Voluntary Recall of 778,000 Toyota RAV4 SUVs and Lexus HS 250h Sedans

The Toyota group is initiating a voluntary recall of 760,000 Toyota RAV4 SUVs from the 2006 to early 2011 model years and 18,000 Lexus HS 250h hybrid sedan from the 2010 model year to repair a suspension problem that could lead to a crash. The Japanese carmaker said that its engineers determined that if the nuts on the rear suspension are not tightened properly after a rear wheel alignment service, the suspension arms might rust and possibly...

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Upcoming Ghost Coupe Rumored to be the Fastest Production Rolls Royce Ever

The Ghost Coupe that our spies recently captured testing in Germany will be much more than a two-door version of the premium brand's entry-level model as company sources claim it will also be the fastest production model to ever wear a Rolls Royce badge. The news comes via a report from Autocar magazine, which says that the Ghost Coupe is being developed as a response to the newest, high-powered models from Bentley and to a lesser extent, Aston...

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Chevrolet Buyers Shunning New 2013 Malibu Eco for Incentive-Laden 2012 Malibu

General Motors wanted to get ahead of the competition in the mid-size segment by launching the all-new 2013 Malibu in Eco trim with a 37mpg highway 2.4-liter eAssist engine in March, six months before the arrival of the regular 2.5-liter base engine and the 2.0-liter turbo flagship. However, GM's dealers had plenty of 2012 Malibu sedans sitting on their lots and as surprising as it may sound to some, up until now, the older model is heavily...

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Kahn Gives the Classic Land Rover Defender a Thorough Makeover

British design house Kahn has presented a new take on the original Land Rover Defender under the guise of the Chelsea Truck Company, which is one of Kahn's sub-brands for off-road vehicles. Aptly named the XS 90, the revamped three-door Defender is finished in an Orkney Grey color with contrasting satin black details that include the mesh headlamp and front grille protectors, side steps, bumpers, mirror caps and the Kahn design 18-inch alloy...

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Fox Marketing Putting Together Supercharged Takata Racing FR-S

Weeks back, we saw Fox Marketing throw up an image on their Facebook page regarding a Yonaka Motorports built Scion FR-S for this year's upcoming SEMA show. Today, Fox Marketing has announced that a second build is in the works. This time it will carry the Takata Racing apparel and a not so orange paint job. As for now, the tuning brand says that more details will be released in the upcoming weeks, but from what we can see, the Yonaka version...

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BBM Motorsport-Tuned VW Golf GTI All Wrapped Up and Boosted to 271-Horses

Even though a replacement is due in less than a year, the Volkswagen Golf GTI remains a darling of the tuning industry. This latest proposal comes from Germany's BBM Motorsport, which has combined forces with other aftermarket brands to create the car you see pictured here. By reconfiguring the ECU and adding a custom exhaust system, BBM Motorsport was able to pump an extra 63 ponies and 100Nm (74 lb-ft) out of the GTI's 2.0-liter turbocharged...

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New Volkswagen Beetle 2.0 TDI ABT Souped up by ABT Sportsline

The minds at ABT Sportsline have turned their tuning guns on the diesel version of the new Volkswagen Beetle that benefits from a power upgrade as well as the usual cosmetic and chassis improvements. "It is really the right engine for this car," says Hans-Jürgen Abt, CEO and founder of ABT Sportsline. "Particularly people who use their car quite a lot will really value how economical but also torquey it is," he added. The German firm tweaks...

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Anderson Germany gets Jiggy with Porsche Panamera GTS Sports Saloon

Created by Porsche to fill the gap between the 394hp (400PS) 4S and 493hp (500PS) Turbo Panamera models, the GTS comes with a mildly tuned naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V8 engine delivering 424hp (430PS) and upgraded chassis components and looks. According to Porsche's own words, the Panamera GTS is the "sportiest model in the range", but that did not deter Anderson Germany from making a few changes of its own to allegedly improve the sports...

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S.W.A.T. Volkswagen CC is Not What You Think

What does acronym S.W.A.T. stand for? Well, for most people it's the short form for 'Special Weapons And Tactics' used to describe an elite tactical unit in various law enforcement agencies. In this case, however, S.W.A.T. stands for 'Special Wagons And Tuning', which is the name of a German tuning group comprising the KBR Motorsport, Cover EFX, SH CarCare and CFX companies with the Volkswagen CC being one of its newest projects. S.W.A.T....

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Superchips Electronically Boosts Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost Petrol Engine

Through the use of new software for the engine control unit (commonly known as ECU), UK's Superchips has been able to improve the performance of Ford's new 1.0-liter three-cylinder, direct injection turbocharged Ecoboost engine found on several European market models such as the Focus and the B-MAX. In stock trim, the three-cylinder gasoline unit is officially rated at 123hp (125PS) and 169Nm (125 lb-ft) or 200Nm (149 lb-ft) with the overboost...

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MR Car Design Spends €130,000 to Turn Rare BMW M3 CSL into a Racecar

Among the numerous limited edition M3s produced by BMW over the model's 26-year long history, the 2004 M3 CSL (for Coupé Sport Leichtbau, which translates to Lightweight Sport Coupe) holds a special place in the hearts of bimmer fans. Only 1,383 cars were produced for its 2004 model year run, with the emphasis being put on reducing weight over the regular model. The CSL had a curb weight of 1,385 kg (3,050 lb) making it 110 kg (240 lb) lighter...

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MINI Remembers 12 Concept Models Created Under the Ownership of the BMW Group

For most people in the northern hemisphere, August is the last summer month of relaxation and freedom before the new season kicks in and we all return to reality. What this means for most industries and especially the automotive sector, is that there is not a lot going on, which could explain why MINI chose this month to reminisce about its past concepts, from the moment it was acquired by the BMW Group in the mid-1990s to the present day....

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Color Me Orange: Dave Doetsch's Jeep Wrangler Unlimited "Crush Recovery"

We still have a long way to go before the 2012 edition of the SEMA Motor Show, which runs from October 30 to November 2, but OMIX-ADA, an independent manufacturer and wholesaler of Jeep parts and accessories, is trying to grab our attention with a new concept model scheduled to debut at the Las Vegas show. Named "Crush Recovery", the project car is based on the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4. It is the work of Jeep builder Dave...

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The Mini-Me MINI of the BMW Group's London Olympic and Paralympic Games Fleet

After the 160 BMW 1-Series ActiveE coupes and 40 MINI E hatchbacks, the Bavarian automotive group today presented its third pure-electric vehicle to the London Olympic and Paralympic fleet: the Mini MINI. Evidently, and unlike the other two models, the Mini MINI was not designed to shuttle athletes and officials within the Olympic Park and surrounding Games sites. Instead, the radio-controlled (RC) model, which is roughly a quarter scale...

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Nagel Dakkar is the Dartz of all SUVs…and Then Some More

Dartz, the Latvia-based company that will be forever remembered for the Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition with its true- and then faux-whale penis leather dressed interior, has returned with an announcement for a new future product. The firm's new model is named Nagel Dakkar after Russian racing driver Andrew Nagel who the 1912 Monte Carlo Rally. Always up for a joke (we assume…), Dartz has this to say about the Nagel Dakkar: "This won't...

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Porsche Rumored to Debut Panamera Shooting Brake Concept at Paris Motor Show

Earlier this month, we told you that aside from the upcoming Macan crossover and the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, Porsche is plotting a second supercar model with a conventional powertrain and a smaller version of the Panamera sedan, internally known as the Pajun. As it turns out, these aren’t the only new models under consideration at Porsche's Stuttgart headquarters as Car&Driver is reporting that the German firm will unveil a station wagon...

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What Do You Say About this Cadillac ATS Hatchback Prototype Model?

We know for a fact that any new car's design goes through several phases before reaching its final production form and that in the process, designers experiment with various prototypes that usually don't see the light of day. Every once in a very rare while, though, we get the opportunity to take a look at early prototypes that either inspired or led to the finished product. Such is the case with this scale model of a design prototype that...

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2015 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe Design Study: What do Think?

There is a debate going on right now, as to whether Chevrolet designers should make the next Camaro coupe, expected to be introduced in 2015, look more like a first-generation model (1967-1969) or the second-generation version built from 1970 to 1981. But what if GM and Chevrolet were to take a different path and create something with very few, if any, retro touches? This is where 22-year-old automotive design graduate from Lawrence Tech...

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BMW Presents New C Evolution Electric Scooter Prototype at London Olympics [w/Video]

Not to be outshone by the BMW car brand and its upcoming "i" series of pure-electric models, BMW Motorrad, which is the German company's motorcycle division, is also gearing up for the presentation of its first zero emissions model. Following the original E-Scooter concept at the BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011 and the Concept e at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has now introduced a near-production prototype of the electric scooter...

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2014 Renault Megane Coupé IV Design Concept

It may be a bit early to be talking about a new Renault Megane - given that the current iteration of the compact model has been with us only since late 2008 having received some mild updates earlier this year, but we have discovered some interesting renderings from designer Clavet Thomas that we thought we'd share with you. The designs are for a replacement of the sportier looking Megane Coupé, which is essentially a three-door hatchback with...

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BMW Bringing M8 Prototype and Zagato Coupe Study to The Legends of the Autobahn

A blast from the past and the most recent concept study to wear the blue and white roundel will highlight BMW's presence at The Legends of the Autobahn 2012, which takes place on Friday, August 17, at the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California. The fourth annual all-German brand Concours, which is hosted by the BMW Car Club of America, Mercedes-Benz Club of America, the Porsche Club of America and the Audi Club of North America, ...

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Scoop: 2014 BMW M3 Sedan Speculatively Rendered

We know that the next BMW M3 sedan is coming and we have a general idea of what it will look like thanks to an abundance of spy shots over the past year, but if you are still having a hard time visualizing the sportiest model in the F30 3-Series range, photoshop artist Wildspeed has put together these renderings. The CGIs (Computer Generated Imagery) propose a wider body with bloated front and rear wheel arches housing larger wheels in beefier...

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