The 2011 Infiniti M luxury sedan hasn’t even made it’s debut yet and already Nissan’s luxury arm has announced that a hybrid version of the M will be offered.

The new model will make use of the Infiniti 3.5-liter V6 engine, along with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack to deliver high levels of performance. Called the M35 Hybrid, it will be a full hybrid with the ability to operate on either gasoline, electric power or a combination of both.

This will be Infiniti’s first hybrid model and it promises to be the most fuel efficient vehicle the company has ever made.

The standard M37 and M50 models will arrive in 2010 as 2011 models, with the M35 Hybrid debuting and going on sale a year afterward.

GALLERY: 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid

Official release after the jump:

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Honda has just released images of the new 2010 Accord Crosstour’s interior and some details about a functional rear storage area.

Inside, the new crossover gets a familiar Accord-like cockpit, but with a slightly thicker center console to give a more truck-like feel. As for the cargo area, it certainly looks massive (although no statistics on the exact cubic feet have been released). Underneath the cargo area floor is an 8-inch deep “Hidden Removable Utility Box.” In addition, the Crosstour will get handy levers near the fender wells, allowing for the rear seatbacks to fold flat in a simple one-touch process.

“Honda has a longstanding reputation for maximizing interior space and utility in its vehicles,” said Erik Berkman, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Like the award-winning Honda Fit, the Accord Crosstour uses a versatile design to create an interior that functions with the practicality of a larger vehicle.”

The Accord Crosstour will be offered exclusively with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, which we suspect will have the same 268-hp and 248 ft-lb output as in the Accord. Both a front-drive and all-wheel drive model will be offered with sales starting in November.

GALLERY: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

Official images after the jump:

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Saab has secured a $610 million loan from the European Investment Bank after the Swedish government said it would stand behind the loan.

This may just be the last step in finalizing the sale of Saab to a group of investors headed by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg. The sale of Saab by General Motors to the Koenigsegg group was thought to be in jeopardy, as additional funding to invest in future Saab products was required.

Koenigsegg has said it is looking for additional investors in the company and recently announced that China’s Beijing Auto would become a partial investor.

Keonigsegg has said it hopes to finalize the sale wth General Motor by the end of October.

GALLERY: 2011 Saab 9-5

[Source: Reuters]

In the latest chapter of the ongoing sage of corporate restructuring at General Motors, the company’s head of U.S. sales has announced his resignation. Mark La Neve, who became VP of sales and marketing in 2005, has said he will leave on October 15th. La Neve’s position has been in question since industry veteran Bob Lutz was appointed head of marketing when the company emerged from bankruptcy.

“Mark’s going to join another company to pursue an interest outside the auto industry,” said company CEO Fritz Henderson.

La Neve’s departure comes as GM continues to struggle during the worst economic climate in the past several decades. For the first nine months of 2009, GM’s sales have dropped 36 percent.

Henderson commented that the company may look externally for an outside replacement for La Neve.

[Source: Automotive News]

Lexus has announced that along with the world premiere of a new two seater supercar concept, it will show the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept for the first time in Japan. Unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the LF-Ch is expected to lead to a production model, in Europe, by 2011.

Lexus sees the premium compact segment as an important one in Europe and wants to build the LF-Ch hatchback to compete directly with cars like the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volvo C30.

Recently Lexus also posted a survey on it’s U.S. website, polling consumers on if the LF-Ch would be a viable vehicle for the North American market. With this debut in Japan, one has to think Toyota’s luxury arm is also thinking about a road-going LF-Ch for its home market as well.

Lexus has been typically tight-lipped about the LF-Ch concept, but it has registered the CT200h name in North America, suggesting that is what the car will eventually be called. We should also expect a hybrid powerplant aimed at giving higher performance with increased fuel economy.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Ch Concept

***UPDATE*** A video showing the production version LFA has been released, showing the car lapping the Nürburgring. A selection of photos has also leaked. See both below ***UPDATE***

Lexus first showed the LF-A concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, back in 2007 and has been incredibly slow about bringing the car to market. The lengthy process appears to have just gotten a little longer as Lexus has promised the world premiere of a two seat supercar at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks time. The only problem is, the automaker is still referring to it as a concept.

In an incredibly brief press release, Lexus said that, “This concept vehicle epitomizes the purest form of driving exhilaration and performance.”

The car is rumored to have a 5.0-liter V10 making as much as 500hp, with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and paddle shift transmission. Lexus has said the car will have a top speed in excess of 200 mph.

We expect this latest version of the LF-A to be extremely close to the production model and to learn more about the car’s performance capabilities.

GALLERY: Official Lexus LFA Photos

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Hyundai has just announced that a new “Blue Edition” Accent model will join the “Blue Edition” Elantra, offering improved fuel economy for a car that’s already great on gas. Hyundai says the new 3-door hatchback model offers a 9 percent improvement in fuel economy with a new rating of 27/36 mpg (city/highway) with either the five-speed manual or the four-speed automatic. This results in a combined rating of 31 mpg.

The rest of the Accent line will also get fuel-economy improvements of 4 percent in the city and 3 percent on the highway. This was achieved through the use of lower friction engine parts, improvements in aerodynamics, the use of low rolling resistance tires and a “smart” alternator management system that doesn’t take as much power off the engine. The Accent Blue gets these improvements, as well as new gear ratios and a lowered ride height.

Hyundai hasn’t released full pricing for 2010, but has said the Blue Edition will cost around $10,000.

All automatic transmission models will also get a green ECO light, which illuminates when the driver is getting good fuel economy, while manual transmission models will get an EcoShift indicator which tells them when the best time to shift is.

Standard equipment on the Blue Editon Accent includes a five-speed manual transmission, six airbags, variable intermittent windshield wipers, a six-way adjustable driver seat with armrest, a 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback and a rear spoiler.

See the full list of the 2010 Accent models and their fuel economy improvements after the jump:

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Toyota’s new FT-86 Concept car hasn’t even received its official unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Show and yet its already made its video game debut. Toyota has released a short clip of the FT-86 in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 game. There are plenty of great clips of the stunning new Toyota, and even a nice under-hood shot of the Subaru-sourced boxer engine.

As expected there’s also some nice running footage of the FT-86 drifting alongside its inspirational predecessor, the AE-86.

Toyota hasn’t made any official announcement yet, but you can be sure this car is headed for production in the very near future.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86 Concept

Get more FT-86 News Here

As though there was any doubt, the 2009 SEMA Show is gearing up to be an exhibition of modified Hyundais. The tuning experts at GReddy have announced that they will be bringing a Genesis Coupe 2.0T, with all sorts of aftermarket goodies and an expected power output of 350-hp and 320 ft-lbs of torque.

Called the GReddy X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe, the Hyundai will get a larger turbocharger, MX racing downpipe, a front-mount intercooler and SE Spectrum Elite cat-back exhaust. A big brake upgrade and lowered suspension will also be a part of the package, as will a list of body modifications that include a carbon fiber front lip, hood and trunck. Volk Wheels and Toyo have also joined in to supply wheels and tires.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on the GReddy X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe, with coverage of the 2009 SEMA Show starting November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

[Source: MotorTrend]

Ford has announced that the 2011 Fiesta will officially debut at the L.A. Auto Show this December. While no official details have been released, expect it to be quite similar to the European versions. Both a hatchback and a sedan model will be offered.

We recently tested a European-spec version of the Fiesta and we were impressed with practically every aspect of it. From the interior and exterior design, to the materials used and especially the handling and steering, the Euro-spec car is easily the closes thing we’ve driven in the sub-compact class to the Honda Fit.

Power in the European models is rated at 119hp, which is generated from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. Hopefully Ford will keep this powerplant, and offer the six-speed manual transmission as well.

See our review of the European Ford Fiesta below and check out our video review after the jump:

Ford Fiesta Euro-Spec First Drive

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

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