminum chassis.

Jaguar’s entire lineup of engines will also be offered including the 510hp supercharged 5.0-liter V8 and the economical diesel V6. Both a standard and long wheelbase model will be offered.

As for design highlights, O’Driscoll did say that the car will come with a panoramic glass roof, however, he did not comment on the XF-inspired styling that he spoke of previously.

For more information visit:

http://www.jaguar.com/allnewxj/

Official release after the jump:

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It’s official, the name for the RR4 will be the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Company CEO Tom Purves made the announcement during the Rolls-Royce press conference at the Shanghai Auto Show.

“We are delighted to formally announce the Rolls-Royce Ghost,” said Purves. It is one of the most revered names in the automotive industry, evoking images of adventure and technical innovation. The name reflects this new model’s breadth of abilities. The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style. This car will be the first in a new generation of models to carry this evocative name and will give us two pinnacle product lines – Phantom and Ghost.

Rolls-Royce displayed the Ghost in Shanghai, although, technically speaking, the model is still the concept car (or “Design Study”), which first debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

Technical details on the car are still scarce but we do know it will be powered by an all-new 6.0-liter turbocharged V12 engine with more than 500hp. A new 8-speed ZF transmission will also be used. The Ghost measures 212.6-inches long, 76.7-inches wide and 61-inches high. The wheelbase is listed as 129.7-inches. The platform for the car is the same used by the new BMW 7 Series. The wheels are 20-inch units with 255/45/20 tires up front an 285/40/20 tires in the rear.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost will go into production in late 2009 as a 2010 model.

GALLERY: Rolls-Royce Ghost

Official release after the jump:

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We’re not really sure there’s anything left to show or tell, but yesterday Porsche officially took the wraps off the Panamera sedan at the Shanghai Auto Show. The move is a bold one for Porsche, as the Panamera marks the German sportscar maker’s first sedan. Holding a world-premiere in China, also sends a clear statement about how important Porsche views expansion into that market.

”Introducing the Panamera, we are entering a market segment completely new for our customers and we are once again consistently expanding our model portfolio,” said Klaus Berning, VP of sales and marketing at Porsche AG.

As the first all-new model from Porsche since the Cayenne debuted in 2002, the Panamera will initially be offered in three models, the 400hp Panamera S and all-wheel drive Panamera 4S, as well as the 500hp Panamera Turbo.

The Panamera seats four adults and Porsche says rear seat room will be significant – as will cargo capacity. And while Porsche say the vehicle will be a performance leader in the 4-door Gran Turismo segment, it also says it will be a leader in fuel-economy with an average of 22 mpg.

Helping to achieve that fuel-economy rating is a world’s first start-stop automatic transmission. And that’s not the only innovation on the Panamera. Porsche has also equipped the car with a segment-first active rear spoiler (for Turbo models), as well as Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with an air suspension that can add extra air (for even more ground clearance) when required.

“Our engineers, technicians, and designers have invested all their know-how, years of experience, a wealth of ideas, and their full passion for sports cars in this four-seater Gran Turismo,” said Porsche AG R&D boss Wolfgang Dürheimer.

The Panamera will go on sale this fall with an MSRP of $89,800 ($115,100 CDN), the Panamera 4S will retail for $93,800 ($120,300) and the Panamera Turbo will start at $132,600 ($155,000 CDN).

A six-cylinder model and a hybrid version will follow later.

GALLERY: Porsche Panamera

Official release after the jump:

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Over the weekend Maserati revealed its GranTurismo MC race car at the FIA Media Days at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. The completely stripped down car will weight less than 1,400 kg (or 3,087 lbs) and while Maserati hasn’t released horsepower output numbers, they have said that the car will use the 4.7-liter Maserati V8 powerplant and boast a power to weight ratio of 3.4 kg/hp (which would put the horsepower rating at about 411 ponies).

The car will initially only be for sale directly from Maserati to race teams who intend on participating in the European FIA GT4 championship – a series in which close-to-stock vehicles participate. In 2010, however, Maserati intends to use the GranTurismo MC more extensively by organizing a one-make racing series for gentleman-drivers, much like the Ferrari Challenge or Lamborghini SuperTrofeo.

The GranTurismo MC is priced at 130,00 Euro, or roughly $170,000.

GALLERY: Maserati GranTurismo MC

Official release after the jump:

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Steven Saleen’s new company, SMS Supercars, has just release some important details on its upcoming versions of the 2010 Ford Mustang. And as expected, the performance is impressive.

Two models will initially be available, the SMS 460 and SMS 460X. The 460X is the big power option with an SMS 296 Supercharger bolted to a completely reworked 4.6-liter engine that will boast a displacement of 5.0-liters. As well as the displacement increase, the new 5.0-liter motor will also get significantly revised heads. The result of all these modifications will be 655hp and 600 ft-lbs of torque!

A less outrageous option is also offered, the 460, which includes the SMS 296 blower but not the added engine work. Power is rated at a still-impressive 470hp and 427 ft-lbs of torque

Both models are expected to hit 60 mph in the low 4 second range.

The new 2010 Mustang SMS 460 models will feature a unique exterior (shown above in a sketch released by the company) with a new front splitter, side skirts, rear bumper and diffuser, as well as a new rear spoiler and the SMS Red Butterfly Air Induction Hood.

Of course, the SMS 460 Mustangs won’t just be straight -line performers and will include a revised suspension setup and  powerful new brakes. Also look for impressive interior work with plenty of leather and Alcantara.

Official release after the jump:

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If Q1 results are any indication, VW may overtake Toyota as the number one car manufacturer by sales in 2009, and this comes before the German automaker starts selling its new sixth-generation Golf.

Just a few weeks ago we reported that industry research firm R.L. Polk predicted  Volkswagen would overtake General Motors as the world’s second-largest automaker in 2009. While not entirely a surprise, what is shocking news is that VW may actually claim the number one spot, limiting Toyota’s run at the top to just one year.

The news comes as first quarter sales figures begin to trickle in. Volkswagen sold roughly 1.39 million vehicles during Q1 for 2009, this compares to Toyota’s forecasted figure of 1.23 million vehicles.

The worldwide economic downturn is as much to blame for Toyota’s poor fortunes, as it is to credit for VW’s good ones. Toyota’s forecast is down 47 percent from Q1 last year, while VW managed to gain market share despite an overall decrease in sales. VW’s Q1 results give the company  an 11 percent market share worldwide.

“Volkswagen has the luck of being strong in the markets that are currently growing, while Toyota is exposed to those that are collapsing,” Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, head of the Center for Automotive Research in Gelsenkirchen told Automotive News.

While Toyota has been exposed to the most troubled international markets, Volkswagen has not – due in part to its relatively small share of the U.S. market. Volkswagen can also thank strong sales in China and Brasil, as well as right at home in Germany – thanks to strong incentive programs by both VW and the German government. In Germany during Q1, car sales actually increased by 4.5 percent.

During the first quarter of 2008, VW sold just 1.57 million vehicles, as compared to Toyota’s 2.41 million, and with numbers like that it’s no wonder just a year ago VW’s claim of becoming the world’s largest automaker by 2018 seemed like a pipe-dream. A worldwide recession certainly can change things.

[Source: Automotive News]