Gordon Murray’s most famous project so far has been the McLaren F1. But if the legendary South African designer has his way, his next project will be the one that forms the basis of his legacy, and the T.27 electric city car may just make it after passing a European market crash test with flying colors.

The T.27 showed no cabin intrusion during the 40mph frontal crash test, thanks to its Formula 1 inspired monocoque chassis, which is designer to withstand incredible impacts while being lightweight and rigid. Murray expects to have running prototypes in the Spring, with the eventual goal being the licensing of the technology, as well as Murray’s proprietary manufacturing process, to other car makers.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Honda‘s previous Civic launches have seen the base models get the star-treatment right out of the gate, with performance and eco variants following later on. But this time will be different, as Honda plans to launch the regular Civic, Civic Si, Civic Hybrid and a natural gas powered Civic within weeks of each other.

The rapid launch is part of Honda’s marketing campaign based on Soichiro Honda’s phrase that there is “a Civic for everyone”. The new Civic’s introduction will be critical for Honda, as the Civic’s bread and butter car has had an exceptionally long product cycle, due to a sudden alteration of the Civic’s design after the start of the financial crisis in 2008.

[Source: Autoweek]

For more news, discussions, pricing and pictures on the 2012 Honda Civic, please visit http://www.9thgencivic.com/

Unfortunately we have no photos of the Saab 9-5 SportCombi to show you, but considering how wild the 9-5 sedan looks, we’re very excited to see the wagon version debut at March’s Geneva Auto Show.

The last 9-5 wagon was never a runaway success, but within the niche of luxury wagons, it was a well regarded product. Many an enthusiast lusted after the 9-5 Aero wagon, but Saab is going to need more than a handful of quirky professionals to keep them in business this time around.

With a turbocharged V6 and all-wheel-drive, the SportCombi will have the “sport” part of the equation covered, but some interested features, like a sealed storage compartment under the floor (meant for wet items) sound interested, while the “adaptable multi-fold floor” and  ”flexible U-rail load space configuration” will have to be seen in person before we can tell if its marketing spin or a feature that matters.

[Source: Carscoop]

The often-spied follow-up to Ferrari‘s 612 Scaglietti will make its debut on January 21st – but you won’t get to see it. The car’s unveiling is by invitation only, and will take place only at 6 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

The invitation’s Italian text loosely translates into “Get ready to jump on board… Ferrari invites you to discover an all-new Ferrari in preview.” So far, all we know is that the car will have some kind of V-12 powerplant, and hopefully eschew the awkward looks of the 612 for something more graceful.

[Source: Autoblog]

Audi fanboys will have the wind taken out of their sails today after Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi’s American division, told Autoweek that the car may not reach the U.S. market until 2015!

No reason was given, but we can only assume that it’s far from production ready. The A6 Hybrid is apparently capable of hitting up to 62 mph on electric power and can return 38 mpg on European mileage tests. What do we care anyways, when the base car has a slightly detuned version of the S4′s supercharged V6 and the styling of a baby A8.

[Source: Autoweek]

There are some great do-it-yourself projects that you should undertake – building a deck in your backyard, putting together a bird house or assembling IKEA furniture. But making your own seat belt? Yeah, we’re not the only ones scratching our heads at this one.

Paul Weigand, a Wichita man, received a ticket from police officers for using a seat belt he made himself. He doesn’t agree with the charges and is taking the matter up in court. A judge had already told him that from now on, he must wear the seat belt that came with the car. Apparently, his homemade seat belt isn’t attached to the car, so it’s probably not as affective as one that is (we don’t have a sarcastic font, but if we did, we’d totally be using it on that last sentence).

Weigand is planning on taking his case to trial, because he doesn’t think the law should require him to wear a seat belt. His case is based on the fact that the law doesn’t require that the belt be affixed to anything.

Do you think he has a case or should the police just let him wear his DIY seat belt? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Source: USA Today]

A report from PlugInCars.com suggests that Hyundai‘s  endless march towards global domination isn’t letting up, and the next phase of their product strategy involves both a Prius competitor and a plug-in variant of the Sonata Hybrid.

According to Mike O’Brien, Hyundai’s head of product planning, the Sonata plug-in Hybrid would require little in the way of engineering to make it ready. “Other manufacturers’ hybrid systems were developed in such a way to not allow them to easily develop plug-in hybrids,” he said. “For the Sonata Hybrid to become a plug-in hybrid, really all we need are bigger batteries—the basic technology platform is already designed to support a plug-in variation.”

According to O’Brein, we’ll see something within the next 12 months at one of the major auto shows. Let the speculation games begin!

For more information on news, pictures, and more, please visit http://www.sonataforums.com/

[Source: Plug-in Cars]

BMW has just announced a new turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant that will first appear in the BMW X1. Replacing the current 3.0-liter straight-six overseas, it will be found under the hood when the X1 hits dealers in North America.

The new TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder engine displaces just 2.0-liter but makes 245-hp at 5000 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque at just 1250 rpm. To achieve this result the engine uses BMW’s Valvetronic variable valve control system, as well as a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct-injection.

Compared to the old 3.0-liter straight-six, the turbo-four makes 13 fewer horsepower, but 30 more ft-lbs of torque. BMW claims an improvement of 0.7 seconds to 62 mph with the manual and 0.3 seconds with the automatic, resulting in a very impressive 6.1 second (or 6.5 second) 0-62 mph time.

Along with improved performance, the TwinPower Turbo 4-banger also gets improved fuel economy, with BMW claiming a 4.8-mpg improvement to 29.8-mpg. (On the European test cycle).

Set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the N20 engine is likely to find it’s way under the hood of numerous new Bimmers, including the 3 Series, X3, Z4 and even the 5 Series.

Get AutoGuide’s 2011 Geneva Auto Show preview here.

GALLERY: BMW X1 xDrive28i

Official release after the jump:

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It’s been rumored for quite some time now, but Porsche has finally confirmed plans for a 4-cylinder boxer engine.

In an interview at the Detroit Auto Show, former R&D boss Wolfgang Durheimer told AutoCar that the new engine could feasibly be used for the Boxster and Cayman. It’s also believed to be introduced in the upcoming baby-Boxster, based on the same platform as the VW Bluesport.

Sources familiar with the project have said the engine displaces 2.5-liters and has been tested up to 360-hp in a turbocharged format.

With the continued downsizing of engines, Durheimer even went so far as to say a 4-cylinder could eventually find its way into a the 911 – but not now.

[Source: AutoCar]

You talk a mile a minute, so you need a phone that keeps up with your motor-mouth. It’s a good thing there’s a new Ferrari cell phone on the market that can keep up with your speed-talking sessions.

The Ascent Ferrari GT cell phone is the latest collaboration between the automaker and British luxury phone maker Vertu. This luxe phone takes its cue from the high-end Italian cars – its casing is made from forged titanium and finished with a chic matte black PVD finish. And just like the car it mimics, the Vertu Ascent Ferrari GT is outfitted in the same black and red hand-sewn leather. Other features that make it sparkle include precision engineered stainless steel keys, a ceramic battery cover and grill-inspired siding. Unlike the car, the phone offers a 2″ QVGA screen, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 11×15mm stereo speakers.

If you’ve just gotta get one, you’d better make it fast – only 2,011 Ascent Ferrari GTs cell phones will be available for sale.

[Source: Born Rich]