#Japan

However, earlier in the year there were rumors that the Evo might get killed off. Thankfully, those are not true but according to company insiders, a plug-in hybrid Evo will be launched within three-years time.

An bizarre accident over the weekend in Japan severely damaged 14 cars, eight of which were Ferraris. The other vehicles involved in the smash-up include three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lamborghini, a Nissan Skyline and a poor little Toyota Prius. According to the news report, a caravan of foreign car enthusiasts were heading from Hiroshima to Kyushu when one of the Ferrari drivers hit the median while trying to overtake a car on the wet, curved road.

Fortunately no one was seriously hurt in the crash, but it’s a sad sight to see all these exotics demolished the way they are. From what we can tell in the video, there were multiple F355s, F430s, an F360 and some form of an F512. Even worse, the accident shut down the road for six long hours as officials tried to determine exactly what happened.

Check out the news report from Japan below:

[Source: Jalopnik]

Suzuki is working closely with Fiat to increase their supply of diesel-powered cars in India.

The EN-V, which stands for Electric Networked – Vehicle, made its world debut in 2010 at the World Expo Shanghai, and is designed to solve congestion in heavily populated city centers. The idea is that a small personal vehicle will take up less space on the road, will be easy to park and won’t pollute the environment either.

Believe it or not, hybrids are safer in a crash than their gasoline-only counterparts, according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute.

While Thailand is mostly known for sandy beaches, fake watches and other pleasures that need to be paid for in cash, Thailand has a strong manufacturing base, with many automakers producing vehicles and components in the developing nation.

The Tokyo Motor Show, held only once every two years, marks its return for 2011. After the nation suffered severe destruction from earthquake and tsunami, Japan intends to show the world the resilience of Japanese industry and manufacturing. Moreover, as previous shows were held at Makuhari Messe, a convention center located in the Mihami-ku ward of Chiba City just outside Tokyo, the Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Koto-ku, marks the return of the Tokyo Motor Show to the city of Tokyo for the first time in 24 years.

Touting itself as the world’s safest car, this vehicle wears its airbags on the outside – a unique concept, but would you want to drive it?

Named the iSAVE-SC1, this vehicle was developed by Humanix, a Japanese company, and  Hiroshima University. Not only is this electric car outfitted with an inflated exterior, it comes equipped with three wheels and can only reach a top speed of 50km/h.

We’re wondering if the iSAVE-SC1 got into an accident going at top speed, would it just bounce off the other vehicle? And what happens after the accident – do you just pull up to an air pump, inflate the air bags and drive away? And what happens if you pit two of these cars against each other – could you use them as bumper cars?

The iSAVE-SC1 cars will go on sale in Japan for US$10,400. What do you think? Would you buy one of these super-safe cars? Are they even practical? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to watch the video of the car after the jump.

[Source: Oh Gizmo!]

All this is fine when the company is making tons of money, but when a company is in the red, spending lavishly at an auto show is not the smartest thing to do.

In the world of motorsports, it’s nearly impossible for a new team to come out of the box and be competitive. So what is a novice group that is looking for success to do? Simple, partner with one of the most successful teams in the sport.

If you thought the risk of buying a flood car after Hurricane Katrina was serious, imagine having your health threatened just from being near the car. That’s exactly what’s been happening in Japan, where unsuspecting consumers are being sold dangerously radioactive cars that belonged to people living in Fukushima and the surrounding area after the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the prefecture’s nuclear power plant in March.

While General Motors has had major success in South Korea, Japan has eluded GM for some time. The American automaker is hoping to reverse that trend with the introduction of their Chevrolet Sonic small car, which will be positioned above domestic entrants like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

We all love racing games, and while realistic driving simulators such as Gran Turismo 5 and the recently released Forza Motorsport 4 offers hours and hours of entertainment, the kid in all of us can never turn down a fun afternoon of Mario Kart.

The guys over at Japanese car site Cliccar decided to bring Mario Kart to real life, outfitting themselves with their best Mario and Luigi costumes, firing up their street legal X-Karts and taking them down the streets of Tokyo.

The X-Kart weighs in at a scant 209-lbs with a limited top speed of 35-mph, but can be modified to go over 50-mph. But no one really cares how fast these things can zip around when costume-clad Mario and Luigi are behind the wheel. Even though cosplaying out on the streets of Tokyo is pretty normal, these Mario Bros. did a great job stirring up the crowd in Shibuya.

Check out the video after the break.

The rising yen is making exports from Japan increasingly unprofitable and Honda is looking to cut vehicle exports by 50 percent over the next 10 years as a response to the change in currency valuations.

Surging volumes and a lag in Japanese output helped Hyundai surpass Honda as America’s fifth largest automaker in 2011, selling 522 more units (from both Hyundai and Kia combined) than Honda did through September.