Rumors that MINI will enter the World Rally Championship have been swirling for almost a year now, but that could all end later this week. According to the most recent reports, MINI will confirm its intentions to join the WRC series later this week with renowned British racing firm Prodrive set to take over operations of the team.

Based on the Countryman crossover, the MINI rally car has been under secret development at the Prodrive facility in Banbury.

Once the car is unveiled, testing will then begin with Norway’s Mads Ostberg believed to be signed on as both an official test driver and as a factory driver in next year’s WRC season. Due to significant development time, however, its unlikely that MINI will be prepared to start the 2011 WRC season and is likely to join later in the year, using the remaining stages to properly develop the car in competition for a championship run in 2012.

[Source: AutoSport]

When the ultra high-performance Corvette ZR1 first debuted dealers hiked up the price as enthusiasts clamored to get their hands on what is easily the greatest value for a performance vehicle in the world. Over a year later and the price gouging has disappeared. So much so, in fact, that GM is now faced with the opposite problem: too much supply and not enough demand.

In order to move inventory, Chevy has announced that current Corvette rebates previously not offered on the ZR1 will be extended across the entire Corvette range. What this means is that for a limited time you’ll be able to knock $3,000 off the price of a shiny new American supercar. Better still, there’s a $5,000 discount to be had on 2009 models. (Although we should point out that the ’09s don’t come with Chevy’s more sophisticated traction control system, or launch control).

Currently, Chevy lists the 638-hp Corvette ZR1 at $106,880.

[Source: CorvetteBlogger]

Read AutoGuide’s Corvette ZR1 Review by Clicking Here

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has given a look at the direction Honda will be taking in the coming years, putting strong emphasis on small cars and hybrids. At his annual mid-year speech, Ito gave a rough outline of the Japanese automaker’s future direction, while dropping a few important notes about new products.

Two important new hybrids will join the automaker’s lineup: a revised Civic Hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The Civic Hybrid (which will be the only version of the Civic Honda plans to sell in Japan in the future) will toss its conventional nickle metal hydride battery for a more advanced lithium ion unit, that will be more powerful and more compact. That model is set to debut in 2012 in both the U.S. and Japan.

That same year Honda also intends to bring a plug-in hybrid model to market, as well as a battery-electric “commuter vehicle.” It’s not yet clear if the plug-in hybrid will be a version of the Civic Hybrid, or perhaps a version of the Insight or CR-Z.

In addition, Honda will expand its hybrid lineup with a long list of small cars, many of which are also tipped to include hybrid drivetrains. The first of these will be the Fit Hybrid, which is set to debut this Fall – possibly at the Paris Auto Show.

Honda is expected to stick with it’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid setup for these new models. While not as sophisticated as Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, nor as good on fuel, it is significantly less expensive, allowing Honda to equip smaller cars with the system and to sell them at more affordable rates.

In the same timeframe Honda is expected to debut a new small car for emerging markets like India. Last year Honda hinted at the direction this new model would take when it unveiled its New Small Concept at the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, India.

Beyond 2012, Honda will look to add electric vehicles to its lineup, improve upon its gasoline and diesel engines, with a new diesel engine being developed for Europe that is smaller than the current 2.2-liter offering). Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles are also in the automaker’s plans, with Ito commenting that the company’s FCX Clarity, “will provide the ultimate mobility.”

GALLERY: Honda New Small Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

Several new models are planned for emerging markets that will also be locally built to improve cost effectiveness. A new sub-£7000 small car will be launched in India next year, while Thailand will also get an “eco-car with an excellent level of fuel economy” in 2011. This model will be exported to other emerging nations, too.

It’s that time of the year again, when car’s are handed out like candy bars to select companies and builders for the 2010 SEMA Show. Last year Chevrolet made a huge splash with a massive display of Camaros, having a diverse variety of builders designing and creating their own unique creations. And this year it looks like Chevy isn’t stopping, with some Camaro build previews already being released for SEMA.

First on our list is intake and exhaust manufacturer CGS Performance Products. Having done several Fords and GMs in years past, CGS is no stranger to building beautiful, high quality show cars. This Camaro however will be sticking to its true roots with a custom paint job, ACS body kit and a ZR1-influenced hood. From CGS themselves will be custom handmade chrome moldings and their signature exhaust system, while Whipple Industries will be supplying their twin-screw supercharger in order to pump out 500-hp.

A rendering of the Camaro show car has some serious hot rod-influenced, with a staggered set of 22- and 24-inch Genuine Boyd wheels. The rear rollers will be a ridiculous 15-inches wide wheel with Pirelli’s all new 405/25/24 tire – that’s a lot of rubber! CGS claims they’ll be stuffing these without any fender modifications, but merely by swapping out the rear suspension with Chris Alston’s Fab 9 rear end with a latter bar and coil over suspension. We are definitely curious on the finished product and will be sure to report back, with extensive SEMA coverage when the show takes place in early November.

While Lorinser and Carlsson are staple brands for Mercedes-Benz tuning, Wald is hardly overlooked among luxury enthusiasts. The Japanese body kit specialists have revamped their Black Bison Styling Edition kit for the recently facelifted Mercedes-Benz S-Class W221 chassis and it’s looking stellar.

It’s not exactly something brilliantly new, but it’s arguably the best looking kit for the S-Class, with a sense of open-mouth aggressiveness that fits the luxury sedan. Adding sportiness with additional vents and ducts in the front bumper and fenders, the Black Bison Edition lives up to its name. The kit also comes with a new rear bumper, side skirts and a pair of spoilers, one for the trunk and one for the rear window.

On their demo car, Wald opted for 22-inch Renovatio wheels in a matte black with brown accents. Oh and at the rear you’ll find an exhaust system that is similar to what is seen on the IS-F. Very interesting indeed.

GALLERY: Wald Black Bison Mercedes-Benz W221 S-Class

The Guinness Book of Records holder for most miles driven by a single owner in a passenger car is setting his sights on passing 3 million miles in his 1966 Volvo P1800 as he approaches his 70th birthday.

Irv Gordon, a retired science teacher from New York state, broke the record in 1998 by driving 1.69 million miles. Gordon had a 125 mile commute and was maintained his vehicle relentlessly. Most of the components, including the engine, are all original.

“Three million miles by my 73^nd birthday sounds right,” Gordon said. “But, whether I reach that mark is more up to me than it is the car. The car’s parts have long proven they can take it, but I’m not so sure about my own. Either way, it will be a fantastic testament to the engineering genius of Volvo as well as to the resiliency of folks my age.

Gordon wants to ensure he hits 3 million miles to ensure that his record remains unbroken long after he’s gone. ”Three million miles is an iron clad number that I’d like to think sits right up there with DiMaggio’s consecutive game hitting streak. Who’s going to beat that? No one.”

[Source: Volvo ]

Hit the jump to see the official press release

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Looking to treat the family to an educational vacation this summer? Then head to the Smithsonian Institute, where you’ll learn all about the three-point safety belt, the padded dashboard and the famous “Car Safety for Dummies” dummies.

In honor of 75 years of automotive safety, as well as all the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiatives passed during this time, automakers and regulators have donated automotive safety systems to the Smithsonian. On top of that, it also marks the 25^th anniversary of everyone’s favorite crash dummies, Vince and Larry, who starred in the NHTSA and the Ad Council’s PSAs.

A few of Vince and Larry’s costumes will be making an appearance, alongside a Hybrid II crash-test dummy from Denton ATD. Also on display is a General Motors Hybrid III crash test dummy that was introduced in 1975 (it still remains the industry standard). The three-point seatbelt, invented by Volvo in 1959, is on display too – Volvo donated a belt and seat from a 1961 PV 544.

Other added attractions include a padded dashboard, invented by Dr. Claire L. Straith. (Interesting side note: Straith was a plastic surgeon who studied the cranial and facial injuries sustained from automobile accidents, and who became an advocate for automotive safety systems.) An energy-absorbing steering column from a 1967 Chevrolet has been donated by General Motors, as well as safety literature from the American Automobile Association and three ignition-interlock breath analyzers from Guardian Interlock.

[Source: Wired]

There have been a lot of interesting aftermarket BMW X6 creations floating around lately. Like the super-speedy G-Power Typhoon RS. Not to mention the ArmorTech Coupe conversion. But this one – all the way from Romaina – has to take the cake.

In a move that would make Barbie squeal with girlish glee, the Mary Kay salesperson of the year who owns the BMW X6 pictured above thought it would be a brilliant idea to paint it pink. If we have anything to be thankful about, at least this shade of pink isn’t neon and isn’t accessorized with big daisy decals or blinged out. On the plus side, it would perfectly match these uber-stylish driving shoes.

[Source: mibz]

Peter North is best known for…well, we’ll let you figure that out on your own. Suffice to say, this guy is well known for a reason, and his career in adult films has given him sufficient fame and fortune to enjoy life, and build a pretty well done Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo.

North’s 300ZX was worked on by famed Nissan tuner Stillen, and the car features some choice upgrades like ball-bearing HKS turbochargers, a re-built engine with forged rods and pistons, a ported and polished head (*cue childish snickers at the words “rod”, “polished”, and head*), Volk Racing wheels and a built automatic transmission capable of handling 800 horsepower. The car makes 518 horsepower at the wheels with 22 psi of boost. While the engine only has 15,000 miles on it, the car has around 212,000, but we have to say it looks incredibly clean for the amount of use it’s gotten.

Bidding for the car is currently at $6,600 with 5 days left. You can check out North’s 300ZX here.

Nissan fans who were expecting a revival of the hallowed 240SX, prepare to be…disappointed.  After years of on and off rumors about the return of Nissan’s small rear drive sportster, it appears that the company will begin focusing its efforts in an electric sports car based off the Nissan Leaf.

Under consideration is a production version of the Infiniti Essence concept(shown above), or an electric version of the Nissan 370Z. Either one would make a credible alternative to offerings from Tesla, and the inevitable competitors from mainstream brands.

[Source: Inside Line]