Autoblog

Toyota developed an all-new architecture for its iQ city car, but in an effort to defray the costs the automaker will be using the platform to underpin three new models.

The first will be the next-generation Yaris, due out in 2011, which will be packaged more efficiently to improve interior volume and be a more competent competitor to the Honda Fit. A new hybrid model is also in the works that takes aim at another Honda – the new 2009 Insight – while a seven-seat people mover is also slated to be built atop the iQ's architecture.

MotorTrend sat down with the iQ's chief engineer, Hiroki Nakajima, to discuss a half-dozen innovative packaging solutions employed on the city car, including a differential moved to the front of the engine to allow more interior room, a higher-mounted steering rack and wiper motor assembly, a smaller, more efficient climate control system and a flat, thin fuel tank that lies beneath the passenger seats.

All these innovations have cost some serious coin to develop, but over the iQ's lifetime, along with the implementation of these systems on other models, Toyota is confident that the expense is worth it for both the automaker and consumers.


[Source: MotorTrend]

Lotus' limited resources were apparently tapped out by the fast-tracking of the new Evora, so the Esprit replacement has been delayed until 2011. According to Autocar, the new Esprit will be based off the same chassis as the Evora, but it will be widened and stretched to fit a longitudinal engine mounted amidships. But what kind of engine? Lotus boss Mike Kimberley says that he wants to offer "guilt-free, high performance motoring" and Autocar maintains that to reach that goal, the new Esprit could be fitted with a hybrid drivetrain based on a mix of Lotus and Toyota technology.

Lotus has its hands full with several other projects, including six different versions of the Evora -- ranging from a convertible to an automatic variant -- as well as developing S3 versions of the Elise and Exige and working on 340 different projects for 147 separate companies. For the first time in several years, Lotus posted a profit, and if the automaker continues its trajectory, more money and compelling products are on the way.


[Source: Autocar]

Click either image for a high-res gallery.

General Motors won't be bringing the Beat to the U.S., but some version of the Groove or Trax will replace the Aveo by 2011. Speaking with Automotive News, Chevy veep Ed Peper said that the bow-tie brand would get something "very similar to one of those vehicles," but in order to meet U.S. crash test standards and accommodate consumer's taste, the new compact five-door would grow in size.

Of the three concepts that debut in New York last year, the Beat will be the first to reach consumers -- in Europe and other markets in 2009 -- and will be built atop GM's global minicar platform in Shanghai. However, the yet-to-be-named Aveo replacement will be underpinned by GM's Gamma small-car platform and will likely be assembled in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

While GM's decision to bring a more stylish small car to U.S. consumers is certainly good news, we can't help but still feel slighted that the Beat won't be offered in the States and that we'll have to put up with the Aveo for another three years as the only sub-compact offering from the General.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

BMW may begin straying from its long held tradition of equipping its M models with rev-happy, naturally aspirated engines. According to a source speaking with Automotive News, the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 currently equipped on the new X6, could be stroked out to 4.8-liters and fitted on future Ms, including the new M5, due out in 2011. The twin-turbo'd 3.0-liter inline six found in the 335i, 535i and entry-level X6 proved that BMW has the chops to create highly efficient and eminently entertaining blown mills, and there's no doubt that significant tweaks to the turbocharged V8 could boost power levels over the stock mill's claimed 407 hp, to take take serious aim at Audi's 572 hp RS6.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Britain's Autocar says that Land Rover will follow up the introduction of the production 3-door LRX with a more practical 5-door edition as well. We loved the compact and sporty LRX concept, and we're glad Land Rover is going to produce a 3-door that should closely mimic its appearance. That said, the word that it'll also be joined by a 5-door is completely unsurprising, as the additional entrances make the LRX a more appealing suburban recon vehicle. After all, it's a lot easier to haul the kids to ballet class and Little League when they have doors of their own to clamber in and out of. Autocar's sources also told the pub that a hybrid drivetrain -- a key element of the concept car -- is also expected to find its way into the mix, given current concerns regarding fuel economy and vehicle emissions. Look for the LRX to debut in 2011. If the production car winds up being anywhere near as good-looking as the concept, there should be no shortage of them in neighborhood garages and driveways shortly thereafter.


[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS6 Avant

If there's anything the 580-horsepower Audi RS6 Avant isn't lacking, it's power. But according to AutoTelegraaf, Audi plans to launch a "Plus" version of its insane estate towards the end of the RS6 life cycle. According to the Dutch site, Audi insiders said that a new "Plus" version would go on sale sometime in 2011, just as the A6 is about to get a mild facelift. The "Plus" will supposedly receive tweaks to its suspension and engine, with the V10 producing 613 horsepower.

This wouldn't be the first time Audi offered a "Plus" variant of the RS6. The original, C5-based RS6, built from 2002 to 2004, got a boost in output during the last three months of production, netting an additional 30 hp (from 450 hp to 480 hp), through the use of a remapped ECU and two additional radiators mounted behind the intercoolers. The Plus version also benefited from standard DRC, 19-inch wheels and a sports suspension that dropped the wagon 10mm. Production was limited to just 999 units.


[Source: AutoTelegraaf via WCF]

It's no surprise that BMW plans to attempt to bring its uber-saloon up to AMG-levels of power when the new M5 debuts in 2011. That means that output needs to surpass the current model's paltry 501 hp, so BMW will bore out the current V10 to 5.5-liters, slap on a couple of turbos and use direct-injection to bringing power levels up to 550 hp, or more. Grunt will be shoveled to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or the new seven-speed M DCT dual-clutch 'box.

But it's not all about pavement-pummeling power. The use of the twin-turbochargers and DI is as much an attempt to reduce emissions as it is to boost output, and BMW is intent on making the next 5-series, due out in 2010, one of its most fuel-efficient vehicles. That means that start-stop technology will be used on the engine, along with its Efficient Dynamics system that uses regenerative braking to reduce load on the alternator, improving both fuel economy and engine output.

[Source: Autocar]

The rendering specialists at AutoBild have come up with images of the next Passat. It gets a bit more character in the twin swage lines running down the side of the body, a feature that is looking like the next big design thing. The front end continues the tripartite bumper design VW has recently taken up, but swaps the giant headlamps for some sleek, stylized numbers reminiscent of Audi.

We aren't sure about the sedan design. It looks like it could be a contender with character... or it could be a sedan just trying to be fancy. The wagon, however, looks pretty sexy. We'll know when we see it in the flesh, but the Passat CC is probably a good indicator in the mean time, so if you like that, then you'll probably like this.

[Source: AutoBild via German Car Blog]

When we last saw the Lotus Esprit in 2004, it was equipped with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at about 350 hp. Offering much more motivation than its early turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant, the Esprit V8 was quick -- pedal to the floor, the two-seat coupe could punch through 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Impressive as it was just a few years ago, there are more than a handful of cars (at half the price) that can shame the Lotus back across the Pond today.

To keep the upcoming 2011 Lotus Esprit at the front of the pack, it is rumored to be fitted with the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 found under the hood of the recently released BMW X6. The powerplant is rated at 400 horsepower with only light boost under the German's hood. Under the fiberglass cover of the future British Esprit, it will most likely be tuned to deliver nearly 500 horsepower. It will need every bit of power it can get, as the new Lotus will be competing with the Porsche 911 Turbo, Ferrari F430, and the new Nissan GT-R.

[Source: eGMCartech]

While new fuel economy regs have put the General's rear-wheel-drive offerings into a holding pattern (we think), Chrysler will soldier on with its RWD LX platform into the next decade. According to The Car Connection, Chrysler plans to makeover the 300 and Charger in 2011, but the reason the Pentastar people are keeping it rear-wheel-drive isn't to sate the public's lust for FR cars, rather there's no budget to develop a new front-wheel-drive platform.

TCC's insider says that updates to the HEMI might be underway and that the new styling direction of the 300 will maintain the sedan's gangsta cues, but the low roofline will probably be nixed in favor of a larger greenhouse.

[Source: The Car Connection]