TRD Releases First Upgrades for Toyota Sai Hybrid

Toyota's budget version of the Lexus HS 250h, the new Sai Hybrid, just went on sale in Japan in the beginning of the month, but the automaker's TRD division has already lined up some subtle visual and performance upgrades for the sedan. In addition to the selection of aero bits, TRD has also released a new grille insert, a sport suspension kit, specific oil and fuel caps as well as a choice of 16-, 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels available in various designs. The Japan-only Sai sedan, which made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this past October, features the same gasoline-electric hybrid system as the Lexus HS 250h.

The 2.4-liter Atkinson-cycle VVTi four-cylinder is linked to an electric motor and a battery pack achieving a total system output of 190HP. A continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive round out the drivetrain.

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Ford Fiesta is getting into the ASEAN

Ford Fiesta, which debut in the ASEAN market in Thailand International Motor Expo recently started to be manufactured in a factory next year Auto Alliance Thailand, which had just started producing Mazda2. Production facility worth $ 500 million is the result of partnerships between Mazda and Ford, while the Fiesta and Mazda2 uses the same platform.Ford said the plant will supply Thailand Fiesta for the ASEAN markets, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and the countries with the right wheel in the southern hemisphere of the earth.

Will attend the Fiesta hatchback and sedan form. In Indonesia, scheduled to attend the Fiesta this year and became one of Ford's most important models in Indonesia. This model is very popular in England because has dynamic shape. While in China, selling very quickly and became the model Ford with the fastest sales in China.

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2010 Kia Sorento SUV Geared

The new generation Kia Sorento that made its debut earlier this year is the latest object of Cobra Technology & Lifestyle's tuning affections. Not that most Sorento buyers will actually ever need bull bars - that is, unless your parking skills are worse 16-year-old that just got his license, but Cobra offers a variety of front, rear and rocker panel guards including a lower front bar with integrated LED daytime running lights. Once you're done with the body armor, you can also choose from numerous alloy wheel designs with diameters of 19 and 20 inches. The largest alloy wheels can be fitted with tires in size 265/45 R 20.

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Honda HSV-010 GT

Earlier this week, Honda released the first official details and a photo of its new HSV-010 GT, which stands for Honda Sports Velocity, and has been developed to replace the racing variant of the NSX in the GT500 class of the 2010 Super GT Series. Now we have the first videos of the blacked out racer that's the closest we'll get to the next generation NSX supercar. You see, the HSV-010 GT is based on the NSX's replacement that Honda canceled at the end of 2008 due to the economic recession. The Japanese company had previewed the supercar which featured a front-mounted V10 engine in concept form through the Acura Advance Sports Car Concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. According to company sources, the V10 supercar would have been the Japanese automaker's most powerful production model ever.

The HSV-010 GT carries the production-ready supercar's shape and underpinnings though Honda's engineers swapped the V10 engine for a 3.4-liter V8 churning out some 500HP and replaced the rear-biased all-wheel drive system for a simpler rear-wheel drive layout to conform to the 2010 GT500 Regulations. Honda's new GT is slated to make its official racing debut at the Super GT season opener at the Suzuka Circuit, held on March 20–21, 2010.

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Bugatti 16C Galibier

The question of whether or not Volkswagen will decide to put the Bugatti 16C Galibier into production is still unanswered. While we've heard rumors that the German automaker was leaning towards the affirmative, the green light has yet to be lit. Still, Bugatti is making sure all of its ducks are in a row... just in case. Evidence of such can be seen in a trademark filing with the World Intellectual Property Organization that seeks to keep other automakers from stealing the car's design and shape. After all, it's happened before.

With Veyron production scheduled to come to an end after the 2012 model year, Bugatti only has a little bit of time to decide if it's moving forward on that supercar's successor, and if so, whether or not the front-engine, four-door Galibier is the direction it needs to go. We should know soon enough.

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Audi A8 Luxury Sedan 2011

To answer you first question, no we have not mistaken the A4 for the new A8. It's just that Ingolstadt has followed the typical German approach of "one-style fits all" with its new flagship model that looks exactly like the firm's entry-level A4 sedan. Don't get us wrong, the new A8 is in our opinion if not the, one of the most elegant and sleek proposals in the luxury sedan segment, but we were expecting something a tad more unique (in other words, more revolutionary, less evolutionary) from Audi. On the other hand, it should be noted that Audi's designers managed to achieve an exceptional drag coefficient of only 0.26, which is about the same as the smaller Toyota Prius hybrid.

Moving on to the interior, let's just say that, sans the A4-esque instrument panel, owners of the current generation A8 will feel right at home. In fact, we bet that most will have a hard time telling the two interiors apart. Nonetheless, the Germans do claim that the cabin has been further improved in terms of quality of workmanship as well as materials.Leaving the evolutionary styling of the exterior and interior aside, the new 2011 A8 continues to make use of a lightweight aluminum body. The normal wheelbase A8 (a LWB will follow at a later date) measures 5,137 mm (16.85 ft) in length, 1,949 mm (6.39 ft) in width and 1,460 mm (4.79 ft) in height, with a 2,992 mm (9.82 ft) wheelbase. The company has not yet released official figures for the A8, however, Audi says that the new model weighs about the same as the current A8, even though it's bigger (3 in. longer, 2 in. wider) and has more standard equipment.

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Lotus celebrates return to F1 with Exige S Type 72

After a 15-year hiatus, Lotus is coming back to Formula One, and to commemorate its return to the top tier of motorsport, the Hethel crew is creating yet another special Exige inspired by the Type 72 that dominated F1 in the Seventies. Like nearly every other limited edition Lotus released in the last few years, the Exige S Type 72 is little more than a repainted, kitted-up version of its midship masterpiece. The supercharged, 1.8-liter inline four remains unchanged, putting out 220 horsepower and allowing the two-tone coupe to sprint to 60 in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 145 mph.
A set of carbon fiber ProBax sport seats swathed in black microfiber with contrast stitching ties in with the exterior's gold wheels and emblems, while standard twin oil coolers and an adjustable front anti-roll bar round out the mechanical upgrades.

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