Please Audi, Don't Tease Us Any Longer: The Quattro Concept

Motor Trend recently did a test drive of the Audi Quattro concept. The car was designed for the original Quattro’s 30^th birthday, and they have been touring it around auto shows. It’s estimated to be worth 5.2 million. The car has created quite a buzz lately and for good reason.

Audi has yet to deny or confirm that it will be a production vehicle.

The car is about as awesome looking as they come. The big haunches and wide grill set it apart from anything that Audi has or any other car manufacturer for that matter. All round the car is spectacular, and then you get to the interior. It looks like a race car driver’s daily car, simple and clean yet functional. When I say clean I mean like hypoallergenic clean. The lines and combination of carbon fiber are perfect.

The car sports a five cylinder engine (from the TT RS), four wheel drive, and a flurry of other technologies, including a carbon fiber body. It’s blistering fast and light, weighing in at 2866 pounds. The original Quattro weighed 2838. Everything on this car is an homage to the original.

So why don’t they make it? The hard truth is Audi doesn’t really have a spot for it. It would fit in near the A5 (it shares the same frame) and with the other two door being the TT, there’s no point. I have a suggestion though.

The Audi halo car is the R8 for its amazing looks and performance. I’ve been in love with the car ever since it came out. What Audi could do is have a second halo car, but not for the streets. It needs to be where Audi and the original Quattro flourished, the dirt.

The original was a stripped out and barely street legal race car where technologies like four wheel drive in regular cars was proven. Many race cars owe their technologies now to this rally monster.

As the X Games and other rally competitions grow more popular every year, manufactures are getting great publicity coverage. Recently the sports have been dominated here in the states by Subaru and Mitsubishi. Ford though has gone into the circuit with the new Fiesta, trying to get a piece of that cake. Audi could create the car and use it for dirt racing and trickle the technologies from their down into their everyday cars like the Quattro of old did. The plan right now is to have the technologies in the concept showcased, but I think proving them would be more effective.

Or just make that the new A5, just saying.

Sourced from Motor Trend

Audi's Prototype R18 Le Mans LMP1

Audi has unveiled their new prototype for the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s called the R18 and it will have some serious catching up to do with the Audi legacy.

Domination is the word that most people use to describe the run of victories at Le Mans that Audi has presented. The only wrinkle to that name is the lost to Peugeot in 2009. The past race in 2010 though was spectacular, as Audi swept taking one, two, and three, atop the podium in the R15.

The R18 is different than other Audi race cars that have come before it in the decade. For starters, it has a closed top, a first in their recent legacy and since 1999. It’s no coincidence to me that when the lost to Peugeot in 2009 to their new supercar, Audi decided to follow design and begin crafting the car in mid 2009 as well. They stated in the press release: “A closed car has clear advantages in this respect. Our computer simulations have been confirmed in the wind tunnel and during initial track tests."

The engine is a 3.7 liter TDI V-6 engine and Audi has not specified number for it yet but you can be sure they wont be to far off the mark of the previous car and probably even better. They have a legacy to keep and doing so has proven harder and harder every year so they will max out their new car. Audi is using the engine to pioneer smaller, more efficient, and more powerful engines they stated in the press release. A new six speed automatic transmission is also going to be in place.

Along with the technicalities is the body, a single forged carbon fiber piece which is said to improve stiffness and save weight. The lights are a first, all LED. Le Mans is about proving the technologies of the cars, and Audi certainly is filling in that respect. As their slogan goes, Truth In Engineering.

Audi will have three R18’s on the track at Le Mans in 2010 all running for the title. Will they be able to do it? Probably.

Audi’s intensity for the gold has tied Ferraris record of nine wins. With The drivers, the experience, the passion, and the engineering, Audi could keep this spree going for a long time to come.

Sourced from Autoblog

Hamann debuts their Porsche Cayenne 958

Ah, those German aftermarket tuner, whenever a new German-made car with any performance potential is launched, one or several of these tuners manages to get their hands on one.And now, Hamann has unveiled their latest creation, a Porsche Cayenne 958. Although Porsche unveiled the second generation Cayenne at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Hamann was lightening quick to add their own touch.

Perhaps, the best upgrade here is the exterior, as the car has a newly shaped front apron with integrated LED daytime running lights, side sills, a rear apron, a carbon-made bonnet with an additional air intake.

Buyers can also opt for sets of either 22 or 23-inch 3-pieced lightweight alloy wheels. Under the hood, the tuners have remapped the ECU which increases output of the stock V6 diesel to 275hp with 620 lb-ft of torque between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm.

No official pricing from Hamann has been released.

Mazda gives Japan a few more gadgets

There once was a time when the US got only a small percentage of the really great cars from Japan. Any americans who ever lusted after a Nissan Silva, an R33 Skyline or toyota badged Altezza know what I am talking about.

While things might have gotten better recently, Japanese carmakers can still sometimes withhold some stuff from us.

In Japan. the Mazda3 (or as it is known there, the Axela) is getting what is known as the Navi Edition.

This special edition allows Axela buyers to have some of the options which are usually only available on higher-end models.

This includes a navigation system with an integrated terrestrial TV tuner and rear view monitor.

Of course, a rearview monitor on a compact car with a big back window might be a bit unnecessary I think, but Mazda has added their Adaptive Front Lighting system, something that is nice to have on a car of any size.

BMW 3.0d Boosted by Superchips

Superchips is launching yet another performance specially for BMW. This time, they have done a new ECU remap of the wonderful 3.0 liter straight-six diesel, which is offered on the 3,5,7, GT, X5 and X6.

The 3.0, depending on which model, usually produces in the neighborhood of 240hp with 520 lb-ft of torque.

With the remap, power is increased to 285 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque.

Coincidently, this is basically the same power as the 35d engine. Think of it as a 3.0 liter twin turbo diesel.

This power boost makes the engine more responsive and more pleasant to drive due to all of the extra torque at low revs.

Superchips even provides a full customer service guarantee with a 12 month/30,000 mile supplementary vehicle warranty.

Perhaps the best part-in addition to the extra torque-is the price. Unlike countless other performance tuner kits and various add-ons, this one is extremely affordable at just $695, including installation and VAT.

DuPont recently came out with its annual report about what colors are the most popular in the world. This study involves 11 different regions including includes North America, China, Russia, Europe, and India.

The most popular colors globally are:

1. Silver

2. Black

3. Grey and white tie at 16% of global sales.

The most popular colors in North America are:

1. White

2. Black

3. Silver

So congratulations to the world were about as exciting overall as a black and white movie.

I personally love cars that have some color to them (my own is blue and white). But in some cases you have to go with one of the more neutral colors. For example, when purchasing an Audi A8, S-class Mercedes, and BMW 7 series, black and white are the way to go. You can get silver to and maybe a midnight blue, but those don’t take the classy elegance of the cars very seriously. A red A8 would look silly, and can you really imagine a blue S-class?

So up to a certain point I can understand why the color choices would be dull. But for the average car? I guess people are just dull. I shouldn’t be that harsh though because most cars simply look best in those colors. Take a popular car like the Honda civic. Any other color besides black and silver look to outlandish for most people, or to some simply badass. To go with a color such as blue is making a statement instead of just blending as well. I don’t have the time or degree to say why people choose what color (they might not even care) but I think the world would be a little more fun if we spruced it up a bit.

2012 Mustang Cobra Jet specs revealed

A Puerto Rican Ford dealer has released the first specs of the upcoming 2012 Mustang Cobra Jet. This reveal is well before ford has intended. Nonetheless, we are treated with a great throwback to 1960's drag racing.

The Cobra Jet has a revised 430 hp 5.4 liter supercharged aluminium engine with a 2.3 liter TVS supercharger with twin 65mm dual bore throttle body linked to a three-speed C4 auto race transmission.

Try saying all of the above in one breath.

Technically speaking, this setup includes a double keyed crankshaft snout, Manley H-beam rods, improved low-drag racing brakes upgraded rear suspension with a revised rear upper control arm, lower control arm mounts, and revised and optimized springs in both front and rear.

There are also new black anodized Cobra Jet wheels with Goodyear Cobra Jet branded tires. Color choices include Race Red, Grabber Blue and Winner White.

The 2012 Audi A6

The new Audi A6, going on sale in Germany in early 2011, is finally released after months of teasers. America will get the car in 2012.

The new car is same proportionally to the old one and is only shorter by a fraction of an inch, but that is where all the comparisons must come to an end.

The car rests on the A7’s platform giving it much of the same dimensions with none of the look. The lines on this car are much deeper and pronounced, and since the A7 fills the coupe movement the A6 will cover the executive sedan model, with the A8 leading the pack.

The detailing on this car is rich. The wood wraps all the way around the cabin and flows through the car. The interior is changed slightly and detailed more, with a pop up screen on top of the center console. The screen has what they call an MMI, Multi Media Interface, and depending on the level of your MMI your screen can be 6.5 to 8 inches respectively. There is also a hand writing screen which wirelessly links up to the screen.

Aside from the aesthetics and goodies of the car there is also the base structure and body. Although the A7 ad the A6 share the same frame, they share none of the same body panels which are about 20% forged from aluminum. Aluminum parts also consist of the engine bay struts, trunk lid, front bumper, and hood. They cut about 15% of weight as apposed to steel.

Most Audi’s share the same power train (A4, A5, A7, and Q7), so the A6 will start at base with the 2.8 liter V-6 with Multitronic CVT cranking out 204 hp and a declared 0-62 of 7.7 seconds. Upgrade a little and that number is slashed using the 300 supercharged TFSI V-6, quattro drive, the seven speed S-tronic dual clutch transmission and you get to 62 in 5.5 seconds. Of course that one sill cost just a bit more. For the eco friend-lies out there a hybrid will also be available using a 2.0 liter TFSI V-4 with 211 hp, and a 33Kw 45 hp eclectic motor in front of the eight speed transmission.

The A6 carries features from the A8 such as the writing pad, but also the crash detection system which uses an array of sensors including the navigation (don’t ask me how it works but they use it) and applies the brakes as it feels necessary. The steering wheel is electromagnetic now, and that means it saves fuel and can have a fully automated parking assist. Depending on the market they will also have at least 4 of headlamp designs. These most notably include their LED headlight design, but they will also have Xenon, Adaptive Xenon, and regular halogens.

The cars base should be slightly north of 50,000 dollars.

Why we love Alfas

A not very good friend of mine recently described to me his father's experience in owning a 1991 Alfa Romeo spider.

"It spent more time at the shop than it did on the road. He sure loved that thing though."

That is basically how every Alfa Romeo ownership story I have ever heard goes; they rarely work, but when they do it's worth the wait.

Of course if you live in the US you cannot really own the Alfa. Sure they were sold in the US up until 1995, so in theory you could buy a used one, but all of them fell apart so you cannot.

Alfa Romeo's corporate owner, Fiat, has plans to bring Alfa( now more reliable, I really hope) back to the US.

This will happen in two different ways.

The first one will be in the form of a Giulietta based car that will wear a Dodge Caliber badge.

More importantly, we will see a return of the Alfa brand itself when the new Giulia is rolled out in 2012.

If you have never driven the Alfa like me, it might not be all that obvious why this is so important to us. To understand alfa Romeo it is important to understand the strength of the racing heritage.

There are other companies which really just build road cars as an excuse to race, but Ferraris are quite a bit more expensive than Alfas. There is nothing else in this price range which has as much soul in it, and none of them are as pretty either.

In fact, it was when he was racing Alfa Romeos that Enzo Ferrari first employed racing success, and even when he first started his own team, they raced Alfas.

So perhaps it would be best to think of Alfa Romeo as the company where Ferrari learned how to appreciate making cars.

That is saying quite a lot, but it all makes sense looking at the cars that came from the era when old Enzo was flogging them around.

It is scientific fact that it is impossible for anything in the world to be more beautiful than an Alfa 2900B; there have been probably been studies, I just have not looked them up.

Enzo Ferrari was not the only competing automaker to admire Alfas either.

Even Henry ford once famously said (during the last production year of the 2900B) " when I see an Alfa Romeo go by, I tip my hat"

Sure, he was a racist megalomaniac, but it is safe to say he knew a thing or two about cars.

It should be true that a great deal of Alfa Romeo sales in the US were owed to the 1967 film the Graduate.

The spider featured in that movie was so cool that even though it stopped working at a critical moment in the plot, people still bought them.

For those who do not plan on buying an Alfa Romeo when they come back, this information can still be useful to you. If you attend any parties in 2012, try to find the Alfa owners there. They will be the most interesting people you will talk to all night.

Top Gear has Made a Really “Stoopid” (Clarkson) Mistake

In episode 3 of this latest season (15 if you’ve lost track) of Top Gear they did a small comparison between the Camaro SS and Mercedes E63 AMG. Now that’s all fine and good but what they were trying to do was compare two different cars, in the same category.

They compared them to my surprise, as muscle cars.

Dictionary.com: muscle car

–noun

a flashy sports car with a large, powerful engine; a hot rod.

Dictionary.com: hot rod

–noun Slang .

an automobile specially built or altered for fast acceleration and increased speed.

Origin:
1940–45, Americanism

Urban Dictionary:

An American performance car from the early 60's to the early 70's. They were generally an upgraded varient of a less powerful family car. Companies such as Chevy, Ford, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Dodge, and Plymouth joined the game. They all followed the same basic rules. 1.there is no replacement for displacement 2. there is no subsatute for cubic inches 3.horsepower sells motors, but torque wins races. The basic idea was to get the biggest engine and stick it in the smallest car avaliable at the time. The muscle car era was killed by inflating gas prices, emissions, and the cracking down of insurance companys.

Buick GSX, Olds 442, Chevy Nova, Plymouth Cuda, Dodge Charger etc.

See my point? I even have sources relating to the fact that no where in anyone’s right mind should a Camaro and an AMG be compared as muscle cars. Its just plain stupid to be honest. That’s right gear heads I’m calling your gods out.

A show such as Top Gear with such a pedigree should know better than to call out a muscle car comparison such as this. I’m not sure how the British reactions were (I assume confused) but come on. The Camaro is going on sale in Britain this month so with the hype around it, why not show the car? The fans are all aware of it, the people are excited, so get it out there! Just not against an easily foreseeable better car such as the E63.

As angry and distraught as I may seem by this degrading of THE American car (muscle cars, see Urban Dictionary reference) I can see the point they are trying to make, barely.

Motor Trend for one example does call Mercedes AMG’s the muscle cars of Germany. Their big, have a strong profile, an even stronger engine, and are outright monsters. I believe Top Gear might have even made that claim to and based on these facts the blokes at BBC might have seen a gap to bridge. Being the outlandish show that it is and trying to stay ahead of the pack they might have wanted to make that comparison to claim that’s where it got started. We might see YouTube videos of Mercedes racing Camaros across the great rolling hills of London (does it have hills? Pardon my ignorance and laziness to look it up).

This might work and fine and dandy for the British but I don’t think it is even suitable for American standards. We know the true muscle cars: Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, Dart, Oldsmobile. That’s only to name a few of course. Mercedes? They don’t deserve or have the heritage to be in that circle of infamous teenage wet dreams. Mercedes is ze German high class car. It has its circle with Audi and BMW not with the low muscle tuned pony’s bred of sweat and grease. It’s a tuned machine already and that’s no real fun.

So Top Gear choose your words wisely, were watching and we’ll notice these slip ups.

The Reason We Drive and Why to Get a Special Car

Oh it was good to be home for Thanksgiving. The food, the family, the peace and quite that a home brings and the serenity of it all is blissful and I’m thankful that I have that to go back to. Its something that I really take for granted, and it’s the reason why I spend the moolah to go see the parents on the holidays.

I don’t drive when I’m at college, I have no car. Plus I’m hardly ever driven because no freshmen have cars. So stepping back into my own was a special moment and I revel in it every time I get the chance to get back behind the wheel of my own special machine.

I asked my dad if he had started the car lately, and he replied with a reassuring “I’m not sure it will even start”. So after that reassuring statement we took the cover off and I opened it up, the musty smell of times forgotten came flowing back to me as I stepped in, the cool leather graced my legs and body as I slipped into the stiff seat. The moment of truth: foot on clutch, key in, heart beating.

I got my car in 2008. I was sitting upstairs watching TV when my brother came pounding up the stairs and yelled “Dude Lebron just made a half court shot you’ve got to see this!” So I went downstairs and he ran out the front door. I didn’t even question why he did that, I just followed him. I turned out the door and had to do a double take. I couldn’t believe it. My car was there: 2007 Roush 427R. Blue with white stripes, the car I had wanted but knew I wouldn’t get. My parents had to make a stretch for it and I appreciate it every day.

My heart was so relieved when I heard my car start last week. It made a couple gurgles and then sprang to life with a bellow of the V8. It was louder than I remembered and I liked it. As I pulled out of the driveway I didn’t miss a beat, hit all the gears, backed out flawlessly, and away I was. It was like riding a bike, I just never forgot how to do it. The power, the pure unadulterated majesty of being free was almost unbearable. I wanted to gun it, and I did when I hit the freeway. Going on in third and then powering into fourth was my pastime. The good old days of high school were back when I would shuttle kids simply because I had the car.

I know why people are passionate about cars, its memories like those. The fun and excitement of it all, the power, the personality, the joy of your own vehicle. I know someone is thinking what a tool, does he really have that car? Who gives a 16 year old that? I got a lot of flack for that at school so I know, I know. But it’s my car, my passion, and my favorite thing to look at. I adore that car because It’s got a little piece of me in it, my heart beats with its.

Over break I was driving home friends and my girlfriend from our high schools football game. My buddy in the front seat said almost instantly, “This brings me back to the days”. We drove to all the football meals that our families hosted every week for two years in that car. The misdirection’s, laughs, hunger and pain we felt was brought back. That car means something to him to.

So when if you want to get someone a car for Christmas, or one for yourself, think about it. Don’t just get the lowest deal and the best mileage. Think about it, make it special for whoever will drive it for however long and make sure they will love it not because of what it is, but because of what it can mean to them.

Happy Holidays.

Transformers Corvette Stingray Replica For Sale on eBay

So we have known for some time that Chevrolet will not build the Stingray Concept seen in live-action film Transformers, but that has not stopped someone from building this all too predictable replica.

In what cannot be described as cool as it is slightly pathetic, Z&M Customs has built what could be our very own Stingray concept out of a C6 Corvette.

There is one currently being sold on eBay with a "Buy It Now" price of $42,500.

I am not exactly sure why someone would be willing to spend that much on a used corvette with almost 30,000 miles on it. In addition to the new fiberglass body add-ons, there is exhaust, interior and air intake decals, and it supposedly has 430 hp, but whatever I will never spend this amount of money on a used Corvette with 30,000miles.

The front LED lights are a signature design trait taken from the concept, but I am not sure again how they can even be considered street legal in any state.

The customizer is also claiming that it has something called "adjustable ride control" and an "electronic tilt front end".

Biome is the stuff of fantasy

I do not quite understand the point of Los Angeles Design Challenge.

Sure, purely fictional cars of the future were really cool in I, Robot but I have a really hard time caring when they are sitting near real cars. Nonetheless, the Biome would look good in a sci-fi movie.

Mercedes tells us that the Biome would be made of parts grown from seeds in a nursery( not sure hoe we are supposed to eat if our farmland is used to grow cars, but never mind), and would be powered by a magical fuel called BioNectar4534.

None of this has any basis in reality, of course, and the car in the pictures is only a model, but it does sound interesting.

Watch for my entry in the challenge next year, it will be called the imakestuffup and it will be powered by dreams.

Just in case you forgot the 2012 Focus is global

Apparently, Ford believes that the very, very best reason why you will want to buy the 2012 focus is because it will be the same one people are driving in Australia.

In order to further drive home the point that the new Focus will be a global car, ford brought a race-spec focus( they are calling it global race platform) to the LA Auto Show.

The specific car will make its debut in the 2011 British Touring Car Championship Series.

But wait, you might be thinking why would they bring it to LA if it is going to be racing in UK?

Ford was also quick to point out that the platform can be easily modified to participate in a large number of different race series, examples were given from all over the world.

OK, Ford, we get it. We really do like the actual car too, so go ahead and build it already.

Long Live the NEW Stig

The Stig on Top Gear is one of the most amazing drivers out there. Chosen from a few lucky ones to even be considered, he rules the track as Britain’s premier diver. I thought they were people but all the stories about Stig made me wonder what they really are. So I did a little research and this is what I found… Long live the Stig, luckiest driver in the world.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/video-the-stig-farm

Lotus to Make Engines and Bodywork for the 2012 IndyCar Series

Lotus, in its new drive to re-invent itself, is going to supply engines and body work for the 2012 IndyCar series. The rule changes to the IndyCar series state that a number of engines and body builders can be used. Regarding the engines, the teams will have choices of several turbocharged engines. The maximum cylinder limit is 6, and the maximum displacement is 2.4 liters.

Lotus will join Chevrolet and Honda in 2012. Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said this in a statement about the new agreement:

Lotus is unique in the automotive world, no other car company has been more successful in such a wide variety of motorsports discipline, whether it is Le Mans, World Rally, sportscars, F1 of course, and Indycar. This year we teamed up with KV Racing for IndyCar and we will significantly increase our participation next year.

So Lotus is till making their moves to become a more dominant car maker. This is good move for them to as far as I can tell. With motor sport success comes bounty, as Subaru and Audi have showed with rally cars, and almost every big brand got their names roots in racing. Makes logical sense then that they start where they are already strong.

Japan to say goodbye to Honda Civic

A report from Japan's nikkei.com states that Honda will stop selling the Civic sedan in its home market as soon as existing inventories run out.

The reason behind this move is because lately customers have been shifting their focus towards MPVs and more compact vehicles.

As a result, the popularity of the Civic has dwindled on the island nation. An example of this is that only 452 of the sedans were sold in Japan during the month of october.

Honda states that it is still committed to offering the civic sedan in other markets, such as United States and Europe, where sales figures are quite high. In addition both the US and euro-spec civics are set to bow sometime next year.

The sedan variant will continue to be manufactured at Hondas's Suzuka plant foe export purposes, but it is still unclear whether Honda will continue to import the European built civic type R Euro hatchback into Japan.

There is a teased photo of the Prius minivan's interior, and it was revealed on none other than Facebook. Facebook is quickly becoming the auto-industry's go-to source for leaking news and information.

Toyota has joined the Facebook game and has a page set up for its popular Prius hybrid. It was on this page where the photo of the interior was posted.

Toyota has been relentlessly teasing the minivan, stating that it will debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto show in january.

This latest photo provides a glimpse of what is inside the Prius MPV. Judging from the looks of it, I think the materials appear to be of a similar quality, but the overall design is better than what is in the 2010 Prius.

The navigation screen is also displaying iheartradio, a streaming audio network that provides access to 750 stations from around the US. Good thing is that January is just around the corner.

Hamann BMW X5 M is renamed Flash EVO M

It is not often that a tuning house completely renames the car they have just tuned. In the case of German tuner HAMANN, they did just that with a BMW X5 M. Renamed the Flash EVO M, HAMANN began by returning the engine and boosted output to 610hp from 555 horses. It is not enough to satisfy oneself, then there is also the HM 670 sports kit, which is good for 670 horsepower.

There is also a sport-tuned exhaust system with center-mounted double-pipes. The suspension has also been lowered by 30mm so th It at it can better handle its 186.4 mph top speed.

Also added is a front spoiler with LED daytime running lights and large air intakes for the engine and brakes. There is also a new carbon fiber bonnet with air inlets.

The body kit also includes side sill bars, fender extensions, side wings for the new wheel arches, a rear spoiler and a roof spoiler with carbon fiber mirror heads.

The interior features the expected upgrades such as a sport steering wheel that has quilted leather, contrasting stitching and Alcantara.

Finally, there is a carbon and stainless-steel sill plate with the HAMANN illuminated logo.

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabrolet Revealed

This is definitely something different. In what possibly may become the most popular car for women, Nissan has debuted the first convertible SUV, which is slated for production.

Nissan is calling it the world's first all-wheel drive crossover convertible which I believe is true.

Now see basically, it is a 2-door , open-top version of the standard Murano CUV and it is equipped with 3.5 liter V6 producing 265 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to Nissan Xtronic CVT transmission.

The top is hydraulically operated with a latch/unlatch function and trunk space, not surprisingl, has been reduced when the top is down.

There is also HID xi-xenon headlights and the LED taillight design is similar to what is found on the 370Z.

Nissan believes the CrossCabriolet will provide all of the advantages of a convertible, but without any of the drawbacks such as passenger space and trunk storage.

Although it is not the most attractive car( OK it just looks plain silly), there seems to be a good chance for success. Early buzz has indicated there are enough interested buyers for when it goes on sale in early 2011.

The verdict is still out on this one. If it proves to be popular, expect to see other automakers offering something similar in the near future.

New Subabru concept at the LA Auto Show

This new concept actually comes from Subaru and was unveiled only a few hours ago.

This is an actually functioning car unlike many other concept models, with a 2.0 liter four cylinder on a CVT gearbox.

hopefully, and supposedly, Subaru is serious when they say that the car will actually influence future models, and Autoblog speculates that it will influence the next Impreza.

Either way its a stunning car to look at. I don't know why their even making this a concept when a good looking idea like this is still behind doors. Get it to the showroom!

I feel like Subaru has been laggin in the design aspect of cars (kinda a big deal). So hopefully the big brains have finally figured out making a good looking car sells well. The Subaru WRX is the only decent looking model out there right now for them and its their icon car. A rally car as an icon almost stains their image as to be niche car maker, and their know for wagons. Whoopie lets get the kids together and make a cross country road trip. Little late guys, that era of family wagons is long gone to the sensible and family carrying. This could easily branch them into the sedan range (very family like) more and more. Looks good to compete against a Mazda as well with those big side air vents.

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible revealed on Facebook

It seems like every new car is getting a big Facebook reveal these days.

Fortunately,Facebook will never replace the classic auto show setup as car makers will continue revealing their latest in a live fashion.

What should have been ready to go when the coupe first hit the market, GM was forced to hold back on introducing the convertible due to their little adventure in bankruptcy.

And so three years after launching the coupe, the convertible had its big debut at the LA auto show. Complete with a canvass top, the convertible looks exactly how I thought it would. There are no surprises and it looks great.

It will be available for both V6 and V8 versions at launch, basing for around $30,000.It is set to go on sale beginning this march.

New Cop cars From Ford: Shown at SEMA, released to the streets in 2012

Ford has recently released the new set of cop cars that are going to replace the Crown Victoria in 2012. The new black and blue are going to based on the Taurus and given police required adjustments. Apart form being better in nearly every performance category than the Vic, I'm glad that Ford is doing this.

The main reason they are going with the Taurus is because most of the new recruits aren't used to the beefy V8 that the Vic worships. They instead are used to front wheel drive V4's, much more zippy than powerful and slushy as the veterans are used to.

Motor Trend reported that the car is much more flat in the corners, and from the passenger seat the car seems more safe with a higher dashboard. Not nearly as exciting as the Vic is, it remains in the corner without the washy floaty feeling and is deceptively quick out of it.

The cops are actually given choices of the engine type. The drive trains are front or all-wheel drive. They get an array of engine types: the Ti-VCT V6 Flexfuel and the Twin-Turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 option. Its better than the 250 hp V8 choice.

They look good to. Seeing the old Vic though is intimidating. With all of the history behind the Vic and its prowess, making the new interceptor so prevalent shouldn't take much time hopefully. Movies are going to make it an icon rather quickly. Seventy percent of Police cars are Vics, so most of them will probably witch to the Taurus. Therefore, if 70% of cops will have one eventually, and movies will catch on and an icon will be born.

Whether or not that does happen, Cops are going to have a good time tricking crooks with the Taurus by catching them with surprising speed and agility.

The End of A Legacy: The final Murcielago has rolled off the line.

The Final Lamborghini Murcielago rolled off of the assembly line on May 11 of 2010, ending the cars 9 year spree of production. The final car bore the badge of the 4,099 car built, and it came out of the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory.

The final beauty beast was a LP670-4 SV, the lightest, best handling, fastest production Murcielago ever built. The final one was in "Arancio Atlas" paint, or as I like to say, fire orange. The owner of the car lives in Switzerland.

The Lamborghini Murcielago was truly one of the greatest cars of the decade. It captured minds and lap times equally and as impressively. As the Lamborghini press release stated,

"For almost a decade, the Murcielago was the icon of the Lamborghini brand, and it was enormously successful in the process. The Murcielago embodies the pure unadulterated values of our brand. It is truly extreme, uncompromising, and unmistakably Italian. That already makes it one of the legends of the sports car world. But the Lamborghini story continues. In 2011, we will take a huge step in the future with the successor of the Murcielago- with the most innovative technology and, once again, truly stunning design.

The final one was led out of the factory by a brigade of arguably the most recognizable cars of all time: the 350 GT, the Muira, the Countach, and the Diablo, as a final celebratory last ride out of the gates.

It makes me truly sad to see such an iconic car finally slip to the fate of time and memory, but its spirit will most definitely live on.

The new car that they are producing could be ready as early for an official debue in March at the Geneva auto show. The car is codenamed the Jota, but now it is said to be the LP700-4. Heres an idea what that means: In the case of the LP670-4 SV (Superveloce), the 670 refers to the horse power and the 4 is the tilt degree of the engine. LP is the engine name. So here we can guess that it will have 700 hp from the same type of engine.

Combined with the fact that the most recent concept Lamborghini came out with was the super light Sesto Elemento, we can figure that some design cues will be taken from that and given to the LP700-4. If i were to geuss what they would take, I would say the hood features and the profile of the car seem the most practical. But then again, I dont want to jusde. I'm sure they have something cooking in the lad that will take the worlds breeathe away, as the Murcielago did in 2001.

Lotus Reinventing Itself

Lotus has recently set its sights on doing a full revamp of their line of cars, going from full on niche and cult breeder to full fledged luxury super car provider. The transition of course will take time, but I'm willing to wait on that. The first of the line ups that they are producing seem to be a good start.

The forerunner in the lineup is going to be the Esprit. Good looking to begin with, the car seems to be based on the design of the Murchielago, and damn it looks good in old skin. But seriously, this little car will produce 550 hp standard in the norm, and the R should produce 620. The engine is going to be a reworked Lexus IS-F engine. It basically is completely retooled to spool up to 8500 rpm, and has a supercharger on it. This is all fitted to a dual clutch transmission (DCT). The performance of the car is aimed to be at the Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911. I think the Porsche is a contender, but i didn't know how it will stack up to Ferrari's latest child, which is replacing the heralded 430 series.

Interestingly enough, there might be hybrid version available, which they call "mild". If it were to exist, the car should be fitted with regenerative braking and an "e-boost". This NOS like system is placed in the tranny, and gives you a 50 hp boost when you push the button. I love technology.

The body will be constructed of aluminum for the wrapping and carbon fiber for the side panels. For the first time Lotus will not use glass fiber to create the body. The reason: aesthetics. People paying through the nose to get class, and this combo looks better than the fiber.

So there you have it, the beginning of the new Lotus era. In total they will make five cars with the Esprit hopefully as the flagship model. I'd like to see where their going with this concept, and apt reports will be made to follow the story.

New Jaguar XF styling pack

Jaguar has announced the launch of its new styling pack for its XF model. The black pack was first offered on the XK sports car and it includes 20-inch Draco alloy wheels with aluminum turned rims, a gloss black front grille, and the same finish for the window surrounds.

The pack is available on both the diesel and gasoline powered XF Diesel S and XFR. Jaguar was taken aback from the demand for the black pack and Speed Pack from XKR coupe buyers, with almost half opting for one or both packs.

Now, the XF buyers can only choose the Black Pack, along with one of eight special colors created by Jaguar's designers.

The starting price for the package is $ 1,545 and it can also be specified alongside the XF's Aerodynamic Pack too.

Mazda seatbelt case

So here's the story: In 2002, 32 year old Thana Williamson died in an auto accident when the 1993 Mazda MPV minivan she was riding in was struck by a Jeep Wrangler that detached from a motor home that was towing it. She was sitting in a rear aisle seat , but the seatbelt lacked a shoulder harness restraint. As a result of the collision, her body jackknifed around her waist-only seatbelt, which caused severe abdominal injuries, resulting in her death.

Her family then sued Mazda Motor Corp. for the lack of proper seat belts in passenger aisle seats, stating that the automaker "should be held responsible for the choices they make."

Mazda claims they followed NHTSA guidelines at the time vehicle was built, which gave manufacturers the option of installing one type of seat belt or other. After a California appeals court barred the suit from going forward, Elana Kagan, the US solicitor General at the time and now a US supreme court justice, urged the Supreme Court to hear the case. As such, she has now disqualified herself due to her earlier involvement. Now it appears the Supreme Court might be deadlocked at a 4-4 vote, in effect leaving intact a lower court victory for automakers, This would also fail to set a national precedent.

It is a sad story but the bottom line is that Mazda did not violate NHTSA regulations at the time of the minivan's production.

While it is responsible for the victim's family to seek liability, they should have considered placing that liability with the NHTSA and not Mazda.

2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera

I have to admit it, any Lamborghini is a dream. Quite simply, it's more than just a car. It is a multi purpose street cannon equipped with a jet-like engine and wind-tunnel exterior sleekness that creates musical harmony with the turn of the ignition and your right foot on the gas.

Take the 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera as an example of my short auto love poem.Any while Lamborghini has built over 10,000 units since 2003, this special edition Gallardo is all about cutting down the weight and adding power. Lamborghini lightened the chassis, improved overall aerodynamics, refined the suspension and then tuned the ten-cylinder engine for even more power. Carbon fiber is used extensively both inside and out. As a result, it weighs only 2954 pounds and is the closest thing to a pure Lamborghini race car. Before we go any further, there is some unfortunate news that I want to share with you guys, yes the price comes to $281,000 exclusive of tax.

In other words I am gonna wait for the power ball lottery ticket.

Now, back to the good stuff. while it resembles past Gallardos, the 570-4 superleggera is physically different with its reworked front bumper with large trapezoidal frames around the air-intakes and a V-shaped nose. LED running lights are also added.There are also new tailpipes and a small rear spoiler. Everything mentioned here is fully functional I hope and the car is not just there because it looks cool. OK it does but most importantly everything here enhances performance. With its mid-mounted direct-injected 5.2 liter V10 mated to a six-speed single clutch "e-gear" sequential automatic transmission ( a six-speed manual is also available) the superleggera thrusts its occupants from 0-60 mph in only 3.4 seconds.

Top speed is mind numbing 202 mph that is 365 kmph with a 570 horsepower. Like all Gallardos, it retains the mid-engine layout that is also found in the Audi R8, the Gallardo's distant mechanical cousin.

When looking at the superleggera, you may think that you have had a growth spurt. Due to an extremely low ground clearance , any 12-year old will feel tall next to it, but don't let height fool you like me as the superleggera continues the tradition of low and wide to perfection.

Step inside the car and you'll be amazed at the build quality, I have not personally seen it from inside but that's what my friend said to me who has seen it from inside. Unlike many other previous era ferraris, Lamborghini has also been focused on building a super car but also a car that has a solid interior to match.

Well SEMA is back and now that it's all said and done, I thought I should show you guys some highlights of the show. Here I have four mustangs that I feel were the best there.

1. The first car is done by Mustang Racing Technologies. The car is mostly done up with fake carbon fiber in the interior and the engine bay, but it does support Baer brakes (all but the Ford do), suspension, and a stainless steel exhaust.

2. The second car is done by Team Baurtwell and DJ Funkmaster Fles for Snoop Dog. Not seen here are the blacked out tailights.

3. The third car is done by Raceskinz. the seats are Raceskinz buckets and the interior is done up with carbon fiber.

4. Guess who did this Pony? Ford! All these parts can be found in the Ford Custom Accessories Catalog. I couldn't find the Coral color on the site but im sure it will be there soon. Either way I didn't know that Ford did or sold this level of products, so I had a lot of fun seeing what they have on the site.

All in all these are only a portion of the cars at SEMA, and nine total custom Mustangs were there. I chose these because I thought they looked the best, which i feel like SEMA is mostly about. You can find a ton more cars online if you search SEMA, so have fun with it and see what the world is up to!

2011 Suzuki Kizashi

What do you think when hearing the name Suzuki? For me, the first things that come to mind are small cars and motorbikes.

Even though, it's one of the smallest of the Japanese automakers, Suzuki is better known for building motorcycles, but in Japan and other parts of the world, their small cars are very popular.

In the past, Suzuki has built many of their cars for GM, notably the Suzuki Grand Vitara, which was the cousin of the old Chevrolet Tracker.

These rebadged versions sold decently well, but they were never standouts. The company realized that in order to be successful in America, it had to think big.

Not big in terms of expanding the company, but in terms of producing larger cars.

At a time when Americans were looking to downsize, Suzuki decided to produce its largest car ever.

The Suzuki Kizashi is a mid-size sport sedan designed to take on Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry and even the Acura TSX.

Seriously? Yes, that is what Suzuki is hoping may happen as its new sport sedan does indeed deliver the goods. But is it enough to be one of the best sedans in its class?

The overall look of the exterior is very clean and fresh. Its sleek and clean lines are handsome, but yet simple.In a way, it resembles some previous Acura sedans before the current design language took over with its chunky look. Yet, it is clearly Japanese and looks like it would easily fit as a racer in the video game Gran Turismo.

It comes with only a single engine offering a 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine producing 185 horsepower. EPA numbers have it returning 30 mpg. A sport model is also available that offers six-speed manual transmission. A CVT automatic is optional. Along with all-wheel drive, The Kizashi Sport aimsto produce a European sport sedan driving experience, but with the reliability record only the Japanese can produce. Sounds simple enough, but the Kizashi has other competition in the name of Volkswagen.

With Volkswagen aiming to dramatically American sales with its new bread and butter seller, the Jetta, The Kizashi is going to have its most serious competitor yet. The ironic wist here is that Volkswagen recently bought a share in Suzuki in order to increase its far-east operations. That means Suzuki is suddenly going to have access to some fine german engineering and countless other mechanicals.

What Volkswagen ultimately decides to share with Suzuki remains to be seen. With that in mind, the potential for future versions of the Kizashi just increased by a factor of 10.

There are numerous features that can be added on such as a USB port in the dashboard and Bluetooth audio for hooking up an iPhone. Some other nifty features include push-button start, dual zone climate control, heated front seats and integrated steering wheel controls. Yes, this certainly does sound like an upscale German Sport sedan such as the BMW 3 Series. Even though, Suzuki has already begun to upgrade its features with the new Volkswagen partnership finalized, the best is yet to come.

Base price? How about $19,000 and tops off at around $ 28,000 for a fully loaded model with CVT and all-wheel drive.

The Suzuki Kizashi has the potential to become one of the best Japanese sport sedans on the market, if not the best. Honda and Toyota should take notice.

Bugatti Veyron to cost $3.6 million in India

Now this ought to get Tea Partiers outraged...if they lived in India. Now that India has a rapidly rising market for high-class items, exclusive automakers are seeking to enter the indian market.

For those living in India and are wealthy enough to afford a Bugatti Veyron, you may want to think twice about your country of residence.

In accordance with Indian Tax laws, the mighty Bugatti Veyron will carry 110% import tax. Like all other imported items, India forces buyers to pay heavily for their indulgent toys.

So let's do a little math: if Bugatti Veyron sells for around $2.24 million USD, add that painful tax percentage, and you're looking at $3.6 million USD(160 million rupees).

Bugatti joins the auto market with Rolls royce, Jaguar and Land rover already selling quite well. Ferrari is also planning to import the California hardtop in the near future.

Sounds expensive? yeah, well, it sure beats driving a Tata Nano.

Ferrari world

Ferrari reported about opening Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi a few months ago.

Just a few days ago, government officials announced that the theme park of sorts was ready for opening day.If you think this is going to be a no thrills kind of place, then you are in for a treat.

With rides like 0-60 mph in two seconds roller coaster Formula Rossa, there is no need to ride a real Ferrari. Okay, maybe there still is, but this is going to get you pretty close to the feeling.

The exterior of the park is modeled after the side profile of a Ferrari GT.

The park is so big that it is actually the largest indoor theme park on earth.

If rocketing in record speeds is not your thing, then you can check out the 3D movies, and a ride that takes you through the inner workings of a V12 engine.

You can also drive a Ferrari 250 California Spyder through an exhibit that shows you the best that Italy has to offer. The price of admission is just over $60.

Truck Trend

Coming out to school in Indiana has been quite a change from the California I grew up in. For one, the culture is different, different words and ideas about things such as politics and food even from what I’m used to (who says pop?). But what I did not fully expect was the change in the car culture.

Or I should say, truck culture.

Where I come from in California people don’t really spend a lot of time doing up their trucks. Nor Cal people mostly just have them to use for whatever, or just to have to one to make up for some inferiority complex they have. The most common thing to do is jack it up a little, maybe chrome if you really are into it. Or low rider Silverado’s.

Not out in the Midwest though. The truck is more than just a tool mobile, it’s a statement.

I was shocked to see the amount of trucks that roam Purdue every day. The diesel beasts are common sights and most all of them have something to make them stand out, or at least not be stock. I see a grounds keeping truck regularly that has antlers on the front and a Purdue P sketchily painted on the side. But really people love their trucks and I love it.

So Cal (Southern California) really just have trucks to have trucks. They live in suburban areas and most of them will never do anything besides haul baseball gear around. I personally find it a weak statement to have a truck for nothing like that, just to have one to look cool or something. There’s a joke about it, “nice truck, sorry about your dick”.

I don’t think that applies to the Midwest at all though. Trucks are just like Mustangs in California, everyone wants one but almost everyone has one out here. What I find interesting is the lack of Ford F series out here. There’s a lot of Doges and Chevy’s, but hardly any Fords. I find this interesting because from what I can see, Fords and Chevy’s make up the bulk of the California truck sales. There really aren’t a lot of those out here. I think that might just be a styling thing, but hey I could be wrong I haven’t been out here long enough to know for sure yet why that difference occurs. There aren’t any Toyota Trucks and I like that, or that Honda Ridgeline garbage. Trucks are meant for work not the city.

I think the difference in appreciation of the vehicle makes it different out here. People know that it’s a work vehicle, out in California it’s just another car people use. I love the trucks out here the things that they do to the trucks out here. You lucky to see a smoke stack in California, here there all over the place and it cracks me up.

Despite the environmental effects of trucks destroying the atmosphere and killing us all, the truck culture here is really cool. Better than California’s.

Seriously this is amazing to look at. The Xenatec Coupe is based off of a Maybach 57S and is customized to be a two door stretch. Its about as practical to buy at nearly a million bucks as it is to have a swimming pool of pudding.

Sure there are better cars for the price, and yes a CL AMG will probably be better than this because the chauffeur doesn't have to move the front seat forward for the rich dude (or dudet) to get in, but if your looking to buy this car you really don't need a reason besides that its kick ass.

But practicality aside, this is a stunning looking machine. I love the two door stretch look and with the Maybach body you can never go wrong. Simply gorgeous.

Found it on Road and Track

Aston Martin DB9 goes for a slight makeover

Since it was first introduced in 2004, the Aston Martin DB9 has been a sensational hit for the automaker.

Ford still owned the Aston Martin when the DB9 was first launched-yes, it's been that long. Fortunately, the DB9 has done a lot to help revitalize Aston and put it back on track as one of the world's most exclusive automakers.

As with every great car, there comes a time when it's either completely redesigned or a simple update.

For 2011, Aston has given a bit of a nip/tuck to its ultimate GT transport. The only thing is, the DB9 already looked absolutely gorgeous.

In fact, the original design was so well done and modern, Aston had to be careful not to deviate too much from a proven success.

However, when comparing the DB9 of the past seven years to the 2011 model, one maybe hard presses to find any changes at all.

In other words, you'll have to look closely to see the updates.

Aston upgraded the front fascia, added a brighter grille, a slightly reshaped lower front grille, sculpted side sills that now curve upwards the rear wheel arches, and supposedly there are new headlamps(what, no LED lamps?).

The latter is difficult to see, but there is a difference. There are also now standard 20-inch diamond-turned alloy wheels.

Inside you'll find other minor updates such as revised Bluetooth connectivity, a standard tire pressure monitoring system, a "Double Apex" aluminum trim. The most important update, however,lies under the hood.

Although the 6.0 liter 470 horsepower V12 has been carried over from the previous model, Aston has added an adaptive damping system that's similar to the one found in the DBS and rapide models.

This has improved the car's handling to the point where the automaker has dropped the optional Sport Pack that was available before.

The one thing that hasn't changed(and never will) is the steep base price.For 2011, it starts at $ 188,965 for the coupe and $202,465 for the convertible.

My only question is how long can Aston Martin get away from doing a complete visual makeover/redesign? With the recent launch of the four-door Rapide and the super duper expensive(not to mention wicked fast) One-77, it's possible to see signs of a design evolution in process.

Focusing on the One-77, it is clear that designers have taken a more aggressive look while still maintaining a unique Aston-like silhouette.

More than likely, that is the direction the company will take when penning future models.

There has not been any mention of an upcoming design of the DB9, but my best guess is that something will happen at around the 2014 or 2015 model year.

Until then, Aston Martin is sticking with a winning formula in terms of both design and performance.

Tin Cans

Since I was a little kid, I have always liked loud cars. I liked them initially because I though loud was cool, but as I got older loud usually meant power. Anytime you hear a supercar, it always has a loud and unique exhaust note, and that goes for any performance car.

The reason that cars are loud is because of the design of the exhaust system. A tuned performance exhaust will allow the engine to breathe more easily, so that more air can flow in and out of the car and produce more power because the engine is not choked up on itself. To really get your engine to breath, you need a full pipe set up and a muffler. But one of the most popular ways to increase airflow in an average car is to get a new muffler. Some people get them for their car to be better, some people don’t really get why serious people get them in the first place.

I’m talking about tin can mufflers. If you don’t know what I mean, the nest time you hear a Honda Civic sound like an airplane will be your cue.

As far as I can tell tuners are the most susceptible to these devices or ear destruction.

I naturally turn my head in any direction that I hear a loud car on the off and increasingly less chance that I will see a really nice car. But ninety nine percent of the time it will be a tuner just going ten miles an hour. I personally find this obnoxious and really annoying to the general public.

The Difference

As I explained before, mufflers improve airflow of your car. Tin cans do that only to a very small extent. The main reason why they are so useless is because of the design.

You might think that because the foot diameter pipe, it should allow a ton of air to get out of the car. Which is does very well but also produces a main problem, in the form of noise. If you’ve taken a physics class you could realize that this is a problem.

Sound is a form of energy, therefor the more that your car produces the more energy it as losing due to sound. So why do performance made cars sound so loud? Because there is a certain area in which the prime sound to performance ratio lives for each car. Formula one cars have their exhausts so perfected, that they are cut to a specific length and made for a specific diameter to give maximum efficiency for the engine. If your car can support them, a full pipe set can give you easily up to twenty more horses.

Tin cans don’t do that for your car they only add the last part which in this case happens to be a sound machine, not a real power maker.

So why get them in the first place?

Beats me you’re asking the wrong guy. But I can take a swing at it.

Personally I am a fan of the muscle car on which America is known for. I like performance exhaust because I know what it can do and how it helps a car, but I don’t get tin cans.

Basically I think people get them is because it’s the culture of the cars, not the heritage of the cars.

Muscle cars have always and will always be loud. I’m not saying people with muscle cars don’t get cans (which in some cases is very VERY true). But when you do see cans it’s on mostly Japanese and foreign cars like Toyotas, Hondas, and Infiniti’s even. Nissans now to are becoming more can susceptible. Possibly because those cars can’t really be upgraded all that much to begin with, so giving them have a specific exhaust creates a unique aspect of the car. People always love loud things to so they can get noticed by other car people. Il give it to them, some of the tuners I’ve heard can have a really good sound, until I see the car and then I’m disappointed it’s not something more interesting.

Here’s my point: it’s the cars nature to be loud. With a car such a mustang or Camaro, you can really do something with the power because of the engine. Sure you can put a turbo on a Honda, but that really won’t do much.

It’s true I’m very critical of the tuners and their tin cans. But what it really comes down to an understanding of the culture that the car lives in and the people that drive them. Customizing a car is the American way. Have you ever been in a car shop to get something? They have so many products from steering wheel covers to paint decals, the possibilities are endless on what you can do. But tin cans just piss me off and hopefully the general public, but I can’t be that mad. My Mustang is pretty loud. The difference is I have a reason.

Honda CR-Z convertible?

The news being reported by Road & Track is that Honda is considering a new convertible version sports car.

If you are thinking that it will be like the beloved S2000, you re wrong.Instead, sources are stating that Honda is considering cutting off the roof from the CR-Z.

In order to do this it would call for the platform to retain its front-wheel-drive, though more powerful drivetrain would be fitted to counter the increased weight from the folding top.

If Honda goes through with this not so novel,and maybe it would be best if it did not, the drop-top CR-Z would be going head against the long-reigning Mazda MX-5.

If the CR-Z is successful,then Honda would then look into building a more potent, rear-wheel drive hybrid sports car.