japanese cars
Honda Insight Sales Lower Than Expected in U.S.
Honda is warning that it may not meet its forecasted sales target for the all-new 2010 Insight hybrid and is citing both the worldwide recession and the low cost of gas as factors. The Japanese automaker set an ambitious target of 200,000 units for the car’s first year, with almost half of those vehicle sales…
Toyota Struggles to Keep up With Demand for 2010 Prius
While Toyota’s sales may be suffering as a whole, sales of the all-new 2010 Prius are well above expectations. In fact, the Japanese automaker is having trouble keeping up with demand – something which may result in lengthy waiting lists for the third-generation of Toyota’s successful hybrid. At the two facilities where the Prius is…
Mugen Planning RR-Version of Euro-Spec Civic Type-R
Honda’s odd-looking Euro-spec Civic Type-R hatchback is about to get the Mugen treatment. With the success of the Honda Civic Mugen RR sedan, the Japanese Honda-tuner wants to take on the latest Type-R, adding power, dropping weight and making an already amazing package that much better. Mugen isn’t releasing any hard and fast facts yet,…
Subaru Building Legacy Race Car to Compete in Japan’s Super GT Series
Is this the face of a race car? Subaru certainly thinks so. The latest rumors indicate that the automaker intends to enter a version of its new 2010 Legacy model (launched at the New York Auto Show this year) into Japan’s top-level Super GT series. The car will no doubt receive numerous modifications, but engine…
Toyota Finally Axes Solara Convertible
Toyota has finally made the decision to stop producing the Solara Convertible. It’s not likely to be missed. The Coupe model was discontinued last summer (in case you hadn’t noticed), but Toyota decided to keep up convertible production as there were no other drop-top models in the entire company’s vehicle lineup. A few months later…
Scion Releases xD Release Series 2.0
Scion has just rolled out its final special edition model for 2009, the xB Release Series 2.0, starting at $14,650 – just $1,270 over the base price. What you get for that amount is a long list of extras, not to mention Electric Wasabi green paint and the knowledge that only 1,600 such models will…
Toyota Planning iQ Cabriolet
Toyota appears to be readying a convertible version of the iQ minicar that is currently on sale in Japan and Europe. The report comes from Japan’s Best Car magazine, which suggests much of the basics will be kept including a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 99hp and 92 ft-lbs of torque. Fuel-economy for this engine…
Mitsubishi Reveals i-MiEV Production Model in Japan
Mitsubishi has just revealed the production model of its i-MiEV electric car in Japan and it plans to have models on the road by July. Initial sales of 1,400 vehicles will be to government entities with public sales starting in April of 2010. As a full-electric vehicle the i-MiEV creates zero emissions and is powered…
Suzuki Kizashi Spied Testing in Colorado
Thanks to the folks over at Autoblog and one of their readers we have these new spy photos of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi mid-sized sedan. It’s hard to tell much with all the body-cladding on the car, but it does appear as though a nice rear end design is in the works – even if…
Chris Rado Sets New FWD Lap Record At Willow Springs With Ridiculous Front Spoiler Scion tC
Motorsports is all about bending the rules. And as they say, if you’re not cheating, you’re losing. Chris Rado and his World Racing Scion tC are not losing. In fact, at the recent Redline Time Attack at Willow Springs Rado dominated in the front-wheel drive Unlimited class posting a 1:22.623 lap time – setting a…
Nissan Releases Europe-Only 370Z Nürburgring Edition
Nissan is launching a limited Europe-only Nürburgring Edition of its 370Z. But don’t worry if you don’t live in Europe… it’s not as exciting as it sounds. The cars are inspired by the bright yellow racers that competed at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hour race and will share the same Premium Ultimate Yellow paint. They…
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrids Will Hit the Streets This Year
Toyota has announced that it will lease 500 plug-in hybrid-electric Prius models starting this year. These will be the first plug-in version of the Prius on the road and will feature new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold more energy than the conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries used in other hybrid systems. Of the 500 vehicles, 200…
Toyota Prius Is The Top Selling Car in Japan in May
The all-new Toyota Prius was the most popular selling car in Japan for the month of May, according to numbers just released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. In total, Toyota sold 10,915 Prius models to take the top sales spot, which was held last month by rival Honda Motor Co. and its new Insight…
Honda CrossTour Coming This Fall to Compete With Toyota Venza
We’ve been waiting for Honda to come up with an Accord-based crossover since the moment Toyota pulled the wraps off its Camry-based Venza concept at the North American International Auto Show last year. It’s no surprise that Honda would build a vehicle to go head-to-head with the Venza (pictured above) and apparently the company isn’t…
Lexus LF-A Gets More Power, Higher Top Speed
When Lexus initially brought out the LF-A concept it boasted about the car’s engine power and top speed. With a 500hp V10 capable of 199mph the genuine exotic sounded unreal back then. Since the concept car was displayed at the North American International Auto Show back in 2007, it has had an uncertain future. But…
Next Gen Mazda RX-8 May Get Twin-Spark Direct-Injection Rotary Engine
It appears as though Mazda will offer its RX-8 sports car with a rotary engine in the future and as the all-new second generation model is just around the corner, the Japanese automaker has been busy making improvements to the pistonless wonder. Last October Mazda filed for a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark…
Mitsubishi Latest Candidate to Buy Saturn
Oddly, it seems as though Saturn is far more interesting and far more loved as the up-for auction arm of a doomed for bankruptcy company than it ever was as regular old car brand. To date the Penske Automotive Group, automaker Nissan/Renault and investment firm Telesto Ventures have all been cited as potential buyers. Now…
Acura Four-Door Coupe In the Works?
It seems as though the upcoming Acura ZDX isn’t the only new model Honda’s luxury arm is planning to release in the near future. Both German auto pub Auto Motor und Sport and Japan’s Holiday Auto are both reporting that four-door coupe is in the works and that is likely to be based off the…
Mitsubishi Brings 329hp FQ-330 Lancer Evo X to the U.K.
No matter how cool a U.S.-spec car is, foreign automakers always seem to have an even more impressive and hard-core version for oversea’s markets. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a stellar performer, but in the U.K. apparently there’s a demand foreven more power – 36 more horsepower to be precise. Named the FQ-330, this new…
Lexus Releases Pics of Two LF-A Racers
Ahead of the world famous Nürburgring 24 Hour race this weekend, Lexus has released a set of photos of not one, but two LF-A models that will compete for the title. Last year Lexus brought an LF-A test mule out to the race but announced that it wasn’t technically competing, which is a good thing…
Fast & Furious Nissan GT-R Stolen
Thieves have made off with that oh so sexy Nissan GT-R from the most recent Fast & Furious film. The car was being stored, along with several other vehicles, at a facility in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. The thieves were no doubt aware that the vehicle was inside the facility when they broke through the…
Toyota Already has 75,000 Orders For Third-Gen Prius
The new 2010 Toyota Prius isn’t about to let the Honda Insight take over in the hybrid segment and strong initial sales show the Toyota model will be another big success for Japan’s largest automaker. Japanese business magazine Nikkei is reporting that Toyota has already accepted 75,000 orders for the new Prius. This news comes…
Lexus Releases F-Sport Line for IS250 C and IS350 C
To coincide with the launch of the new IS250 C and IS350 C hard-top convertibles, Lexus is releasing a line of F-Sport performance parts for both models. Manufactured in-house by Toyota’s performance parts division TRD (Toyota Racing Development) the parts are essentially the same as those already offered for the sedan models. While there aren’t…
Suzuki Stops Production of XL7 Crossover
Suzuki recently made the decision to stop production on its low volume XL7 SUV. The vehicle is currently the only Suzuki manufactured in North America. Suzuki built the three-row, seven-passenger crossover at General Motors’ CAMI facility in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. The facility will continue to produce GM products on its other lines. Suzuki continues to…
