With both Honda and BMW already announcing that they will not return to Formula 1 next year, now Mercedes’s involvement in the series has come into doubt. Helmut Lense, a member of the board for Mercedes’s parent company Daimler recently told a German newspaper that the company’s involvement in the world’s top level of motorsports is open for debate. “This discussion will surely continue to heat up in light of BMW’s withdrawal,” he told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.

Lense has made no secret of where he sits on the issue and was quoted earlier this year, stating that Mercedes might get better use out of its money by dedicating its resources to other projects. He did not, however, specify what those projects might be.

After BMW made its decision to pull from the series after the 2009 season, Mercedes reiterated its commitment to F1. A spokesman for the company said that BMW’s decision, “does not have any influence on our Formula One engagement.”

Currently Mercedes supplies engines to the McLaren racing team as well as the Force India and Brawn GP teams.

[Source: F1-Live.com]

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 hefty crossover.

Along with that grille is an entirely new front bumper, a redesigned hood, new side skirts, new taillights with brighter LEDs and a new rear bumper with “rolled edge” exhaust pipes. A set of lighter 18-inch wheels comes standard with optional 19-inchers.

Output from Acura’s largest V6 engine remains the same at 300hp and 270 ft-lbs of torque, but the 3.7-liter unit gets paired with a six-speed transmission. The addition of one gear over last year’s model should net some improvement in acceleration, although the difference is no-doubt minute. Instead Acura has used the extra gear to help improve fuel-economy. The 2010 MDX is now rated at 16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, an improvement of 1 mpg in each category over the previous model.

The biggest news for potential buyers might just be the optional Advance Package, which includes state of the art technology for added performance, convenience and safety. Along with a new power steering system, suspension adjustments and a stiffer chassis, the Advance Package adds an Active Damper System, similar to the one found on the Ferrari 599 or Corvette Z06. This system uses Magneto-Rheological shocks that can adjust individually in as little as five milliseconds to deliver not only a sportier ride, but also a more comfortable one. Additional features of the Advance Package include a Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a blind spot information system (BSI), auto-leveling HID headlights and larger 19-inch wheels.

GALLERY: 2010 Acura MDX

Keep reading for full details on the 2010 Acura MDX

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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 to the fact that in July Subaru brought the new 2010 Legacy and Outback to dealerships, both the Forester and Impreza out-paced the new models. Outback sales were up 33 percent over last July, while Legacy sales were up 34 percent. The Forester posted a 36 percent increase while the Impreza wracked up an amazing 41 percent climb. In fact, the only model to suffer decline was the Tribeca SUV, which is sold in such small volume anyway that it doesn’t have much of an effect on overall sales.

“Our sales reflect that our brand has solidly connected with customers,” said Subaru of America executive VP and COO Tom Doll. ”We have been consistent with everything we have done to build not only safe, durable, fun-to-drive vehicles, but also the Subaru brand.”

Official release after the jump:

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While Lotus’s philosophy of making its cars as light weight as possible has obvious benefits on the race track, owners of non-supercharged Elise and Exige models can attest to the fact that the tiny Toyota-sourced engines don’t always deliver the sort of thrust one might hope for.

To help remedy this situation Lotus has just announced a new factory engineered, warrantied and 50 state legal supercharger kit. Using the same supercharger and intake manifold as found on the Elise SC, this kit also includes high flow fuel injectors and a reprogrammed ECU which can be bought and installed at any authorized Lotus dealer in the U.S. and Canada.

Compatible with any  Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine the Lotus supercharger kit boost engine output from 189hp to 218hp and torque from 133 ft-lbs to 155 ft-lbs. Torque also comes on earlier at just 5000 rpm (as opposed to 6800 rpm in the naturally aspirated mode) to deliver a stronger powerband.

“Lotus Elise and Exige owners are genuine driving enthusiasts and that’s what has attracted them to Lotus cars in the first place,” said Lotus Cars USA, Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “They will fully appreciate the dramatically enhanced driving character these Lotus Supercharger Kits will bring their vehicles and the peace of mind from a fully warranted, factory engineered kit.”

Official release after the jump:

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With the current state of affairs in the auto industry, smaller than expected losses have been cause to celebrate, so imagine the party the folks over at Ford must be having right now as the company announced today that it actually posted a sales gain.

Last month Ford’s 10 percent loss was seen as a sign that Ford is on the right track and that the economy might just be recovering. This month the American automaker posted a two percent increase compared to the same month a year earlier. But that number doesn’t even tell the whole story as retail sales were actually up nine percent. Less impressive fleet sales (notorious for low profit margins) curbed that number down to two percent.

As a sign that Ford is not only fighting off this recession, but that the automaker is actually producing products that consumers want to buy, this sales gain is the first since November 2007.

Ford’s sales and marketing VP Ken Czubay credited the company’s fuel-efficient vehicles, combined with the government’s Cash-for-Clunkers program for the positive results. “We had another strong month in progress before the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program started,” he said. “Our products, our dealers and our advance preparation enabled us to leverage the program and drive traffic and sales to another level. In addition, we achieved a sales increase even though we decreased incentive spending in an increasingly competitive environment.”

Particularly successful models for Ford included the Fusion, Escape, Ranger and Flex. Fusion sales were up 66 percent; Escape sales were up 94 percent; while Ranger and Flex sales were both up 65 percent over a year ago. In addition Ford saw a drastic increase in the number of customers opting for hybrids, with Ford’s hybrid lineup (including the Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner) posting an increase of 323 percent.

Official release after the jump:

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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 spokesperson from Acura Canada told AutoGuide that there just isn’t a market for a front-wheel drive model in this segment, which makes particular sense considering how suited the AWD model is to the Canadian climate.

But not to worry, you fuel-conscious Canadians. Acura Canada says the new RDX (in AWD trim) gets improved fuel-economy by as much as 8 percent. This was achieved through the use of higher fourth and fifth gears, better aerodynamics and an improved lock-up clutch. The new Transport Canada fuel-economy rating for the RDX is 11.7 L/100km city (20.1 mpg)  and 8.7 L/100km highway (27 mpg), for a total combined average of  10.3 L/100 km (22.8 mpg), as compared to 11.1 L/100km (21.2 mpg) on last year’s model.

The 2010 RDX continues to be powered by Acura’s turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine with 240hp and 260 ft-lbs of torque.

Outside the RDX gets Acura’s new corporate “shield” front fascia, a near rear bumper with hexagonal exhaust pipes and redesigned 18-inch wheels. New standard equipment includes a backup camera an electronic compass and USB connectivity.

Official release after the jump:

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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 mpg or 10 mpg (respectively) more than the vehicle being traded in.

One vehicle that has already received some fuel-efficiency revisions in the Sentra, which reportedly gets a short list of minor modifications to improve overall fuel-economy by 1 mpg. That may not sound like much, but every small 1 mpg step means a lot of three and nine mpg differences just became four and 10 mpg differences and Nissan just attracted a lot of new bargain-hunting customers.

The revised Sentra is currently being evaluated by the EPA and Nissan will no doubt send out an official press release once the new fuel-economy rating has been approved.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

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 charge. The batteries will be able to be charged up to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes with a special quick charger, or in roughly eight hours through a standard 200V outlet. Nissan says that through extensive research the 100 mile range will be suitable for 70 percent of car buyers.

Output from the lithium-ion battery packs is rated at 80kW/280Nm, (107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque), which should make this sub-compact a sporty little car.

Pricing has yet to be released but Nissan aims to give the LEAF an MSRP competitive with well-equipped C-segment cars. That should put it near the $20,000 mark. The car will also qualify for government rebates and tax incentives desigend to help promote the sale of fuel-efficient cars.

“Our car had to be the world’s first, medium-sized, practical EV that motorists could afford and would want to use every day. And that’s what we’ve created. The styling will identify not only Nissan LEAF but also the owner as a participant in the new era of zero-emission mobility,” said the LEAF product boss Masato Inoue.

The first LEAFs will be built at Nissan’s plant in Oppama, Japan with plans to also start production soon at the company’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant. The LEAF is the first of three electric vehicles that Nissan plans to launch in the next few years.

 ”The Nissan LEAF is a tremendous accomplishment – one in with all Nissan employees can take great pride,” said Nissan President Carlos Ghosn. “We have been working tirelessly to make this day a reality – the unveiling of a real-world car that has zero – not simply reduced – emissions. It’s the first step in what is sure to be an exciting journey – for people all over the world, for Nissan and for the industry.”

GALLERY: 2010 Nissan LEAF

Official release after the jump:

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