Toyota has agreed to pay a $32.4 million fine in order to settle an investigation into the timeliness of the recalls it issued. The fine is the maximum allowable by law, bringing the total value of fines Toyota has paid to government agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to $48.8 million for the year – a figure that’s almost insignificant compared to the cost of the recalls themselves.

The fine paid is in connection with the investigation into loss of steering control on 2004-05 light trucks, as well as to the highly publicized floor-matt recall.

In a statement released by Toyota, the automaker said the fine does not constitute an admission of guilt to, “any violation of its obligations under the U.S. Safety Act.”

Further fines may be levied against Toyota in the future, however, with several investigations ongoing. These include an examination of whether Toyota should have considered electronic interference as a factor in cases of unintended acceleration.

Over the past 13 months Toyota has recalled 15.5 million vehicle worldwide.

[Source: Automotive News]

There are a lot of rumors surrounding the next Subaru Impreza WRX STI, with some reports suggesting it will go diesel, while others point to a hybrid version. And while we don’t yet know what the decided powerplant will be, we can guarantee it will include AWD, go like stink and look awesome!

OK, so we don’t know that last one either, but thanks to the creative genius of artist Jon Sibal we can share a creative peak at what the next STI might look like.

Based on the Impreza Design Concept unveiled at the LA Auto Show, the STI model gets the requisite fender flares, top-mount intercooler and, of course, a massive wing on the back. The concept car has actually received a significant level of criticism from the Subaru faithful, although it’s easy to see how the handsome compact car shape works perfectly in a more aggressive form.

While Subarus have never been the most attractive cars on the road and the STI has always paled in comparison to its Mitsubishi rival, if Subie’s designers follow this path it might be the first time the EVO comes up short on the looks department.

The German automotive giant BMW is about to make a big splash at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, with no less than three unveilings.

First up will be a slightly tweaked version of the current 1-series coupe and convertible, which is getting a face-lift. The recently announced 1-series M Coupe will also be present at the show, which will surely get the enthusiasts pulse racing.

But this won’t be the only new M-edition car on the stand, as BMW will also be showing a version of its new X3, with an M-sport package. (An X3 M model, rumored to be in the future product lineup, is illustrated above).

Unfortunately it  won’t be packing any extra grunt, but it will have a sportier appearance, thanks to revised bumpers and sills, and it will also be wearing 20-inch alloy wheels. Since it is just an appearance package, it will be available with any engine option and considering the X3 xDrive35i already makes 300-hp, it’s not exactly a slouch.

In addition, the all-new 6-Series Convertible will officially be revealed with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 400-hp and will send power to its rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Check back January 10th for complete coverage of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

[Source: Evo]

Go straight from the golf course to the street in style when you’re driving the Garia LSV.

Built at the same factory as the Porsche Boxster and Cayman, the Garia LSV is street legal while still remaining perfect for the green (in fact, it’s the first golf cart that’s earned its right to be called a car as opposed to a cart). Packed with luxury features like a super-car inspired steering wheel, a built-in refrigerator and hand-stitched seats, the Garia LSV has everything to make a golf cart look good.

Road wise, the Garia LSV comes fitted with street legal safety equipment such as seatbelts, side mirrors and reflectors. It can reach a top speed of 25 mph top speed and comes with double wishbone front suspension, automotive style shocks and springs and a digital instrument cluster with all relevant driver information. The Garia LSV features a drive train built by an Italian company that also produces Ducati gearboxes, and its components are made by the same company that supplies Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo.

Although you should really drive it to work, it will get you to places in the neighborhood or to help you run errands to the grocery store.

Lotus, a company best known for producing great sports cars like the Elise and the iconic Esprit, is about to head into a whole new direction.

While it will continue building sports cars, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has announced that in October, 2013 the company will produce its City Car, which was shown as a concept at the recent Paris Auto Show.

This new car will be jointly developed by Lotus and its parent company Proton, along with a mystery OEM car company. Bahar went on to say that “We will build three versions: one for the Asian market, one for Europe and a sporty one.”

No exact specification details are known at the moment, however the City Car concept had a 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder engine with hybrid drive technology.

While Lotus will continue its sports cars side of the business, which in the next few years will launch models like the all new Elise, Elan and Esprit, Bahar said that in order for the company to become profitable, it needs to expand its business portfolio.

Bahar told CAR magazine that “Over the past 15 years, Proton has had no profit at all from Lotus. They decided to sell it or give it another chance.”

Let’s hope their new business plan works and enable them to stay in the business of making exciting cars for years to come.

[Source: CAR]

Having revised its crash testing methods, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now released its new findings on 55 vehicles, including the 2011 Honda Civic.

Although the Civic hasn’t been significantly updated since the 2006 model year, the new NHTSA methods, which include a ‘pole’ test, whereby the car is simulated in a 20 mph impact with a 10 foot pole or tree behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side, have resulted in some surprising changes to the car’s overall safety rating.

In the Civic’s case, it drops from a four-star overall rating in 2010, to three, largely due to a side impact test where it earned just two stars. Other small cars fared about the same or even worse – Honda’s new CR-Z received an overall three-star rating, while the Nissan Versa, garnered just two.

Even some larger cars didn’t do well, the best-selling Toyota Camry only garnering three stars overall. However, in the Civic’s defense, the current model is in the twilight of it’s existence, a re-designed 2012 model is due to debut (in concept form) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

[Source: USA Today]

Nissan has unveiled the design of its new global compact sedan at the China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition. Going by the name Sunny in China, it will be badged as the Versa in North America.

Historically, the Sentra and the Sunny were the same vehicle, but that began to change two model year’s ago when Nissan moved production of the U.S.-spec Sentra to the U.S. and the introduction of the Tiida/Versa.

Nissan says the new global vehicle will be sold in a total of 170 countries worldwide.

With styling elements obviously borrowed from the Altima, it’s a big improvement over the current Versa – but that’s not saying much. Up front there’s a MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear end, in China that car will get a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine mated with an Xtronic CVT. Nissan won’t be participating at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, but we’d look to see more on this new Versa at the New York Auto Show in April.

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan Versa

Arguably one of our favorite cars over the past decade has been the Audi RS4. With 414-hp from a high-revving 4.2-liter V8, the RS4 packed plenty of fun thanks also to its quattro all-wheel drive system and the fact that it was available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission.

An aggressive stance, flared fenders an a simply stunning interior make the RS4 a car that you couldn’t help but lust after.

With limited production between 2006 and 2008, the car’s rarity makes it even that much more desirable.

Sadly, we won’t be looking forward to driving the next RS4, as there won’t be one. According to a report by Car & Driver, Audi has no plans to give the RS4 a successor. This isn’t all that surprising as the RS4 has, historically, skipped generations.

An RS6 is, however, planned, using a twin-turbo V8 engine – which is also rumored to power an upcoming RS7 model and make as much as 600-hp.

[Source: Car & Driver]

Lexus appears poised to introduce a hybrid version of its ES luxury sedan, based on documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The fact that luxury brands insist on using alphanumeric badges for their cars makes deciphering a new name child’s play.

The proposed name for the new model is the ES300h, which not only tells us it’s a hybrid, but also indicates that Lexus will abandon it’s current hybrid strategy for the ES sedan. In the past, hybrid versions were always more powerful versions, intended to deliver the oomph of a larger engine but with a reduced carbon footprint.

With the current ES using a 3.5-liter V5, it’s likely the ES300h will get a 4-cylinder engine – perhaps even the same setup as in the Camry Hybrid with 187-hp.

This could mean Lexus will then follow the Lincoln plan to offer its MKZ Hybrid at the same price as its standard model, and it’s also an admission that the HS250h has been less than successful. With buyers slowly adapting to hybrids they still don’t appear to be ready to settle for a smaller car and with the Camry Hybrid one of the best selling green cars on the road, it wouldn’t be difficult for Toyota to move a good portion of those customers up-market to Lexus.

[Source: Car & Driver]

Hyundai has just announced that its new Sonata Hybrid will be priced from $25,795 – a roughly $5,500 premium over the standard vehicle and approximately $1,500 more than the Turbo version. A Premium package raises the price to $30,750.

Using Hyundai Blue Drive hybrid setup the Sonata Hybrid combines a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder (which makes 169-hp and 156 ft-lbs of torque) with a 30 kW (151 ft-lb) electric motor and ground-breaking new lithium-polymer battery to make a total of 209-hp and 195 ft-lbs of torque.

Along with pricing, Hyundai has also announced official EPA fuel economy numbers which are 35-mpg city and 40-mpg highway. That’s one highway mpg more than projected, but 2-mpg city less.

Base models come equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, stability control, 16-inch wheels, LED headlight accents, LED taillights, fog lights, unique bodywork, remote keyless entry with proximity entry and a push-button ignition, a 4.2-inch trip computer display, dual-zone climate control, power driver’s seat with lumbar, tilt and telescopic steering wheel with cruise and audio controls not to mention iPod, USB and Aux. jacks.

The Premium package includes a panoramic roof, 17-inch wheels, Navigation, a backup camera, a 400-watt audio system, leather and piano black interior trim.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Review by Clicking Here

Official release after the jump:

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