Report: Mitsubishi to Launch Electric Light Truck and Plug-in Hybrid Outlander in 2013

According to a report from Japan's Nikkei business daily, Mitsubishi is developing a pure-electric light truck that will be launched onto the market in the second quarter of 2013.

Mitsubishi has been one of the first carmakers to enter the EV market with its iMieV, an all-electric city car that like the Outlander SUV has also spawned PSA Peugeot Citroen variants.

Speaking of the Outlander, the report states that a plug-in hybrid version of Mitsubishi’s crossover will also hit the market at the same time as the electric truck.

Read more »

Toyota Says it Received 60,000 Orders for New Aqua Hybrid in Japan Before Launch

The new Aqua is off to an excellent start in Japan as Toyota revealed that it had already received pre-orders for 60,000 cars ahead of the sub-compact hybrid hatchback's launch on Monday, December 26. That's five times the company's monthly sales target of 12,000 cars in Japan.

"It will take about four months to receive the car once an order is placed," Toyota managing officer Koei Saga told reporters during a media briefing earlier this week.

Read more »

In Soviet Cars, Doors Automatically Fall Off in Case of an Accident

In modern day vehicles, in the event of an impact the door locks are programmed to open automatically so to allow the driver and passengers to exit the vehicle or if that's not possible, to make the work of firefighters and emergency crews easier.

However, as you can see in the video that follows, Lada seems to have devised an even better solution to solve this problem…

Read more »

2012 Cadillac Escalade gets New Security Features to Prevent Thefts

In late August, General Motors announced that it is preparing a raft of upgrades to improve the security of its Cadillac Escalade for the 2012 model year.

Today, GM released full details on the changes it has made and which the company claims will prevent the luxury SUV from a being a "pushover for push-away or towing thieves".

We'll remind you that a recent study from the Highway Loss Data Institute found that the Cadillac Escalade is more than six times as likely to be stolen by thieves compared to the average vehicle not only due to its popularity but also because it was easier to steal than other vehicles.

Read more »

Volkswagen Pushes for Greener Plants by 2018

Thinking “green” is the latest mantra repeated over and over again by all car manufacturers. The most usual way of displaying their environmentally conscious approach is to advertise their vehicles' low CO2 emissions.

Volkswagen, while still selling and developing greener cars, is also implementing a new “Think Blue. Factory.” initiative that aims to make its product plants more environmentally friendly.

Read more »

New Suzuki Teasers May Hint at Jimny / Samurai 4x4 Concept

After more than 13 years in production, Suzuki may be ready to begin work on a successor to the third generation of the Jimny 4x4 that was first introduced at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show.

While we remain short on details, Maruti Suzuki, which is a subsidiary of the Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer, published a set of teaser photos on its website that hint at a concept model for a small 4x4 to be revealed at the 11th Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi, India, next month.

Read more »

2014 BMW M4 / M3 Coupe Realistically Rendered

Its name and the type of engine that will lie under its hood may be debatable, but plans for a successor to today's M3 Coupe do exist. However, you'll have to wait at least until 2013 to see the high performance model in BMW's dealerships.

For those of you that just can't wait to get a peek at the next M3 Coupe or perhaps as we may come to know it, the M4, graphic designer Jacek Kolodziejczyk has put his skills to work developing a pretty realistic rendering of the coupe model.

Read more »