The early days of the Afghanistan conflict allowed the Toyota pickup entered public consciousness as the vehicle of choice for the Taliban. The images got Toyota some bad press, but it turns out that the Japanese auto maker is pretty much the only game in town.

Afghani car dealers estimate that up to 90% of vehicles on the road are Toyota Corollas. While Afghanistan’s sole Toyota distributor says business is up by 626% (selling 401 cars this year compared to 64 before that), the majority of customers flock to used Corollas from across the globe, with the “German” ( European) Corolla at the top of the pecking order.

While the dominance may be good for Toyota, the homogeneous nature of Afghani cars must be hell for intelligence officers trying to guard against suicide bombers. Broadcasting an alert for a “White Corolla” is pretty meaningless when everybody is driving one.

[Source: The Washington Post]

Cadillac‘s record-setting 7:59 lap of the Nurburgring was set 2 years ago, but that’s not stopping Cadillac from belatedly celebrating by filming a commercial that gives viewers a taste of what it’s like to lap the ‘Ring at a fast pace.

The ad is being filmed at the ‘Ring with a bevy of pro, drivers, camera cars and fastidious auto detailers. The creative genius behind the ad is none other than Jeff Zwart, film director by day, Pikes Peak racer by night. Zwart recently won his class at Pikes Peak, and if anyone can fuse visual arts with driving, he should be it.

The ad isn’t out yet, but Cadillac’s got a behind the scenes video on the web. Check it out after the jump.

[Source: Cadillac]

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Lotus will leverage their partnership with Toyota be equipping a variant of their new, flagship Esprit with the hand-crafted V10 used in the Lexus LFA.

This exclusive version would have some stiff competition from the “base” Esprit – said to be powered by the 5.0L V8 from the Lexus IS-F. Lotus cars in the past have used engines taken from more pedestrian cars like compact Fords, Renaults and Toyotas. The shift to serious high-performance engines comes as CEO Dany Bahar seeks to move Lotus from being a niche sports car maker into a legitimate rival to companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin.

Since the Esprit is likely to cost far less than the LFA’s $375,000 sticker price, the theoretical V10 Esprit could be the cheapest way to get a bit of that Formula 1-inspired magic. We’ll know more when the car is unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show.

Check out our Paris Auto Show preview page here

[Source: Inside Line]

Volkswagen is apparently investigating the use of hybrid technology for the hottest version of the next-generation Touraeg, for a combined output of 500 horsepower.

The proposed powertrain would mate a 500 horsepower V8 with a 47 horsepower electric motor. While this would bring a serious challenge to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and BMW X5M, the vast amounts of torque and potential fuel savings (from single digit mpg up to the low teens, perhaps) are equally interesting.

On the other hand, the whole thing sounds like a massively expensive proposition, and it’s more likely that this model would be a limited production model rather than a volume version. For now, we’ll keep dreaming of a civilian version of the Race Touraeg.

[Source: Auto Evolution]

Tata’s Nano city car is being investigated for a series of fires in India related to the car. A Tate spokesman said that the company was “conducting a probe” into the matter.

The Nano, which costs about $2,500, is billed as the world’s cheapest car. Initial reports of fires were said to be unrelated incidents, but further reports of smoke in the cars spurred a switch in ignition suppliers. Tata is asking Nano owners to have their vehicles checked at dealerships “to allay owners’ concerns”.

The Nano is a pivotal car for Tata Motors, and India itself, as an increasingly wealthy middle class looks to move from two-wheeled transportation into a proper car.

[Source: The National Post]

Michael Schumacher has apologized to Rubens Barrichello after nearly running him into a retaining wall at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix. The apology came via a text message, but the actual words were not released.

Schumacher, who defended his actions despite a massive outcry, published a statement on his website saying he was “sorry” and did not intend to put Barrichello’s life in jeopardy.

Now, reports say that Schumacher went a step further and apologized to his former team mate via a text message. Barrichello went on to confirm this, and was gracious in his response.

“Somebody said to him that I was under the impression he had pushed me onto the wall, and he said it wasn’t the case and he apologised for that. I just said ‘thank you, no problem’. I accepted it, wished him a good weekend, life goes on.”

[Source: Sky Sports]

Hit the jump to see video of Rubens and Schumi battling it out at the 2010 Hungarian GP

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General Motors is hoping that their Chevrolet Cruze compact car will increase sales in Europe, where Chevrolets have previously been re-branded versions of cheap Daewoos.

While the Cruze sedan is a sharp looking vehicle, the most popular bodystyle over there is the hatchback, with three and five door versions of compact cars outselling sedans by a vast margin. Noticeably absent from the Cruze range is a hatchback, but things may change if Holden has its way.

GM’s Australian division, which had a hand in developing the Cruze sedan, was apparently tasked with designing a hatchback Cruze, set to debut at the Paris Auto Show. The Cruze hatchback will be part of an onslaught of smaller, more efficient cars, among them the Orlando minivan and the Aveo subcompact.

The Cruze hatchback is a bit of a long shot for the United States, where hatchbacks have never been popular, but there’s always the possibility that it could come to Canada, much like the Orlando.

Be sure to check out our Paris Auto Show preview page

Get more Chevy Cruze news and info at CruzeTalk.com

[Source: Go Auto]

Apparently the adage of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” stuck with some Brabus engineers. The famed Mercedes-Benz tuner is apparently a huge fan of Cupertino’s prized child stuffing a modified 750-hp Mercedes-Benz S-Class with every Apple product they possibly could.

We won’t get into much details on the actual engine and aesthetic modifications since it’s run-of-the-mill Brabus and is actually old news for the S-Class, but rather the nerd in us can’t even count how many Apple components are in the vehicle. The headliner has been integrated with a 15.2-inch TFT display with screens in the back of each front headrest. USB ports are integrated into the rear compartment to allow hook-up of any other devices while UMTS and HSDPA provides wireless Internet. We’re not quite sure how that will translate over to America since T-Mobile is just now launching HSDPA+, but we’re guessing you lucky Sprint 4G users can just WiMAX your phone and provide all the passengers with fast Internet.

A paid of iPads can control the entire Brabus multimedia system along with the car’s Command system, tying-in full functionality with the factory radio, navigation and phone. And possibly taking a note out of Rolls-Royce’s design handbook, Brabus outfits the S-Class with two tablet computers with Bluetooth keyboards that fit comfortably in the Brabus rear tables. There’s plenty of space in these infinitely adjustable tables, giving room for documents, a mouse and/or keyboard.

And best of all, special compartments were designed to hide all of these Apple components from plain sight when you leave your vehicle. Brabus says that the multimedia system can be offered in any S-Class from the S350 to the S65.

GALLERY: Brabus Mercedes-Benz iBusiness S-Class

Official press release available after the break:

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When we first saw the “Greatest Pass in Racing History” headline, we expected to see some old footage of Ayrton Senna. Instead, it’s a short clip of amateur video taken from a dirt track racing series at Courses de Bazous in St Ferdinand, Quebec, Canada (you crazy Canadians!).

Instead of waiting patiently and striking when the iron is hot, the driver opted to just pass a car while in mid-air. The race involves a bunch of stock cars out in a dirt track filled with jumps. We’re sure it’s pretty entertaining to watch in person and we’re guessing those that witnessed this jump-pass had a reason to cheer.

Check out the video after the break!

[Source: YouTube]

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Kyle Busch isn’t without controversy both on and off the track. And while his fellow NASCAR drivers might have an unflattering thing or two to say about him, there’s no denying Busch is a force to be reckoned with on the race track. In an unprecedented set of events at Bristol, Tennessee, Busch drove two Toyota Camrys and a Toyota Tundra (no… not at the same time) to sweep the NASCAR weekend, becoming the first driver ever to do so.

The three events Busch swept were the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It was definitely a historic achievement for Toyota’s presence in NASCAR, and for Kyle Busch and his team. Now if only he could play nice with the other drivers.

Official press release available after the break.

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