Over the past year, Chevy has been proud of the success of the new Camaro, with sales exceeding targets. The Camaro sold 61,648 units in 2009, just shy of the Mustang with 66,623, despite the fact that the Camaro wasn’t even on sale for a whole year. But now it appears as though the Camaro’s success has come at the expense of another Chevy, the iconic Corvette. Surprisingly, according to Wards Automotive data, the Camaro is the most cross-shopped vehicle with the Corvette, despite the significant price difference ($18,000) and performance potential.

Last year all sports cars saw a big dip in sales, but the Corvette really got rocked, with units sold down 48.3 percent compared to the year before. It’s not yet clear if this trend will continue as many factors may have contributed to potential Corvette buyers opting for a Camaro instead. The economic downturn is an obvious factor, as is the fact that the Camaro boasts a brand new style and is new on the market, while the current C6 Corvette has been around for over half a decade. Then there’s the obvious fact that a base Corvette and a top-level Camaro SS have roughly the same horsepower.

Supporting the Camaro cannibalization theory, however, is the fact that while sports cars often rely on high-volume V6 sales, up to two-thirds of Camaro buyers opted for the V8. How many of them were really interested in a Corvette we’ll never known.

[Source: Wards Automotive]

Back in 1980, General Motors toyed with the idea of producing a 4-door Corvette America. A prototype was built but the project was later dropped. As absurd as the concept sounds, GM now appears to be revisiting the idea and with Porsche seeing great success with its Panamera, the 4-door Vette might very well see reality three decades later.

According to a report by Wards Automotive, news of the rebirth of the Corvette America comes from none other than soon-to-retire GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, although its not clear that a 4-door Vette would actually wear the Corvette name. In fact, we’d think such a model would make more sense as a Cadillac, although considering the CTS-V, there might not be enough to differentiate the two.

Creating a 4-door Corvette would also allow Chevy to introduce a higher-volume V6-powered version, an idea it has debated in the past with the 2-door Corvette as a way to attract female buyers and those less interested in the car’s V8 performance and more its stylish good looks.

Aficionados of the car will no doubt have great disdain for the idea, but it may help GM reduce costs, increase profitability and offer a unique product. Would it devalue the Corvette name? Probably not, considering the Panamera doesn’t seem to have hurt the Porsche 911. Would it be hideous? Quite possibly. But again, that hasn’t seem to hamper sales of Porsche’s new 4-door.

[Source: Wards Automotive]

For the third straight year in a row Lexus will compete at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race, once again using one of its LFA supercars. And much like the past two years, the team will be operated by Gazoo Racing, which fields Lexus race cars in Japan’s Super GT series.

There’s no word from Lexus yet on what class the LFA will run in but judging from the pictures it seems like a more track-focused model than the past pre-production models. Lexus also isn’t messing around when it comes to racing talent, fielding a team of six Japanese and German drivers with some very impressive resumes. Included among them are six-time Super Taikyu Endurance Series champion Takayuki Kinoshita, 2002 JGTC GT500 winner Akira Iida and 2008 Nürburgring 24 Hour second place finisher Jochen Krumbach.

This year’s Nürburgring 24 Hour races takes place from May 13 to 16th and we’ll be sure to keep an eye on Lexus’ efforts.

News of this new Nürburgring racer comes just a day after rumors of a Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition surfaced.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA Nürburgring Racer

Official release after the jump:

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Not only does Ford‘s new 5.0-liter V8 for the 2011 Mustang GT make incredible amounts of horsepower, but it also achieves best-in-class fuel economy. Thanks in part to a new six-speed transmission and Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT), it gets 17/26 mpg (city/highway) with the automatic and 18/25 mpg with the manual.  This is an improvement over the 15/22 mpg (auto) and 15/23 (manual) rating for the old 4.6-liter V8, while delivering almost 100 more horsepower. The V6 Mustang also gets a class-best rating of 19/31 mpg (automatic)

In comparison, the new 2011 Mustang GT edges out the Camaro SS which has a rating of 16/25 mpg with the auto and 16/24 mpg with the automatic.

We’re sure most Mustang GT shoppers won’t be too concerned with fuel economy numbers, but less money spent at the pumps is always a good thing – especially if you’re looking to throw on a few aftermarket parts.

Official release after the jump:

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According to the most recent numbers released by Kelley Blue Book, Hyundai now has the strongest brand loyalty among its customers. Over the past year Hyundai owners looking to purchase another Hyundai went up 10.4 percent to a total of 56.4 percent, outranking long-time first-place brand Toyota. Honda, meanwhile, continues to hold on to the second place position.

KBB lists the reason for the jump as both the result of exciting new products from Hyundai like the Sonata and Tucson as well as the Korean automaker benefiting from other factors. Included in those are the Toyota’s recent recall woes and relatively stale products by Honda.

Hyundai has also finally entered onto KBB’s Top 10 Most-Researched New Vehicles list, with the new 2011 Hyundai Sonata now ranking fifth in February, surppassed only by such industry mainstays as the Accord, Civic, Camry and CR-V.

Official release after the jump:

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Receiving its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show just a few weeks ago, Porsche will unveil the high-performance 911 Turbo S model at the New York Auto Show for the first time in the U.S. on March 31st.

With the current Turbo having been around for a few years and having just received a mid-cycle update it was only time before a top-level S model arrived. In keeping with tradition, the S debuts with more power, pushing the twin-turbo flat-six to 530-hp – the very same amount produced by the GT2. Torque has also been upped to 516 ft-lbs enabling an alarmingly fast 0-62 mph time of just 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 196-mph. Power is transmitted to the ground with all four wheels via Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters.

Other highlights include launch control, the Sport Chrono Package, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) and 19-inch center-locking RS Spyder style wheels (yummy). As expected, both a coupe and cabriolet model will be offered

Pricing for the car in North American is likely to be announced at the NY Auto Show debut.

Unfortunately, some other important Geneva show cars, like the GT3 R Hybrid race car and 918 Spyder, will not be on display in NY.

GALLERY: 2011 Porsche  911 Turbo S

Once again the rumors were correct with VW now officially announcing Volkswagen R GmbH,  a special division of the German automaker dedicated to “sporty exclusive models.” Something akin to BMW M or Mercedes AMG, VW’s R brand will oversee the development of special R models as well as R Line design packages and special “Volkswagen Exclusive” items including things like custom leather interiors and new wheel designs. Currently Volkswagen has developed two R model, the Scirocco R and Golf R.

Currently both models are only available in Europe, but the Golf R may yet see our shores. It uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to makes 265-hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque and combines it with VW’s 4MOTION AWD setup to deliver a 0-62 mph time of just 5.5 seconds!

VW created the R division to cater to what it sees as an increasing demand for individualization in the marketplace, while also acknowledging it will help promote the sporty side of the automaker.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Golf R

Official release after the jump:

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On the heels of the release of the 2011 5 Series at the Geneva Auto Show, BMW has now unveiled the 2011 5 Series Touring (wagon). Designed for the European market and possibly not scheduled to arrive in North America at all (due to the release of the similar 5 Series GT), the Touring model doesn’t change much from the 5er, other than adding functionality. Trunk space is rated at 19.8 cu.-ft. (560 liters), and with the rear seats folded the total cargo volume increases to 60 cu.-ft. (1670 liters)

At launch two gasoline and two diesel engines will be offered. The 530d makes 245-hp and 398 ft-lbs of torque, delivering a 0-62 mph time of 6.4 seconds and an average of 37 mpg, while the 520d makes 184-hp and 280 ft-lbs of torque, with a 0-62 mph time of 8.3 seconds and an average of 44.8 mpg (EU cycle). As for the gasoline mills, the 523i makes 204-hp and 199 ft-lbs of torque, with a 0-62 mph time of 8.2 seconds and 30.2 mpg. A range-topping 535i Touring model get’s BMWs twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six to produce 302-hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque, with a 0-62 mph time of 6.0 seconds and 27.4 mpg average.

There’s no word if BMW plans to offer the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, which is possible as in the past BMW has offered an M5 Touring.

GALLERY: 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring

Get more on the 2011 5 Series Touring after the jump:

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With Audi‘s recent unveiling of the A8 Hybrid at the Geneva Auto Show and news the Q5 Hybrid is on its way, Audi has made known plans to add more hybrid models, starting with the A6. According to a report by AutoWeek, the next-generation A6 will be offered in full hybrid form late in 2012 as a 2013 model.

Audi is likely to add even more hybrid variants of its models after that, with a plan to significantly increase is offering of hybrid and electric cars over the next few years. The move is part of a plan by parent company Volkswagen to “own” the alternative power segment. VW will have some catching up to do, however, as Toyota already has quite a head start. However, VW also plans to surpass Toyota as the world’s largest auto maker over the next few years.

In addition, VW will make a big push with electric cars, having recently shown several Audi E-Tron concepts at different auto shows throughout the world. According to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, Audi aims to build e-tron to become synonymous with electric vehicles, just as quattro has become synonymous with all-wheel drive.

Along with Audi developing its own E-tron models, VW will bring a slew of EVs to market in the next few years, including an E-Up (an electric Up minicar), an E-Golf and an E-Jetta. According to VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn, the E-Jetta will go on sale in the U.S., but probably not until 2013.

In addition to these changes, Audi also plans to improve the efficiency of its gasoline engines by 30 percent by 2020.

[Source:  AutoWeek]

The Lexus crazy folks over at LexusEnthusiast have uncovered a Japanese story about a possible Nürburgring Edition of the new LFA supercar, adding credibility to earlier reports that a more track-focused model is on the way. The extra high performance model is reportedly named after the world famous race track/public road where the LFA underwent extensive testing and which is used as a benchmark to rate all high-performance vehicles.

Upgrades to the LFA Nürburgring Edition are to include a front splitter, a large rear spoiler (fixed), a stiffer suspension, lighter weight wheels, stickier tires and a slight bump of 10-hp. This would bring the LFA’s total engine output to 562-hp from its 4.8-liter V10.

The model will be offered in just four colors: black, matte black, the orange color seen above and another color that was lost in Google translation.

Lexus has yet to confirm details of a Nürburgring Edition LFA, but we’re excited about the possibility, although we’re a bit surprised the carbon chassis creation is being eclipsed so quickly.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA Nürburging Edition

[Source: レクサスとの道[LEXUS] via LexusEnthusiast]