The folks at AllPar seem to have gotten hold of a list of production dates for all Chrysler products this year, including everything from a revised Chrysler 300 to the Fiat 500. The AllPar team is also claiming to have some pretty big news on future Chrysler engines, including the elimination of the HEMI 6.1-liter V8 (in favor of a 6.4) and new versions of the Pentastar V6. Plus, the 200C (pictured above) has also reportedly been approved for production – but with a gasoline engine.

The first model set to hit production is the Viper, followed by the Ram Chassis Cab models and then the 2011 Grand Cherokee in May. In November, production for a significantly revised Avenger and renamed Sebring will begin, as well as new Dodge/Chrysler minivans and full-sized models (Charger, Challenger, 300) followed in December by the North American production of the Fiat 500.

As for future engines, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that will debut in the Grand Cherokee is reportedly also designed for Fiat’s MultiAir variable valve timing, direct-injection and turbocharging, although none of those technologies will be on the engine when it launches. Both 3.0-liter and 3.3-liter turbo and twin-turbo versions are likely, but probably only for pricey European vehicles.

Chrysler’s 4-cylinder World Engine will get MultiAir technology, as well as direct injection and turbocharging for some versions. The 4.7-liter V8 will be dropped, as will the 6.1-liter HEMI V8 in favor of a more efficient 6.4-liter HEMI V8 with cylinder deactivation and MultiAir.

As for hybrids, a Ram 1500 Hybrid will make it to market soon, followed by an electric commercial vehicle based on a Fiat van.

As for the Fiat 500, it will be offered with one of two engines, a 1.4-liter I-4 FIRE with Multiair, which makes 100-hp at 6,500 rpm and 95 ft-lbs of torque at 4,250 rpm, as well as a 1.4-liter I-4 FIRE Turbo with Multiair that delivers 170-hp at 6,750 rpm and 170 ft-lbs of torque at 3000 rpm.

All these changes are part of a larger Fiat/Chrysler plan to not only make its models more efficient (by 25 percent by 2014) but to also make them more attractive to consumers. We’re eager to see what sort of additional updates Chrysler’s lineup gets and if a few tweaks and name changes can help the struggling brand.

[Source: AllPar]

Acura has officially announced that the TSX Sport Wagon will gets its North American debut at the New York Auto Show at the end of the month. With the TSX sedan based on the European Honda Accord, the Sport Wagon is simply the Acura-fied version of the Euro Accord Wagon.

Set to go on sale in the Fall, we still don’t know if Acura plans to offer both a 4-cylinder and V6 version of the new model, which adds functionality to the already impressive TSX package. We will, however, be on hand at the New York show to bring you full coverage and plenty of live photos, as well as all the facts on the newest addition to the Acura family.

Official release after the jump:

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Lexus has just announced a new Special Edition version of the IS350C, complete with many of its F-Sport accessories. Priced from $57,500, it will be offered in only Tungsten Pearl or Obsidian. Unique to the Special Edition is a set package of F-Sport goodies including: new 19-inch forged wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport tires, upgraded front and rear brakes, lowering springs, Bilstein shocks, sway bars, a new F-Sport grille, as well as F-Sport floor mats, an F-Sport shift knob and F-Sport badging. (Model different from shown).

The package also features black leather seats with blue stitching, while standard features include heated and ventilated front seats with wood trim, Bi-Xenon HID headlamps with Adaptive Front lighting, Lexus Navigation, a rear back-up camera, Voice Command casual-language voice recognition system and Lexus Enform with Safety Connect.

Official release after the jump:

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The future for Lotus continues to look bright, very bright. The British sports car maker is looking to grow significantly over the next few years and along with new models, plenty of new talent and a multi-leveled return to motorsports, it has now announced a partnership with Cosworth to help in producing high performance engines.

Currently, Lotus gets its engines for the Elise, Exige and Evora from Toyota – hardly a company known for building exciting automobiles. And yet, Lotus has done amazing things with the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder and the new V6. Still, we’ve always thought the engine (and gearboxes) were the weakest parts of a Lotus.

For now, Cosworth, which has teamed up with Lotus to win 10 Formula 1 constructors titles over the years, will help turn those Toyota engines into track performers – starting with a 400-hp 4.0-liter V6 in the Evora Cup Car. Cosworth has also been tasked with building versions of the current engines found in Lotus street cars, for street use. We can’t wait to see what the engine experts have in store for the tiny Elise and Exige and perhaps a 400-hp version of the Evora will also be offered for the street.

Official release after the jump:

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While some sources say a BMW 1 Series M is headed for production, the team at Inside Line continues to insist that no such car is in the cards – sort of. You see, rather than a super high performance M version, Inside Line says a to look for a 135is.

The 135is would get a more powerful version of the twin-turbo N54 straight-six engine with a tighter suspension setup and likely some mild design tweaks. In the 335is, the same engine makes 320-hp and 332 ft-lbs of torque with an overboost function that will deliver short bursts of 370 ft-lbs of torque. We can imagine a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission will be optional, as will plenty of M Sport goodies.

[Source: InsideLine]

Lexus will debut its latest model, the CT200h, in front of a North American audience for the first time at the New York Auto Show at the end of the month. Officially unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last week, the CT200h is not only a luxury hatchback, but the first hybrid in the compact premium class.

Power comes from a version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system using a 1.8-liter VVT-i 4-cylinder, however, Toyota has yet to announce any engine output numbers. A similar setup used in the Prius makes just 134-hp, but we’re hoping for something closer to the HS250’s 187-hp. Lexus claims a fully electric range of 1.2 miles in EV mode at speeds up to 28 mph, while driver’s can also select Normal or Sport driving modes. The CT200h is a front-wheel drive model and runs 17-inch wheels.

The interior is certainly of a reasonably premium level, with some typical Toyota hybrid touches like the small gear shifter and push button ignition. The dash is divided into two “zones” with a Display Zone for vehicle information (which includes an 8-inch LCD screen) and an Operation Zone, which includes the Lexus Remote Touch mouse control. As a hatchback, Lexus rates the car’s storage capacity at roughly 12 cubic feet behind the rear seats and a total of 25 cubic feet with those seats folded flat.

Originally designed for Europe, Lexus has announced this new model will be offered world-wide, with sales expected to start late this year.

GALLERY: Lexus CT200h Debut in Geneva

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With the start of the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) just around the corner, Corvette Racing has announced a new 12-part video series that will take an in-depth look at the new car, while following the team’s season this year.

Each of the videos will be posted on the Corvette Facebook page, starting with this first trailer. Over the past decade, Corvette Racing has been a dominant player in the GT1 category, switching to GT2 last year after there was really no one left to race against. For 2010 the GT1 and GT2 classes have been joined to form a single GT class and the racing will be ultra-competitive with Ferraris, Porsches and numerous other exotics looking to take the win in each and every race.

For 2010 (like in 2009) the new C6.R is much more closely based on the street car and new for 2010 is a smaller 5.5-liter V8 engine.

The 2010 ALMS Season begins with the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 17-20.

GALLERY: 2010 Corvette C6.R

With Ferrari having announced at the Geneva Auto Show last week that it would offer hybrid versions of all of its future models, is it really any surprise to learn that Maserati is also looking to ad hybrid options to its lineup? While the siblings aren’t technically in the same part of the umbrella under the greater Fiat company, a lot of product still gets shared around: from engines to platforms to transmission technology. According to Inside Line, Maserati will also look to do what every automaker from Acura to Volkswagen is also doing – reduce the weight of its vehicles moving forward.

Our first look at this technology came last week at the Geneva Auto Show when Ferrari unveiled its matte-green 599 hybrid concept (Vettura Laboratorio HY Kers), which uses a Kinetic Energy Recovery System to give the model an extra boost of electric power – making it an even higher performer. The lithium-ion battery pack for the hybrid system is located low in the car, improving its center of gravity, while not intruding on the passenger compartment. It is hooked up to a dual-clutch 7-speed transmission and adds at least 100 extra hp (as Ferrari insisted every added pound was offset by at least one horsepower). The electric energy generated under braking also powers the car’s batter and its accessories, and allows the car to run on pure electric power at times.

We’re interested to see what a hybrid Maserati would have in store and have to think a more efficient second-generation Quattroporte would be a great place to start.

[Source: InsideLine]

With the European debut of the FT-86 Concept, Toyota is looking to keep the hype alive by releasing a new series of photos of the sporty two-door, while dropping a press release that talks more about what we hope the FT-86 will become.

Toyota says it has built the concept to embody the spirit of the Corolla AE-86, a tiny front-engine, rear drive sports coupe that is a legend among drifters, while also serving as a great platform for club racers and rally teams. The concept focuses on light weight to deliver what Toyota calls a “strong power to weight ratio,” while also focusing on handling. “It is an entirely driver-orientated car, engineered to capture the intrinsic joy of driving through precise, instantaneous responses to even the smallest throttle and steering inputs,” reads the latest press release.

Along with these hopeful proclamations, the new gallery of photos show the FT-86 Concept with a selection of Toyota’s past sports cars, including the AE-86, Celica and Supra. All we can hope is that the car is more like the former and less like the latter two.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86

Official release after the jump:

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With all of Toyota’s self-induced woes as of late, the biggest problem the company has faced in recent months might just be a report by ABC News in which an expert (Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University) produced an unintended acceleration using a Toyota product. Initially Toyota responded with concerns about the demonstration and now the automaker (and an independent engineering firm it has hired) has examined the process in more detail and have utterly refuted it.

In a statement Toyota has said that, “The analysis of Professor’s Gilbert’s demonstration establishes that he has reengineered and rewired the signals from the accelerator pedal. This rewired circuit is highly unlikely to occur naturally and can only be contrived in a laboratory. There is no evidence to suggest that this highly unlikely scenario has ever occurred in the real world. As shown in the Exponent and Toyota evaluations, with such artificial modifications, similar results can be obtained in other vehicles.”

Toyota has sent the results of its finding to both Professor Gilbert and to the Congressional Committees assigned to look into the matter.

Official release after the jump:

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