What Audi did for diesels in endurance racing, Porsche is looking to replicate with hybrid technology, claiming its first win today for the GT3 R Hybrid at round four of the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship in Germany. The car was piloted by works drivers Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer and Patrick Long.

Touting the hybrid car’s efficiency, the Porsche race car needed just two pit stops to complete the race while the majority of the competition had to stop three times for fuel.

“We’re very pleased with the technical level of the vehicle and the reliability of the hybrid system,” said Hartmut Kristen, Head of Motorsport at Porsche. “Compared to our rivals, we saved one pit stop and with less external energy input our lap times were just as quick. This is what we mean by Porsche Intelligent Performance. ”

Taking the top spot on the podium in just its second competition race, the GT3 R Hybrid is undergoing its final stages of testing in preparation for the Nurburgring 24 Hour race in June, where it’s obvious Porsche is looking for an outright victory.

Using a modified version of the original GT3 R hybrid powertrain, version 2.0 makes 470-hp from a naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine, with an additional 200-hp of electric boost available on demand. It also weights over 100 lbs less than the original thanks to a focus on weight savings for the electric components.

In addition, Manthey Racing’s 911 GT3 RSR (non-hybrid) finished second overall.

GALLERY: Porsche GT3 R Hybrid Victory

Those that have been waiting for a roadster variant of Mercedes‘ SLS AMG supercar can start heading over to their nearest Benz dealership to drop off a deposit. The 2012 SLS AMG Roadster is now official and will make its North American debut in Fall of 2011. The AMG-powered 6.2-liter V8 powerplant puts out 563-hp and 479 ft-lbs of torque while drivers will now have the versatility to conveniently lower the fully automatic, weight-optimized soft top to further enjoy the tone the V8 emits.

The roadster will have the ability to open its soft top so long as you’re traveling under 31-mph, and does so in a mere 11 seconds. The roof control unit is nicely integrated at the front of the center armrest making it within easy reach. To complement the SLS AMG’s nine exterior and eight interior colors, the soft top will be available in three different colors: black, red and beige.

For the rest of the SLS AMG, it’s standard Mercedes-Benz operating procedure which includes a staggered set of 19- and 20-inch wheels, AMG Drive Unit (which also allows controlling of the optional adaptive AMG sport suspension), Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system, and optional AMG ceramic high-performance two-piece braking system.

No pricing was announced on the SLS Roadster, but with the coupe retailing for $183,000 it’s likely to approach or even exceed the $200,000 mark.

GALLERY: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

BMW may seem to be a little late to the party with their four-door coupe dubbed the Gran Coupe, but it may just be coming in at the right time to battle it out with Mercedes-Benz‘s updated CLS-Class and Audi‘s A7. While we’ve seen the Gran Coupe concept several times now, these renderings indicate the car’s production is underway.

The style of the Gran Coupe is clear: BMW will draw its inspiration from the current 5-Series body while giving it the sporty-style from a 6-Series front end. The body itself is streamlined and elongated to fit the four-door coupe design we have seen with the popular CLS-Class and Audi’s A7.

More interesting is whether or not BMW will compete in the performance department against Mercedes’ highly touted CLS63 and Audi’s upcoming S7. Perhaps BMW will make an M-variant to their Gran Coupe in due time?

GALLERY: BMW Gran Coupe

[Source: Car & Driver]

On display for the first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the eve of the Indy 500, Chevrolet has unveiled the 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro. The very first 2012 model to roll off the line, the 45th Anniversary Edition package consists of a hood decal, “45th” front fender emblems, a rear stripe and unique 20-inch wheels. The car on display also sported a new Carbon Flash Metallic paint color.

The bigger changes come on the inside, however, with the 45th anniversary model getting white door inserts, a steering wheel medallion at the bottom of the steering wheel and some stunning red, white and blue stitching on the steering wheel, seats and shift knob.

In addition, all 2012 models will get some major interior changes, many of which have been called for by owners and critics since the car first debuted. Of note is a new steering wheel borrowed from some of Chevy’s other models with significantly smaller dimensions. Another major change is a new dash insert, eliminating much of the plastic on the dash.

Under the hood a new base LSX V6 engine gets a slight bump in power to 323-hp, while the SS Coupe can be had with an FE4 suspension package with a 23-mm front sway bar and 24-mm wide rear sway bar.

The 45th anniversary edition package will be available in limited numbers, although Chevy has yet to say how many.

GALLERY: 45th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro

Aiming to build hype behind its all-electric Leaf, Nissan has released a new ad, imagining a world where tiny internal combustion engines power everything that currently runs on electricity. The bleak and dirty existence portrayed in the new ad spot then steps to a new level to prove Nissan’s point, showing the sullen protagonist gassing up his Chevrolet Volt. Subtle it is not.

Understandably the folks at General Motors are none-too impressed and while in most cases silent indignation would be the correct course of action, GM product and brand communications chief Jason Laird chose a 140 character or less medium with which to toss back a cleverly worded barb.

“A carmaker poking gentle fun at our product ignores towtrucks they need and rental cars they recommend as backup to their product,” tweeted Laird, hinting at the Leaf’s limited range and reports that owners would be given free rental car days to help eschew concerns over range anxiety. Ouch!

In a brief online exchange Laird cited plausible deniability, commenting that he made no reference to anyone or anything, including the commercial, Nissan, or the Leaf. True, but we think you’ll forgive us for thinking we can make the assumption and hold on to our journalistic integrity.

“The commercial is cute, but its misleading and damaging to the EV movement,” says Rob Peterson, the man in charge of public relations for the Volt. His main issue with the ad, however, is in even comparing the two cars, which he sees as two very different vehicles based on their range capability.

“Many people are intrigued by electric cars but they don’t have the financial flexibility to own a second or even a third car. The Volt can be you only car.”

Ultimately, Peterson dismissed the spot, commenting that its, “long term effect will be relatively minimal.”

This isn’t the first such exchange between Chevy and Nissan either, with Chevrolet showing an ad at the Volt’s official world premiere at the LA Auto Show in which it’s referred to as more than just a “leaf blower”. The subtlety of that spot seems to have been replaced with a more explicit message and we have to wonder if it will continue to escalate as both Chevrolet and Nissan are vying to be recognized as the leader in new green automotive technology.

There’s a lot more at stake here than just hurt feelings or even the future of a single type of car. Both Nissan and Chevrolet have made commitments to the technologies used in their respective electrically-motivated vehicles, with the future of each automaker closely tied to the success of their flagship green product.

If you haven’t already, watch the Nissan spot after the jump:

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They may be a little too big to fit into your pocket, but that doesn’t make the Pocket Classics any less fun. Nope, they aren’t dinky cars – these mini zoomers are half-scale replicas of classics cars, ones you can actually ride around in… and a little less costly (but only by a little bit).

They are a tad pricey, running about £9,995 each (that’s about $20,000), but when you stack that price tag up to the real thing, it’s a bargain. The Pocket Classics celebrate some of the most-wanted rides in the history of cars, only at half the size. You can reach top speeds of 46 mph, thanks to its 110cc, single cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled, 6.7 hp engine, in the Jaguar E-Type, Mercedes Benz 300 SL and Porsche Speedster. They fit two adults or children, but at those prices, would you want your kids behind the wheel?

The Pocket Classics aren’t road legal and should only be driven around on private grounds. Each car is custom built with whatever combination of exterior colour (solid or metallic) and interior material you choose, and it takes about three months to make. They come with working lights, horn, indicators, electric start and adjustable seat.

You can buy any of the Pocket Classics from FireBox.

There isn’t a Chevrolet on the grid at this year’s Indianapolis 500, which is surprising considering the high profile the brand is playing at the race, ranging from being the official pace car, to a consumer drive event that can get fans behind the wheel of everything from a Corvette to a Volt. A year from now, however, Indy cars powered by Chevy engines will be prepping to hit the track with the bowtie-brand announcing its new twin-turbocharged direct-injection 2.2-liter V6 engine will first fire up in June, with testing set for later in the year.

Speaking to a group of journalists in Indianapolis, Chevrolet VP of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports Jim Campbell (middle right), explained that while there are numerous reasons for Chevy’s return to the series, now is the right time because of a new set of rules that, for Chevrolet, makes them much more relevant to the real world, i.e. production cars. In total, he lists five areas of “technology transfer” from the track to the street, namely: smaller displacement engines, the use of V6 engines, turbocharging, direct injection and E85.

The first four are obvious, with V6s continuing to be the backbone of many GM vehicles, while many of Chevy’s new models make use of smaller engines that feature both direct-injection and turbocharging. Take the Chevy Cruze for example, which uses a DI turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder. That same powerplant will also find its way into the new Sonic sub-compact. As for E85 and ethanol fuel in general, Chevrolet continues to make E85 compatible vehicles and often discusses it, but with no other automakers really paying much attention and other drawbacks to the fuel, it continues to be mostly irrelevant.

In addition, Campbell also discussed racing’s relevance to sales and marketing, as well as Chevy’s desire for competition, highlighting a 100 year shared history with the Indy 500, as well as heavy involvement in numerous other racing series from NASCAR, to the American Le Mans Series, to Grand Am road racing and drag racing.

Campbell says the IndyCar series allows Chevrolet to reach new customers, particularly as the series grows. While it has struggled to find fans over the past many years Campbell says that more recently viewership between 18 to 34 year-olds has grown 40 percent. Chevy isn’t alone in hopping on board with Indy either, with sponsorship spiking recently.

2012 may be Chevy’s first return to IndyCar since 2005, but the plan is to win says Campbell. “Winning is the goal,” he says, adding that “it gives you the most marketing leverage.”

Ford thinks it’s finally figured out the best place to put the charging plug on an electric car: on the front grille, like the Nissan Leaf? On the pillar, like the Tesla? Or where the gas cap is supposed to be, like on the G-Wiz?

Nope, to all of those: Ford believes that the charging port for their upcoming electric Focus should be on the left front fender, so drivers can see the charge port when leaving the vehicle and remind themselves to charge up, and where it also won’t get easily damaged.

“The left front fender location keeps the charge port in sight, before the customer enters or exits the car, for an easy reminder to unplug or recharge,” said Mary Smith, a supervisor with Ford’s electric vehicle program. “It creates an intuitive placement for owners that also has aesthetic appeal.”

Owners of electric cars are expected to usually charge their vehicles at home, at a rate of nearly four times per day or almost 1,500 times per year. Compare this to the average owner filling up a gas tank once a week, and it’s important to find a spot for the charging port that’s both convenient and safe. If the port was in the front or rear, for example, owners would have to dig it out from snow or debris, and it could get damaged in even a minor accident.

But most importantly, with the charging port on the front fenders, it’s easy to stick on more of those stylish fake fender vents that have swept the industry, as if their designers were zombies that had shuffled into a Pep Boys. After all, what’s the point of burying an electric charging port subtly into the grille when it can impress people alongside all that “ELECTRIC” badging?

Ford has just issued a price increase on its 2011 model year vehicles, the third hike this year.

New manufacturer suggested retail prices have increased on average by 0.4 percent or $124, bringing the yearly total to 1.3 percent or $375. According to Ford spokesman Todd Nissen most automakers have, on average, increased their vehicle prices by one percent this year.

The move is in response to increasing raw material costs, particularly on steel and aluminum.

Other major automakers to announce price hikes in 2011 include Toyota and General Motors, with Toyota upping prices from 1.2 to 2.1 percent, while GM added on what amounts to an average 0.4 percent increase across the board.

[Source: FreeP]

General Motors has once again canceled plans to bring a plug-in hybrid crossover to market. The automaker axed two other efforts back in 2008 and 2009 and has now reportedly dropped its most recent effort to build the Volt-style plug-in vehicle.

This most recent stab at the plug-in hybrid crossover was slated to be built on the Cadillac SRX platform, but GM has reportedly just sent a note to all involved in the project announcing its termination. This news comes as somewhat of a surprise, as back in December word came that the project was moving ahead.

While previous delays and the life cycle of the current SRX platform are believed to be issues, the final nail in the coffin of the SRX PHEV may have been the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the subsequent supply chain disruptions. An inability to get the electronic components needed and the rising prices of those parts that were available could be responsible for pushing back the launch date of the vehicle to the point where it would be too old in the SRX’s product lifecycle to be relevant. Several sources close to the project denied this was the major issue, citing instead that it had already become too late in the lifecycle of the SRX and that new advancements in hybrid technology would have made the SRX powertrain outdated.

GM is now looking to the future and those new hybrid tech developments, with one member involved in the SRX PHEV indicating a possibility that the project may be reborn under the next-gen SRX.

[Source: Reuters]