japanese cars
Leaked: Honda CR-Z Revealed as Official Brochure Sneaks Out
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***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Thanks to an official brochure that has slipped out, we now have our first glimpse at what the production version of Honda’s upcoming CR-Z hybrid sports car looks like. We also have the specs. As expected, little has changed from the concept version with the CR-Z…
Report: Volkswagen to Buy 20 Percent Stake in Suzuki
Company representatives on both sides continue to deny the rumors, but talks between Volkswagen and Suzuki are continuing and the most recent report suggests Germany’s largest automaker may buy as much as a 20 percent stake in Suzuki. A source cited in a Reuters report says a deal is close and could be announced as…
Report: On-Again, Off-Again Infiniti Essence Concept May be On-Again
After previous reports had suggested Infiniti’s stunning Essence concept would never be any more than a shinny piece of auto show metal, word has now emerged that the luxury automaker may turn this fantasy into a reality. According to a report in Motor Trend, one Infiniti executive, Shiro Nakamura, once again referred to the hybrid…
Report: Ford to Cease Platform Sharing With Mazda, Leaving Japanese Automaker in the Lurch
The simultaneous introduction of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 at the LA Auto Show last week marks the end of a long history of platform sharing between Ford and Mazda. After two decades of collaboration, Ford has decided to develop vehicles separately from now on, according to Ford president Mark Fields. In the past year…
Report: Peugeot Citroen Looking to Buy Mitsubishi
Europe’s second largest automaker, French company PSA Peugeot Citroen, is considering purchasing Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors. News of the possible purchase comes from Nikkei English News, and had Mitsubishi’s shares up 13.4 percent in overseas trading. A similar report in Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that Peugeot would take a 53 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors worth…
Report: Honda to Supplant Chrysler as Fourth Largest Automaker in the U.S.
Baring a miracle, Honda will pass Chrysler to become the fourth largest automaker by sales in the United States for 2009. Due mostly to Chrysler’s dramatic month over month sales decreases, Honda has managed to pull ahead of the American automaker with a healthy lead of roughly 200,000 units. As as no automaker managed to…
LA 2009: Lexus Continues to Gauge Interest in a Premium Hatchback for the U.S.
Lexus continues to probe the U.S. market to see if it is ready and willing to accept a premium hatchback model. At the LA Auto Show, Toyota’s luxury division is displaying the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept that the company first introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Lexus has confirmed the model will inspire a production…
LA 2009: Mitsubishi Introduces GT Model to Outlander Lineup
First shown in concept format the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Mitsubishi has just officially debuted the new 2010 Outlander GT compact crossover at the LA Auto Show. Most noticeable is the EVO-styled front grille, however, there are several other minor changes to update the Outlander to GT status. For starters there’s a…
LA 2009: Mitsubishi Shows Off Hybrid Capability With PX-MiEV Crossover Concept
One of the few remaining Japanese automakers without a hybrid vehicle in its lineup, Mitsubishi brought its new Concept PX-MiEV to the LA Auto Show to let Californians know that it too has the capability and is considering its options. First unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show the PX-MiEV name combines the automakers “MiEV” nomenclature,…
LA 2009: Mitsubishi Colt Confirmed for North America Next Year
Mitsubishi has confirmed that the new small car it will introduce to North America next year is the Colt. Currently the Colt is in its 7th generation overseas, with some of the past iterations having been sold in North America as Mitsubishis, Dodges, Plymouths and Eagles. Mitsubishi, it seems, will be one of the last…
LA 2009: Subaru WRX STI Special Edition World Premiere in Los Angeles
Subaru has just officially debuted the 2010 WRX STI Special Edition model at the LA Auto Show, sporting a unique paint scheme and upgraded suspension. The new Special Edition model is inspired by and assembled with suspension components from the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Spec C model. It even gets a set of custom Spec…
LA 2009: Honda P-NUT (Personal-Neo Urban Transport) Foreshadows Future City Car
Honda has shown that it is thinking a great deal about a possible future mini car with the introduction of the Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Designed to be small but offer the functionality of a larger car, the P-NUT is a three-seater with a central driving position that…
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LA 2009: 2011 Toyota Sienna Premieres With New, Efficient 4-Cylinder Engine
With the minivan segment continuing to diminish in the marketplace, Toyota has unveiled its all-new 2011 Sienna as more of a significantly refreshed version. It’s not a huge departure from the previous generation model, but it does get a long list of upgrades including a new interior and exterior as well as a new standard…
LA 2009: Mazda2 Gets North American Debut, But Details Scarce
Mazda has just officially debuted the new Mazda2 sub-compact at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Designed to compete in an increasingly crowded market against car’s like the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, the Mazda2 is designed to be an affordable, sporty car that delivers what Mazda refers to as Zoom-Zoom Concentrated. While we…
LA 2009: 552-HP Lexus LFA Supercar On Display at Los Angeles International Auto Show
The latest step in the car’s North American tour, the Lexus LFA supercar has arrived at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where it will be viewable by the public starting later this week. The LFA has already been shown at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas last month, but it was an industry-only event. The…
LA 2009: Scion’s Very Purple xB RS 7.0 Debuts in LA
With no new models lined up in the production schedule, Scion has tossed together yet another limited edition Release Series version of its popular xB platform – the seventh no less. Dubbed the xB Release Series 7.0, like previous RS models, this car comes with a full package of aftermarket parts, including a custom paint…
LA 2009: 2010 G37 Unveiled With Updated Design, Upgraded Interior
Choosing to forgo the pomp and circumstance (not to mention the price) of the LA Auto Show, Infiniti unveiled a mid-cycle refresh of the G37 sports sedan alongside the all new 2011 M37 and M56. The G wasn’t exactly looking dated, but as the most important product in Infiniti’s lineup, the company didn’t want to…
LA 2009: New Infiniti M37, M56 Unleashed in Los Angeles
Infiniti has just unveiled the latest generation of its M cars at the swanky SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The M will be offered as both an M37 and M56, with both models being either RWD or AWD. Like the G37, the M37 is powered by a 3.7-liter V6 engine with 270 ft-lbs of…
LA Preview: Limited Edition Scion xB Release Series 7.0 Set for LA Auto Show Debut
With no new models lined up in the production schedule, Scion is getting ready to once again debut a limited edition Release Series version of its popular xB platform. Dubbed the xB Release Series 7.0, like previous RS models, this car comes with a full package of aftermarket parts, including a custom paint color, and…
Report: New Mazda RX-7 Could See Production in 2011
When we last reported on a possible return of the RX-7 flagship sports car to Mazda’s lineup it was after the company’s head of design, Ikua Maeda, spoke about his efforts to get the project started. Maeda even said he had gone so far as to sketch some preliminary drawings to show company execs. Now…
LA Preview: Prius PHV Concept Set to Plug-In at Los Angeles Auto Show
After first debuting in Frankfurt and then traveling to Tokyo, the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept is set debut on U.S. soil for the first time at the LA Auto Show next week. Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric…
Recall Notice: Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Vehicles to Replace or Reshape Gas Pedals
Following a recall to replace floor mats, Toyota has now announced it will again recall 3.8 million vehicles in order to replace or reshape the gas pedal. The decision was made after it was determined the pedal’s shape, along with the shape of the floor mat, could cause the accelerator to stick. In addition, Toyota…
Report: Mitsubishi Considering Gas-Powered iMiEV for U.S. Market
Mitsubishi has already announced plans to bring its electric mini-car, the iMiEV, to North America, but now the Japanese automaker is considering a gasoline version as well. The iMiEV is expected to arrive in the next two years and is now likely to be joined by a gasoline version, allowing dealers to benefit from higher…
Report: Toyota Shelves Plans for Entry-Level Prius I Model
Remember back when Honda announced pricing for its Insight hybrid would start at under $20,000 and Toyota, in a bid to compete, said it would offer the Prius for just $21,000? Several months later, and the launch of the Prius II, III, IV and V and Toyota is now saying the Prius I isn’t likely…
