After building up a reputation as a top level Corvette tuner, Lingenfelter engineering is taking what they know about the Chevy sports car and adapting it to the bowtie brand’s newest performance machine, the Camaro. Set to be unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in just a few weeks, Lingenfelter has taken a Camaro SS and tossed the car’s factory 426-hp 6.2-liter V8 in favor of the Corvette Z06′s 505-hp 7.0-liter LS7 engine. And that’s not all. Known for their expertise in forced induction, the boys at Lingenfelter have then gone and strapped a supercharger to the big 427 to make no less than 750-hp.

The engine has even been built up to take all the extra boost with JE Pistons, titanium intake valves and Iconel exhaust valves – the same material used for making Formula One exhaust systems.

For the build Lingenfelter teamed up wit the suspension experts at Hotchkis for what they call a, “Total Vehicle System,” complete with springs, sway bars and a subframe brace – which is sure to be needed with 750-hp and (we imagine) an equal amount of torque. The shocks are a Lingenfelter/Sachs combo. On to of these addition, there’s a big set of Brembo bakes, big 20-inch Pirelli tires on LPE wheels and a pretty wild aero kit complete wit carbon fiber additions.

“Over the years we have been involved in dozens of OEM and racing development programs, but this one is special,” said Hotchkis Performance president John Hotchkis. “Lingenfelter builds some of the fastest, coolest and most refined domestic supercars in the world, and the fact that they asked us to help develop the suspension for a 200 mph Camaro and then offered to debut the car in our booth is very exciting. Everyone in attendance will certainly be impressed with this stunning piece of high-performance engineering.”

We’ll be sure to bring you plenty of photos of the Lingenfelter Camaro with live coverage of the 2009 SEMA Show starting November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

GALLERY: Lingenfelter/Hotchkis Camaro

See the full list of vehicle specs after the jump:

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Honda announced a production version of its CR-Z hybrid concept will be introduced to North America in the second half of 2010.

As the second version of the CR-Z concept was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show, Honda announced the production version will be a sporty 2-seat hybrid, the first hybrid car set up with a manual transmission.

Power for the CR-Z comes from a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. This 200cc of added displacement over the 1.3-liter engine found in both the Civic Hybrid and Insight should help put more of a focus on performance.

The production version of the CR-Z will debut in January at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

GALLERY: Honda CR-Z Concept

Nissan President Carlos Ghosn has confirmed that the automaker is getting ready to bring several electric vehicles to market, including one sold under the Infiniti brand. Ghosn made the announcement at the Tokyo Auto Show, where the brand officially unveiled the Nissan Leaf electric car as well as the strange Land Glider concept, which is also being studied as a fourth electric vehicle.

An Infiniti electric concept vehicle is currently being prepared that will be a compact four seater with typical Infiniti luxury and style.

No additional details were given, including if the four-seater would be a small sedan or a 2+2 coupe. Regardless, it is sure to take design cues from the Essence concept that was first shown at the Geneva Autpp Show last March.

Official release after the jump:

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It is undeniably the most expensive Lexus, the company has ever created. The LFA supercar, priced at $375,000 is aimed at raising Lexus from a German imitator to an Italian rival. Aimed at cars like the Ferrari 599, the LFA is powered by a 4.8-liter V10 engine with 560 PS (552hp) and 354 ft-lbs of torque and thanks to a six-speed sequential transmission and a weight of just 3,263 lbs, the LFA can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and tops out a 202 mph!

Lexus says the V10 engine they have created is both smaller and lighter than most V8 engines. It also uses 10 individual electronic throttle bodies for the best possible throttle response. As the the body of the car it uses carbon fiber, which is joined to the car’s metal pieces in a special process the Japanese automaker has developed.

As rumored, the car does use a carbon fiber cabin structure (often referred to as a monocoque), which is why the vehicle weighs so little. Until now production vehicles with such a setup were limited to even more expensive vehicles, like the upcoming Aston Martin One-77, which is rumored to cost close to $1.7 million.

Lexus calls the car, “Ultra-responsive and extremely stable even when taken to the edge,” saying that, “the LFA creates a sense of reassurance that opens up a new world of driving emotion, exhilarating the senses to move the driver in more ways than one.” We’ll have to wait until some serious track tests to see if the car performs like it costs.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

Official release after the jump:

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Along with its announced plans for Formula One next season, British sports car maker Lotus is also looking at expanding its racing efforts to include IndyCar, GT and Le Mans racing. Newly appointed company CEO Dany Bahar made the announcement to employees, stating that Lotus is studying expanding its racing efforts under a new corporate outlook.

Bahar, who comes from working for Red Bull’s Formula 1 team and as the former head of marketing for Ferrari has ambitious plans to return Lotus to its former position as a motorsports leader, using motorsports as a way to brand the company’s road cars, while using technology gained from racing efforts to help improve those very cars and develop new ones.

Lotus has made known plans to field a two car Evora team at next years Nürburgring 24 Hour race but now it appears as though as more long term plan may be coming into place.

No official decision has been made but we expect to see Lotus cars racing in the European and American Le Mans series in the near future.

[Source: AutoCar]

Official images and specs of the Lexus LFA supercar have just emerged prior to the car’s debut at the Tokyo Auto Show and it’s as impressive. Not only does it look spectacular, but it has an engine to back up all that angular sheetmetal – or should we say carbon fiber. In total 65 percent of the car’s body is made of the light-weight substance. As for under the hood, Toyota has developed a very special V10 engine with a displacement of 4.8-liters. In total it pumps out 560hp at 8700 rpm and 354 ft-lbs of torque at 6800 rpm.

With a six-speed sequential transmission and curb weight of just 3,263 lbs, the LFA has a per to weight ratio of 5.8 lbs/hp and can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and top at at 202 mph!

No official price as been listed for the new Lexus supercar, but production will be limited to just 500 units.

GALLERY: Official Lexus LFA Photos

[Source: OmniAuto]

Check out the full engine specs after the jump:

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This video has just been released on YouTube showing for the first time the undisguised production version of Lexus’s LF-A in a photo montage that includes production images of the car as well as some wild driving on the Nürburgring.

The car has yet to be officially unveiled but it is expected shortly as the Tokyo Auto Show kicks off tomorrow, October 21st. (In Tokyo, it is already the 21st).

No official details about the car have been confirmed but it is expected to use a 5.0-liter V10 engine making as much as 550hp and boasting a top speed of over 200 mph. Judging from the video, the V10 engine revs all the way to a lofty 9000 rpm.

In addition, it appears as though the car’s name will remain the same as the concept version, sans hyphen. Instead, it will henceforth be known as the LFA.

We’ll be sure to bring you more details as they emerge.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

GALLERY: Official Lexus LFA Photos

If the all-new Toyota Sai Hybrid looks familiar – it should. The new Toyota hybrid model is based very closely on the new Lexus HS platform. Sold as a premium Lexus luxury car in North America, the same car will be down-graded somewhat for sale in its home market. Even the design is almost identical (due to aerodynamic reasons), although the Sai does get some half-unique body panels, as well as head and taillights.

Like the HS, the Sai gets a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor and battery pack in true Hybrid Synergy Drive fashion. This is good for a total of 187hp,  a 0-60 mph time of 8.4 seconds and a rather incredible 54 mpg average fuel economy rating. That rating, says Toyota, puts the Sai on par with 660cc micro cars.

The Sai will go on sale soon in Japan as a slightly more up-market and more powerful alternative to the Prius.

GALLERY: 2010 Toyota Sai Hybrid

Official release after the jump:

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Nissan is working towards building a new global small car that will be sold in North America under the Versa. In many ways a successor to the Micra, which Nissan does not offer in the U.S., this new small vehicle platform will spawn a small sedan, hatchback and a multi-purpose vehicle.

Nissan is aiming to grow its share of the small car market and sell as many as one million units globally of this new “V platform” vehicle. Currently Nissan’s B Class vehicle, the Versa, is quite large for its class, which leaves room for a smaller car.

The Japanese automaker is keeping tight-lipped about the new car, but has said that it will be offered with a 3-cylinder engine. It is not known if that engine will be offered in North America. The company did release several design sketches of what the vehicle could look like. Production of the new model is expected soon with sales in the U.S. starting as early as 2011.

As for pricing, considering the base model Versa now starts at $9,990, expect a starting price below the $10,000 mark.

GALLERY: Nissan Global Small Car Concept

[Source: Autmotive News]

When Volkswagen’s new mid-sized sedan arrives in 2011, there is a strong possibility that it will replace, rather than join the Passat, in the German automaker’s lineup. VW Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby has said that the company is currently studying whether or not to keep the Passat, but all evidence points to its elimination.

Volkswagen has big plans to take on Toyota in the U.S. marketplace and to do so the company has finally admitted that its current lineup of European vehicles are just too small and too expensive for mainstream American tastes. That being said, if sales of the Passat are already not that great, offering a larger and less expensive vehicle certainly won’t help the car’s business case.

Last year VW sold just 30,034 Passat models, compared to a high of 96,142 in 2002. Sales for 2009 look even worse as the automaker has only managed to move 9,163, units so far. Volkswagen hopes to sell 100,000 units of the new mid-sized sedan initially with plans for increased market presence thereafter.

Currently the Passat sells from $27,695, while this new sedan is expected to be priced much closer to the $20,000-mark. The lower price comes as a result of the fact that VW will build the car in the U.S., at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant.

[Source: AutoWeek]