New Car: 2010 Lexus GS

Its location often means that the Frankfurt auto show is a Euro-centric affair, but that won’t stop Toyota-owned Lexus from rolling out a handful of changes for its venerable GS sedan.

Key changes for the GS line are new color schemes—two for the exterior and one for the interior. The car also receives Lexus Safety Connect, an OnStar-like assistance system, and active front headrests. The car’s aging sound system reaches the 21st century: Lexus finally ditches the standard cassette player in favor of iPod, satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity. An updated navigation system includes voice recognition as well as traffic, stock, news, and weather info.

As for the hybrid GS450h, Lexus is again asserting its flagship status for the nameplate. To that end, 2010 brings several cosmetic changes to help it stand apart from the rest of the GS line: new 18-inch wheels, clear taillights, an optional power sunshade, and a revised front fascia that is curvier and now sports a grille with horizontal chrome slats.

Frankly, we’re surprised to see so few updates; the GS is essentially unchanged since the latest generation debuted in 2005. When it was introduced, a regular GS finished third in an eight-car comparo; the hybrid was fourth of four in a 2006 test. There’s nothing wrong with the GS as a luxury machine per se, but it’s less exciting than German (and other Asian) competitors.

Pricing for the 2009 model ranges from $45,875 for the GS350 to $57,425 for the hybrid model, and we expect 2010 models will get a slight price bump.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

Ho News: Dodge Caliber SRT4 Discontinue for 2010

Thumbing through the Chrysler product guide for 2010, we noticed the absence of the SRT4 model in the Dodge Caliber’s powertrain chart. A quick call to the Pentastar’s PR department and it was confirmed: the Caliber SRT4 has been euthanized. Chrysler didn’t attribute its death to a lack of sales, saying instead that it wants to focus on strengthening the higher-volume Caliber models. After the roughest year in company history, one that included filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, we can understand the move.

We can also say we’re not particularly torn up about it, either. The Caliber SRT4 failed to live up to its Neon-based predecessor—a car which we once crowned king of the featherweights in a comparo—much less any of its current competition. Indeed, even brand new, the front-drive hatch found itself last in a four-car comparison test. We noted a very satisfying shifter, but the compliments stopped there. A rock-hard ride, a cheap interior, big-boned styling, and rodeo levels of torque steer left us cold. Beyond the death of the model itself, the decision also means the death of the SRT4’s 285-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine; the engine survived for just two model years in a Chrysler product.

It’s anyone’s guess if this is the beginning of the end for the high-performance SRT division, but with Chrysler’s newly minted partnership to Fiat, we can only hope the future holds a much-improved Caliber replacement and maybe—just maybe—a worthy SRT4 successor.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

New Car: 2010 Lexus LS

One of the many luxurious rides on display at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show will be the Lexus LS, a big and cushy sedan that is slated to receive a host of updates.

Details are murky, but all LS models will be slightly restyled inside and out for the 2010 model year. We’ve also been promised a new seating setup, more standard equipment, and “enhanced driving dynamics.” The hybrid LS600hL again will be pushed as Lexus’s high-performance flagship. An updated hybrid drive system and visual updates are thus in the cards for the 2010 model year.

As much as we may criticize its ocean-liner-like disconnect between driver and road, the LS did make our list of fabulous flagships, and offers “peerless refinement,” as we wrote in a 2007 test. Lexus promises more information on the 2010 LS later this month, so check this space often.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

Sneak Peek: Lexus LF-Ch Concept

The baby Lexus has landed! This is the first official shot of the premium Japanese brand's first compact hatch, designed to take on the upmarket BMW 1-Series head-on.

Called the Lexus LF-Ch (the 'LF' denoting it's a concept, the 'C' confirming it's a C-segment car and the 'h' meaning its a hybrid), it features a practical five-door layout and a remarkably production-ready desoign. In fact if rumours are to be believed, it could enter production, with very few changes to the concept shown here, as early as next year.

Lexus is the only manufacturer to offer a range of hybrids, and judging by the LF-Ch concept that range is about to expand. The show car is fitted with a full-hybrid powertrain, with an electric-only driving function allowing, in theory, short-range zero emissions driving in urban areas.

Full details and an extensive picture gallery will be released on 10 September 2009, days before the LF-Ch makes its debut in Frankfurt.

Also on the Lexus stand in Germany will be a revised version of the LS luxury saloon, with updates inside and out, as well as a mildly facelifted GS. The IS will be shown with the new F-Sport styling package and there's new that that IS F can now be ordered with a limited slip differential.For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Unofficial Picture Up Date: 2011 Hyundai Sonata

Official pics of Hyundai's VW Passat rival, the Sonata, have been leaked onto Korean car forums. And it's a stunner!

The leaked pics show the U.S and Asian market model of the car but reports suggest that the ix40, a European version of the Sonata, will not be wholly different apart from the two-tier grille seen on the Tucson replacing the bolder, chrome grille shown in the pictures.

Inside the cabin, two deep set gauges and a colour screen on the driver's display hint at high quality build materials and a thoroughly modern interior. Gear-shifters mounted behind the steering wheel show that the Sonata will be available with a semi-automatic, paddle-shift gear-box. Mated to this semi-auto changer will most likely be four-cylinder and V6 petrol units along with a 2.0-litre diesel powerplant with 185hp.

The official debut of the Sonata is expected before the end of the year, with sales expected to start in all markets during the first half of 2010. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260

Lotus fans, form an orderly queue! The Norfolk firm has announced official details of its imminent Exige Cup 260.

The car features extensive use of carbon fibre and ultra-light components, including a motorsport battery and the lightest alloy wheels ever fitted to a production car.

Power remains untouched – the familiar 1.8-litre Toyota supercharged engine still pumps out 257bhp and 236Nm of torque.

That translates into a blistering 0-60mph time of 4.1 seconds and 152mph flat-out.

However, the new model should be quicker on the track, as the firm’s handling experts have stiffened the rear of the chassis by 30 per cent, fitted adjustable dampers and carved further aerodynamic aids into the Exige’s bodywork.

But the car isn’t just about speed – it’s set to achieve 33.2mpg and have emissions of 199g/km. It will arrive early next year, priced from £45,000. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2011 Volvo C70

If it’s still safe, don’t fix it. The Volvo C70 has always been a safe convertible, both in how it’s styled and in how it transports its occupants. Its sheltering demeanor also translates to a lack of driving pleasure, one that meant a last-place finish in a droptop comparo, as it fell to the BMW 328i, Audi A4, Saab 9-3, and Volkswagen Eos. For its 2011 refresh, the C70 gets a rhinoplasty, a new posterior, and a freshened interior, addressing precisely none of the qualms we have with the car.

Up front, there’s a new fascia with larger headlight units that extend back into new front fenders. The grille—which sits over and ahead of the bumper creating a sort of overbite—has become more trapezoidal and wears what appears to be the largest Iron Mark logo this side of a Volvo semi tractor. The look is a bit sleeker than that of the current car and Volvo says it’s pulled from the S60 concept shown in Detroit this year, so we expect the new S60 will carry many of the same visual hallmarks.

We’d describe the rear, but Volvo hasn’t yet supplied images of it, so that will have to wait until we see it on the show stand in Frankfurt. We can tell you that the updated rump includes LED taillights that Volvo describes as similar to those on the XC60. The company also claims a new oval motif has taken over in back. Oh, and there’s a new red paint option.

It’s the same deal with the interior, which Volvo tells us (but, again, does not show) sports a redesigned and retextured instrument panel. Softer hide will line the seats. All of that is still covered by the same three-piece steel roof that origamis itself up or down in about 30 seconds.

While the engine options number five elsewhere—including two diesel options—we expect to continue with only the 227-hp T5 model. Altogether it’s not a huge departure from the current car, but instead a mid-cycle refresh to keep the looks current with the rest of Volvo’s lineup. The 2011 C70 will be shown in Frankfurt next month, where we’ll hopefully see it from a view other than the front-three-quarter vantage point.

Thanks to: Car and Driver