Toyota announced that they have no intention of returning to Formula 1, labeling the sport as “elitist” and a bad fit with the company’s customer base.

The sour grapes come from Tadashi Yamashina, the head of Toyota’s international racing program. Yamashina said that the company would focus on “grassroots” motorsports like Nascar and endurance racing such as the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. While both series are ultra-expensive and the pinnacle of technology, Yamashina called them “grassroots” in the context of fan access (himself stating “I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race,”) rather than actual grassroots racing series, which have seen significant support by fellow Japanese automaker Mazda.

Ironically, Toyota has a notorious reputation in motorsports circles for cheating, being banned from the World Rally Championship, caught with stolen Ferrari data in Formula 1 and being caught red-handed trying to alter dyno results in NASCAR.

[Source: Automotive News]

Tomohiko Kawanabe, Honda‘s president of research & development, expressed doubts about consumer demand for electric vehicles. “We lack confidence,” Kawanabe said in an interview with Automotive News.“It’s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.”

Rival automakers like Nissan and General Motors are pushing ahead with their own EV programs. Nissan’s Leaf is expected to roll out on a limited basis at the end of 2010, while GM’s Chevrolet Volt has been a media darling, enjoying significant positive press. Honda, a company that has always mandated fuel efficiency as one of its prime directives, will continue to press on with this goal, while still exploring other options. “We are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can’t say I can wholeheartedly recommend them,” Kawanabe said.

Honda was a pioneer of early EV technology with the EV Plus compact electric vehicle that was available in California from 1997-1999. About 30o cars were leased but Honda did not consider the program successful. Honda is pushing for hydrogen fuel cell technology as the standard for future automobiles, but their progress is currently hampered by inadequate infrastructure surrounding refueling.  Honda currently sells their FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle (pictured above) in California. Kawanabe also said that the company is exploring the possibility of building hybrids in North America.

Gallery: Honda FCX Clarity

[Source: Automotive News]

Finding the right car online that’s fits in your budget just got a whole lot easier, thanks to a new website called Autopitch.

No longer will you have to scroll though pages upon pages of results to find one or two cars that kinda match your search parameters. This site puts you, the buyer, in charge. Buyers tell sellers what it is they’re looking for and how much they are will to pay for the vehicle. Basically, it takes haggling out of the equation so you can get to what you’re looking for that much quicker.

According to Autopitch founder Brad Chase, it saves the buyer time and creates ideal conditions for true market value. And all buyers have to do is drop in all the info about their desired car and wait to hear back from sellers – ideally, you’ll get a few different dealers fighting for your business, and all you have to do is pick the better deal. It’s good to be in demand! Chase expects buyers to get four or five pitches for an average vehicle, but hopes that number will double within a year. Dealers can find out about requests as soon as they happen with daily E-mail alerts and RSS feeds.

There are guidelines for sellers, so you’ll never have to worry about the old “bait and switch” trick. “The sellers have to commit to a price online before the consumer gets to the dealership,” he said. “If a dealership tries to change the terms of the deal when the buyer arrives to pick up the car, we will refund the deposit and permanently remove the dealer from the site for violating that agreement.”

A $50 deposit is required to ensure that only serious and qualified buyers used the site, and is fully refunded when the purchase is completed or if a suitable car can’t be found.

[Source: Wired]

Ok, so we busted out the pun bazooka on the title of this post, but we think you’ll forgive us once you watch the video (after the jump). Driver Saeed AlMouri may not have the smooth at-the-limit control of Jensen Button or the flawless heel & toe downshifting ability of Ron Fellows, but he scores full marks for aggression and courage from behind the wheel of his Radical SR3 around the sandy Zain Reem Circuit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

To be fair to AlMouri, apparently there was a serious sandstorm prior to the race, so his early spin off into the sand was no doubt aided by the traction-destroying grit blowing around on the track surface. And to his credit he does a very entertaining job of working his way back through the field after the off-track excursion, where you can see some of the sand blowing around in the wake of the cars ahead of him.

All in all, a very entertaining ride-along in the desert in one radical machine!

See the video after the jump:

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Jaguar hybrids will begin to roll out starting in 2013, just after the launch of hybrid technology in the Land Rover lineup. According to a report by Car Magazine, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed the XJ and XF models will arrive first starting in late 2013 or early 2014. Jaguar does, however, plan to eventually offer every model with a hybrid option.

Like the Land Rover models, the hybrid Jags will use the company’s upcoming 8-speed automatic transmission and lighter aluminum platforms to deliver even better fuel economy. Jaguar will also look to offer both diesel and gasoline hybrid models, with the diesels set to hit the market first.

Last week JLR unveiled the Range_e, a concept based on the Range Rover Sport, but using a hybrid diesel powertrain. The production model will hit the market in 2013, with testing beginning later this year.

Jaguar, like Land Rover, will also look to bring a range-extended electric vehicle (Chevy Volt-type system) to market by 2015 with 20 miles of emissions free travel at speeds of up to 70 mph.

[Source: CAR]

Volkswagen has just released a selection of new images of the Golf Blue-e-motion concept, with diagrams and even under-the-hood photos of the brand’s upcoming electric car. Set to debut in 2013 along with the Up blue-e-motion and Jetta blue-e-motion, VW will first test a fleet of 500 cars next year.

The concept is powered by a lithium-ion battery and electric motor, making 85-kW (113-hp) and 199 ft-lbs of torque, with a range of 150 km (93 miles). Volkswagen claims this will easily meet the needs of most commuters, as roughly half of all Germans travel less than 10 km (6 miles) to work each way, with only 16 percent traveling more than 25 km (15.5 miles) each way. Acceleration is rated at 11.8 seconds to 62 mph, with a top speed of just 140 km/h (87 mph).

The lithium-ion battery is located low in the trunk of the car, leaving an adequate 8.4 cubic feet of space. The electric batter does add weight to the car, bringing the total curb weight to 3,400 lbs.

In addition to electric models, Volkswagen is also planning to introduce three new hybrids, with a Jetta hybrid coming in 2012, while both a Golf hybrid and Passat hybrid will bow in 2013.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

Official release after the jump:

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The battle rages on. With Chevy‘s new Duramax 6.6-liter beating out Ford in the horsepower and torque competition, the new Silverado HD came up just short of its big rival in terms of payload and towing capability. Now Chevy has changed that, releasing new numbers that just edge out Ford’s Super Duty.

The 6.6-liter Duramax was rated to tow up to 20,000 lbs and had a payload rating of 6,335 lbs at launch. Ford’s F-Series Super Duty, however, managed towing of 21,600 lbs and a payload rating of 6,520 lbs. Revised numbers now give Chevy the edge with a 21,700 lbs tow rating and 6,635 lb payload capability.

“Our focus has consistently been on delivering customers the most capable heavy-duty trucks in the market,” says Rick Spina, GM Full-size Truck global vehicle line executive. “The first set of capability tests confirmed that the team had exceeded the payload and towing targets by a significant margin. Ongoing testing demonstrated a clear opportunity to increase the true capabilities of these trucks. Even pulling a combined weight of nearly 15 tons seems easy behind the wheel of a 2011 Silverado HD 3500 with the proven Duramax Diesel.”

In terms of power, the new 6.6-liter Duramax V8 is rated at 397-hp at 3000 rpm  and 765 ft-lbs of torque at 1600 rpm. This tops the F-Series Super Duty that’s rated at 390-hp at 2800 rpm and 735 ft-lbs of torque at 1600 rpm.

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now officially launched an investigation into snapping rear axles on Ford Windstar models dating from 1999-2003. In total NHTSA has 234 complaints about broken rear axles, with two noted accidents but no injuries. Of the complaints, 56 involve vehicles where one of the rear axles snapped at speeds in excess of 40 mph.

According to NHTSA, the problem seems worse in Northern states where salt is used on the roads in winder.

As the Windstar is a front-drive vehicle, snapping a rear axle isn’t critical as it could be – which is the position taken by Ford, with a spokesman telling the New York Times last week that the vehicle operator remains in control of the car at all times. This seems contrary to NHTSA’s safety comment that the, “fracture of a rear suspension axle could result in loss of vehicle control.”

Ford has said it will cooperate with NHTSA’s investigation.

If a recall is issued, it could affect up to 900,000 Windstar vehicles sold between 1999-2003.

[Source: NYT]

UPDATE: The Ford Windstar is now under investigation by NHTSA for rusting subframe issues. Click here to read the story.

With an eye on emerging markets, as well as the growing small premium segment, Saab execs have made it clear that an entry level model designed to take on the Aud A1 and BMW 1 Series is on their radar. Now comes word that a small premium Saab, likely named the 9-1, could arrive sooner than expected thanks to platform sharing with another automaker.

In a recent interview, Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson commented that while a subcompact isn’t in the brand’s current production plans, there’s a possibility that the underlying platform could be donated by or shared with another automaker. Jonsson even went so far as to say that several other automakers have already come forward looking to partner with Saab on different technology aspects.

Platform sharing is becoming increasingly popular in a post-recession auto industry, where automakers are forced to work together to reduce costs and share emissions technology. The tie-up between Fiat and Chrysler is set to include considerable product sharing, while recently Mercedes parent company Daimler announced a partnership with Renault and just yesterday we heard the first rumors of the love-child between Volkswagen and Suzuki.

Jonsson didn’t go so far as to name any potential partners in the auto industry, but several smaller automakers, including Mitsubishi and Mazda, are in need of world-wide partners as well.

[Source: Drive]

In a bid to keep pace with Porsche, Nissan is rumored to be working on a fresh round of upgrades for the 2012 GT-R. Updates are to include small modifications to the aerodynamics, suspension and brakes, but the biggest adjustment will come under the hood. There, the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 will get added boost to deliver over 500-hp and 450 ft-lbs of torque.

This new package, already being tested in Germany has (understandably) shaved time off the current GT-R’s already impressive 7:26 Nürburgring lap time. No doubt, Nissan engineers were working to take back the Nürburgring lap time record from the Viper ACR – which until recently clocked in the record lap at 7:22. That was, of course, until Porsche unveiled the GT2 RS and its 7:18 second time.

Can the GT-R beat that? We bet Nissan’s trying everything they can to find out.

[Source: Autoblog]