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Hyundai is on an ambitious journey, spinning off its Genesis and Equus sedans into the foundation of a standalone premium brand.

It may have been rumored as a rebadged Nissan Leaf, but Infiniti’s new electric car concept is unique, luxurious and innovative.

Unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show the Infiniti LE Concept is referred to as a “production intent” vehicle says Infiniti of the Americas Vice President Ben Poore, with plans to have a model in dealerships in two years.

Infiniti doesn’t say exactly what LE stands for, and while “Luxury Electric” comes to mind, so does the brand’s ownership by French automaker Renault.

“Infiniti believes the future of luxury is sustainable luxury and we intend to continue taking a leadership role, building on the foundation set by our advanced Infiniti M Hybrid and high-mpg Infiniti JX luxury crossover,” says Poore. As a result, the Le Concept offers a premium interior, stylish exterior, a powerful motor and some impressive new technology.

Desperate to get a glimpse of the 2013 Viper when it’s unveiled at the New York Auto Show tomorrow? Why wait?

The 9th annual St. Petersburg Festivals of Speed kicked off last night across the bay in Tampa with an extravagant display of jets, boats, luxury goods and, of course, exotic cars.

Subaru teased the world with the BRZ STI concept at the LA Auto Show last year, and it now appears as though the automaker will live up to expectations, delivering a high-performance version of its new sports car.

When it hits Scion dealers in June, the 2013 FR-S will be priced from $24,200 according to a leaked dealer document. That puts it just $50 under the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Because you can’t take it with you, custom hearse builder Biemme Special Cars has announced the world’s most luxurious and expensive funeral car, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Hearse B12.

Show stopping. At a glamorous event like the Geneva Motor Show, it often takes a lot to really stand apart from the herd, yet in Ferrari’ s case, the F12 Berlinetta does just that. With the stand mobbed by members of the press, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo, officially announced the introduction of the latest in a long line of V12 engined hyper cars. 

Lamborghini knows how to steal the show. The exotic Italian automaker’s standard production models are always enough to grab headlines, but this very custom one-off “speedster”, unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show, is beyond wild.

Watch out Mazda Miata, there’s about to be a new roadster in town.

With the recent introduction of the ILX entry-level luxury sedan at the Chicago Auto Show, Acura is reportedly planning a two-door version to follow. Like the sedan, the ILX Coupe will borrow its underpinnings from the Civic – which already has a two-door offering.

Hard at work, out photographers have captured the first spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Porsche GT3.

BMW has finally unveiled its third generation M6 Coupe and Convertible after a two year break. The stylish M6 comes back “more powerful, more athletic, more luxurious and more efficient than ever before.” It’s also significantly better looking.

Infiniti has announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car concept will be called the Emerge-E.

Using a gasoline range-extended to add power and range to an electric powertrain, this will be the first such system used in an Infiniti product. The “advanced sports car concept” will also be the first Infiniti to use a mid-engine powertrain configuration.

Few details are yet known about the brand’s new flagship performance vehicle but Infiniti is promising a zero emissions mode as well as “vivid performance.”

Watch the latest video teaser for the Emerge-E below:

Acura has confirmed that the next-generation RL flagship luxury sedan will make its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in April. The car will continue to use a V6 engine, but will gain a hybrid component and use direct-injection as well as an innovative new all-wheel drive system referred to as Sport Hybrid SH-AWD – similar to that showcased on the NSX Concept.

Racing a Prius might sound like the start of a joke, until you see this. Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, this Toyota Prius is fully prepped and sporting its race livery. Significantly wider and lower than a factor model, this Prius is designed to compete in Japan’s Super GT racing series starting this year.

The GT 86 will spawn a new legion of fanboys for the Toyota brand – a result it was purpose-built to achieve. And if there’s one thing die-hard automotive enthusiasts love more than spouting off engine and chassis codes, it’s factory performance parts. In this case: Toyota Racing Development… or TRD for short.

For some of the more minor auto shows, a Top 10 list of the most important cars often covers most of the new debuts, but not so at the North American International Auto Show. Held each January in Detroit it’s the obvious launch site for major products by the Big Three domestic automakers and over the years has also become the venue for important new models by the rest of the auto industry.

The star of the Detroit Auto Show, Acura has put itself back on the map by unveiling a concept car that will inspire the next NSX. Looking undeniably like an exotic, it’s actually quite a small machine – an indication of just how serious Acura is about keeping it light weight. For more details on the car, see here, or watch the video below:

It’s quite possibly the most exciting debut of this year’s Detroit Auto Show and after a few teaser images, followed by the release of two photos yesterday, we can now share the Lexus LF-LC concept from its many stunning angles.

As another calendar year draws to a close it’s time to take a look back at the top 10 biggest stories of the year in the auto industry. It’s been a busy 12 months, starting all the way back in March when the Fiat 500 officially went on sale, marking the return of the brand to America. The last time an Italian car was sold here that didn’t cost six figures (or close to it) was 27 years ago. Since then, Fiat has introduced the 500C convertible model and most recently the Fiat 500 Abarth, aimed at enthusiasts.

The list of the Top 10 most expensive new cars is even more shocking that you might expect. Released by Forbes, you can forget the Ferrari 458 or the $300,000 Lamborghini Aventador because even at the low end of the scale these models start at right around the one million mark.

The Scion FR-S might be the most exciting sports car in years and it might also be the most important project Toyota has ever launched, helping change perceptions about an automaker that has become known for building appliances. But the back-to-basics enthusiast sports car almost never happened, according to Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, speaking at the car’s launch last week in Japan.

The concept for the car, originally the brain child of then Toyota VP Akio Toyoda (the man currently at the helm of the world’s largest automaker), was initially rejected by Subaru, which eventually went on to donate the engine to the project and even handle the lion’s share of the sports car’s development, resulting in both the Scion FR-S (also known as the Toyota GT 86 in Europe or just the 86 in Japan) and Subaru BRZ.

Shortly after Toyoda took the helm, Tada san was assigned to a planning division set up for the project. After studying what everyone else was doing, (seeing the use of turbochargers, all-wheel drive and high grip tires), Toyota decided to move in the opposite direction, instead opting to build a sports car that harkens back to the roots of machines like the AE86 – from which the GT86 gets its name. It occurred to Tada san that an ideal powerplant would be a boxer engine, due to its low center of gravity. Toyota had an historical precedent for the use of a boxer engine in the Sports 800, built from 1965 to 1969. Toyota also just so happened to have access to such engines through a recent purchase of shares in Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries, and a shared project could help foster relations between the two rival automakers.

A proposal was penned, for a rear-drive, boxer powered sports car and presented to Subaru, which immediately axed it. Subaru executives had two major concerns says Tada san, the first being that a rear-drive machine doesn’t fit with Subaru’s all-wheel drive brand message. The second reservation, and one that speaks to Toyota’s newfound attitude of taking ownership of its beige-to-drive past, is the admission that Subaru didn’t think Toyota could build a sports car. And while harsh, it’s not entirely surprising, after all, the last sporty Toyota was a Celica GTS in 2006 and the last rear-drive Toyota car to roll off an assembly line (at least for US consumption) was in 2005.

The project was then suspended for six months but eventually the team involved at Toyota helped convince the powers that be at Subaru. Exactly how that happened remains a mystery, although one possible conclusion can be drawn from a graph Toyota revealed to AutoGuide and a group of journalists gathered to drive the car at Sodegaura Forest Raceway, just outside Tokyo. On it is a breakdown of who handled what in bringing the GT86/BRZ to market. In the end, teams at Toyota were responsible for planning and design while manufacturing and development were handed over to Subaru. The concept may have been Toyota’s, but Subaru, a company with plenty of recent and current enthusiast-targeted models, was tasked with ensuring the FR-S/BRZ was a fun-to-drive, dynamic handling machine. Toyota representatives steered clear of confirming as much, but it would seem a compromise was struck, with Subaru bending on the rear-drive architecture. In exchange, Toyota handed over development of its sports car to Subaru.

As a result, the first prototype was built back in 2008, and was what one Toyota exec referred to as “proof of concept”, prompting both automakers for forge ahead with development and design, leading first to the FT86 concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in November of 2009, through numerous concept cars, all the way to the official reveal at the same show two years later, our recent gushing test-drive, and a planned on-sale date of this Spring.

Discuss this story at FR-SForum and read out review of the Scion FR-S here.

Acura has officially confirmed it will reveal what it is calling a concept version of the next-generation NSX at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January. A brand that’s lineup has been in serious need of some fresh new product and exciting new models will get just that with the debut of this new sports car concept, as well as the world premiere of a crossover prototype that will eventually become the next RDX and what is being called the ILX concept.

The only non-Japanese car to make our Top 10 cars list of the Tokyo Motor Show, the Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept was also one of the few true surprises. While a show car, it makes use of an all-new VW platform, an impressive AWD plug-in hybrid system, while also taking a look at the future styling direction of the brand.

With the debut of a new 5.0-liter Tau V8 in the Genesis Sedan R-Spec and rumors that it will find its way under the hood of the Genesis Coupe, Hyundai isn’t necessarily committed to eight-cylinders. That’s not surprising as the industry moves towards forced induction options like turbocharging and supercharging in order to deliver ideal power levels with reduced fuel consumption.

Just a few years ago picking a Top 10 Cars list from the LA Auto Show would have been a simple task, with few world premieres and most of the vehicles on display having already been revealed at some overseas venue. That’s no longer the case, with over 20 global debuts this year. So with a sizable list to choose from, the AutoGuide team sat down at the end of the two media days of press conferences to determine the most exciting, most interesting and most important reveals of the show. And here they are:

Infiniti is preparing a stunning new concept car for the Geneva Auto Show, one that will use both a gasoline engine and electric motor, while taking strong design cues from the stunning Essence concept.

A characteristically un- Subaru Subaru, the BRZ STI concept is our first look at the upcoming production sports car, which was co-developed with Toyota.

Bring it on ZL1! That’s what Ford is shouting at cross-town rival Chevy with the debut of the 2013 Shelby GT500, which has received a 100-hp bump to deliver 650-hp straight from the factory. But that’s not all, with torque rising to 600 lb-ft and a top speed of 200-mph. Yes, a 200-mph Mustang!

Toyota has revealed three new concept cars that it will officially debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, giving an indication of its green-car plans for the next few years – and beyond.

Proving that the V8-powered Genesis Coupe is in fact possible, Hyundai unveiled the RMR500 concept at the SEMA Show recently, built with its motorsports partner Rhys Millen Racing. Powered by the brand’s new 5.0-liter Tau V8, as found in the Genesis Sedan R-Spec and with a few modifications, it makes an incredible 450-hp.

Spied for the first time is Ferrari‘s successor to the incredibly powerful and luxurious 599. This next-generation Ferrari GT (code named F152) is rumored to wear the F620 badge when it debuts next year at the Geneva Auto Show, powered by a version of the FF’s new 6.3-liter V12 engine. Power is expected to be upwards of 700-hp, headed to the rear wheels and using a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Honda has revealed an extensive list of debuts for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, with the main attraction being an electric sports car concept. Called the “Small Sports EV Concept” Honda promises it will be “fun to drive with excellent environmental performance”.  Apart from that teaser, little else has been divulged.

Subaru has already teased its new BRZ STI concept numerous times, but now comes the very first image of what the production car will look like. Set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of the month, rumors have indicated the BRZ could produce as much as 300-hp from a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, although Subaru is sticking to its story of a naturally aspired 2.0-liter shared with the Toyota FT-86, making 197-hp.

Ever since Lexus first began participating at the SEMA Show the team from Five Axis has been around. Showing just what’s possible when you’re not constrained by styling that must appeal to all types or by volume manufacturing, creative boss Troy Sumitomo has been crafting wild one-offs for years. Initially some rather wild tuner-style cars, more recently the design house seems to have developed its own identity, showcased most recently in the “Project GS” concept based on the all-new 2013 Lexus GS. With an extra wide body, massive 20-inch wheels and a low-low stance, this unique interpretation of the new GS is easily the best reason yet why Toyota should hire Sumitomo.

In the midst of launching its iQ mini-car and in preparation of the massive spike in exposure the brand will get from the FR-S sports car, Scion VP Jack Hollis is already looking into the distant future. “We are currently working on several different concepts,” he says sitting in the back seat of a highly customized xB at the SEMA Show.

Placing in 10th spot and somewhat of an honorary member of the Top 10 is the school bus yellow Chrysler 300-grilled pickup truck. It’s got all the requisite terrible attributes from oversized chrome wheels to scissor doors and odd speaker housings. We can’t go too hard on it, however, as the truck looks to be built by a collision repair shop and is obviously meant to represent an accident.

Honda may in fact be closer to offering a supercharged CR-Z than expected. Tucked away in a corner of the Japanese automaker’s booth at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas is what Honda is calling the HPD CR-Z Supercharged Engine Concept.

The best part about SEMA is that every now and then an automaker shows something incredible. The worst part is that these cars aren’t even concepts, they’re just marketing hype show cars. Is that the case with the Rhys Millen Racing Tau-V8-powered Hyundai Genesis Coupe? We certainly hope not.

The Scion FR-S, Toyota FT-86 and Subaru BRZ media fest continues this morning with the reveal of the BRZ STI Concept ahead of its LA Auto Show debut.

Just a day after the first leaked photos of the Toyota FT-86, numerous other pictures of the highly-anticipated sports car have hit the net. Even juicier than the last time, these pics appear to be of the official production car, and not of the Modellista version.

With photos leaking yesterday, today comes news of what the Toyota FT-86 is like to drive. But first, the specs. According to one of the journos at CAR Magazine, who had some seat time in the affordable sports car, look for the 2.0-liter to boxer 4-cylinder to develop around 200-hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The car’s curb weight should be around 2,645 lbs, although the final production number has yet to be released and will differ from market to market. That said, look for a 0-60 time of around 7 seconds.

Dying to know what the production Toyota FT-86 will look like? Here’s the closest look yet.

Along with the upcoming Model S electric luxury sedan and a Model X crossover, American electric car maker Tesla Motors is planning a successor to its break out model, the simply-named Roadster. Expected to arrive by 2014, the car will be underpinned by a new “third generation” flexible platform.

With a planned debut for the Tokyo Auto Show, Mazda has released a selection of images of its new Takeri concept car, previewing the next-generation Mazda6 family sedan.

How do you make the world’s ugliest crossover into the world’s most incredible looking? Apparently you hand it over to the team of championship race car builders at RML.

As impressive as BMW M cars are, ask a Porsche representative what’s missing and they’ll tell you that behind the big engine, updated styling and upgraded components and M5 is still just a 5 Series. Mercedes’ AMG division can now also make the same claim thanks to the SLS, the first ever Mercedes built entirely by the brand’s high-performance arm.

The moment has come. Formula One, the pinnacle of international automotive racing, is coming for Greater New York in 2013!

Rumors that the next-generation Mitsubishi EVO would go hybrid first surfaced over a year ago and now company president Osamu Masuko has reportedly confirmed as much.

Hyundai has revealed official details of its upcoming Veloster Turbo model, which is listed with a rating of 204-hp. A significant increase over the 140-hp of the standard model the Gama 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gets a twin scroll turbocharger and direct-injection. Full power comes on at just 6000 rpm, with a significant 195 lb-ft of torque at just 1750 rpm.

Toyota is preparing to launch its much-hyped FT-86 sports car at the Tokyo Auto Show in just over a month’s time and new details may, or may not, be trickling out.

You can sound polite and say “inexpensive” but if you’re strapped for cash, the most important question when shopping for a new car is: what’s the cheapest car on the market? AutoGuide has got the answer, along with the nine runners up.

As rumored, Toyota’s upcoming Prius c model doesn’t look all that much like the concept car. Too bad.

In NASCAR they always talk about “The Big One”. But it was this weekend’s series finale of the IndyCar Series that saw a catastrophic crash totaling 15 cars. Included in the mess was Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon who suffered what could be serious injuries and has been airlifted to hospital.

Other drivers involved in the pile-up that saw several vehicles take flight at 200-mph include James Jakes, Wade Cunningham, Paul Tracy, Vitor Meira, JR Hildebrand, Townsend Bell, Jay Howard, Tomas Scheckter, Charlie Kimball, EJ Viso, Alex Lloyd, Pippa Mann, Will Power and Buddy Rice.

***UPDATE: Dan Wheldon has died. Click here for full story ***

Watch the video after the jump:

News broke last month that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed development of a new NSX. Now comes word that we could get our first look at the vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show next month.

After 100 years of building mostly internal combustion cars and trucks, Chevrolet is making a bold statement about the next 100 years, using its Centennial anniversary to announce the launch of the Spark electric car.

Remember the Ford Mustang SVO with it’s turbocharged engine? The Blue Oval might just dust off that old badge for a new forced induction ‘Stang, but it won’t be a turbo 4-cylinder. In fact, with earlier confirmation that the Mustang will get an Ecoboost engine, it might not be a version of the SHO’s twin-turbo 3.5L V6 either.

After initially announcing its new truck for other markets all over the globe, Chevrolet has now officially confirmed the Colorado pickup will be sold in America.

It’s little surprise that Chevy has decided to offer its new Camaro ZL1 as a convertible, it just wasn’t expected to arrive so soon. Out-powering the Shelby GT500 by 30-hp, the 580-hp ZL1 drop top is the most powerful convertible model Chevrolet has ever built.