Castroneves tops Pole Day morning

Helio Castroneves set out his bid for a fifth Indianapolis 500 pole position by setting the best lap of the month so far in the Pole Day morning practice session. The Penske driver produced a lap of 39.5181 seconds at an average speed of 227.744mph early in the two-hour practice, which saw the field split into two groups for half an hour of running each before all cars were allowed to take to the track for the final hour. Chevrolet-powered cars filled the top three positions, with Ana Beatriz second in Andretti Autosport and Conquest Racing’s joint entry, followed by Castroneves’ team-mate Ryan Briscoe.

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PATRICK HEAD STEPS DOWN FROM THE BOARD OF WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS PLC

WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX HOLDINGS PLC Grove, UK. 31 December 2011 Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC (Ticker: WGF1) today confirms that Director of Engineering Patrick Head will step down from its Board of Directors with immediate effect….

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Report: Next Subaru WRX previewed by Advanced Tourer concept

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Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept - live from 2011 Toyko Motor Show

There was nary a peep of discontent about the looks of the Subaru Advanced Tourer concept revealed at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. But when everyone was clamoring for Scooby to transfer the Advanced Tourer’s looks to a production vehicle, never once did people ask for that transfer to be foisted on the WRX. A report in Motor Trend, though, says that’s what’s happening: the concept “was actually an early look at the next-generation Subaru WRX.”

MT‘s sources said the front end Advanced Tourer’s front end will go onto the WRX, with other aspects of the concept made more aggressive to suit the personality of Subaru’s rally-ready racer. And if the concept also presages the next WRX’s dimensions, then you can expect the next-generation sedan and hatchback to be larger (though in truth we don’t anticipate a big gain in footprint).

Notice the name “Impreza” hasn’t appeared anywhere in our discussion yet. Subaru is reportedly dropping the name in an attempt to get more ‘Likes’ for the WRX by making it more approachable, so the next model will relinquish its association with the Impreza line and be more performanced focused even as it is receives a better interior and is morphed into a “more-mature sporty grand tourer.” Engine choices are still being debated for the car due in 2015; the rumored options include 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinders and a hybrid version of the 1.6-liter.

Next Subaru WRX previewed by Advanced Tourer concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vinales secures first Moto3 pole

Maverick Vinales secured his first Moto3 pole position on a Le Mans circuit made extremely treacherous by a pre-session rain storm.

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Brendan Gaughan Overcomes Pit Road Penalty to Finish 12th at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Brendan Gaughan – Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCARBrendan Gaughan and the No. 2 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team recovered from a pit road penalty to bring home a 12th-place finish during the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night. The Las Vegas native started the…more&#187

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Mike Conway signs with AJ Foyt Racing for the 2012 Indy Car season

AJ Foyt Racing Mike Conway London, UK – Tuesday 20th December 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix winner Mike Conway has signed with AJ Foyt Racing to drive the No. 14 ABC Supply Honda in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series….

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Button to try DTM taxi at Brands Hatch

McLaren Formula 1 driver Jenson Button will try out the passenger version of Mercedes’ latest DTM car when the series visits Brands Hatch this weekend. Button will receive instruction from Mercedes’ DTM driver and McLaren F1 reserve Gary Paffett before giving his compatriot a passenger ride around the Kent circuit

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Inez Dickens and EDC Want to Keep Four Stories of Parking in Harlem Project

The city plans to redevelop this 125th Street site, currently an underutilized 450-space garage with some small retail on the ground floor, while replacing each and every parking space. Image: Google Street View
The New York City Economic Development Corporation’s commitment to replacing any parking spaces the agency builds on top of is a one-way ratchet toward [...]

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Chevrolet Trax to Join Global Lineup, Will Debut in Paris

We first saw a Chevrolet bearing the Trax name as a concept at the 2007 New York auto show, riding on the bones of the Chevy Spark. Now Chevy has announced that something called the Trax will go into production for global markets. But the only thing this Trax has in common with the Trax [...]

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Audi R8 LMS ultra to fight for World Champion’s title in 2012

AUDI Motorsport Ingolstadt, December 20, 2011 – GT1 World Championship to be held with GT3 cars in 2012 – Team WRT from Belgium is set on battling for championship – Two new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid…

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Audi R8 LMS ultra to fight for World Champion’s title in 2012

AUDI Motorsport Ingolstadt, December 20, 2011 – GT1 World Championship to be held with GT3 cars in 2012 – Team WRT from Belgium is set on battling for championship – Two new Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid…

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LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Consistent Contenders; Or, A Look at Teams to Watch

While LeMons organizers make no secret of the fact that their hearts are with the cars that never belonged in the same time zone as a race track and machines that aren’t even cars at all, there’s still a contingent of hard-core racers bent on getting the most laps in the race and spraying $1.99 [...]

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Klien joins Walkinshaw for Bathurst

Former Formula 1 driver Christian Klien will be racing in the V8 Supercar endurance races after securing a deal with Walkinshaw Racing. The Austrian will partner Russell Ingall in the Holden Commodore in the Sandown 500 in September and the Bathurst 1000 in October.

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Rising or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance of Transit

According to research assembled by the American Public Transportation Association and Building America's Future, an increase of $1 per gallon in the price of gas creates roughly 500 million transit trips. Image: APTA/BAF
When gas prices go up, it can be a big motivator for people to start taking transit more frequently. But according to a [...]

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iSport to build new car for Palmer

iSport International will build a new GP2 car for Jolyon Palmer after the Briton had another race weekend blighted by electrical problems in Spain. Palmer did not even make the start of race two at Barcelona on Sunday, after his car broke down on the warm-up lap with a repeat of electrical gremlins which have plagued the start of his 2012 season. iSport boss Paul Jackson revealed that the team will now switch to a new car for the next round of the series in Monaco.

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Williams denies Senna seat under threat

Williams has quashed speculation that Bruno Senna’s place at the team is under threat if the Brazilian does not lift his game over the next few races. While Senna’s team-mate Pastor Maldonado delivered a brilliant victory from pole position in Spain, Senna endured a tougher weekend – spinning out of Q1 and then crashing out of the race after a collision with Michael Schumacher. That performance prompted rumours that Williams could make a push for test driver Valtteri Bottas to make the step up, with his speed in Friday practice sessions this year having impressed his bosses

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NHRA JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE CONFERENCE FINALS RETURNING TO DENVER, BRISTOL FOR 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2012

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. Dec. 20, 2011 To help kick off the 20th Anniversary celebration of the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA announced today that the Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals will once again return to Bandimere Speedway…

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Report: Ford C-Max pricing to undercut Toyota Prius V

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2013 Ford C-MAX front-three-quarter overhead view, silver

Ford
dealers have started taking orders for the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, the company announced today.

The gas-electric hybrid will arrive later this year with a starting price of $25,995, undercutting its most direct competitor, the Toyota Prius V hybrid, which has a base price of $26,550.

“C-Max Hybrid offers better fuel economy, performance, technology and functionality than Prius V – and C-Max Hybrid customers will pay less at the dealership and at the pump,” said Ken Czubay, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, in a press release.

More importantly, Ford will provide some stiffer competition for Toyota, which has ruled the hybrid market, selling 77 percent of all hybrids in the U.S. this April. The C-Max will only be offered in the U.S. as a hybrid, similar to Toyota’s Prius strategy. There will also be an all-electric version, known as the C-Max Energi, that arrives this fall.

Ford sells the C-Max, which is built on Ford’s compact car platform, in Europe as a gas powered model. Since introducing this utility vehicle in 2010, Ford has sold more than 150,000 C-Max vehicles in Europe.

Continue reading Ford C-Max pricing to undercut Toyota Prius V

Ford C-Max pricing to undercut Toyota Prius V originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Royal Purple 300 Schedule for March 24, 2012 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The NASCAR Royal Purple 300 race is scheduled for Mar. 24, 2012, at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Qualifications will be at 1:30 p.m. EST with the actual race planned for 5 p.m. EST on Mar. 24. In 2011, Kyle Busch won the Royal Purple 300 while Carl Edwards was the pole…

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Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 136

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer!

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NASCAR In Heels: Travel Tips

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Double R joins Euro Series for Brands

Double R Racing will make its F3 Euro Series debut at Brands Hatch this weekend with a pair of cars for regular British championship drivers Geoff Uhrhane and Fahmi Ilyas. Anthony Hieatt’s team is using the event, plus the following round at Spielberg, to allow its drivers to gain experience of the Hankook rubber that will be used at the Norisring event in July, when both the British championship and Euro Series run together for the first time. “We’ve never done a European championship round before so we’re really looking forward to giving Geoff and Fahmi some extra time in the car, especially as it’s our home track,” said Hieatt, “The team always likes racing at Brands and the mileage will be good for both drivers, their deals were done very late so an extra race meeting can only be good for them

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Gronholm confirms racing return

Two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm has confirmed he will return to motorsport and contest a full programme of Global Rallycross events in America this year. Gronholm will form part of the Best Buy Team along with British driver David Binks.

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Lotus certain victory is imminent

Lotus boss Eric Boullier says he is not frustrated by the failure of his team to win the Spanish Grand Prix, because he thinks a victory is just around the corner. Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean had gone in to Sunday’s race as many people’s favourites for the win on the back of impressive long-run form in practice. However, neither was able to match the pace of runaway leaders Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso in the opening stages, and Raikkonen’s late-race charge came too late to allow him to finish better than third.

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Report: Lamborghini eyes low weight, Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8 for production Urus

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Lamborghini Urus Concept

Long before Lamborghini unveiled the Urus concept for its new SUV at the Beijing Motor Show last month, we got two chances to preview the show truck: once at the factory in Italy and once at a private preview in New York. The Italian automaker’s development chief Maurizio Reggiani wasn’t prepared to talk about powertrain options at the time, but in speaking with Automotive News, he’s now given us a hint of what to expect should the Volkswagen Group board give the project the green light.

As expected, the Urus would have to be based on the same platform that is slated to underpin the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley EXP 9 F (if similarly approved) in order to make good business sense. Unfortunately, that new PL73 architecture is made principally of steel, a material that Lamborghini has been getting away from in favor of new types of carbon fiber construction. In order to keep weight down – Lambo is targeting 4,400 lbs for the Urus, significantly less than its potential competitors – it would need to make other components out of carbon to compensate.

That covers the mass side of the power-to-weight ratio that is integral to any performance vehicle. As for the power, Reggiani says the company has yet to make a final decision. The last time Lamborghini made an SUV – the legendary LM002 “Rambo Lambo” – it was powered by the same high-revving V12 as the Countach, lending to speculation that the Urus could incorporate the new V12 from the Aventador or the V10 from the Gallardo. Reggiani, however, indicates that the new twin-turbo V8 powering the latest Audi RS models and the Bentley Continental is a more likely choice, given that it would help keep weight down and provide more low-end torque than the naturally-aspired 10 or 12-pots the Raging Bull marque currently produces for its sports cars.

Lamborghini eyes low weight, Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8 for production Urus originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Points at Stake, Cassill Prepared for All-Out Dash

2012 NSCS Landon Cassill – Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCARDriver Ready for Non-Points Event Statesville, N.C. (May 16, 2012) – The Sprint Showdown will be BK Racing’s first taste of non-points racing. Landon Cassill, driver of the Burger King/Dr Pepper Toyota, has fought to keep his No. 83 team inside the top-35 of…more&#187

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Spain Sunday quotes: Caterham

Heikki Kovalainen – 16th: “I think we got as much out of the car as we could this afternoon. I had a good start, passed Senna and was hanging on to the pack ahead up until the second stops.

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Hamilton takes pole position for F1 Malaysian GP (PA SportsTicker)

By CHRIS LINES AP Auto Racing Writer

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Official: Honda unveils another Segway-fighter [w/video]

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Honda Uni-Cub Personal Mobility Device

It seems that ever since humankind grew legs and climbed out of the ocean, we’ve been trying to figure out ways to avoid using said appendages. While many of these efforts have been wildly successful – think Roman chariots, Pony Express, and the Ford Model T – the recent spate of personal mobility devices hasn’t quite taken off.

The poster child for this failure is, of course, the Segway. Though completely awesome, its greatest success has come in comedic appearances on television (Arrested Development) and in the movies (Paul Blart: Mall Cop). But manufacturers have forged ahead, undaunted in their desire to bring human-like mobility to humans. The latest: The Honda Uni-Cub.

An evolution of Honda’s U3-X motorized unicycle, the Uni-Cub marries a saddle and sturdy base with an omni-directional drive wheel. A rider controls the Uni-Cub by simply shifting their weight. Honda says it is “designed for harmony with people,” as the device positions the rider at relatively the same height as pedestrians, rather than towering over them like a Segway rider.

The Uni-Cub is designed for use indoors, and is powered by a lithium-ion battery and electric drive. It can reach a top speed of 3.7 miles per hour and has a range of 3.7 miles, meaning that any reasonably fit individual should be able to both outrun and outlast the Uni-Cub.

Honda will begin demonstration testing of the device in June.

Scroll down to read the full press release and watch a video of the Uni-Cub in action, and be sure to check out all the images in our gallery.

Continue reading Honda unveils another Segway-fighter [w/video]

Honda unveils another Segway-fighter [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hendrick hails team after 200th win

Rick Hendrick praised Jimmie Johnson and his team following the organisation’s 200th Sprint Cup victory which they claimed on Saturday at Darlington.

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Button hopes for race day turnaround

Jenson Button believes he still has the chance of a decent haul of points in the Spanish Grand Prix, despite his struggles over the Barcelona weekend. The McLaren driver was eliminated in Q2 in Spain, after failing to find a good balance on his car, but will start 10th on the grid following Lewis Hamilton’s demotion to the back of the field

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MWR Weekly Wrap-Up: Attempting to Tame the Lady in Black

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MATT ARTIN JOINS NHRA AS DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2012) NHRA announced today that Matt Artin, an eight-year veteran in media planning, advertising and promotions, has joined the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body as director of advertising and promotions….

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Raikkonen says victory was possible

Kimi Raikkonen is confident that he will break through for a grand prix win for Lotus in 2012, after finishing on the podium at the last two races. After following Sebastian Vettel home in Bahrain, Raikkonen was amongst the frontrunners again in Spain, eventually finishing third behind Pastor Maldonado and Fernando Alonso

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Calado takes Barcelona GP2 pole

Lotus GP’s James Calado will start round seven of the GP2 Series, the feature race at Barcelona, from pole position after setting the fastest time in a far-from-straightforward qualifying session in Spain. Control supplier Pirelli mandated soft-compound option rubber for this event, two steps ahead of the ‘hard’ prime, which meant drivers used it like a qualifying tyre

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Carella’s 2011 World Title Turns a New Page in F1 H2O Series!

F1 H2O / F1 Powerboat News ABU DHABI – January 2, 2012 Italian Alex Carella of the Qatar Team used both his driving skills and youthful exuberance to overtake his wily veteran teammate Jay Price of the USA with a…

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Spain Saturday quotes: Caterham

Vitaly Petrov – 19th: “I am very happy with today’s performance. It feels great to have it all come together in qualifying today and I want to thank the team for doing a great job and helping me put together a final lap like that. There was even more time to come as I made a small mistake in sector two that maybe cost me two or three tenths, but between FP3 and qualifying we found a good balance on the softs and a KERS map that I could really get everything out of, so it’s great to see it pay off with that sort of performance.

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Disappointed Hamilton vows to charge

Lewis Hamilton vowed to ‘race his heart out’ to try and come through from the back of the grid after being stripped of pole position for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.

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GLOBAL iPRINT NAMED OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF NHRA

NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. Jan. 4, 2012 Global iPrint, a premier printing and distribution company, has signed a three-year agreement to become the “Official Print Sponsor” of NHRA….

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Report: Poland’s Arrinera supercar hits the road with 650 HP, $160K list price

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Arrinera

There are a handful of countries where you’d expect most any supercar to come from. Italy, Germany, England… and even these United States have produced their fare share, and there’ve been a handful from Japan. Even France and Sweden have produced some notables. But Poland?

Hardly the first country that would come to mind, but the folks behind Arrinera Automotive aim to fix that. We first reported last year on the supercar the Polish outfit has been developing, and now they’ve released a whole slew of details – including specifications and pricing.

The as-yet unnamed vehicle (aside from the Arrinera marque, anyway) is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 that’s been supercharged up to 650 metric horsepower (641 by our measures) and 605 pound-feet of torque, driving through a Graziano gearbox for a 3.2-second sprint to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) and a claimed 340 km/h (211 mph) top end.

Lee Noble – the talented engineer behind supercars marketed under the Ultima, Ascari, Rossion, Fenix and Noble names – has set up the suspension, with 380-millimeter brakes providing the stopping power up front and 350-millimeter discs in the back. The 1300-kilogram (2866-pound) package is made up of a high-strength steel frame with bodywork that’s carbon-intensive and similar in appearance to a Lamborghini, but that’s no bad thing.

Production is slated to begin later this year, with pricing starting at £100,000 (about $160,000 at current exchange rates). Scope it out in the extensive and fresh gallery of high-resolution images above.

Poland’s Arrinera supercar hits the road with 650 HP, $160K list price originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vettel fastest in final Barcelona practice

Sebastian Vettel denied Pastor Maldonado a shock timesheet-topping performance in the final seconds of the third practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona.

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Panther DRR Completes Day Two of Practice For The 96th Running of the Indianapolis 500

Panther DRR LOGOPANTHER DRR COMPLETES DAY TWO OF PRACTICE FOR THE 96th RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 DAY TWO PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES—- Indianapolis, Indiana, May 13, 2012 Fast Facts: Oriol Servia Oriol clocked the 20th fastest speed today (217.656 mph) in day two of practice. Servia completed a total of 78 laps today. Teammate JR Hildebrand…more&#187

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Marciello dominates Pau Grand Prix

Raffaele Marciello utterly dominated the 71st running of the Grand Prix de Pau in his Prema Powerteam Dallara-Mercedes.

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Former NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Jeff Green to Sub for Eric McClure at Darlington Raceway

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Official: Toyota launches new Pixis Epoch kei car in Japan

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Toyota Pixis Epoch

Kei cars may be small in size, but they’re big business in Japan. The latest arrival to the category is the little hatch you see above, the Toyota Pixis Epoch.

It’s the fourth vehicle produced by the Daihatsu division but sold under the Toyota brand. As with other keis, power comes from a 660cc engine. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission driving either just the front wheels or all four. In both configurations, the Pixis Epoch features a stop-start system that helps its emissions and fuel efficiency figures come in well below even the Japanese government’s stringent standards.

The whole package measures just 3,395 mm (133 inches) long, 1,475 mm (58 inches) wide and 1,500 mm (59 inches) tall, but offers a relatively spacious and utile interior, plus a tight turning radius of just 4.4 meters. Pricing ranges from 795,000 to 1.2 million yen – that’s less than $10,000 (and no more than $15k). Further details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Toyota launches new Pixis Epoch kei car in Japan

Toyota launches new Pixis Epoch kei car in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 May 2012 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MWR Weekly Wrap-Up: Dodging disasters at ‘Dega

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Da Costa on pole for GP3 opener

Antonio Felix da Costa gave Carlin the first pole of the 2012 GP3 season at Barcelona. The Portuguese driver edged out Lotus duo Conor Daly and Aaro Vainio in a top three covered by just 0.090 seconds

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