Author: autoevolution

Lexus’ upcoming premium hybrid compact car, the CT 200h promises to rewrite the laws of the segment it belongs to.

As the vehicle makes its U.S. debut at the New York International Auto Show, Lexus announces that one of the means through which it will achieve the aforementioned performance is the use of first-in-class safety systems that will cover both the active and the passive safety areas.

The Lexus CT 200h will be the first model in its class to use a pre-crash safety system (PCS) an… (read more)

Now that Toyota’s safety problems are no longer in the spotlight, there’s enough room for other carmakers to make the headlines with similar topics. Nissan is just an example, as the Japanese manufacturer today rolled out a notification announcing that more than 4,000 models are affected by what appears to be a glitch concerning the front airbag module.

The exact number of affected vehicles is 4,038, according to an NHTSA notification, with three models initially mentioned in the recall: 2010… (read more)

Jari-Matti Latvala has taken the lead in Rally Jordan after the first leg on Thursday, as he topped the first 4 special stages of the event less than half of second ahead of Citroen’s Dani Sordo. However, the Finnish driver might be relegated later today, as a 10-second penalty from the Jordan organizers is expected to emerge any time.

Third overall after 4 stages was Citroen’s privateer Petter Solberg, who is currently one full second behind factory driver Sordo. Just like Latvala, however, … (read more)

Another highlight in Hyundai’s 2010 NYIAS booth next to the Sonata Turbo is the 2011 Sonata Hybrid model, the carmaker’s first hybrid in the U.S. market. The car is equipped with a full parallel hybrid drive system, which can operate on an electric motor, gasoline internal combustion engine, and a combination of the two depending on the situation.

The Hyundai Hybrid Blue Drive is the first and only system using lithium polymer battery technology, which together with the new 6-speed transmissi… (read more)

The ultimate hot hatch is a… Volvo. At least that’s what the guys at Polestar Performance seem to state.

The company, who is behind Volvo’s championship-wining Swedish Touring Car team, is developing a street legal 400 hp, all wheel drive Volvo C30. This is the first time when the company’s designers and engineers work on a complete road car project – when they’re not busy throwing racecars over kerbs, the company’s employees develop performance enhancements for standard Volvo cars in Swed… (read more)

The weather forecast for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix is anything but optimistic, and the F1 paddock’s first encounter with the Sepang International Circuit happened under the a monsoonal thunderstorm on Thursday.

Shortly after the rain-affected and highly-spectacular Australian Grand Prix, the media started taking a sudden interest in how the weather will treat the F1 drivers in Malaysia. Logically enough, the outcome of last year’s race at Sepang had a lot to do with it also. And the… (read more)

Now that Spring is here, it is definitely time for the rain to start… the open top vehicle rain that is. One of the convertible clouds comes from Renault UK, who has just announced the pricing for the upcoming Twingo-based open-top Wind model.

The Wind range will be available in three versions: Dynamique, Dynamique S and Collection limited edition, all of which can be ordered with one of the two petrol engines available. These are the economic 1.2 liter unit that develops 100 hp & emits 145… (read more)

There is no secret that most drivers still avoid using the safety belt, which is also the most common causes of death in traffic accidents in Europe today. Moreover, a recent study commissioned by Volvo Trucks and conducted by the CEESAR research institute revealed that at least half of all truck drivers are at risk specifically due to this particular reason.

Many drivers live under the impression that it is much safer to drive a big truck than a small passenger car," Volvo Trucks’ Traff… (read more)

Chevrolet has created an RS sporty appearance package for the Cruze and is showcasing it at the New York International Auto Show.

The Cruze’s front end has received a new fascia, featuring a mesh grille for the lower air intake (this has the same design as the one used for the radiator grille) and new fog light housings that come with chromed ornaments. The car’s rocker panels now come with a more aggressive design, while its rear bumper has been redesigned showing a mesh grille lower part th… (read more)

Despite his impressive podium appearance at the end of last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Polish driver Robert Kubica insisted that his Renault R30 still lacks the necessary pace to fight the Top 4 teams in the series. While praising his own performance at Albert Park, Kubica admitted there is still a lot of work to be done in order to bring the black-and-yellow car to regular podiums.

It’s clear that the pace of our package is not up there and everybody realized that Australia was our cha… (read more)

Hyundai introduced its 2.0-liter Theta II turbocharged gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engine in the 2011 Sonata at the NYIAS event today, revealing the new powerplant is capable of delivering an estimated 34 mpg highway rating, and 274 horsepower.

According to the carmaker, the new Sonata is the first Hyundai vehicle to have both GDI technology and a turbocharger. The power unit is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual control.

Drivers can access the SHIFTRO… (read more)

Prior to this weekend’t Malaysian Grand Prix, rookie F1 drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Karun Chandhok joined F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello and new Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg before the media for the Thursday official press conference at Sepang. Here’s what they had to say ahead of the upcoming Sepang race.

Q: Karun, obviously a very steep learning curve for you this year. Tell us about it.

Karun CHANDHOK: It is not ideal. I don’t think anyone in F1 has gone straight into qualifying witho… (read more)

Scion is using an aggressive marketing campaign for its new products, taking full advantage of the New York International Auto Show. The carmaker chose to introduce custom versions (developed by the Five Axis tuner) of the iQ minicar and the tC coupe at the same time with the standard versions of the cars.

As we’ve already shown you the iQ, the Five Axis iQ and the tC, we now give you the badass version of the coupe, which comes in a special color, called Bloodshot.

This comes dressed in … (read more)

The hunger for hybrid vehicles, as well as the need to set an example for fleet owners has made the US government order an extra 5,600 hybrid vehicles, thus doubling the number of such vehicles in use with various US agencies.

"We’re going to lead by example and practice what we preach: cutting waste, saving energy and reducing our reliance on foreign oil," president Obama said when announcing the order.

The new hybrids are meant for the US General Services Administration (GSA)… (read more)

Sebastian Vettel insisted that he is not at all concerned with his car’s reliability ahead of the upcoming race in Malaysia. Having experienced an engine problem in Bahrain and a wheel mounting issue in Australia – both depriving him of a couple of easy wins – the German is confident that his team will get into winning form at Sepang.

We don’t have one big problem in the car. But sometimes one small thing breaks and then it leads to five other things to break, which then can have a big impact… (read more)

The outboard mirrors will be banned from Formula One from as early as the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled in mid-April. The information was revealed by British publication Autosport, whose reporters apparently found out that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) will ban the aforementioned device after this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Shortly after last weekend’s race in Australia, we had reported to you that some of the drivers in the F1 paddock were quite critic of the new mirrors… (read more)

French manufacturer Citroen announced today it will expand the Airdream+ range with the addition to the C3 Picasso and C4. The two will join the already announced C3 Airdream+, launched earlier this year.

The Airdream+ vehicles are powered by HDi diesel engines, equipped with Diesel Particulate Filter System (DPFS). The units are paired with an optimized manual gearbox with a Gear Efficiency Indicator (C3 Picasso), while the C4 comes with fuel-saving Auto EGS gearbox.

The technologies use… (read more)

While Scion has introduced the iQ model at the New York International Auto Show, U.S. tuner Five Axis showcased a custom version of the minicar, featuring both visual and performance upgrades.

The customized vehicle features a complete body kit that offers it an even sportier appearance. The front fascia now uses a new type of grill for the lateral air vents and comes with LED daytime running lights. In addition to that, the iQ got bolder wheel arches and new side skirts, as well as a redesi… (read more)

Shortly after its premiere at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in early March, the new Volvo S60 gets ready for its racing debut. The Swedish carmaker revealed today that a racing version of the sedan will enter the 2010 Belgian Touring Car Series (BTCS).

The car’s maiden track test will take place today on the Belgian Zolder track, while its racing debut is scheduled for April 11.

"We are very happy about this development," Bart Crols, Managing Director at Volvo Cars Belgium, said in a… (read more)

Although McLaren Mercedes have been the only team to point fingers at Red Bull Racing’s ride-high control system prior to the Australian Grand Prix, it seems that the engineers at Woking are already preparing to introduce such a system on their McLaren MP4-25 from as early as possible.

I think there’s some evidence that there are ride-height control systems that some people would think are not permissible. As you can imagine, we are now working hard on (introducing) such systems, said McLaren… (read more)