Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Altechno Clobbers Bugatti Veyron on the Drag Strip [Video]


The 1,001-horsepower Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is considered to be the world's fastest production car with an eye-boggling top speed of 253.1 mph [407km/h]. It's also one of the most expensive with a base price of a little over $2.1 million.

But is that enough to beat a wildly modified Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Altechno that pushes out a monstrous output of 900-horsepower on a quarter-mile duel? Unfortunately for the owner of the Bugatti, the answer to that question is no.

You can watch the drag race in the video after the break.

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2013 Honda Fit EV gets up to 123 miles, Priced at $36,625 but will be Available only for Lease [Video]


The brand-new 2012 CR-V may be the talk of the day at Honda's Los Angeles Auto Show booth, but the Japanese carmaker also presented the production version of the Fit EV and announced plans to begin leasing the pure electric subcompact from next year.

Honda said that the Fit EV's MSRP is $36,625 with an estimated lease priced at $399 a month. It will initially be offered for lease to customers in select California and Oregon markets next summer, followed by six East Coast markets in early 2013.

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New 2012 Honda CR-V Breaks Cover at Los Angeles Auto Show [73 Photos]


Making its world premiere in final production guise at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show today is the all-new, fourth generation Honda CR-V that will first go on sale in the States as a 2012 model on December 15th, and the rest of the world next year.

Honda had prepared us for the new CR-V's evolutionary looks through a thinly disguised concept model that was displayed at the Orange County International Auto Show in California in late September.

The transition from concept to production reality didn't bring many changes other than a less aggressive choice of wheels, a matte instead of a glossy finish for the plastic cladding on the body, and clear graphics on the headlamps and tail lamps.

The new 2012 CR-V looks sleeker than its predecessor and has a more aggressive stance thanks in part to the new roofline and the Volvo-esque rear end design.

At 178.5-in. long, 71.6-in. wide and 65.1-in. tall with a 103.1-in. wheelbase, the new model retains the same width and wheelbase measurements with the previous CR-V, but is 0.8-in. shorter in overall length and 1-in. in height.

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Chrysler Invests $1.7 Billion to Build Fiat-Based Jeep in the U.S., Marchionne says Nitro “Should Never Have Been Built”


Chrysler announced today that it plans to invest US$1.7 billion for the development and production of the next Jeep SUV, including a $500 million investment at its assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, where the new model will be manufactured not just for the U.S., but also for export to all global markets.

The plant will be updated with an additional 260,000 square feet added to its body shop, a new quality lab and improvements to its paint shop and material handling facilities.

The Detroit-based carmaker will also add a 26,000-square-foot metrology center to improve fit and finish of the cars and plans to introduce a second shift in late 2013, creating more than 1,100 new jobs in the process.

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LA Auto Show: New Porsche Panamera GTS with AWD and 430HP [41 Photos]


The new Porsche Panamera GTS made its world debut today in Los Angeles. The latest addition to the Panamera family, which slots between the S/4S and Turbo models, is based on the all-wheel drive 4S adding more power, upgraded brakes and chassis along with plenty of styling tweaks inside and out.

Power comes from a mildly tuned version of the naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V8 engine found in the S/4S that gains 30HP and 15 lb-ft pushing the total to 430-horses at 6,700 rpm and 384 lb. ft of peak torque.

The GTS comes fitted with the Sport Chrono package and Porsche's 7-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard. The combination enables the Panamera GTS to complete the 0-60 mph [96 km/h] in 4.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 178mph [286 km/h].

To further improve handling, the Stuttgart firm's engineers added a lowered air suspension and the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system. Porsche says that with the suspension set at "Normal," the GTS sits an 10mm lower than any other Panamera model.

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Infiniti Introduces New IPL G Convertible at 2011 LA Auto Show


Being a luxury carmaker is all fine and dandy but if don’t have your own performance division, you haven’t really made it to the major league. BMW has the M Division, Mercedes-Benz has AMG, Audi its RS and S lines while even luxury-oriented Lexus has the “F Sport” range to show for itself.

Infiniti’s answer to all these acronyms is IPL, which stands for Infiniti Performance Line. With just one model though, the IPL G Coupe, it’s not really a line, is it? Therefore, the Japanese carmaker chose the 2011 LA Auto Show to unveil its second production IPL model based on the G37 Convertible.

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2012 Hyundai Azera Sedan to go up Against Buick LaCrosse and Lexus ES [with Video + 50 Photos]


Proving that you don't necessarily need to start off with a strong brand name to succeed in today's crowded car market, Hyundai and its Kia affiliate are building their awareness among consumers with a constant stream of either brand new entries or updated vehicles that are hugely improved over their predecessors.

At the 2011 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai is lifting the covers of the new generation of its Azera sedan that will go on sale shortly as a 2012 model.

As Hyundai pointed out, the 2012 Azera is the seventh new vehicle in Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative, which means seven new models every 24 months, and comes on the heels of the all-new Tucson, Sonata, Equus, Elantra, Accent and Veloster.

The Azera is the North American version of the Korean market Grandeur that was launched in the beginning of the year.

According to Hyundai, the Azera competes against the likes of the Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima, Buick LaCrosse, Toyota Avalon and even the Acura TL and Lexus ES350.

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