Nissan Motor Company has just announced that a shipment of 30 D22 pickups have arrived in Haiti, as part of an initiative instigated with the United Nations World Food Program and William J. Clinton Foundation, formed by the 42nd President of United States. The D22s, assembled at Nissan’s facility in Cuernavaca, Mexico, are related to the 1998-04 Frontier sold in the U.S. and Canada. The trucks will be used to haul food, aid and supplies in the burgeoning effort to rebuild the shattered country. The donation of the trucks, in response to a request from former President Bill Clinton, is a further expansion of existing Nissan relief efforts in Haiti.

“I’m pleased Nissan has answered our call for trucks to aid our recovery efforts in Haiti,” said President Clinton.  “This generous donation will be critical in ongoing efforts to mobilize food and other needed supplies, and I’m thankful for Nissan’s leadership in demonstrating how the private sector can help the people of Haiti ‘build back better.”

Carlos Ghosn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Company Limited, added. ” When the Clinton Foundation contacted us, there was no question we’d help. Everyone at Nissan was eager to take action, and I know that our employees at Cuernavaca, Mexico, are especially proud that the trucks they have built in the Americas region are directly involved in helping the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives and their country.”

The trucks are each marked on each door with a special message of hope from Nissan Mexicana employees, “Nissan: Dans les rues d’Haiti pour vous aider!”  Translated from the Haitian French dialect, it says, “Nissan: On the roads of Haiti to help you!”

[Source: Prnewswire]

The Lamborghini Diablo GT is quite a rare bull indeed. Only 80 examples were built in 1999, all of them for Europe-only consumption. Seeing one stateside is a virtual impossibility (although this author knows of two such examples in the US), and hearing one rev its 6.0L V12 to redline is even less likely.

One lucky Lambo fanatic found himself standing directly behind Diablo GT #16 at a Lamborghini club meeting in Italy, and gets a face full of exhaust and flames as the driver unleashes all 575 of the bull’s ponies. Hit the jump and crank your speakers, because this is why we love cars.

Source: [Luxury4Play]

Photo: [GermanExotics]

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The World Time Attack Challenge, held at Australia’s Eastern Creek International Raceway near Sydney, has attracted a deep field of local and international competitors including top American teams Sierra Sierra Enterprises and their Mitsubishi Evo 8 and Factor X Motorsports Development and their awesome Acura NSX.

It may be an easier commute for the Japanese tuners, but it’s no less impressive that world-class Time Attack machines like the Sun Cyber Evo, Tomei/Cusco Subaru Impreza STI, and both the PanSpeed and R-Magic FD Mazda RX-7s will also be in attendance at Eastern Creek this weekend.

Hoping to put home field advantage to good use are top Australian teams Hi-Octane Racing and their stunning R34 Nissan GT-R, APC Racing’s Evo 8 MR, and Notaras and their lightweight 590-hp Mitsubishi Evo.

With an intriguing mix of the best Time Attack teams and drivers in the world, all vying for the title of World Time Attack Challenge champion, we’ll be following the action this weekend very closely and will report back on Monday with a full account of all the on-track action. In the meantime, wet your Time Attack whistle after the jump with a video of Mark Berry piloting Australian favorite Hi-Octane Racing’s GT-R around Eastern Creek in preparation for the WTAC.

[Source: World Time Attack Challenge]

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Despite an even better than expected reception in Europe, Audi still has no plans to bring its A1 subcompact model to North America. Initial production for Europe was scheduled to be 50,000 units, but Audi may look at upping that number thanks to overwhelming demand.

In Europe the “small premium” segment is catching on fast with the A1 designed to take on the current segment leader, the MINI Cooper.

No doubt Audi’s hesitance to bring the A1 to North America is due to its size (although it is slightly larger than a MINI Cooper) as well as brand perception. Audi is working hard in North America to establish itself as more than just a BMW and Mercedes follower. Instead, Audi wants to establish itself as a segment leader with significant focus on flagship models like the A8 and R8. A car like the A1 could potentially damage that image. After all, it’s not like BMW risked its own brand image in introducing the MINI lineup.

While we understand Audi’s predicament, we have to think an A1 with the 1.4-liter TFSI engine with 122-hp and 147 ft-lbs of torque mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic would make for an impressive ride.

[Source: FreePress]

BMW insider SCOTT26, posting on E90Post.com has dropped another juicy rumor on us: a successor to the Z8. Known internally as the Z Spyder Stradale the car is rumored to be the pet-project of BMW boss Norbert Reithofer.

The name Spyder Stradale comes from a special version of the BMW 328 MM dating from the 1940s.

Not only would the new super sports car be a flagship vehicle in terms of performance and style, it would also be an example of BMW’s “efficient dynamics” engineering expertise. As such it would use a carbon fiber body to keep weight to a minimum – even using a carbon fiber retractable hard top. Also included in the package would be active aerodynamics – like an automatically adjusting rear spoiler and air vents up front that close at speed.

No specifics for the engine have yet been released with the possibility of a V8 or V10 being raised – although we have to think a hybrid setup mated to a turbo inline-six (similar to the one in the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept) would be perfect. There’s even a possibility of a 9-speed dual-clutch transmission.

A concept version of the Spyder Stradale is believed to be unveiled at next-year’s Frankfurt Auto Show.

[Source: E90Post]

The successor to the Ferrari Enzo may not get the much-rumored twin-turbo V8 at all, but rather keep a V12 engine. The new rumor comes from AutoCar after an interview with company CEO Amedeo Felisa.

In an earlier article Felisa commented that, “Ferrari will not build a six-cylinder engine until customer attitudes towards smaller engines change. The perception today is that the number of cylinders equates to the possibilities of the car.” With that context he then commented that, “That is why we are developing hybrid technology. Hybrid means we can protect the V12.”

What AutoCar suggests in interpreting the remarks is that a top-level supercar would need to have a top-level engine – a V12. Hybrid technology would then be used to give the V12 engine increased performance. This would also allow for the immediate and smooth power delivery of a naturally aspirated setup. Ferrari execs have commented in the past that turbochargers posed a problem for the Ferrari driving philosophy as they don’t deliver the sort of linear feel that Ferrari customers want.

[Source: AutoCar]

Running 9 seconds in the quarter mile is quite a feat for any sports car. It takes come serious modifications to get a Toyota Supra or Chevy Corvette to go that fast. And just recently we reported on the first Nissan GT-R to break the 10 second barrier. So imagine how surprised we were to hear of a 9-second SUV. That’s right, a Jeep SRT8 has gone down the quarter mile with the quickest time of 9.658 and the fastest mph of 146.72.

The high performance version of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, the SRT-8 sports a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 that pushes out 420-hp and 420 ft-lbs of torque from the factory. Stock 0-60 is under five seconds with a top speed of 150-mph. But hey, that means absolutely nothing for this SRT-8 that’s pushing close to the factory top speed in less than 10 seconds and in a mere quarter of a mile.

Built by Lewis Performance Machine, the SRT-8 sports a 426-stroker built to handle 1500 AWD horsepower. Details are naturally a little hard to find, but the owner reports the obvious: upgraded fuel system, drive line and rear end. He does let the public know that a 75-shot of NOS is used to help get the Jeep off the line while the trans brake and 2-step is still being tested. The beast is tuned by Johan at Diablo and rolls on Nitto NT05Rs on the stock rims.

The video after the jump shows the SRT-8 running a 9.87, which the owner claims is on 13 psi and the 75 shot. The 9.659 was with 16 psi and the 9.658 was at 19 psi with the boost tube blowing off. Naturally the Jeep SRT-8 had a lot more in it, given that its 9.658 pass was at a lowly 139.36 mph vs the 146.72 it hit with the 9.659 pass.

It should only be a matter of time before the SRT-8 hits Orlando Speedworld again, so we’ll keep you guys up to date if they enter the record books with an 8 second pass.

Make sure you check out the video after the break!

[Source: JeepGarage]

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Japanese giant Toyota Motor Corp and American electric car start-up Tesla Motors have announced a partnership that will see both automakers work towards future electric cars. In the short term, however, the deal has a more immediate result, namely that Toyota is spending $50 million to buy a significant stake in Tesla, which will then use that money to purchase a part of the NUMMI factory in Fremont, California.

Until recently NUMMI has been used by Toyota to build both the Corolla and Tacoma. Tesla will use it to build the company’s new flagship Model S electric luxury sedan. Company CEO Elon Musk said he expects to build roughly 20,000 models a year at first (around 2012), bringing 1,000 jobs back to the NUMMI plant. If the plan ever reaches max capacity of half a million models it could employ as many as 10,000.

In addition to the physical assets, Toyota will also teach Tesla about its production system, a “widely copied system that lead to dramatic quality improvements and unprecedented manufacturing flexibility and worker satisfaction.”

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda hopes the partnership will also benefit his company by learning from the small and agile Tesla. “Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has,” said Toyoda. “Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future.”

With access to Toyota’s production methods and a proper facility to build the cars, Tesla intends to drive down the cost of electric cars through economies of scale. The company’s first car, the Tesla Roadster, costs roughly $100,000 while the new Model S is expected to retail for $49,900 after a federal tax credit.

[Source: Toyota and Autoblog]

Official release after the jump:

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The Dodge Nitro and Caliber have been quietly dropped from Chrysler’s UK lineup.

Chrysler’s decision to drop the two crossovers comes on the heels of “extremely modest” sales of both models. This isn’t surprising to any of us, since Europeans haven’t been as quick to adopt crossovers as Americans, and the Nitro and Caliber aren’t exactly what we’d call “good cars.”

The only Dodge left on sale in the UK is now the Journey, and while slightly revamped from last year’s model, Dodge’s UK website illustrates the sad reality better than words…

We’re sure all six people looking to get on the waiting list for the 2011 Nitro will be extremely disappointed.

Chevrolet announced a custom one-off Z06 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette’s first appearance at LeMans. Featuring the traditional American racing color scheme (white with blue stripes), as the 1960 Corvette, which won its class at the 24 hour race. The car’s sale will benefit the National Corvette Museum, and anyone who wishes to buy the car must make a $300,000 donation to the Museum, and then pay the $85,000 sticker price of the car.

The special edition Z06 also comes with a Z07 package, featuring some bits from the Corvette ZR1. A celebration will be held in honor of the Corvette at this Saturday’s ALMS race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one week before the Corvette racing team heads off to contest the 24 Hours of LeMans in Frace.

[Source: TopSpeed]