The 2012 Civic Hybrid will have the honor of being the second most fuel efficient vehicle on the market, delivering 44 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway. While not quite as fuel efficient as the Toyota Prius, the numbers are still excellent, especially considering that Honda‘s hybrid technology is a few steps behind Toyota’s.

Visually, the Civic Hybrid gets its own front grill, headlights, LED taillights, wheels and side mirrors, ostensibly in the name of improving fuel economy via aerodynamics. Lithium-ion batteries also replace the previous generations nickel-metal hydride units, with power coming from a larger 1.5L 4-cylinder engine and a hybrid motor making 27 horsepower. Combined power is 110 -hp at 5500 rpm 127 lb-ft at 1000-3500 rpm.

Like most hybrids, an information screen is present to alert the driver to fuel economy information and other relevant facts. Called i-MID it’s part of Honda’s new telematics system (similar to Ford’s MyFord Touch). Lather and navigation are optional, while a 160-watt sound system and Bluetooth is standard.

Pricing for the Civic Hybrid starts at $24,050. Unveiled today at the New York Auto Show, see live photos from the reveal here.

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid review here.

GALLERY: 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid

Discuss the 9th generation Civic Hybrid at 9thGenCivic.com

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In many ways, forums are the original social media. Providing a place for discussion, they’ve increasingly becoming a medium by which (particularly in the auto industry) the more mainstream media finds out about new product info, rumors and reports.

AutoGuide.com understands just how vital a role forums play in fostering discussion, allowing like-minded (and often opposite-minded) enthusiasts a place to share everything from knowledge, to car parts to opinions. (Lots, and lots of opinions). The AutoGuide.com forum network consists of 230 automotive forums with over 6 million registered members, with one of the flagship properties being 8thCivic.com.

With the help and blessing of the public relations team at American Honda Motor Co., AutoGuide arranged for an exclusive preview of the 2012 (9th generation) Civic, occurring simultaneously with the first press drives of the car in Washington, D.C. We’ve documented the Civic meet-up, where 8thCivic.com members had the chance to get up close and personal with the new 2012 Civic line and share their opinions. Proud owners, they also showed us some of their modified rides.

In addition, AutoGuide is excited to announce the launch of 9thGenCivic.com where owners and enthusiasts can meet and discuss the newest Civic models.

A special thank you to the team at American Honda Motor Co. (Christina Ra in particular) who provided the venue for this exclusive preview, as well as to the Honda engineers who volunteered their time to meet and discuss the new 2012 Civic with the 8thCivic community.

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What you’re looking at is the updated 2013 Ford Taurus SHO and while this model might be the most attractive version of the new car, the big news is with the vehicle’s smallest engine.

As a part of a rather significant mid-cycle refresh, the 3.5-liter V6 gets a boost in power to 290-hp, making room for yet another model in the lineup… a 4-cylinder. As shocking as it may seem that a full sized sedan like the Taurus could be capably powered by a 4-cylinder, this is no regular 4-banger, but a turbocharged EcoBoost mill. Power is rated at a models 237-hp and 250 lb-ft of torque, which seems drastically underpowered by V6 standards, but might be adequate for the Taurus (only a test drive will tell). Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the car is protected to achieve 31-mpg on the highway.

The two other major changes for 2013 are with the car’s style, sporting a Mustang-inspired front end, while inside the Taurus gets Ford’s
MyFord Touch telematics system with easy to use controls and a high-gloss finish that adds plenty of value to this package.

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Taurus SHO

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Twenty years ago Lexus unveiled the first GS luxury sedan sending a shot across the bow of the German luxury sports sedans of the time. The Lexus brand was just an upstart at the time and so the Japanese firm made the wise decision to contact an Italian design studio (Giugiaro Design) to sculpt the vehicle’s sheetmetal.

Fast forward two decades and the GS has become a tired shadow of its former greatness, particularly in the face of new powerhouses from BMW and Mercedes. On the eve of the New York Auto Show, Lexus has revealed the LF-Gh concept, a look not only at the future of the GS sedan, but of the Lexus brand in general.

If the oversized grille is any indication, Lexus has no intention of rolling over and playing dead in front of the Germans, but instead seems poised to attack with performance, luxury and (because it’s a hybrid Lexus) fuel economy. In fact, while many of the design cues (like the low rear bumper) are there to give the car a more serious RWD performance look, the clean lines, flush door handles and lack of side mirrors indicate a focus on aerodynamic fuel efficiency.

Click here for Full 2011 New York Auto Show coverage.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Gh Concept

The snobby older brother of the Charger SRT8, Chrysler has revealed a high performance version of its full-size sedan, the 300 SRT8. Powered by the very same 6.4-liter V8 engine it makes 465-hp and an outrageous 465 lb-ft of torque to deliver a 0-60 mph time below 5.0 seconds.

Absent is the brand’s new 8-speed auto, in favor of a trusty 5-speed auto-box from the previous gen. It does offer two transmission modes, however, with an optional Sport mode for aggressive driving.

With some aggressive yet still stylish bodywork including a custom front fascia and blacked-out grille the 300 SRT8 sits half an inch lower and rolls on 20-inch wheels. A Black Chrome package adds on some extra black trim pieces as well as some mean black wheels. Hinting at the power hidden under the hood are massive 4-inch exhaust tips.

To help keep this massive sedan stuck to the ground in the corners is an Adaptive Damping Suspension (ADS) system that takes into account variable like vehicle speed, steering angle, brake force and even lateral and vertical gs. And to slow the big machine there’s a massive set of Brembo brakes with 14.2 inch rotors up front and 13.8-inchers at the rear.

Inside the cabin is upgraded with real carbon fiber trim, plus there’s the 8.4-inch touch screen display that allows you to access many of the car’s tech functions and even measure performance data like 0-60 times, and lateral g-forces. And in case the V8 rumble isn’t enough for you Chrysler does offer an optional 900-watt 19-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system.

Look for live photos from the car’s reveal at the New York Auto Show today.

GALLERY: 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8

Jeep‘s previous generation Grand Cherokee spawned an on-road performance version from the Chrysler Group’s SRT division and ever since the new GC’s debut the same has been expected of the latest and greatest Jeep – especially since the reveal of the Charger SRT8 and it’s new 6.4-liter V8 engine.

Delivering a successor, Jeep has just officially announced a new Grand Cherokee SRT8 for the 2012 model year, sporting that massive V8 powerplant and 465-hp. Paired with a the brand’s AWD setup (which includes a traction control system for Auto, Sport, Track, Tow and Snow) it sprints to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. There are paddle shifters to help you stay in control of all that power, plus a high-tech stability control system can distribute 100 percent of the engine’s torque to just one wheel.

Riding on 20-inch wheels there’s the requisite bad-boy bodywork, while handling is further improved with an adaptive suspension. And to slow the behemoth down is a set of massive Brembo brakes.

Inside, upgrades include some more luxurious touches with leather and suede as well as faux carbon fiber trim pieces, as well as a large touch-screen display. There’s even a 19-speaker, 825 watt sound system – apparently the audio equivalent to the 6.4-liter V8′s power.

Plus, the SRT8 retains a 5,000 lb tow rating so you can embarrass a lot of sports sedans while towing your boat.

GALLERY: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

See video of the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 from New York after the jump:

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Suzuki is hopping on the hybrid bandwagon with their new Kizashi EcoCharge, a concept car designed to hint at the possibility of a hybrid Kizashi. Suzuki claims that the Kizashi will deliver a 25 percent increase in fuel economy without any performance drawbacks, thanks to a 144 horsepower 2.0L 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a 20 horsepower electric motor.

Unlike other hybrids, the electric motor merely acts as a performance booster for the car’s conventional powertrain, while a start-stop system, regenerative braking and cylinder deactivation help with fuel economy. A 6-speed automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels while low rolling resistance tires help increase fuel efficiency.

Debuting on the even of the New York Auto Show, look for live photos of this new concept tomorrow with AutoGuide’s 2011 New York Auto Show coverage here.

The 2013 Ford Taurus was revealed Monday night on the eve of the New York Auto Show with a few styling tweaks, but the big news is the addition of Ford’s 2.0 Ecoboost engine as an alternative to their V6 engines.

With the addition of the Ecoboost, Ford expects the Taurus to return 31mpg on the highway, an impressive figure for such a hefty vehicle. The 237 horsepower and 250 lb-ft rating is certainly adequate for the needs of most consumers, and we expect it to be a popular option with fuel conscious buyers. A 6-speed automatic remains the transmission of choice, while the 3.5L V6 making 290 horsepower and the SHO’s 360 horsepower Ecoboost V6 remain available.

The MyFordTouch telematics system also makes an appearance, as does a revised front end. The SHO performance model won’t get an upgraded engine just yet, but will see a more aggressive front end and new wheels. The SHO was rumored to get as much as 400-horsepower from a tweaked Ecoboost V6, but so far no announcements have been made. By going with the 4-banger, Ford is hoping to make the idea of a full-size sedan more palatable to consumers in a marketplace more concerned about gas prices than ever before, and look for them to downplay the two missing cylinders as much as they’ll use the 31 mpg rating as a selling point.

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Taurus

Gallery: 2013 Ford Taurus Live Reveal

See video of the car from the live reveal after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Twenty years ago Lexus unveiled the first GS luxury sedan sending a shot across the bow of the German luxury sports sedans of the time. The Lexus brand was just an upstart at the time and so the Japanese firm made the wise decision to contact an Italian design studio (Guigiaro Design) to sculpt the vehicle’s sheetmetal.

Fast forward two decades and the GS has become a tired shadow of its former greatness, particularly in the face of new powerhouses from BMW and Mercedes. Now, on the eve of the New York Auto Show, Lexus has revealed the LF-Gh concept, a look not only at the future of the GS sedan, but of the Lexus brand in general.

If the oversized grille is any indication, Lexus has no intention of rolling over and playing dead in front of the Germans, but instead seems poised to attack with performance, luxury and (because it’s a hybrid Lexus) fuel economy. In fact, while many of the design cues (like the low rear bumper) are there to give the car a more serious RWD performance look, the clean lines, flush door handles and lack of side mirrors indicate a focus on aerodynamic fuel efficiency.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Gh Concept

See video of the car from the live reveal after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Owning a hybrid doesn’t have to be all boring as Fox Marketing demonstrates by teaming up with Lexus and building this wickedly clean widebody Lexus CT200h. Set to debut at this year’s New York International Auto Show, we were teased with some buildup photos and now we’ve finally got some snaps of the finished product.

Fox Marketing has built several Lexus projects in the past, including their convertible IS and a widebody IS-F that was shown off at previous SEMA shows. This year, Fox shows off that tuning and customizing hybrids will be on the rise by decking out Lexus’ CT200h with a very clean widebody and a set of 20-inch iForged Insite wheels featuring a killer concave setup.

The exterior of the CT200h was blasted with coats of BASF’s R-M Carizzma Cinnamon Quarts Pearl paint job to go along with the widebody conversion. Suspension modifications were done to the sedan giving the CT200h the stance it needs to sit snug on a staggered set of Insite wheels – 20×9.5-inch in the front, 20×10.5-inch in the rear. Our only real complaint on the entire build is the rear diffuser. The block-style design just doesn’t flow well with the rest of the project.

The well-executed build will also be shown off on Discovery HD Network in an episode of MotorWeek.

GALLERY: Fox Marketing Widebody Lexus CT200h

[Source: Addicted to Mods]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Lexus CT200h review here