Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Akio Toyoda may want to bring driving excitement back to Toyota, but he and his team have two major hurdles to overcome: The brands’s limited enthusiast base and the fact that Japan’s youth have [...]

Tennessee attorney gets 26-month sentence for defrauding biofuels subsidy program

Filed under: Biodiesel, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA

67-year-old H. Max Speight, a disbarred Tennessee attorney, has been sentenced by a federal court and will serve a 26-month sentence for defrauding a federal biofuels subsidy program. Though his sentence may be considered harsh, Speight’s partner, William Tacker II, was convicted and sentenced to five years [...]

Nissan sticks with Lance Armstrong as Leaf’s spokesperson despite escalated doping concerns [w/video]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, Green Daily

Nissan Leaf ad featuring Lance Armstrong – Click above to watch video after the jump

Amid escalating concerns over Lance Armstrong’s possible violation of cycling’s anti-doping policy, Nissan is saying it will stick with the seven-time Tour De France champion as the Leaf’s official spokesperson. Speaking with Ad Age, Nissan’s new [...]

Foton Motors, Freescale Semiconductor to create joint lab for hybrid, EV development

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Green Daily, China

China-based Foton Motors and Texas-based Freescale Semiconductor will combine their collective knowledge to open the Foton-Freescale Automotive Joint Lab. The lab will focus on developing software and system-level solutions for use in upcoming Foton vehicles. Both companies will collaboratively work towards developing relevant electronic control technology for applications that [...]

Video: Sheik’s custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go ‘Hmmm’

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Etc., Videos, Nissan, Middle East, Design/Style, Off-Road

Sheik, hydro and roll – Click above to watch video after the jump

Well, this is certainly different. We’ve seen our fair share of wild vehicle modifications over the years, but this one takes the cake as one of the most imaginative. If the YouTube description [...]

Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors will be expanding Chevrolet of Europe’s lineup by adding a five-door Cruze, and while we won’t get our first look at this new hatchback for a few weeks, GM has decided to preview it [...]

Paris Preview: Mitsubishi to debut Euro-spec i-MiEV

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Mitsubishi, Green Daily, Paris Motor Show

We’ve obviously laid eyes on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV on numerous occasions, but the modified Euro-spec version has remained unseen. That is, until now. If you gander at the image above you may notice the slight tweaks that differentiate the Euro-spec i-MiEV from its Japanese [...]

Report: Toyota’s Daihatsu recalls over 500,000 minicars over… fading taillamps?

Filed under: Budget, Japan, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota, Daihatsu
Daihatsu has announced plans to recalling over 500,000 vehicles in Japan due to taillight lenses that can fade over time. The lenses, originally orange, will bleach white with exposure to the sun, leading to a potential safety risk. As a result, Daihatsu is recalling a total of 435,423 [...]

Paris Preview: Hyundai ix20 MPV sketched

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Paris Motor Show, Hyundai

Hyundai ix20 Concept – Click above for high-res image

When it comes to designing an MPV, it’s difficult to move beyond the standard two-box form. That’s where Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language comes into play. Penned by the automaker’s European R&D studio in Rüsselsheim, Germany and set to [...]

Hybrid sales drop off for August; even Prius records a 37.5% decline

Filed under: Hybrid, Ford, Toyota, Green Daily

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

One month of dreary sales does not spell the end of the hybrid, but the numbers reported for August do hint that without a rise in gas prices, sales of hybrid cars and trucks will likely continue to suffer. As [...]

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