Following in the footsteps of the Aston Martin Cygnet, Lotus will introduce their own City Car, apparently dubbed the Ethos, in late 2013.

First unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the Ethos will be powered by a hybrid powertrain or possibly a fully electric system like the Nissan Leaf. The concept used a 1.2L three-cylinder engine with a hybrid system that allowed for 37 miles of electric driving and a total range of 310 miles. Pricing is said to be set at $45,000.

GALLERY: Lotus Ethos Concept

[Source: DuPont Registry]

U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital, has purchased Spyker, after a deal to sell the Dutch outfit to Russian investors fell through. The Financial Times reported the news after viewing a preliminary draft of the announcement.

It’s unclear how the Spyker sale will impact parent company Swedish Automobile, and its attempts to restructure Saab, the legendary Swedish car company once affiliated with Spyker. The Dutch sports car maker was due to be sold to CPP Global Holdings, owned by Russian investor Vladimir Antonov.

Swedish Automobile wanted to sell Spyker to focus on Saab, and a series of deals with Chinese auto makers were also announced, with little tangible results.

[Source: Financial Times]

Hyundai CEO John Krafcik will keep his company’s focus on being a fuel economy leader, and has ruled out a high-performance sports car, even as he discussed the various ways in which the new CAFE regulations can be gamed to produce low fleet fuel economy ratings.

With large vehicles being held to less stringent standards under CAFE (as well as a different formula for measuring MPG than the one used for consumers), Krafcik said that auto makers may not have as strong an incentive to produce compact, fuel efficient vehicles.

Giving the full-size truck market as an example (full-size trucks will be able to comply with more lax regulations) Krafcik told Ward’s Auto that “every well-intentioned action has an unintended negative consequence. This is a classic one. Because of the new CAFE guidelines, the most fuel-efficient segment for pickup trucks, the small ones, aren’t going to be available in the U.S. market. That’s crazy.”

While Hyundai had the best fleet average fuel economy of any auto maker in the 2010 model year, Krafcik said that hitting the 2025 target of a 54.5 mpg fleet average will be tough. Krafcik also ruled out the idea of a high-end sports car, stating “… it would be expensive, and what would it really do for us?”

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Since 2009, Toyota has been eager to display their new entry level FR concept coupe throughout its development. First displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, it made appearances at Geneva, New York, and Frankfurt auto shows as well. The press has been so tired of covering the concepts, in fact, that journalists have dubbed it the “perpetual concept car.”

Inexplicably, Toyota’s marketing and media push is in stark contrast to Subaru‘s sister BRZ concept, its designs still shrouded in mystery.

What’s even more strange is that Masashi Uemura, Subaru’s deputy general manager of corporate communications, made it clear that ongoing platform and drivetrain development, production engineering and final assembly for the compact rear wheel drive coupe are all being handled by Subaru at Subaru facilities. Since Subaru has been in charge, why haven’t we seen any concepts from them?

In an attempt to clear things up, Car Magazine had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Toshio Masuda, Subaru’s product planning senior general manager and the director of the BRZ project.

During the Q&A, Masuda provides a few telling answers that shed light on the BRZ’s development. First off, the BRZ will only come in a rear wheel drive trim. Masuda explained that the team has been approaching the BRZ as a test bed, focusing on rear wheel drive handling characteristics that they hope to apply onto all future all wheel drive Subarus. Furthermore, the BRZ’s 2.0-liter flat-four engine will be naturally aspirated, instead of turbocharged as rumors had suggested.

Secondly, the “Boxer Sports Car Architecture” platform used for the FT-86 and BRZ are bespoke. It is not a chassis that will be shared with any other models so do not expect to see four door variants. However, future generations of Subaru vehicles will no doubt adopt innovations from the chassis. The party piece of the chassis is its incredibly low 450mm center of gravity.

In terms of exterior design, lines and proportions of the BRZ will share a likeliness to the FT-86. Expect to see a similar glasshouse as well as elements along the central body. Brand specific styling will be penned for the front and rear ends.

[Source: CAR Magazine]

Discuss this story at SubaruBRZForum.com

For 2012, the outgoing Subaru Impreza Outback Sport will merely consist of a limited set of trim options before it will make way for a completely redesigned model known as the Subaru XV.

While it features the requisite all wheel drive, a taller ride height of 8.6 inches, and body cladding, the XV’s appearance is a grand departure from its predecessors and really provides a splash of excitement for the Impreza range.

Available under the hood are a 1.6-liter or 2.0 liter boxer-4 engine with Subaru’s new start/stop technology. The XV will also have a CVT transmission to optimize its fuel economy.

While it is unclear whether the name “XV” will be kept, expect to see the Outback’s new replacement in showrooms by 2013.

GALLERY: Subaru XV

[Source: Autoblog]

A UK engineer has built a car that runs on coffee grinds. This brilliant idea came to fruition thanks to engineer Martin Bacon (insert your own breakfast related joke here) and a team of volunteers from Teesdale Conservation in Durham, England. Powered by used coffee grinds, the modified Rover SD1 is already breaking records.

Guinness World Records has announced that it broke the record “for vehicles that run on gas from organic waste.” It can reach speeds of up to 77.5 miles per hour, with an average speed of 66.5 mph (the previous record was 47.7 mph, set by the wood-burning Beaver XR7 in 2010). This car and its team have also broken record for the longest distance driven by a coffee-powered car (they drove it from London to Manchester, which is about 209 miles).

To get things percolating, the coffee car powers its V6 engine with an on-board wood gas generator (gasification) system. The wood and coffee grounds burn at a temperature of more than 1292 F, which produces a synthetic gas made of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane that can power an internal combustion engine. Now that is one strong cup of java!

To reach its top speeds, some of the clean gas is compressed to 150 PSI and injected directly into the manifold, and its cooling system uses an intercooler with two 12-volt fans attached. The coffee car has already gone through a series of modifications, which has resulted with a weight loss of 550 pounds.

Watch of video of the coffee car in action after the jump.

Continue Reading…

Meguiar’s is sending nine of the world’s top show cars from around the world to this year’s SEMA Show, holding its first ever Car Crazy International Vehicle Showcase. These nine cars along with their owners will be brought in from all over the globe and will be on display front and center right outside the Convention Hall, next to Meguiar’s Car Crazy TV Stage. All week long, both the vehicles and their owners will be a major attraction of this year’s SEMA Show.

Each vehicle was meticulously selected to ensure that they represent their respective country with pride. Just some of the vehicles that are heading to Meguiar’s Car Crazy International Vehicle Showcase include a 1953 Ford Truck F100 from Costa Rica (pictured), a 1981 VW Golf Mk1 from the United Kingdom, a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr Custom from Mexico, a 2000 Toyota Celica from China, and a 1978 XC GS Ford Falcon Hardtop (pictured) from all the way in Australia.

Prior to making the trek to Las Vegas though, the vehicles will make a pit stop during the month of October at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Southern California for private showings to visitors throughout the month.

GALLERY: Meguiar’s Car Crazy Vehicle Showcase

There is plenty of buzz surrounding Porsche‘s upcoming 991-generation 911 models and CAR Magazine out in the United Kingdom has revealed some more details on various 991 future derivatives. There aren’t any overwhelming surprises with the upcoming model announcements, but it’s clear that Porsche will be moving swiftly to launch several models out of their 991 generation in the upcoming years.

Once the standard Carrera and Carrera S models arrive at the end of this year, we’re expected to see the 911 Cabriolet next featuring a stylish soft-top. The end of 2012 should bring Porsche’s next generation Carrera 4, bringing four-wheel-drive to the Carrera and Carrera S models. It’s believed that the C2 and C4 will feature a 3.4L engine with 350-bhp and 280 lb-ft of torque, while the C2S and C4S will pack 400-bhp and 325 lb-ft of torque from a 3.8L.

By 2013, the new 911 Turbo will arrive, featuring a fun-filled 3.8L, 520-bhp power plant. The standard 911 Turbo should be followed up by a soft-top variant in 2014. 2013 should also bring a new GT3 model, featuring a high-revving naturally aspirated flat-six engine.

Way down the road in late 2013 or early 2014 will be Targa and Speedster versions of the 991-generation 911. Rumor has it that Porsche’s product planning department looks to bring back the MkII targa, which featured a folding removable top and a heated glass backlight. Though the Speedster variant hasn’t been confirmed yet, it wouldn’t surprise any of us to see Porsche create a Speedster based on the 991 Cabriolet.

Last but not least, a 911 hybrid should be in the works as well, thanks to Porsche’s success with their 911 GT3 R Hybrid. We’ll stay tuned for upcoming, official releases from Porsche – but for now, we have plenty to look forward to with the new 991 generation.

[Source: Car Magazine]

GALLERY: Porsche 991 Generation 911s

We crowned it as the number one car in our Top 10 Frankfurt Motor Show list and apparently we weren’t alone, with the 2012 Porsche 911 generating more online buzz than any other vehicle unveiled.

According to a study by UK-based Kantar Media Precis, which tracked all news stories from the show, as well as the two weeks leading up to it, the new 911 generated the most articles, tweets and blog posts. The runner up was the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, while the BMW i3 Concept rounded out the top three. If the trend isn’t obvious, all of the top three spots belonged to German automakers, as did fourth, with the Audi Urban Concept. In fifth spot was Ford with the stunning Evos concept.

Giving a glimpse into what online outlets and readers are interested in, the study should be taken in context, with a German auto show certain to have a higher number of local German media covering their domestic auto industry. As well, it’s no coincidence that German automakers planned years in advance to debut major cars on their home turf.

GALLERY: 2012 Porsche 911

[Source: AutoNews]

Topping the list of what’s cool, Aston Martin has been named as the UK’s coolest brand for the fifth time in six years.

Beating out such other well-known names as Apple and Bang & Olufsen, Aston Martin came out on top of this poll that features an array of leading international contemporary design-driven brands. Not only was Aston Martin the #1 pick over all, it was also voted the top automotive brand.

“Smooth, sexy and sophisticated; British built, high quality and hand finished, let’s be honest, young or old, male or female, opinion former or British public, who wouldn’t aspire to own what is truly the coolest car on the road,” said Stephen Cheliotis, Chief Executive, The Centre for Brand Analysis and Chairman of the CoolBrands Council. “Number one in five of the last six years, this British icon is truly the coolest of the cool.”

Deciding what is cool for 2011 is a council of 36 influencers that boasts hip cats such as music artist Jessie J, DJ and Bestival founder Rob da Bank and actress and fashion designer, Sadie Frost. The list was paired down from an initial 10,000 to produce a shortlist of 1,500. The panel and consumers then vote to come up with a top 500 list of the most highly rated brands.