Haihaupro: November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version and it goes on Sale Next Spring [Updated]

The third chapter of what has turned out to be a very long saga came to an end tonight with the official presentation of the new 2013 Scion FR-S, which follows the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier today.

The name Scion chose for the North American version of the Toyota 86 stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The 2+2 coupe is the fifth model to join the Scion family and will go on sale in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2012.

“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance," he added.

Danny de Vito and body builder-turned actor-turned California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, were probably the only twins that were completely different to one another. On the other hand, that was a comedy film in which artistic freedom allows the producers to do anything they please.

In the real world, human twins may indeed differ, mostly in character – though not as much as Arnie and Danny by any stretch of the imagination. In the automotive world, however, when two manufacturers jointly develop a vehicle, 99.9% of the times it ends up being identical to its sibling.

Even Subaru and Toyota are not pretending that their BRZ and 86/GT86 are anything but the same car. They clearly admit it in their press releases and even inscribe it on the engine cover. It’s badge engineering, pure and simple.

Therefore, all the hoopla about the extremely low center of gravity, the compact dimensions, the fun to drive RWD configuration et al is repeated in the BRZ which also made its premiere today at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show.

Visitors at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show will have the chance to see Toyota's MR2 roadster-based GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II in the flesh.

Developed by Toyota and its motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, the prototype made its debut at this year’s 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring in Germany.

For those of you wondering, "GRMN" is an acronym for “Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring,” the latter being a nickname for Toyota’s late test driver Hiromu Naruse who died in an accident last summer while driving a prototype of the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition.

The GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II is a development of last year's racing prototype that was based on production MR-2. The second iteration of Toyota's hybrid sports car features a brand new body while also improving upon the first concept on the powertrain front.

The good thing with concept studies is that reality doesn't have time to sink in during their creation so designers can pretty much do whatever they want. And while Suzuki's Regina concept may not be to everybody's liking, its groovy -almost Citroen-like- styling won't go by unnoticed.

Suzuki says that the Regina embodies its vision of a next-generation global small car featuring a lightweight construction and impressive fuel economy.

The concept is 3.5-metres long and 1.6-metres wide, while it weighs in at just 730kg (1,609 pounds). According to the Japanese automaker, the quirky looking city car has a drag coefficient at least 10% lower than that of current models of the same size and category.

While the new BRZ coupe and the Sports Advance Tourer concept are the ones to watch out for at Subaru's Tokyo Motor Show stand, the Japanese automaker also revealed the much more important from a sales perspective, domestic market versions of its new Impreza. Read more »

Now that's a Burnout: Max Papis Plays Around with a Toyota Camry NASCAR at Monza Rally Show

Like everything else in life, not all Camrys are made equal. And while your everyday Camry is about as interesting as a mid-Victorian debating society, Toyota's NASCAR racer is a different beast altogether.

Even more so when the 850-horsepower, V8-powered racing machine is in the hands of professional driver Massimiliano "Max" Papis who gave Italian fans something to remember him by during the 2011 Monza Rally Show.

Hit the jump to enjoy the clips.

The third Daihatsu concept model that made it to this year's edition of the Tokyo Motor Show is the PICO, a futuristic proposal for a diminutive two-seater EV commuter positioned between small cars and motorcycles.

At 2,400mm long, 1,000mm wide and 1,530mm tall with a wheelbase of 1,830mm, the Daihatsu concept is much smaller than the Smart Fortwo, yet it has space for two passengers sitting in tandem-style.

For a very long time, we only had rugged 4x4s, but then SUVs made their appearance in the market followed shortly after by crossovers and before we knew it, all hell broke loose and each carmaker invented its own acronym to describe a specific niche in any given segment.

Albeit a conceptual proposal, the Volkswagen Cross Coupe is one such example with the German automaker describing it thusly: "a crossover between a four-door coupé and a compact SUV".

We'll just note that a four-door coupe is a crossover between a coupe and a sedan and leave it at there before we start saying things we shouldn’t…

Naming and segment games aside, the CC SUV is a handsome creation overall though its snout could use some styling attention as it's somewhat flavorless compared to the rest of the car in the sense that you could throw in a Seat badge and no one would notice.

What is Toyota’s first car with a front-mounted, horizontally opposed engine and rear-wheel drive? Surprisingly, even to most motoring hacks, it’s not the 86 (or GT 86 for European buyers).

It's a car that goes back almost half a century: the two-cylinder, boxer-engined Sports 800. So there you have it: another piece of information with which you can impress your friends.

This is 2011 though, and the latest boxer-powered, rear-wheel drive Toyota is the much talked about 86. It may have been officially revealed four days ago (and unofficially even earlier), but the Tokyo Motor Show gives the public its first chance to see Toyota’s sports car in the flesh.

Even though Toyota claims a 50 year-old heritage behind the 86, as everyone knows - heck even Snooki should be aware of this by now…- the rear-wheel drive coupe has been developed in cooperation with Subaru, which in Tokyo is displaying its own version, the BRZ.

The B3 GT3 limited edition isn't the only Alpina making its debut at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show as the boutique automaker also brought along the coupe version of its B6 BiTurbo based on the latest BMW 650i.

Alpina has taken BMW's 4.4-liter V8 turbo engine to the next level with a series of upgrades including an intercooled dual turbo system and the addition a new titanium exhaust system developed in conjunction with exhaust specialists Akrapovic, that all help to lift output to 540-horsepower at 5,500 rpm and peak torque to 700Nm (516 lb-ft).

A supermini would be the last type of vehicle any sane person would use to bring down a brick wall, but sanity is not a particularly useful attribute when it comes to having some fun…

And that pretty much explains the 'whys' and 'hows' of this Polish experiment with a three-door Opel Corsa that you can enjoy in the video after the jump.

Arguably, the Takeri concept is Mazda’s most important attraction at this week's Tokyo Motor Show. Intended to showcase the styling of the Mazda6's replacement that is due in 2013, it adopts many elements of the new “Kodo” design introduced in the Shinari concept, which is also on display at the firm's Tokyo stand.

Powering the 4,850mm long four-door sedan study is the new SKYACTIV-D 2.0-liter diesel engine linked to the firm's new 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Takeri is also fitted with Mazda’s i-stop idling stop system and a unique regenerative braking system called ‘i-ELOOP’ (Intelligent Energy Loop). The i-ELOOP is billed as the world’s first kinetic energy recovery system that uses a capacitor and a 25V to 12V alternator instead of a traditional battery pack.

You'd think that with the rise of the Korean auto industry, a troubled Japanese carmaker like Mitsubishi would up its game and even take some risks to gain a competitive edge.

Instead, Mitsubishi goes and creates the Mirage – quite possibly, the most bland looking city car in the market today…

But perhaps that was Mitsubishi's plan all along […] as the company claims that the design of the small subcompact model "was focused on compactness, affordability, and high fuel efficiency in order to fit the needs of emerging markets as an affordable entry-level model as well as needs of advanced markets for fuel efficiency and low-CO2 emission."

The ActiveHybrid version of BMW’s X6 SUV may soon be discontinued from the U.S.market due to poor sales, but the Munich-based carmaker is certainly not giving up on hybrid technology.

In fact, it just unveiled a hybrid version of the latest 5-Series mid-size luxury sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show. Not that you’d notice by looking at it, since only the “ActiveHybrid 5” badges on the C-pillars, grille and inner door sills differentiate it visually from the non-hybrid version.

We're not even half way through the press days of the Tokyo Motor Show, yet we already have news from the next event in our automotive calendar, the 36th edition of the Bologna Motor Show in Italy (December 3 to 11) which will provide the venue for the unveiling of the updated 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evolution.

The 599XX is track beast for a select few über rich of our world that was introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show as replacement for the Enzo-based FXX.

Toyota's conceptual products at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show are a bit more than crowd pleasers as both the FT-EV III mini and the FCV-R study pictured here, are slated to enter production.

The FCV-R is a next-generation fuel-cell concept model fueled by hydrogen that Toyota says is planned for launch in 2015.

According to the Japanese automaker, the fuel-cell unit is located beneath the specially designed body thus saving space with the concept being able to accommodate up to four passengers and their luggage.

The next generation fuel cell stack consists of a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank, which said to provide a driving range of approximately 700 km or about 435 miles.

A guardrail is one of those things that you either never notice or don't really appreciate its existence until it saves your life.

And that it did when the owner of a Kawasaki ZX10R seemingly locked his front brake (we could be wrong, but that looks to be the culprit from the video) while taking a soft corner on Mulhollland Highway near Malibu California and ended up on the ground sliding dangerously towards the canyon.

Follow the break to watch the video for yourself.

The Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept made its debut today in the flesh at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show.

The sleek looking station wagon with the taut surface forms is a proposal for a standalone C-segment hybrid model that measures 4,580mm (180.3-in.) long, 1,840mm (72.4-in.) wide and 1,430mm (56.3-in.) tall. Its exterior dimensions place it between the current Impreza (4,415mm long) and the Legacy (4,775mm).

The concept's design language both inside and out is believed to preview the forms and styles of the next generation of Subaru's models, though don't expect to see the scissor-style front doors on a production model any time soon.

For this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Daihatsu brought along an innovative new concept for a multi-purposes kei car series called the D-X ("d-cross").

While the car shown at the Japanese brand's booth is a two-seater roadster, Daihatsu says that its can be easily modified into different types of models by replacing or adding components on its resin-based body.

Among other body styles, the D-X can be transformed into a shooting-break-like hatchback with a hard top, a two-door crossover and a lightweight weekend-racer.

Honda is betting heavily on conventional as well as more advanced plug-in hybrid models as the company is planning to increase its 'green' offerings in the very near future.

At the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011, the Japanese brand lifted the wraps off a conceptual proposal for a mid-to-long range plug-in hybrid called the AC-X. The study is much larger than the Insight hybrid measuring 4,700mm long, 1,820mm wide and 1,400mm with a wheelbase of 2,750mm.

Famed BMW tuning house Alpina showed up at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show with a world premiere, the limited edition B3 GT3 of which only 99 examples will be built, each carrying a price tag of €90.000 (approx. US$120,000) in Germany.

The B3 GT3 is based on the regular 3-Series Coupe and it uses a slightly modified version the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six found in Alpina's B3 S Bi-Turbo sedan, coupe and touring models.

Thanks to a different exhaust system and a titanium rear silencer made by Akrapovic the three-liter unit gains 8 more ponies lifting output to 408-horses at 6,000rpm and 540Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque at 4500rpm.

The star attraction at Audi's booth in Tokyo is the new Audi A1 Sportback, which will be rolling into showrooms across the world – but not in the U.S.- in early 2012.

The more practical, five-door version of the A1 has the same length as the three door model at 3.95 meters (12.96 ft) but is several millimeters taller and wider thus offering a little more space in the rear seats – though don't expect any wonders.. In addition, buyers can order the Sportback with either a four- or five-seat layout at no extra cost.

There's another new diesel engine created for the European market, this time from Honda that has just introduced a new 1.6-liter unit. The Japanese automaker's president and CEO, Takanobu Ito, made the announcement today at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The brand new 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel unit joins Honda's revised 2.2-liter i-DTEC diesel, which delivers 150HP. The smaller unit is rated at 118HP (120PS) at 4,000 rpm and has a peak torque of 300Nm (221.3 lb-ft) at 2,000 rpm.

Subaru BRZ Makes its Video Debut, Plus New Photo Album with First Shots of the Interior

The production versions of the jointly developed Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins are making their world premiere today at the Tokyo Motor Show.

We’ve already brought you the news on the BRZ, but for those of you interested, Subaru has unleashed a promotional video as well as a second round of pictures including the very first images of the coupe's interior that is identical to the 86 right up to the digital clock that brings back memories of the go-go 1980s. Oddly, Toyota and Subaru ditched the cassette player…

As a reminder, the BRZ runs on very low mounted 2.0-liter flat-four with direct-injection technology and an output of 200 ponies that are directed to the rear wheels through a choice of 6-speed transmissions (manual and automatic).

Tagging along with the new A1 Sportback five-door hatchback at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show booth, is a one-off A1 SAMURAI BLUE special dedicated to the Japanese national soccer team.

The A1 special is based on the three-door model with the 122HP 1.4 TFSI petrol engine and features the team's traditional blue and white colors accentuated by the red of the Japanese flag. It rides on unique 18-inch wheels painted in red.

The Cross Coupé SUV concept is Volkswagen's surprise debut for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show that opened its doors (to the press) today.

The German automaker says that concept is a study for a potential new CC-style SUV that "hints at how a crossover between a four-door coupé and an SUV could look like" -think small BMW X6- while also previewing an evolved form of VW's current design language.

The concept is the first VW model based on the company’s new ‘modular transverse matrix’ or MQB platform architecture to be shown to the public. The MQB chassis will be used in a number of VW Group models ranging from the next Golf to the Audi TT's successor.

Meet the new BRZ sports coupe's much, much wilder racing brother with which Subaru and its STI division will compete in the next season of Japan's Super GT championship in the GT300 class.

Sadly, while Subaru released the first rendering of the BRZ GT300, the Japanese automaker is still holding back on the details (though we assume a boxer engine should be in the mix), but we'll keep you posted on any information we get in our hands.

While not the NSX or S2000 replacements that enthusiasts have long been waiting to see, the Japanese firm's EV-STER concept shows that Honda still has some faint traces of sporty genes left in its DNA.

The pure electric roadster model is very compact in size measuring just 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.). That makes it slightly bigger than the Beat, Honda's mid-engined, two-seat roadster kei car that was produced from 1991 to 1996.

In its simplest form, Murphy's Law says that if anything can go wrong, it will. In other words, regardless of how careful you are or how easy the task may seem, there is no such thing as a guarantee of perfect safety.

And one motorcycle stunt rider in Brazil found that out the hard way during a routine show at the Beto Carrero World, which is the largest multi-theme park in Latin America, and is located in the municipality of Penha in Brazil.

The Fiat Group may have its share of problems, especially in Europe, yet CEO Sergio Marchionne recently announced that its second most prestigious brand, Maserati, will soon launch no less than three new models.

“Maserati will increase its volumes by having three cars”, said Marchionne after the CBI conference in London last week. According to British publication Car Magazine, Marchionne said that these would be the Kubang SUV, the Quattroporte replacement and a smaller four-door sedanthat will compete in the E-segment against the likes of the Jaguar XF and BMW 5-Series.

You'd think that 457-ponies under the hood of any family car let alone a station wagon would be enough to get any enthusiast excited, but Mercedes-Benz believes otherwise and has ordered its AMG division to prepare a Black Series edition of the C63 AMG Estate.

Behind that mismatched front bumper are the same hardware upgrades found on the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, and which include a modified 6.2-liter V8 engine pushing out 517HP and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of peak torque, an increase of 60HP and 20Nm over the regular model.

While Hyundai's engineers are working on the development of the next generation of the Santa Fe, which may carry the iX45 moniker in select regions, the Korea firm is presenting a 2012 model year version of the crossover with some very subtle cosmetic and equipment upgrades in Australia.

Many people that are into premium cars are also into expensive watches, which is only natural since the finest examples of both serve more than just a utilitarian role.

A Bentley and a Lada can both take you from point A to point B. In much the same way, a 10 dollar watch can tell you the time in exactly the same way as a Rolex or a Breitling.

So if you’re looking just for transportation and knowing what time it is, pass on the Bentley and the Breitling and save yourself enough money to buy a house.

Nissan has big plans for its in-house motorsports and performance arm, Nismo, as the Japanese company announced earlier today that it wants to use the sub-brand's expertise to create a variety of sports cars based on the company's mainstream models on a larger scale.

We're going to get a taste of what this means for Nissan with the presentation of the Juke Nismo concept at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

The last time Jaguar offered a station wagon model was with the ill-fated X-Type Sportwagon, which was produced from 2004 to 2009. But Jaguar is getting ready to give it another try, this time with an estate model based on the mid-size XF, with which it will go against the BMW 5-Series Touring and the Audi A6 Avant. Read more »

Haihaupro

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version and it goes on Sale Next Spring [Updated]

Subaru BRZ Joins its Toyota Sibling at the Tokyo Motor Show [Live Photos + New Videos]

Toyota's MR2 Based GRMN SPORTS HYBRID Concept II gets its Motorshow Debut

Suzuki Envisions a Global Compact Car with Regina Concept in Tokyo

Subaru's New JDM Impreza Sport Hatch and G4 Sedan Break Cover in Tokyo

Now that's a Burnout: Max Papis Plays Around with a Toyota Camry NASCAR at Monza Rally Show

Tokyo Motor Show: Tiny Daihatsu Pico EV Concept [Updated]

It’s a CC Thing: Volkswagen's New Cross Coupe Concept Live from the Tokyo Show Floors

Toyota 86 in the Flesh from the Tokyo Motor Show, Plus New Promo Video

Alpina's New 540HP BMW B6 BiTurbo Coupe Warms up the Tokyo Motor Show

Demolition Corsa: Small Opel Helps Pull Down a Wall in Poland

Mazda Hints at Next Mazda6 with Diesel-Powered Takeri Concept in Tokyo

New Mitsubishi Mirage is a No Frills - Low Cost Entry in the Small Car Segment

New BMW ActiveHybrid 5-Series Premieres at the Tokyo Motor Show

Updated Ferrari 599XX Evolution Comes with More Power and Less Weight

New Toyota FCV-R Fuel-Cell Concept Heading for Production in 2015 [Updated]

All Hail the Guardrail: Kawasaki ZX10R Rider Loses it on Mulholland Highway

Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept Hints at Standalone Hybrid Wagon

Daihatsu's Funky Little D-X Roadster Can be Anything You Want

Honda AC-X is a Futuristic Study for a Plug-in Hybrid Family Car

Tokyo Show: New BMW Alpina B3 GT3 is One Mean Green Machine

Audi A1 Sportback Makes its World Premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show

Honda Details New 118HP 1.6-liter Turbo Diesel Engine for Europe

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Subaru BRZ Makes its Video Debut, Plus New Photo Album with First Shots of the Interior

Audi Pays Tribute to Japanese National Soccer Team with A1 Samurai Blue

New Volkswagen Cross Coupe SUV Concept Bows at 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

Subaru's Untamed BRZ GT300 Racer Breaks Cover

Tokyo Motor Show: Honda’s New EV-STER Concept is the Beat of the Future

Motorcycle Stunt Goes Terribly Wrong at Brazil's Beto Carrero World Theme Park [Video]

Marchionne: Maserati will Launch Three New Models Very Soon, Doesn’t Rule Out Alfa Sale if the Price is Right

SCOOP: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate gets in the Black Series Mood

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe Modestly Refreshed in Australia

Buy a Bentley Continental Convertible ISR, Get a Breitling Limited Edition Chronograph for Free

Juke Nismo Concept gets its Video Debut, Nissan Says it may Enter Production

SPIED: Jaguar Revisits Station Wagon Territory with New XF Sportbrake