Lotus has just unveiled its 2010 Formula 1 car as the historic British automaker returns to the top tier of motorsports after a very long absence. Backed by the Malaysian government, the new Lotus team will field two cars, driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

Earlier in the week, the car made its first test laps during a shakedown session at the famous Silverstone track in the U.K., piloted by test driver Fairuz Fauzy.

The 2010 F1 season is shaping up to be an interesting one with three other rookie teams (Campos, Manor and US F1) joining Lotus to make up a 26 car grid. The season starts March 12 in Bahrain.

Find out more at the Lotus Racing fan site here and check out the videos below:

http://www.lotusracing.my/

GALLERY: Lotus Cosworth T127

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Nissan displayed the Stillen GT-R at its exhibit at the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show.

Built in 2009 by Steve Millen and the rest of the Stillen team, the one-off GT-R competed at the Targa Newfoundland race.

The Stillen GT-R was clocked a 0-60 run in 2.9 seconds, quicker than the stock version’s 3.5 seconds. The Stillen GT-R ran an 11.0 second quarter mile, registering a speed of 127.9 mph, (compared to the stock version’s 11.7 seconds and 120.4 mph) and reached a speed of 130 mph in 11.4 seconds (compared to the stock version’s 14.0 seconds.

Millen and his crew will next enter the GT-R at Targa Canada West, May 24 in British Columbia.

Gallery: Stillen GT-R

Lexus will unveil the first full-hybrid premium compact car at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Called the CT200h, it is inspired by the LF-Ch concept that the automaker debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year.

Interestingly, the teaser image that Lexus has sent us looks more like a sedan than the LF-Ch hatchback we’ve been seeing, but that’s probably to keep people guessing. Lexus is eager to get into the premium hatchback market in Europe, competing against models like the Audi A3 and Volvo C3, as well as against vehicles like the BMW 1 Series.

Under the hood we’re likely to find either the same hybrid setup as found in the Prius or the Lexus HS250h. We’re certainly hoping it’s the latter, which still only delivers a modest 187-hp. And if the HS250 is any estimate, then it should get close to 35 mpg (combined).

Lexus initially said the CT200h would not be offered in North America, but it has since been showing it at several different venues (including the LA Auto Show) in order to gauge interest on this side of the Atlantic.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on the CT200h, with live coverage of the Geneva Auto Show starting March 1st.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

Official release after the jump:

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With Chevy set to begin selling the Volt later this year, Nissan will be ready to compete in the ultra-green category with its Leaf electric car. Nissan will begin taking orders for the car in August, with deliveries in December. Those eligible will have to live in an area where Nissan is working with local authorities to build an electric-car infrastructure. This includes the Phoenix-Tucson region of Arizona, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee. Funding provided by the Department of Energy will go towards creating the world’s larges EV infrastructure project in the five regions, with 6,510 public charging stations and 4,700 home charging stations.

The Leaf can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge, and can be charged up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes using a special quick charger. Traditional charging takes about 8 hours. Power for the car comes from a lithium-ion battery pack with 80kW/280Nm, (107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque).

Pricing for the Leaf will be released in April.

See below for a quick glimpse at Nissan’s marketing campaign for the Leaf or see after the jump for more on the car. Those interested in keeping up to date on the Leaf and who might be interested in owning one of the world’s first mass-market electric cars, can sign up for more info here:

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/opt-in/en/index.jsp

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Official release after the jump:

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Ahead of its official debut at the Geneva Auto Show in early March, Volkswagen has decided to show-off its all-new 2011 Touareg SUV. Well, to be more specific, VW has decided to show us the new Touareg in Hybrid trim. That’s right, a hybrid second-generation Touareg, complete with a supercharged and direct-injection 3.0-liter V6, electric motor and eight-speed automatic transmission. The result is a combined fuel economy rating of 28.6 mpg in the EU cycle, which is likely to be more like 24-mpg combined for the U.S. That’s good, but not as impressive as you might think, when compared to the current TDI model with a rating of almost 32 mpg. Other engines offered include a 3.6-liter V6, as well as a 335-hp 4.2-liter TDI V8 (which won’t be available in North America).

Expect big gains in fuel economy across the vehicle range due to the 8-speed tranny as well as a vastly lighter overall weight (by 460 lbs). VW says the new SUV is 20 percent more efficient than the outgoing model.

As for style, we’re not sure if all the models (or just the hybrid) will have as low-slung a body, but we hope so. The SUV now looks considerably more crossover-like, with a sporty style that includes the two-bar grille found on the current Golf.

And while it may look like a crossover, the Touareg remains an SUV with true off-road capability. Gasoline models get VW’s 4MOTION system with all-wheel drive, a Torsen limited-slip differential and an off-road driving program that increases the threshold for ABS, EDS and ASR, while activating Hill Descent Assist and adjusting the transmission shift points. The V6 TDI can be had with an optional Terrain Tech Packet with a more rugged transfer case, as well as reduction gearing and both center and rear locking differentials. Like the first-generation model, the new Touareg has a rotary switch to control the different off-road settings. The five modes include: On-Road; Off-Road; Low, which includes off-road plus reduced gearing, higher shift points and no automatic upshift in manual mode; The addition of the center differential lock; and finally the addition of the rear differential lock. VW makes the rather (and almost absurd) claim that this AWD system allows the new Touareg to, “conquer any terrain on Earth.”

We’re not sure about that, but it sounds like a capable machine and certainly looks a lot better.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on the all-new Touareg with live coverage of the Geneva Auto Show starting March 1st.

Click here for AutoGuide’s live 2010 Geneva Auto Show coverage starting Monday, March 1st.

GALLERY: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

Official release after the jump:

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With a mild facelift for 2011, the important changes to the Hyundai Azera come as a result of changes to the two V6 engines, delivering more power and improved fuel economy. Both the standard 3.3-liter V6 and optional 3.8-liter V6 are still part of the package, but both mills now get added power and improved fuel economy thanks to DCVVT (Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing) and a new six-seed automatic transmission. Output for the 3.3-liter V6 is now rated at 260-hp and 233 ft-lbs of torque, an improvement of 26-hp and 7 ft-lbs respectively. Fuel economy is also up, rated at 20-mpg city, 28-mpg highway, an improvement of 11 and 8 percent

As for the 3.8-liter V6, it now makes 283-hp and 263 ft-lbs of torque (and improvement of 20-hp and 6 ft-lbs), while delivering 19-mpg city and 27-mpg highway (and improvement of 12 and 4 percent).

Other highlights include revised headlights and taillights, with revised front and rear bumpers, as well as some new wheel designs.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Azera

Get all the details on the 2011 Azera after the jump:

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Toyota has made the bold move to turn down a prestigious Japanese automotive award, given to the automaker for the new Prius model just days after a recall was announced for the hybrid’s ABS brake system.

The award, handed out annually by the Japanese Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry celebrates a vehicle’s energy efficiency. Not only is the new 2010 Prius a fuel-economy leader, but it was also the top selling model in Japan last year. Toyota cited the Prius’ recall and said it would be appropriate considering the circumstances.

Toyota has not commented if it will also turn down Motor Week’s Best of the Year award, which was just announced last Thursday.

[Source: InsideLine]

Times might be tough in the world of exotic sports car sales, but Lamborghini continues to grow as an automaker announcing that the 4,000th Murciélago model has just rolled off the production line, destined for a customer in China.

Introduced back in 2001, the Murciélago has been a much larger success than its predecessor, the Diabo, which totaled 2,900 units over its 11 year production run. “The enthusiasm our products incite makes us proud and confirms that the company’s product strategy and model range are a winning combination, producing exceptionally desirable super sportscars,” said company President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann.

The 4,000th Murcie is no standard model either, but rather an ultra high performance LP670-4 SuperVeloce with 670-hp and significant weight reduction. Lamborghini claims a 0-62 mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 212 mph.

With 4,000 units now sold at a base price of at least $300,000 (most models costing much more than that), the company has moved at least $1.2 Billion worth of Murciélagos. Lambo’s more populist model, the Gallardo has been an even larger success with almost 10,000 units sold since 2003.

Official release after the jump:

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Honda will deliver an all-new second-generation Ridgeline pickup for the 2011 model year. Vicki Poponi, Honda’s VP of product planning told PickupTrucks.com in an interview that the truck will arrive in 2011 as a 2011 model year, so expect it very early on – likely at the Detroit Auto Show.

Introduced in 2005 the Ridgeline embodies Honda’s “I did it my way” philosophy, which sometimes works. In the case of the Ridgeline it certainly didn’t, with low sales that keep getting lower. Last year Honda moved just 16,464 Ridgelines, a drop of over 50 percent from the year before.

And while the truck was never intended to appeal to the hard-core truck audience, it’s even loosing ground with its less-traditional customer due to fuel economy that is less than stellar – particularly for a Honda. So expect a more fuel-efficient engine and improved aerodynamics, for starters. Otherwise, it’s likely to keep the crew-cab layout with an independent rear suspension. Knowing Honda, we expect some impressive new innovations as well.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

During a speech to the Chicago Economic Club during the Chicago Auto Show earlier this week, Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles confirmed that the Fiat 500 will be on sale in the U.S. before the end of the year. While Fiat is planning to sell many of its models rebadged as Chrysler and Dodge products, the tiny 500 model will be responsible for leading the Fiat brand’s charge back into the U.S. market.

Chrysler will produce the car in Mexico, where it expects to build from 100,000 to 130,000 units for sale in North and South America. Fiat believes that while the car’s tiny size (essentially making it only suitable for two) is diminutive, considering the success MINI has had, the 500 still has a shot in the U.S. market.

When it arrives in the U.S., the 500 will be powered by Fiat’s 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine making 100-hp and 95 ft-lbs of torque. That certainly isn’t much, but then the 500 doesn’t weigh much either. We’re just awaiting word on the 170-hp Abarth version, a model that would compete with MINI’s Cooper S.

[Source: Twitter and InsideLine]