japanese cars
Honda Canada Latest Victim of Hackers; 283,000 Owners Have Personal Info Stolen
The latest company to suffer a security breach is Honda, which recently admitted over a quarter of a million customers in Canada had their personal information stolen by hackers. In total 283,000 Honda and Acura customers in Canada had their names, addresses and vehicle VIN numbers harvested from the e-commerce MyHonda and MyAcura sites. Honda…
Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S Spied Sans Wing [Video]
Spied last week sporting a rather suitable-looking Supra-esque spoiler, the Toyota FT-86/Scion FR-S has been nabbed again, this time without the Fast & Furious flare. Believed to be in the final stages of development, the FT-86 is powered by a 2.0-liter Subaru-sourced Boxer engine mated to a Toyota direct-injection system and is believed to make…
Mitsubishi Travels Bolivia’s Death Road [360 Degree Video]
Forget the Nurburgring. Those in search of the ultimate driving thrill know that you can’t top Bolivia’s Yungas Road. This narrow, winding path runs from the city of La Paz to Coroico and its treacherous terrain, poor weather conditions and steep cliffs claim 100 lives a year. As a result it has earned the dubious…
2012 Toyota Camry to Bow This Fall
The most popular mid-size sedan in the North American market is the Toyota Camry, and later this year we should see an all-new model. The seventh generation model is set to debut this fall, as indicated by Toyota’s vice-president and general manager Bob Carter. Toyota sold 327,804 Camry’s last year, and while that would be…
Kyle Busch Busted Driving 128-MPH in a 45 Zone, in a Lexus LFA
NASCAR racer Kyle Busch is used to going stupid fast. Normally it’s behind the wheel of his M&Ms sponsored No. 18 Toyota race car, but in what Busch describes as a “lack of judgement” the pro driver was recently clocked test driving a yellow Lexus LFA at a speed that is plenty fast, and even…
Infiniti to Launch BMW Z4 Rival at 2012 Geneva Auto Show
For years the Infiniti G37 has been the closest rival to BMW’s 3 Series in terms of driving performance, and now it appears the Nissan luxury division is preparing to take on the German automaker’s Z4 roadster. According to a report by AutoExpress, the unnamed new model will be a two-seater with a front-engine, rear…
Red Bull Racing to Craft Special Edition Infiniti Model
The tie-up between Red Bull Racing and Japanese luxury brand Infiniti may extend from the race track to the street. According to a new reports, Infiniti is studying a new performance model that would be built with the Red Bull Racing team. Rather than an all-new vehicle, this would likely be based on a current…
2012 Toyota Prius v Gets Improved 42-MPG Average Fuel Economy
After first introducing the Prius v at the Detroit Auto Show in January, Toyota has now released complete specifications on the new hybrid wagon with one important change; the car’s fuel economy. Back at Detroit, execs said they expected the car to achieve a 42/38-mpg (city/highway) fuel economy rating with a combined 40-mpg number. Toyota…
Subaru FT-86 Variant Spied Testing in California
Call it whatever you like, but the upcoming Toyota FT-86/Scion FR-S/Toyotabaru/King Ghidorah sports car has been spotted in public, well ahead of its anticipated production-ready December unveiling. We know what the Toyota version looks like—time and time and time again. But the camoed-up version seen stuck in traffic on the 405 looks more like Subaru’s version—and…
Toyota, Subaru FT-86 Variants to Bow at Tokyo Auto Show in December
Toyota will never stop developing mutations of its FT-86 sports car, which will be released sometime between now and the real Rapture. Maybe. But news from Japan indicates, finally, when we can see the officially official ultimate final production version: the Tokyo Motor Show, in December. Both Toyota and Subaru will launch versions of their…
Nissan and Mitsubishi Sign Joint Venture for Minicar Business in Japan
After a preliminary announcement was made in March, Japanese automakers Nissan and Mitsubishi have today revealed initial details of a new minicar joint-venture. The plan involves the development of new minicar models for sale in the Japanese marketplace. Smaller than even the sub-compact class of vehicles, these tiny runabouts are classified not as much by…
Mazda2 Getting New SkyActiv Direct-Injection 1.3-Liter Engine in Japan
This Fall Mazda will introduce the 2012 Mazda3, sporting the first use of the automaker’s new SkyActiv technologies in North America. Full details about the engine aren’t yet available, but it is a 1.6-liter and uses direct injection. That car won’t, however, be the first ever model to receive a new SkyActiv engine, with Mazda…
Lexus CT200h to Compete in Nurburgring Race This Weekend
Looking to show off the sportier side of the CT200h, Lexus will be competing at this weekends VLN3 race at the Nurburgring over the weekend. Entered in the SP4 Class, the car will be fielded by Lexus motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, which also field several LFA race cars. While it’s no clear indication, Lexus may…
Honda-Tech Meet Turns Ugly as ‘Thief’ Caught Trying to Steal a CRX [Video]
There’s no justice like mob justice. Then again, we’re sure you’ll have a different opinion of the car “thief” in this video once you hear all the facts. At the annual Northwest Region Spring Meet for Honda-Tech owners things got very out of hand when someone hopped into a CRX and tried to drive off….
Lexus IS-F to Compete in European Superstars International Series
For a luxury brand to be taken seriously nowadays it is a must to go racing with its most potent family car. All the European luxury brands are heavily involved in racing series like DTM, BTCC and the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and their successes on the track are well decorated in showrooms, to…
Toyota Profit Down 77% in Q4 Due to Quake Disruptions
If there’s anything Toyota execs can be happy about for the most recent quarter, it’s that for them it’s Q4, marking an end to what has been a troubling 12 months for the Japanese auto giant. Just released data shows Toyota Q4 profit fell off a cliff, dropping 77 percent to “just” $314 million. The…
Toyota Denies Prius Going Plug-In Only
Toyota is denying a report that the automaker plans to switch all of its Prius models over to a plug-in hybrid setup by 2014. With the Plug-in Prius about to go on sale, a report from the Nikkei business daily indicated that the Japanese automaker is set to then make all future Prius models use…
Acura RSX Set to Return, More Coupes Planned
Before most automakers had any interest in the compact premium segment, Acura launched the Integra, and then the RSX. A car that was perhaps ahead of its time, the RSX is set to make a comeback. A Motor Trend reports cites sources claiming the next-gen RSX will get the new 201-hp 2.4-liter Civic Si engine,…
Honda to Suspend Orders for Made-in-Japan Models
Nearly two months after the devastating earthquake in Japan, Honda is still reeling from the effects—and forcing to juggle production schedules in America and back home. Honda is suspending orders of its vehicles built in Japan for the months of June and July. Production of the CR-Z, Civic Hybrid, Fit, and Acuras TSX and RL are being suspended…
Lexus Planning CT300h, Compact Crossover, 7-Seat SUV and New Luxury Sedan
With a recent warning from its dealers about stale products, Lexus is poised to roll out a list of all-new model as it looks to re-assert itself in the luxury sphere. The news comes from Lexus of Australia where top exec Tony Cramb has indicated new models will be a big part of the Lexus…
2012 Honda Civic Supply ‘Severely Restricted’ Dealers Warned; Sales Could Dip in 2011
Every time a new version of a car is introduced sales are expected to spike. That, however, is not the case with the all-new 2012 Honda Civic with American Honda Motor Co. sales boss John Mendel warning dealers in a memo that supply will be “severely restricted, with limited availability of certain models.” Due to…
Lexus in Danger of Becoming the Next Buick, Dealers Warn
Lexus dealers have sent a grave warning to the company’s corporate brass in an internal document that has been obtained by the team at Jalopnik. The file, which details the concerns expressed by dealers at the recent Lexus Southern Region meeting, cites numerous issues with the brand and warns that, “it risks becoming another Buick.”…
Honda CR-V Under Investigation for Headlight Failures; Recall Possible
If you own a 2002 to 2004 Honda CR-V it could be the subject of a recall in the near future after federal safety regulators announced an investigation into headlight failures for those model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced an early investigation into almost 300,000 of the Honda soft-roaders after…
New Honda CR-V to Debut This Year, Pilot Getting Refresh
Having just launched the new 2012 Civic, Honda will introduce its soft-roader variant near the end of this year. The 2012 (or possibly 2013) CR-V is expected to undergo a long series of upgrades with minor style changes and little expected in terms of upgrades to the engine. The 2012 CR-V should be lighter than…
