Some people just have all the luck don’t they? Walter Röhrl is Porsche‘s senior test driver and has quite a resume in his racing career. He’s an accomplished rally driver and road racer with victories for a fine collection of manufacturers including Fiat, Opel, Audi, Porsche, Ford and BMW. So what do you get when you pair a Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Röhrl behind the wheel and a video camera? So much jealousy from every one of us stuck behind a computer all day.

The 3.6L twin-turbocharged, quarter of a million dollar supercar puts out 630-hp of pure joy and at the very least we get to experience it vicariously through a video. Check out the video of Röhrl taking the GT2 RS around Luk Driving Center and enjoy the awesome Video Vbox display spouting off all sorts of data including throttle, brake, Gs, RPM and speed. One thing we do want to note is that it’s clear Röhrl is taking it very easy with the car – probably the reason for them to not be sporting any helmets.

Video after the break.

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The Dakar rally doesn’t get a lot of love in North America, but some of the machinery used in it is extremely badass, and the Volkswagen Race Touraeg 3 is no exception.

Looking like a Touraeg’s homicidal cousin, the Race Touraeg 3 is build for racing on sand dunes and features the appropriate jacked-up bodywork, special BF Goodrich tires and a 2.5L TDI engine making 296 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. The Race Touraeg can sprint to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, not bad for a massive truck.

With 10,000 km of testing behind it, the Race Touraeg 3 should be competent enough to give Volkswagen yet another Dakar title in 2011.

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touraeg

Hit the jump to read the official press release

[Source: Volkswagen]

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Honda has unveiled their Jazz Hybrid, which is sold as the Fit here in North America. We won’t be getting the Fit Hybrid in our part of the world, but it doesn’t look like we’re missing out on much.

With mileage comparable to a CR-Z, and a nearly $5,000 premium over a regular Fit, the car is hardly a value proposition. In fact, we’d wager that the only real benefit is that buying one will entitle Japanese market customers to take advantage of generous subsidies offered by the government on hybrid cars. But never say never.

The Fit Hybrid will debut at the Paris Auto Show in September.

Hit the jump to see the official press release

Gallery: Honda Jazz Hybrid

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Toyota has just announced a pedestrian warning system for its Toyota Prius hybrids that will be available as a dealer installed option in Japan.

The system, which costs $148, will engage below 15 mph and change its tone based on vehicle speed. The noise is said to be a synthesized sound that’s designed to emulate the whirring of an electric motor, though it sounds to us like a B-movie sound effect of an alien spacecraft. The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf will also have similar systems in response to safety advocates who say that the cars are so quiet that pedestrians may not hear them approaching.

If there were a theoretical hack to change the noise to something totally different it would be tempting to ditch the gentle purr of an electric motor for something more sinister – like a velociraptor.

Hit the jump to see video of the Toyota Prius Pedestrian Alert System

[Source: Yahoo News]

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Living in Los Angeles and being an automotive enthusiast sometimes doesn’t always mix well together. Some of us here at AutoGuide are based in LA and don’t often get great chances to truly “enjoy” our cars having to regularly sit in traffic staring at brake lights. But now we guess we have it easy since news has broke of a 60-mile long traffic jam in China between Beijing and Zhangjiakou. It’s being caused by road repairs and has been this way since middle of August with the light at the end of the tunnel sometime around September 13th.

Now for anyone that has ever been to Beijing and witnessed the driving there first hand, it’s not exactly what we’d call “by regulation.” In fact, it’s more of a free-for-all to get from point a to point b. Now sprinkle in some road work and a major traffic jam and we’re guessing it’s pure chaos out there. But not all is bad as some drivers have apparently taken up card and chess games while waiting for traffic to move again.

And clever little entrepreneurs have set up shop alongside the highway selling food and drinks at an inflated price. Even the local police has used an upward of 400 officers to get everyone to simmer down.

[Source: MSNBC]

The 2012 Nissan GTR is getting more than just cosmetic changes. According to the NAGTROC, the 2012 variant of Godzilla will get a revised chassis and suspension along with a “RWD mode”.

The front strut towers have been stiffened, for a more rigid chassis, while the brake rotors are 10mm larger up front. New spring rates, dampers and caster settings will help the handling, along with lighter, forged Rays Engineering wheels. A new tire package from Dunlop will help transfer all that power and grip to the pavement, while an option for Recaro seats (from the Spec-V model) will help keep you in place.

The most interesting option is the 2WD mode, which can turn the car into a rear-drive only machine. The 2wd mode can be activated by pressing the “fuel save” switch for more than 4 seconds, but somehow, we have a feeling that economy will not be the main objective of this kind of driving.

[Source: NAGTROC]

Despite the Chevrolet Volt’s carefully orchestrated PR campaign, TransLogic, an online publication, was given a GM-guided tour of the new Chevrolet Volt, but managed to reveal a couple interesting statistics.

The Volt, as it turns out, delivers respectable straight line performance. It’s 0-60mph time of 8.53 seconds isn’t quick, but it’s faster than cars like the Honda CR-Z, and the average driver will be satisfied with this level of performance.

On the other hand, fuel mileage while charging the on-board electric drive system was less than impressive, with the Volt returning 27.3 mpg.

Before judgement is passed, let’s remember that the car, a pre-production model, traveled 16 miles under unknown driving conditions, hardly a scientific measurement of fuel economy. But with GM so tight-lipped about these numbers, and well, everything else about the Volt (going so far as to “negotiate” a unique fuel economy window sticker and previously claiming a 230 mpg rating) we have to wonder whether this means that there’s something to cover up after all…

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Chevrolet‘s Orlando micro-van has had its first pictures shown ahead of its debut at the Paris Auto Show. Based on the Cruze platform, the Orlando won’t make it to the United States, but is expected to be a strong seller in world markets, as well as Canada, where the compact minivan market has entries from nearly every automaker.

Under the hood is a 1.8L gasoline four-cylinder engine putting out 143 horsepower, along with two 2.0L diesels, making 133 and 165 horsepower. Styling takes on Chevrolet’s “corporate face” out front, while the rest of the car looks conservative and squared off. Inside, the cockpit is said to be inspired by the Corvette with seating for seven passengers.

Autoguide will be on hand in Paris for the Orlando’s debut. Stay tuned for more pictures and info.

Gallery: Chevrolet Orlando

Hit the jump to see the official press release

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The marketing forces that control Ken Block’s driving career have taken the legendary Gymkhana video series that he stars in to a whole new level. The problem is, that new level isn’t in the direction we’d hoped.

The genius of the Gymkhana videos is that they marketed Block’s sponsors like DC Shoes and Monster Energy Drink using a clever and entertaining bit of automotive shenanigans that achieved internet fame in a truly viral way. Having left Subaru and moved over to Ford, there’s been quite a buildup to the Gymkhana 3 video. Instead of delivering as promised, the new installment isn’t the paint-splattering, florescent light-busting, tire shredding insanity of the past two. Instead its a music video previewing the actual nonsense (Part 2) that is set to drop in September. Worse yet, its an incongruous mix of urban pop culture with the rather un-urban DC Shoes brand.

The video itself is really just a music video by a group called The Cool Kids, with very little Ken Block hoonage and plenty of offensively obvious logos. Like past Gymkhana’s the video starts with a disclaimer that states it is, “a blatant but cleverly crafted marketing scheme to sell products.” Blatant, yes. Clever, hardly.

I you’re still interested, check out the video after the jump:

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Audi’s A3 hatchback is a solid car that hasn’t quite transcended the hatchback stigma the way that cars like the Ford Fiesta have. While the 5-door layout is perfectly acceptable for European consumers, it’s still seen a bodystyle for economy cars on this side of the Atlantic.

With the A4 steadily growing in size, Audi is working on an A3 sedan to help with North American sales. The A3 sedan would be unique in that the BMW 1-Series is only offered as a coupe, while the long-rumored Mercedes-Benz B-Class is only offered as, you guessed it, a 5-door hatch. The A3 sedan is expected to bow in 2013.

[Source: Financial Times]