Filed under: Performance , Videos , Lexus , Toyota The Lexus LF-A supercar has been a long time coming and Toyota has finally confirmed (in an ambiguous press release) that the production version is headed to the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The LF-A (or LF-L) is a lock for production and rumors have the Japanese supercar going on sale in the UK as early as this month . Lending more credence to its imminent arrival: a new video of the LF-A leaving a gas station outside the Nurburgring. Joining a pre-production camo-clad mule is a white LF-A cloaked in a minimal amount of detail obscuring taping, and as the near production version heads out slowly from the lot, the lucky driver quickly gets on the go pedal, with the rev-happy 550 hp V10 powerplant letting out a series of F1-style cries. It's definitely worth your time, especially if you've got the speakers to appreciate the sound of Toyota's first exotic powertrain. Make the jump to check out the video and Toyota's release. Gallery: Lexus LF-A Concept [Source: YouTube ] Continue reading VIDEO: Production spec Lexus LF-A opens the taps outside the 'Ring VIDEO: Production spec Lexus LF-A opens the taps outside the 'Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Government/Legal , Recalls , Safety , Toyota Good news for those of you who happen to own a Toyota or Lexus vehicle sans floormats, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly come up with a solution to the 3.8 million-vehicle recall announced last week . We haven't reviewed the documentation ourselves, but it sounds as if the answer is to zip tie the driver's side floormat to the seat rails. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons tells Automotive News that dealers all around the country should have gotten the instructions on the so-called "semipermanent floormat installation process," which means they can continue to sell new and used vehicles with floormats in place. Plus, dealerships are being instructed to attach a note to the nylon wire-tie instructing dealers and customers to ensure the mats are properly affixed. The warning also notes that owners should never stack multiple mats on top of one another(!). Apparently, bit of discount MacGyvery satisfies the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If you own one of the recalled models , perhaps it's time to visit your dealership to get the fix taken care of. [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd] Toyota's solution for troublesome floormats: Tie them down originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , GM Just last week we were chatting with Buick GMC General Manager Susan Docherty on the GM Fastlane Blog about our lack of confidence in the 2010 GMC Terrain, and now she's moved up to GM's Vice President of US sales. Docherty will replace the soon to be departed Mark LeNeve as sales VP and one of the General's executive team members on October 16. Docherty enters her new role with a wealth of experience including stints as general manager of Hummer and GM's western region. CEO Fritz Henderson used the press release ( after the jump ) to welcome Docherty to the exclusive executive club, adding "Susan will continue our progress and reinforce our focus to put the Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac customers first." While we're sure Docherty is pretty damn pleased with her latest advancement, we're thinking she's got her work cut out for her. GM's US sales have been in a downward spiral for what seems like an eternity, and Docherty will either end her time as sales VP as the hero who helped reverse the decades-old trend or yet another executive who presided over the perpetual fall. [Source: GM | Image Source: Chris McGrath/Getty] Continue reading Fritz picks Susan Docherty to replace LaNeve Fritz picks Susan Docherty to replace LaNeve originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Volkswagen While we were chatting with VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby in Wolfsburg, Germany, the subject of its new 'Merican-built car came up. The so-called NMS or New Midsize Sedan will replace the Passat in the US VW lineup. This model will be unique to the North American market, which brought up a question about the last "Americanized" VW. For those not old enough to remember, Volkswagen opened a factory in Westmoreland county Pennsylvania in 1978 and closed it a decade later. When the plant started building the Rabbit (aka MK 1 Golf) VW's home office modified the Rabbit to make it "more appealing" to American buyers. That meant giving it rectangular headlights and making it softer and losing much of the German character that made it fun to drive. Jacoby promises that won't happen this time around. Instead, the process of adaption will involve growing the sedan to bring it on par with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The current Passat is considered to be just a bit too small inside by comparison. What won't change is the tight suspension setup and styling consistent with other contemporary VWs.

Filed under: Motorsports , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs If you thought the series of driver changes in the middle of this ongoing Formula One season was something, it's nothing compared to the grand game of musical chairs expected to ensue as the season draws to a close. With BMW closing up shop, several new teams joining the grid and at least a couple of former world champions switching teams for next year's championship, we're shaping up for the biggest jumble the F1 circus has seen in years. Follow the jump to see how it's unfolding so far. [Image: Clive Mason/Getty] Continue reading End of Year Shuffle: 14 Formula One teams swap drivers for 2010 End of Year Shuffle: 14 Formula One teams swap drivers for 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Wagon , Japan , Subaru , UK , Diesel 2010 Subaru Legacy Tourer 2.0D - click above image for high-res gallery Led Zepplin said it best, "The song remains the same." Especially if you're an American fan of good old station wagons. You're looking at the just-released-to-our-shepherd's-pie-eating-brethren 2010 Subaru Legacy Wagon and we (yet again) can't have it. Wah. Based entirely on the fifth-generation Legacy (built right in Indiana) the Tourer comes standard with a 2.0-liter diesel boxer mill mated to a six-speed manual transmission. That particular car, the Legacy Tourer 2.0D, can hustle itself to 60 mph in 9.5 seconds, go 120 mph and get around 38 mpg. Not bad. You can also go for the Tourer 2.5i which has a 2.5-liter gasoline boxer engine and a new "Lineartronic" CVT, notable because it's longitudinally mounted behind the boxer engine, which sounds highly efficient. The petrol-powered car is about a second slower to 60 mph and surely costs more while getting worse mileage. We would like to remind Subaru that they are selling us Americans the Outback (which is a jacked up Legacy Wagon with plastic cladding and a name derived from Paul Hogan), the Forester (another high-riding Legacy derivative with a tall roof that looks exactly like a station wagon) and the Tribeca (the less said here, the better). Oh, and the Impreza/WRX also come as five doors.

Filed under: Car Buying , Sedan , Ford 2010 Ford Taurus - Click above for high-res image gallery We've already established that we feel the 2010 Ford Taurus is a lot more interesting than the boring and benign model it replaced, and sales totals are starting to reinforce our findings. September's sales tally revealed that the new Blue Oval flagship received a 60% sales increase versus September of 2008, and while the fact that the top sales market for the Taurus is Metro Detroit is no surprise, second place is likely the real prize. The Taurus is reportedly red-hot in sunny California, and some dealers are having trouble keeping the super-sized sedan in stock. That's obviously a great problem to have, and Ford spokesperson Amy Marentic told the Detroit Free Press that there is a simple reason why supplies are short: "The older Taurus ... did not move and really wasn't relevant in California." Galpin Ford vice president Beau Boeckmann was a bit more direct in his reasoning, adding "We went from a frumpy car that did not have a southern California appeal to a car that everybody is in love with." Ford says it is also seeing good news on the options front, as it says 95% of customers are ordering uplevel models or are at least adding extras. A significant 25% of customers have reportedly opted to add Ford's excellent navigation system, up from only 4% on the outgoing Taurus. We're not so sure "everybody" loves the new Taurus, as it's still a big rig that won't ignite the passion of most enthusiasts, but that isn't really its lot in life anyhow, and we can at least say that the new model ought to receive far more love than the neutered bull it replaced. Hat tip to Yaroukh! Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford Taurus Photos Copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Detroit Free Press ] 2010 Ford Taurus reportedly enjoying strong early sales in California originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

AltCar 2009: Riding in Green Vehicles' Triac, a prototype that is not quite ready This trike is going into full production in 60 days. Is that enough? Chevy Volt heads to Pikes Peak to practice mountain climbing GM goes up 14,110 feet in the Volt " faster than anticipated." 2010 Green Car of the Year finalists - three hybrids, two diesels - announced Audi makes the list for the first time, joining VW, Toyota, Honda and Mercury in the top five. Other news: i MiEV joins the CarPool, speeds excessively Volkswagen extends the range of the Touran TSI EcoFuel to 416 miles Toyota Prius sales backlogged until May 2010 in Japan AutoblogGreen for 10.08.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Performance , Hatchback , Volkswagen 2010 Volkswagen Golf R20 - click above for high-res image gallery Volkswagen unveiled the new high-zoot R version of the MK VI Golf at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month, but it declined to say whether Americans would ever get a chance to buy one. Fans of the R32 will likely be clamoring for the new R20 if does make it to our shores, in part because of the 400 pounds it has shed. While we are here in Wolfsburg today to drive VW's more pedestrian Golf varietals, we had a chance to follow up on the R20 possibility for America. First, we asked VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby, who told us it was being studied and that no decision had yet been reached about the R20 for America. A little later, we talked with Andres Valbuena who happens to be the U.S. product planner for the Golf, GTI and New Beetle. That means he guides the direction of the Golf in this country. To give you some perspective on where Andres stands on this subject, his personal ride back home in Virginia is a 2004 edition R32 with an added blower, so word that Valbuena is pushing hard to get the R20 should come as no surprise. Further, if it does cross the Pond, he wants it available in both two- and four-door bodystyles with a choice of manual or DSG transmissions. If the R20 does make it here, odds are VW won't be able to justify two powertrains given the expected low volumes.

Review: 2009 Lexus LX570 is three tons of luxury with a dollop of off-road mastery With proven Land Cruiser bloodlines, and the Tundra's V8 muscle underhood, the seven-passenger LX competes in the rarefied full-size luxury SUV segment. But what does this Japanese entrant hold over its British and American counterparts? DeLorean Motor Company considering rescuing Pontiac Solstice? In one of the strangest rumors we've heard recently, DeLorean Motor Company is considering buying the plant and the Solstice/Sky platform from GM and putting it back into production as a new DMC. Tokyo 2009 Preview: Nissan unveils leaning Land Glider concept Nissan is pulling out all the zero emission stops at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. In addition to the expected Leaf electric vehicle, the Japanese automaker will also be showing off a new city car concept called the Land Glider. Other news of import Ferrari 458 Italia price emerges at $240,000 in alleged leaked document New VW Beetle coming in two years, Scirocco still not in cards for U.S. Infiniti confirms production of 2012 M35 Hybrid Mark LaNeve leaving GM effective October 15 Hyundai and GReddy team up for 350-hp Genesis Coupe Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 10.7.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink