Toyota is taking big steps towards moving hybrids down-market. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show the Japanese automaker will unveil the production version of its Yaris Hybrid and that’s just the start. Also set to be revealed is what Toyota is calling the FT-Bh concept.

A size down from even the sub-compact Yaris, look for the FT-Bh to be iQ sized. Toyota says it will be a full-hybrid and be “ultra-lightweight”, and yet don’t expect the use of pricey composite materials like carbon fiber. Instead, Toyota says the car will utilize materials that are currently commonplace in the industry. In a release, the automaker says the city car is designed to, “achieve low emissions within an economically viable production framework,” meaning that it is most certainly already cued for production.

Numerous other concept cars will be on display at the Toyota booth, including the NS4 and FCV-R Concepts. The NS4 is a look at an all-new hybrid from Toyota, while the FCV-R uses a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and is targeted for sale by 2015.

Joining those two will be Toyota’s diji concept, looking at the future of car-driver interaction and personalization.

And let’s not forget the European premiere of the Toyota GT 86 sports car.

GALLERY: Toyota Geneva Motor Show Preview

You wouldn’t expect a Kia to be the star of an auto show. Then again, you probably wouldn’t expect a 250 hp, widebody Kia Soul.

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the wildly modified Track’ster is just a concept… for now. Kia has announced that while it has no plans to bring this specific car to market, company execs are awaiting market reaction to judge if a high-performance crossover is in the cards for Kia.

GALLERY: Kia Track’ster Concept

Find out more about the Track’ster below and let us know if you think Kia should build a high performance crossover:

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Kia, you’re such a tease. Today at the Chicago Auto Show, the Korean automaker revealed what it’s calling the Trak’ster Concept. But this sport cross came with a disclaimer, “there are no current plans to produce the Track’ster”.

Boo! Hiss.

Of course, that has to be the case, with this wild widebody and 250 hp turbocharged Soul just too extreme for the road.

Expanding on Kia’s Optima Super Bowl ad with the tag line “A Dream Car for Real Life”, the Track’ster was created to show what happens when a dream becomes a reality.

Designed to add some bulldog aggressions says Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia Motors America, along with some significantly wider fender flares that add 5-inches to the width of the factory car, the Track’ster has a sportier appeal thanks to the removal of two doors. Inside the big fenders are 19-inch HRE wheels with 245 wide front tires and 285 wide rears. Keeping with the track theme, braking potential has also been upgraded with 6-piston front calipers and 14-ich rotors, while out back are four-piston units with 13.6-inch disks.

Power is generated by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cyinder making 250 hp – a 66 percent increase over the standard car. That power makes it to the ground through an electronically controlled four-wheel drive system and (of course) a six-speed manual transmission.

The interior of the Tack’ster further conveys its track-ready capabilities with orange suede racing seats up front. The rear seating area has been removed to make room for a spare tire and the tools you’ll need to work on your car at the track.

As though teasing us with such an impressive performance crossover and then denying plans to build it weren’t bad enough, Kearns continues to tease us more, commenting that concept cars like this, “allow KMA’s design team to dream about what could be. Whether that dream becomes a reality or not is a separate question.”

GALLERY: 2013 Kia Track’ster Concept

GALLERY: 2013 Kia Track’ster Reveal

Rumors of a new Mercedes Benz SLC sports car by AMG  to rival the iconic Porsche 911 were sparked last year. Now, new information from Autocar sheds some light.

According to AMG boss Ola Kallenius, the expansion of the AMG line-up is greatly dependent to the sales performance of its specialized vehicles. “AMG is a financial company and runs with targets, just like every other company. These products can’t just be built for fun. We need a reasonable return to new fund projects.”

The past year for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe proved to be a successful one. Not only have the sales provided AMG a return, but the “technologically fascinating” SLS succeeded in establishing the brand among the supercar elite as well. To this, Kallenius said, “Could we grow the family? Probably, yes, but that is not a decision we’ve made at this stage. What is clear is that we have entered a segment with an overwhelming reaction from customers and fans — and many of them are entirely new customers to AMG — so it would certainly be the right strategy to grow the AMG brand.”

We expect an entry level stand-alone AMG sports car to be on sale as soon as late 2013. With a projected price tag of £80,000, the two-seat coupe will likely receive power from an all-new 5.4-liter twin turbo V8 nesting in a front-mid-engine layout. Performance is expected to contest the Porsche 911 Carrera S with a 0-62 mph acceleration of 4.5sec and a top speed of 180mph. Engine variants, coupes and roadsters are expected as well.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, the Kia Soul’ster concept dared to prove basic transportation could also be stylish and interesting.

Three years have come and gone but new information has finally surfaced about the Kia, buried in a press release about the Track’ster concept – set to be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show next week. Despite previous reports that the Soul’ster convertible has been axed, the Kia release says the convertible crossover is “currently under final assessment for production.”

The original Soulster concept looked like a modern Suzuki Sidekick with a chopped windscreen and an innovative two-piece top that allows passengers to open up the front and rear roof independently. The design also features attractive material finishes such as the anodized metal thick roll-bar, fender vents and skid-pad inserts.

If approved, the Soul’ster should be available with a 1.6L 4-cylinder that delivers 138-hp and a more powerful 2.0L that makes 164-hp.

GALLERY: Kia Soul’ster

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Kia Soul Review

Easily the most beautiful piece of sheetmetal unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus LF-LC Concept stunned crowds with its technology, style and mystery – hinting at a future super coupe that’s still a few years off.

Created by the brand’s Calty design studio in Southern California, one can’t help but wonder how a vehicle like this moves from concept to reality. To answer that question the Toyota luxury division has commissioned short film that entitled “Resonance of Passion” that is, in and of itself, is a work of art.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-LC Concept

Watch the Lexus LF-LC Concept Inception video below”:

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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:

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Kia is looking to create some excitement at next week’s Chicago Auto Show, debuting a new concept car called the Track’ster.

Based on the brand’s popular Soul crossover, the hopped-up Track’ster will be the “ultimate performance” Soul and feature sleek new body that does away with two doors for an aggressive coupe look.

There are no details on the engine, but look for something exciting, along the lines of the turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder found in the new Veloster Turbo, which makes 201 hp.

Look for dull details from the big reveal next week and until then, check out AutoGuide’s Chicago Auto Show preview here.

There’s a new startup on the horizon, but it bears a familiar nameplate that many Americans will remember, but which few know well.

A company in Arvada, Colorado wants to bring Studebaker back into the modern era with a more diverse product line not restricted to 4-wheel vehicles. Before they went out of business in 1966, Studebaker was actually a revolutionary company, building cars like the Lark (pictured above) that boasted fuel efficiency over the competition’s behemoth-sized vehicles.

The former company had enough foresight to build the world’s first electric car, though such things probably seemed more imaginative than Dianetics do today.

While imagination isn’t a bad thing, it didn’t serve to keep them in business. Regardless, that philosophy seems to have suck for the Arvada company now calling themselves Studebaker Motor Company. Their site features a host of concept renderings ranging from a small car that looks a little like a strange mix between the Chevrolet Sonic and Volkswagen Rabbit to a CUV.

They also have a truck concept and a sedan. Outside the four-wheel realm, Studebaker wants to offer scooters and motorcycles. There are a few bike renderings up on the site that take styling cues from Harley Davidson’s VRSC Nightrod line and Buell’s entry-level Blast bikes. No scooter sketches yet, though the page says it’s coming soon.

As we’ve seen in the past, startup car companies suck up cash faster than an army of vacuum cleaners and Studebaker is still looking for investors. Companies like this rarely go anywhere, but there’s always a chance. We’ll be keeping an eye out for the long shot Colorado company that’s trying to raise the dead.

Lexus debuted its LF-LC concept at this year’s Detroit International Auto Show and in doing so snagged the spotlight and our attention.

We got our first look at it there and were impressed to say the least. The LF-LC concept introduces bold styling choices that force the car apart from the crowd both inside and out.

Smooth, swooping lines and rich leather mix with tastefully placed touch screens to deliver an organic feel that exudes luxury. Lexus us still mum on specific details behind the drivetrain aside from admitting that it will be a hybrid capable of offering both performance and efficiency.

Three days ago the company posted a video that gives an in-depth look at the car coming as close as possible to touching it without actually being there. While we have actually had that privilege, you probably haven’t.

Even still, there were a few facts to be gleaned from the video. For example, technical details on how the window controls work, but why not just watch the video below and see for yourself.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-LC concept

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Oh how quickly things can change. Just last month we were teased with the thought that MINI would be producing its Rocketman Concept and now new reports are suggesting that the Rocketman has been canceled, at least for now.

The latest issue of CAR magazine features a collection of new MINIs that BMW had recently signed off on, and the smaller MINI Rocketman was not one of them. It’s widely believed now that BMW canned the Rocketman due to investment costs in making the Rocketman-sized city car to meet current regulations.

Some of the problems that would arise with the smaller MINI model include stability, handling and crash performance. The Rocketman Concept measured in at only 134.6-inches long, a full 12-inches shorter than the current Cooper hatchback. For now we’re going to have to assume that MINI has no immediate plans of developing a vehicle smaller than its Cooper model.

GALLERY: MINI Rocketman

[Source: CAR]

One of the stand-out cars at this year’s North American International Auto Show, the Cadillac ATS looks extremely promising. In the 4th installment of Cadillac’s “The Journey” series, we witness GM’s commitment behind this product, from conception, to development, to its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

Tuned during Nurburgring shakedown testing, the ATS aims to take on the best of what Germany has to offer– the luxury compact sedan segment. Weighing less than 3,400 lbs, the ATS is expected to carry 100 lbs less than either an Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class. What’s more, the ATS will also possess an all-original chassis attaining 50/50 weight distribution, must like the segment leading BMW 3-series. But most of all, the party piece of the ATS’ handling dynamics will be its magnetic ride shocks– a first in this segment.

The Cadillac will come with as many engine trim options as its German rivals, offering a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder base power plant producing 200-hp, a 270-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and a 318-hp 3.6-liter V6. Expect a diesel engine offering later in the ATS lifecycle as well.

A lot rests upon the ATS as its success will draw implications to Cadillac’s future in the global market. GM North America President Mark Reuss is confident, boldly introducing the ATS at the Detroit Auto Show as, “this is the car to finally challenge the German cars at their own game and win.”

GALLERY: 2013 Cadillac ATS

Watch the 4th video of “The Journey” series below and look out for an appearance by AutoGuide’s very own Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood!

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Want more ATS? Then check our our First Look Video as well

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