Toyota Etios joins India’s B-car ranks

Toyota will officially join the Indian B-car segment with this, the 2011 Etios sedan. A hatchback version, Etios Liva, will follow in April. While the styling is decidedly sedate, Toyota hopes to attract shoppers with the Etios’ low price point – 496,000 Rupees, or just under $11,000 USD based on current exchange rates.

Power comes from a 1.5-liter inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Tuned specifically for fuel efficiency, athe engine produces just 89 horsepower and 97 pound-feet of torque. The Etios is capable of achieving 17.6 kilometers per liter, or roughly 41.2 miles per gallon.

Inside, the relatively spartan interior uses a center-mounted instrument panel, and amenities like steering-mounted audio controls and red seat inserts are available in the more upmarket models. The Etios is offered in four trim levels – J, G, V and VX – with pricing as high as 686,000 Rupees (roughly $15,287) for the top-tier Etios VX.

Hit the jump for Toyota’s official press release, and scan through the gallery below to see high-res images of the India-only Etios.

Top Gear Award winners announced

As we said before, it’s that time when everyone starts rolling out their year-end “Best of” lists and revisits their favorite rides of 2010. Top Gear is in on the action, naming its annual award winners. Its list, as you can see, is diverse and loaded with forbidden fruit (at least for those of us in the U.S.)

• Hypercar of the Year: Koenigsegg Agera
• Cabrio of the Year: Maserati GranCabrio
• Grand Tourer of the Year: Bentley Continental GT
• Hot Hatch of the Year: Volkswagen Golf R
• Family Car of the Year: BMW 520d Touring
• Engine of the Year: Fiat TwinAir
• Coupe of the Year: Peugot RCZ
• Luxury Car of the Year: Jaguar XJ
• Small Car of the Year and Car of the Year: Citroen DS3

Besides the standard categories, the three hosts also picked their favorites of 2010. Jeremy Clarkson is in love with the Pagani Zonda R, James May goes with the Bugatti Veyron Supersport and Richard Hammond is quite fond of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

Though we’ve given you the list, it’s still worth a trip over to the Top Gear website to read the reasons behind each choice.

Dual-clutch transmissions are the current Holy Grail when it comes to transferring underhood power to the wheels of the car. Nearly every automaker that does serious business around the world offers DCTs, and the ones that don’t very likely soon will.

It’s easy to understand the draw of the DCT: better performance and greater efficiency. But there are also problems. For instance, two clutch mechanisms mean (theoretically, of course) twice the potential repair costs, and DCTs are generally more expensive than either standard manual transmissions or conventional automatics with torque converters.

Xtrac, a company firmly entrenched in transmissions for racing applications, has developed a new technology called the Instantaneous Gearchange System, which uses a ratcheting mechanism to couple the gear hubs with the main shaft. The system has been under development for two years and has reportedly been put into race duty by multiple motorsports teams.

Apparently, the IGS technology will be less costly than other dual-clutch transmissions and could potentially be adopted by various global automakers.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle caught making the rounds

Before the keys land in the hands of the Oprah faithful, the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle still has to make its world debut. Until then, we have to rely on spy photographers for glimpses of der neue New Beetle. The latest clip gives us a good view of the redesigned VW as it hits the street on one of its innumerable test drives. Hit the jump to see for yourselves.

Honda announces end of Element production

After a nine-year run, the Honda Element will officially be killed off after the 2011 model year. The Element has suffered from slow sales numbers over the past few years, and in the model’s death notice, Hondaspecifically cites that a large amount of customers prefer the better refinement and improved fuel economy of the automaker’s CR-V crossover.

Since its debut in December of 2002, more than 325,000 Elements have been sold in the United States. During its lifespan, we saw the introduction of the bolder-looking SC model in 2007, and just last year, Honda began offering the 2010 Element with a dog-friendly package (pictured). Modest facelifts over the years have helped keep the Element somewhat fresh, but newer competitors on the scene have helped expose weaknesses in refinement and power. That said, Honda’s boxy sport-ute has long been praised for its utility-oriented and easy-to-maintain interior – not to mention kicking off the modern styling trend of boxy vehicles.

2011 Nissan Leaf assembly process detailed

Earlier this week, we rolled out a time-lapse video of the assembly of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. In that video,General Motors took us inside its Detroit-Hamtramck plant to watch its plug-in hybrid undergo a transformation from a bodyshell to a ready-to-roll vehicle. In the all-too-brief clip, GM attempted to capture the complex steps of assembling the Chevy Volt but, as many of our commenters pointed out, failed to provide a detailed look at the intricate technologies that differentiate the Volt from more conventional vehicles.

In an attempt to be as fair as possible, it’s only fitting that we also showcase the assembly of the 2011 Nissan Leaf. This video, shot inside Nissan’s plant in Oppama, Japan, captures the production of the Leaf in painstaking detail. Hit the jump to watch the Nissan Leaf as it comes together right before your eyes.

2011 Dodge Journey

With all of the Chrysler models receiving updates both significant and otherwise, it’s understandable if you’ve gotten a little lost in the fray. Here’s what you need to know: One of the most surprising bright lights to come out of the company’s refresh bender is the 2011 Dodge Journey. While the 2011 Dodge Charger and Durangomay have stolen the spotlight with their new sheetmetal, the Journey has transmogrified into a small family hauler that offers plenty of horsepower, acceptable fuel economy and a massively updated interior. There’s even one of the quickest and largest touchscreens of any vehicle we’ve come across nestled in the dash.

Given Chrysler’s recently discovered love of installing much-improved interiors in its vehicles, the newfound goodies indoors should come as no surprise. But the company’s engineers seem to have spent just as much time tweaking the crossover’s driving character, resulting in a complete package that has turned it from being a washed-up never-was into a competitor almost overnight.

Chevy Camaro poised to outsell Ford Mustang for first time in 25 years

It’s been a quarter-century since the last time it happened, but Chevrolet’s reborn Camaro appears set to steal away the yearly pony car sales crown from the Ford Mustang.

According to AutoWeek, the Bowtie Brigade has cleared 75,685 Camaro sales through the end of November, while the Blue Oval has shifted 68,264 units. Extrapolating the monthly sales totals to the end of December, AW estimates that Chevrolet will finish 2010 with around 82,500 sales, besting the Ford’s estimate of 74,500. Trailing the muscle car pack in sales is Dodge’s Challenger lineup, trending at around 36,000 units.

There has certainly been pent-up demand for the Camaro among consumers after its prolonged absence, but what’s even more impressive about its yearly sales total is that if the lead holds, the Chevy will have outsold the Ford and the Dodge with far fewer special editions and no convertible bodystyle like the Mustang. (Adroptop Camaro is slated to go on sale next year, and a high-performance Z28 variant is also expected).

Opel premieres facelifted Antara in Bologna

Opel has pulled the wraps off its facelifted Antara at the Bologna Motor Show, and the Euro-market midsize cousin to our GMC Terrain has received a host of upgrades. As is the way with mid-cycle refreshes, the Antara’s Theta chassis has been re-tuned, the interior has been reworked and the powertrain is available in a range of configurations.

The base Antara is powered by a 2.4-liter, 167 horsepower four-cylinder gasoline engine that pulls around the front wheels. It can be paired with either a six-speed manual transmission in both the front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions, while a six-speed automatic is also available on the all-wheel drive Antara.

For fans of diesel drinkers, the Antara offers two choices, both of which, oddly, are 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder units. One makes 163 horsepower at 3,800 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm while the other produces 184 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque in the same rev range. The 163-hp unit is available with either the autobox or the manual in your choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The 184-hp diesel is only available with all-wheel drive but is still offered with either transmission.

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 dyno’d – is the 392 underrated?

Hemi. The mere mention of the word is enough to strike fear into the hearts of lesser powerplants… or at least images of a pair of scrubby-looking bottom-feeders that really love themselves some Ram Trucks. In any case, we’re keenly interested in the latest Hemi engine from the Dodge Boys, in this case displacing a heady 392 (or so) cubic inches and placed gently inside the engine bay of the 2011 Challenger SRT8.

Not only is this new Hemi larger than the already oversized version it replaces, it’s also considerably more potent. The Pentastar says that its new 392 kicks out 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – substantial improvements over the outgoing SRT8′s 425 hp/420 lb-ft. But those are factory ratings, and we all know those don’t necessarily match what’s actually under the hood of production models.

Thankfully, the crew over at Inside Line managed to score enough time with a 2011 Challenger SRT8 to strap it down to a proper dyno. And the results? How about 452 horses at 6200 RPM and 443 lb-ft at 4400? Yep, that’ll do nicely, and it means that Dodge may actually be underrating its potent performer just a tad. Oh, and for what it’s worth, IL managed to record 370 horses and 343 lb-ft from its 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS on the same exact dyno. Chevy’s answer ought to be coming in the form of a Z28 with over 500 supercharged ponies… Stay tuned, the horsepower wars are clearly still in full swing.

Proton builds itself a Mitsubishi Evolution

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is such a good car, it seems that Malaysian automaker Proton decided it ought to offer a version of its own. Sort of. While the company’s Jebat Concept, which was just shown off at the Kuala Lumpur Motor Show, is styled to look like the Evolution, it’s actually powered by the 237-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged mill used in the slightly less potent Ralliart model.

Nobody seems to know at the moment if the Jebat Concept has any shot at production, but its existence isn’t all that surprising considering that Proton just recently launched the Inspira, itself an almost exact copy of the standard Mitsubishi Lancer. In any case, it’s clearly differentiated from its siblings by virtue of its matte black front and rear fascias and side sills, along with a Proton-specific grille. See for yourself in the image gallery below.

Race-Star ConverTTable may be the coolest coffee table we’ve ever seen

A driving wheel sounds like a nice addition for any racing video game, but in reality it might not work as well as you hope. You have to find a place to mount the wheel and a make sure your pedals aren’t sliding around the floor. It’s not that much of a hassle, but a dedicated space for both wheel and pedals would be nice… throw in a racing seat and the virtual-racing ante has officially been upped.

But where would you store something like that and how do you craft it so as not to be a total eye-sore? Austrian company Race-Star has the answer and it comes in the form of the ConverTTable.

What appears to be a fairly basic box table actually hides a special gaming secret. The ConverTTable unfolds to reveal a driving wheel, adjustable pedals and a track mounted racing bucket. You can slide it in front of your TV and the Nürburgring on Gran Turismo 5 goes from a controller-hucking experience to a carousel-shredding event. When it’s time to shut down the fun, simply fold the table back up and it turns right back into drink-holding furniture.

Driver’s Worst Nightmare – Funny Photo

Came across this photo on Facebook..I think this is the worse possible thing that can happen to any driver..

Notice this:

• The flat tire
• The spare wheel is in the lions hands

Hope the Landrover does not tip over….lol

From maragates

Rumormill (Yet Again): Lexus GS-F is coming

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings about Lexus working on a performance version of itsGS sedan. The crew at Road & Track reports that the upcoming GS-F will serve as the range-topping trim in the GS model range, set apart from its siblings with not only a more aggressive appearance, but a serious increase in power, to boot.

Sources within Toyota have told the buff book that the GS-F will be powered by a 5.0-liter V8, just like the smaller IS-F, but that output will be increased to 465 horsepower for the larger sedan. The other key ingredient to making the GS-F a serious performer is a substantial reduction in weight. Through the use of aluminum and carbon fiber components, Toyota aims to have the GS-F weigh in at about 3,700 pounds, meaning it should be capable of ripping off 4.5-second 0-60 times.

Toyota is positioning the GS-F to compete with the likes of the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, with prices to start somewhere around the $90,000 to $100,000 range. No official timeframe has been given on when we’ll actually see the GS-F, but R&T states that it could show up as early as 2012, after therefreshed GS range debuts.