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Japanese Exotic Car Pile Up Becomes World’s Most Expensive Automotive Graveyard [Video]
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![Japanese Exotic Car Pile Up Becomes World’s Most Expensive Automotive Graveyard [Video]](/img/spacer.gif)
About two months ago we reported a collection of luxurious and exotic machines that were involved in a bizarre accident in Japan that claimed at least eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lamborghini, a Nissan Skyline and a Toyota Prius. The exotic car crash occurred on the Chugoku Expressway out in the Yamaguchi Prefecture and fortunately…
Toyota Pickup Powered By Honda S2000 Engine Spotted In Japan
When we think of tuners and enthusiasts shoehorning engines into other vehicles, the thought of Honda‘s F20C S2000 powerplant making its way into a Toyota Pickup isn’t exactly on our list… at all. Honda’s high-revving 2.0L naturally aspirated engine found in the original S2000s is one of the world’s most potent and beloved engines and…
Future GM Vehicles To Use More Carbon Fiber
g General Motors is taking steps to make carbon fiber a major component in their future production vehicles by working with Teijin Ltd. of Japan. Carbon fiber is a labor-intensive product, meaning it is expensive to implement in production vehicles. That expense generally restricts its use to low-production models like the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. That will all…
Mitsubishi Evolution May Become A Plug-In Hybrid
For nearly two decades, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (more commonly known as just the ‘Evo’) has been the benchmark sports sedan around the world. It might have arrived a bit late in the American market, only going on sale in 2003 with the Evo VIII model, but it has well-established itself as a giant killer…
Eight Ferraris, Other Exotics Destroyed in Japan Car Crash [Video]
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…
Suzuki Sourcing More Diesel Engines From Fiat
Suzuki is working closely with Fiat to increase their supply of diesel-powered cars in India. The two have been working together since 2003 when Suzuki started offering a Fiat-sourced 2.0-liter diesel in their Sedici/SX4 duo. That partnership flew in the face of another deal between Suzuki and Volkswagen that has since imploded. Recently rising gas…
Chevrolet EN-V Concept On Display At Tokyo Motor Show
The electric mobility pod from Chevrolet called EN-V will be shown in its latest form at the Tokyo Motor Show from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. 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…
Hybrids Safer For Drivers, Dangerous For Pedestrians
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. “Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier than their standard counterparts,” Moore said in a statement today. “This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins…
Japanese Automakers Re-Start Production In Thailand
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. October’s flooding, which ravaged the Southeast Asian country, made a major dent in the production figures of…
2011 Tokyo Motor Show Promises to Impress With Massive Growth, 176 Exhibitors
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…
World’s Safest Car Sports Air Bags On The Outside
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…
Suzuki To Skip L.A. And Detroit Auto Shows
Participating in an auto show is an expensive business. To rent the right amount of space for your display, then have a stage constructed to represent the brands image, plus hiring all the staff needed at the booth to answer questions from the public. It’s all a very big and expensive affair which can easily…
Toyota Partners with ORECA for Hybrid Le Mans Race Program
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. That is exactly what Toyota is doing by partnering…
Highly Radioactive Cars Being Sold Illegally in Japan
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…
Chevrolet Sonic To Be Sold In Japan Priced Above Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris
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. GM is launching a television campaign,…
Real Life Mario Kart Hits The Streets Of Tokyo [VIDEO]
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…
Honda Reducing Exports By Half As A Reponse To Rising Yen
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. Honda hopes to sell as much as 90 percent of its vehicles in markets that can use locally sourced vehicles….
Hyundai Overtakes Honda As America’s Fifth Largest Automaker
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. Analysts cite Honda’s inventory disruption due to Japan’s natural disasters in March as a leading cause of the change in rankings….
America Ranks Far Behind on List of Top Car Producing Nations
If the European Union member states were to rate as a single country however, then they would finish in the top spot. Last year more than 15 million plus units, were produced in the EU.
Nissan CEO Ghosn: Rising Yen Could Force Production Out Of Japan, Electric Cars To Be Built In China
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese government’s effort to keep the yen’s value under control had failed and that Nissan was strongly considering moving production out of Japan and into foreign countries. A weakened United States dollar has meant that the value of the greenback has shifted from 91 yen per dollar to…
Nissan Takes Advantage Of Toyota Camry Launch
Toyota officially launched the all-new Camry last week, and Nissan took advantage of this situation in a very 21st century method of subterfuge. When the sedan was unveiled, Toyota found that the word “Camry” had been acquired on social media service Twitter by rival Nissan North America. Anyone searching the Camry on Twitter during the…
Mazda RX-8 Production Ends
Mazda has announced the cancellation of production to its RX-8 rotary engine sports car, because of falling sales and stringent global emissions standards. Production in Hiroshima, Japan, ended in early July and global sales of the car will conclude later this year. The RX-8 and the three generations of the RX-7 that preceded it, have…
More Than Half Of Japan Drives Kei-Cars
Each market has its favorites when it comes to cars. People in the Middle-East prefer powerful SUV’s like the Mercedes-Benz G-class, while in America the pick-up truck reigns supreme, especially the Ford F-150. In Japan, the most popular car is neither big, nor powerful, but it fills the needs of most of its motorists. Since…
Mazda 3 Due For A Facelift In October
The perpetually-grinning, happy-go-lucky Mazda 3 will be getting a facelift for 2012. But will it still be so happy? A new version of the Mazda 3 is already giggling down Japanese streets as the Mazda Axela. Its US model will make it over as early as October, with both employing the same Skyactiv 2.0-liter direct-injection…
