Well, we suppose it was inevitable. Hyundai is set to unveil the Equus DUB Edition at the SEMA show, and really, should we have expected anything different?

The DUB edition takes Jay-Z’s mantra of “all black everything” to the next level, with tinted windows, tailights, a Trex DUB Design mesh grille, DUB Design custom body kit and a custom black and charcoal two-tone paint job. Riding on 24′s, the Equus will also get people’s attention with a booming audio system that builds on the Lexicon system already present in the car. Infiniti Kappa speakers and amps round out the system, and custom leather and suede on the seats and headliner swaddles the car’s occupants in pimptastic luxury.

We’re honestly a little surprised at how mild the build was – there’s not even an air suspension. Our guess is Hyundai is hedging their bets, by trying to attract the hip-hop crowd to the Equus while still retaining the discretely wealthy clientele that flocked to the Genesis.

[Source: Hyundai]

Hit the jump to see the official press release

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After days of back-and-forth rumors concerning the arrival of DTM touring car racing in the United States, the series debut in the United States has been confirmed for 2013, in partnership with NASCAR and GRAND-AM sports car racing.

The announcement comes as BMW also stated that they plan to return to DTM in 2012, giving them a year to prepare for the North American stage. While some feared that the arrival of DTM would steal the spotlight away from GRAND-AM, a well-regarded series that has suffered from a traditional lack of interest in road racing, some team owners, including Chip Ganassi, expressed hope that it would bring in more manufacturer support to GRAND-AM.

Others have suggested that DTM would give NASCAR a way to bring their Sprint Cup series to Europe, where oval track stock car racing is not as firmly established.

[Source: Speed TV]

One fun fact you may not know about the Porsche 911 – it’s the world’s best selling race car. According to Porsche, more than 1,400 Cup cars have been sold since their debut in 1998, and this year marks a big upgrade for the venerable, but still competitive racer.

The biggest change is a switch to the GT3 RS as a starting platform. This allows the 911 Cup to get the wider track and body, which also allows for bigger wheels, tires and brakes, and a more powerful 3.8L flat-6 engine making 450 horsepower.

The updated 911 Cup will make its debut in England in 2011, but you can hit the jump to read all about it, and peruse through the gallery.

Gallery: Porsche 911 Cup

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Now if you were just begging for a reason to head over to Las Vegas next week for the SEMA Show, and just really couldn’t find yourself one, we understand. Maybe modified versions of the Honda CR-Z, Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustangs and Hyundai Equus, are just not your thing. If you’re going to have to spend your hard-earned vacation days to check out some cars, you want to make sure it’s worth it. Well, now it is. Hennessey’s wickedly sick, fast, powerful and beautiful Venom GT will be hitting American soil to be seen by the public at this year’s SEMA show.

The $1 million dollar supercar (based on the Lotus Exige chassis and sporting a 1,200-hp twin-turbo V8) hasn’t really seen the public daylight, having been shipped straight from the production facility in England to UAE, home of its new owner. But it looks like it’s back in the United States for some fine tuning and will be heading to Las Vegas for all of our benefit.

For those that intend on heading to SEMA to check this bad boy out, we highly recommend sticking around whatever booth it is in on the last day. In any hopes they won’t push it out and onto a trailer, but actually fire it up to take it outside. We can only hope.

AutoGuide’s coverage of the 2010 SEMA Show starts November 2nd. Until then, check out our SEMA Preview here.

[Source: Jalopnik]

GALLERY: Hennessey Venom GT

Video of the car idling after the break.

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While a car’s 0-60 time is far from a perfect metric for evaluating performance, it does act as a heuristic, giving us a quick and easy method to judge how a car does in a straight line.

Electric cars, by this same logic, are often thought of as slow cars for timid drivers more concerned about efficiency than speed. But electric motors, with their instant torque, can make for some serious acceleration, and the Tesla Roadster isn’t the only EV to stake this claim.

The Nissan Leaf, a car that looks like it belongs at the Whole Foods parking lot rather than the drag strip, can allegedly hit 60 mph in 7 seconds. This isn’t exactly a blistering time like the Tesla Roadster‘s 3.7 second number, but it is very respectable, and on par with nearly every mid-size car. A Hyundai Sonata Turbo, which makes 274 horsepower, can do it in about 6.5 seconds, as can most V6 family sedans. On the other hand, Nissan’s Versa, upon which the Leaf is based, will take a glacial 9.5 seconds.

Now, we have to warn you that these times are strictly unofficial, and not done with proper instruments or controlled conditions. But if they are true, then the anti-EV camp just had some wind taken out of their sales.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

Toyota has just announced its list of eight show cars for the annual SEMA Expo, including everything from a custom Prius, to a NASCAR edition Camry, to several modified trucks and even a Sienna Swagger Wagon. Along with the vehicles, Toyota will have on hand NASCAR driver David Reutimann, NHRA Top Fuel driver Antron Brown, bass fishing champion Kevin VanDam and Brian Huskey the actor who plays the dad in Toyota’s incredibly successful (and hilarious) “Sienna Swagger Wagon” commercial.

Other vehicles on display will include the Tundra Ultimate Sportsman truck, a Yaris GT-S Club Racer (could be cool), a “Four Wheeler” 4 Runner and two modified Priuses.

And let’s not forget the Tacoma X-Runner RTR, sporting a supercharged version of big brother Tundra’s 5.7-liter V8 for a total of 504-hp.

Toyota has yet to provide us with photos of any of the vehicles except the X-Runner RTR but we’ll update this story as soon as we get them.

Until then, check out our SEMA Preview here and stay tuned for complete coverage of the 2010 SEMA Show starting November 2nd.

Vauxhall has turned to Lotus for help with their chassis engineering on their upcoming Astra VXR hot hatch. The input from Lotus will supplement the work done by GM division Opel, which is testing the car on German roads.

Lotus has a long tradition of helping third-party manufacturers with their handling and chassis development. Prototypes of cars such as the Nissan GTR were seen at the Lotus test track early on in their development, and Lotus previously helped out with the outgoing Astra VXR.

With the newest edition expected to put down close to 300 horsepower through the front wheels, Lotus has apparently been tasked with tuning the mechanical limited slip fitted to the car. Lotus will ostensibly have to strike a balance between outright performance and quelling the massive torque-steer from the VXR’s turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

[Source: Autocar]

Ford has just announced it will offer a new Sport Package for the SE and Titanium trim versions of its all new 2012 Focus, helping give drivers an even more enjoyable experience behind the wheel.

Inspired by the new Focus ST, the SE Sport Package adds four-wheel disc brakes, a sport suspension, 16-inch wheels (17s are optional), sport seats, a piano black grille, a rear spoiler, metallic trim accents and a leather wrapped steering wheel with a 5-speed manual transmission. Ford will also offer the ST’s Yellow Blaze Metallic paint.

As for the top-level Titanium model, it gets what Ford calls the Titanium Handling Package with “optimized” suspension components, 18-inch wheels and summer performance tires.

The packages won’t initially be available, but Ford will introduce them to the lineup later this year.

GALLERY: 2012 Ford Focus

GALLERY: 2012 Ford Focus ST

Official release after the jump:

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After the recently unveiling of the Forester XT-S concept for Australia, Subaru has just announced a sporty new Forester model for Japan. Called the Forester tS, it’s inspired by the STI and follows after the Legacy tS model with plenty of upgrades to provide a more dynamic driving experience.

Included are STI shocks and springs, plus added bracing and a flexible strut bar among other add-ons. Inside, there are highly-bolstered STI seats with red stitching with aluminum pedals, an STI-style steering wheel with paddle shifters and a big red push-button ignition.

Power comes from the 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer 4-cylinder with 263-hp and the new 5-speed automatic transmission.

The new crossover will be offered in Obsidian Black, Pearl White, Stylish Silver and WR Blue Mica. Sadly it will only be offered in Japan, and even for enthusiasts there it will be a rare beast with just 300 versions of the limited edition model set to be produced.

GALLERY: Subaru  Forester tS

It’s no secret that the Lone Star State is known as truck country. Texas accounts for 17 percent of total pickup sales in the U.S. and this year, after two grueling days of evaluating a total of 57 trucks and SUVs, the Texas Auto Writers Association, declared the 2011 Ram Laramie Longhorn as this year’s ‘Truck of Texas.’

And from looking at this truck, it probably isn’t difficult to see why. The Laramie Longhorn is loaded with gingerbread, from the two tone paint on the outside and plenty of chrome, to a luxurious leather interior that harks back to the days of the old west; plus it has a big Hemi V8 and that most Texas of features, chrome dual exhausts, which nearly every big pickup on the road in the Lone Star state seems to sport these days.

Besides winning this prestigious award, Chrysler products cleaned house in other categories too –  the Ram Power Wagon won Heavy-Duty pickup honors (for the second year in a row), while the full-size truck award went to the Ram Outdoorsman a model aimed at hunters, fisherman and campers, that incorporates such features such as a towing package and RamBox holster (we don’t need to tell you what that’s for). In the SUV category – top awards also went to Chrysler Group vehicles – Jeep’s new 2011 Grand Cherokee took the win in the full-size category, while the mid-size award went to the 2011 Jeep Wrangler.

GALLERY: 2011 Ram Laramie Longhorn