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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2011 |

Last week, Scion lifted the curtains on the third and final (unless Lexus and Daihatsu have other plans…) iteration of the 2+2 rear-wheel drive coupe developed by Toyota and Subaru, theNorth American market FR-S.
For those of you that missed the presentation in Los Angeles, Scion has released official coverage from November 30th's launch event that includes an introduction by the firm's Vice President, Jack Holl.
The Scion FR-S is a carbon copy of the Toyota 86 featuring the same body and 200-horsepower 2.0-liter engine matched to 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
It will go on sale in the United States and Canada next summer with prices to be announced closer to the sales date. However, Toyota has said that it aims to keep prices low enough "to attract recent college graduates".

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013 |

By now, you’ve probably read all the details about the brand new Range Rover Sport that was unveiled during a special presentation on the eve of the New York Auto Show.

Just like its bigger brother, the Sport switched from a steel body-on-frame to an aluminum monocoque. Thus, in spite of being noticeably bigger than its predecessor it has shed a lot of weight (up to 420 kg / 925 pounds), improving both its driving dynamics and its green credentials

Having already teamed up with the producers of the James Bond films, Land Rover had none other than 007 himself, aka Daniel Craig, drive the 2014Range Rover Sport into the hall - which is probably as cool as it gets.

Nevertheless, this is still a car so apart from the world’s best known secret agent (…) the company has also posted four more videos about the handling, interior, technology and, ahem, the lifestyle of the all new luxury SUV.

You can watch them, along with the image gallery of the launch, right after the break.

By Andrew Tsaousis

PHOTO GALLERY

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013 |

Aiming to satisfy track enthusiasts with deep pockets, the Chrysler Group and its SRT arm formally presented the new limited edition 2014 Viper TA (for Time Attack) in Manhattan today.

Only 33 examples of the TA will be built and sold from the third quarter this year, all finished in the special “TA Orange” exterior paint color developed exclusively for this model that is based on the entry-level Viper adding a bevy of performance goods to better its handling.

Among other upgrades, the new Viper TA sports a uniquely tuned and upgraded specifically for on-track usage suspension that features a two-mode Bilstein DampTronic system, a carbon fiber x-brace under the hood, carbon fiber front and rear spoilers, lighter wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber and stickers instead of badges (to save weight).

While SRT's more extreme interpretation of the latest Viper retains the stock model's all-aluminum 8.4-liter V10 rated at 640 horsepower, the chassis and aerodynamic changes promise to greatly improve the car's on-track times.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 09, 2013 |

Ford's vision of a sports truck is entering a new model year with the 2014 F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition that keeps the mechanicals intact, simply adding some unique to this version cosmetic touches.These include a Ruby Red Metallic exterior color (or optionally, Tuxedo Black Metallic) and box-side graphics on the outside, and 'Brick Red' seat bolsters with black inserts and cloth honeycomb highlights, console top finish panel, and center stack and door panel appliqué accents, on the inside.
Other than that, it's the same F-150 SVT Raptorwe know powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine producing 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an electronic six-speed automatic transmission and a 4WD system featuring electronic shift-on-the-fly capability for the transfer case.
Details on pricing and availability are to be announced.

PHOTO GALLERY

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013 |

Volkswagen has dropped a new set of pictures of its seventh-generation Golf GTI, which for the first time in history comes with two power levels – the standard 220 PS/217hp GTI model (which has twice the power of the first Golf GTI) and the GTI Performance with 230 PS/227 hp.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct injection four-banger is from the third generation of the EA888 engine series and has a completely newly developed cylinder head. It also features variable valve timing with dual camshaft adjustment and develops more torque - 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), up from 280 Nm (206.5 lb-ft).

Together with the standard start-stop system, this contributes to an average fuel consumption for both power levels of 6 liters/100 km (39.2 US mpg), accounting for an 18 percent improvement over the previous model (with manual gearbox).

Also favoring lower fuel consumption is the lighter MQB architecture, which has trimmed 42 kilograms (92.6 lbs) from the previous Golf GTI’s overall weight of 1,393 kg (3,071 lbs).

Performance wise, the manual Golf GTI does 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 246 km/h (152.8 mph), while the manual GTI Performance is 0.1 seconds quicker to 100 km/h and has a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The latter also comes with a mechanical differential lock and a braking system with larger dimensions and internally-ventilated discs at all four wheels.

Volkswagen said the new GTI will have progressive steering, xenon headlights and ambience lighting as standard, as well as safety systems including Driver Alert, Automatic Post-Collision Braking and XDS+ vehicle dynamics function.

VW's hot-hatch will arrive at dealers in Europe starting in May (a month later in the UK). Advance sales have already begun, with the starting price in Germany set at €28,350 ($36,950) for the GTI and €29,475 ($38,410) for the GTI Performance.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY