Autoblog

click above image to view more live shots of the Mud Master-C

Didn't Space 1999's Moon Base Alpha have a couple of these in the garage?

Looking like a Mitsubishi Delica that's spent too much time in the boil wash, Daihatsu's Mud Master-C is a kei car, but with lofty ambitions. This is far from Daihatsu's first foray into the off road world - they've made jeeps and even jacked up kei vans in the past - albeit all shod with far smaller wheels than these cool 16-inch alloys. Who knows, this could even make production. Click here to read our original post with more details on Mud Master Concept and check out the gallery of live shots below.

Click image for photo gallery

Toyota has released the upmarket version of its Blade hatchback in Japan. On sale as of yesterday, the Blade Master and Blade Master G come with the 2GR-FE 3.5L V6 as standard equipment. A substantial upgrade over the 2.4L four-cylinder offered in the lower Blade trim levels, the six pumps 276 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters. Fuel economy is rated at around 23 mpg (compared to 31 mpg for the 4-cylinder), and a sportier suspension tune and larger disc brakes are also part of the package. In terms of appearance, the V6 Blades get a mesh-look grille and model-specific badging. Why should we care, you ask? Well, the speculation has been that we'll get the Blade as the replacement for the existing Matrix, albeit with a different face. Hence, the V6 model is significant, as such an offering here in the US would put the likes of the VW GTI and R32 on notice, at least in terms of on-paper performance stats. A Toyota hot hatch in the states? We'll have to wait and see.

[Source: Toyota]