The much-hyped Toyota FT-86 has finally been revealed, except that the marketeers have decided to rename the production version as the Toyota GT 86, after spending millions marketing the FT-86 name. Toyota’s new GT 86, with its name derived from the AE86-code Toyota Corolla GT-S of the 1980s, makes its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show on November 30. The compact 2+2 model will go on sale in Europe in June 2012, but is also slated to come to the Middle East. Incidentally, it will be known in Japan as the Toyota Hachiroku, which translates to simply Toyota 86.

The 2013 Toyota GT 86 was a joint development with Subaru, who will have their own nearly-identical version, and thus will be powered by a Subaru-supplied 2.0-litre “boxer” 4-cylinder engine. The motor is good for 197 hp at 7,000 rpm and maximum torque of 205 Nm at 6,600 rpm. Apparently they were trying to emulate Honda Type-R cars and their driving “purity” and ended up with output similar to what Honda already managed a decade ago.

read more http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2011/11/27/toyota-ft-86-finally-debuts-as-gt-86/

The all-new Impreza is the most important model that Subaru needs to market in the US right now, but the Japanese automaker appears to have hit a snag. The company has issued an official memorandum to all of its dealers last week, ordering them to stop selling the 2012 Imprezas as well as certain 2012 Legacy and Outback units.

Subaru of America has reportedly "received a limited number of reports of intermittent excessive brake pedal travel in 2012 Impreza models built through November 15 as well as 2012 Legacy and Outback models built between October 27 and November 23," adding that "drivers have reported their concerns about greater than normal brake pedal travel."

So basically, there might be a serious brake issue right now, and it’s simpler to fix the cars on the lot, but they will have to order parts before they can start the actual recall.

read more: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/subaru-orders-dealers-to-stop-selling-2012-imprezas-40746.html

 There’s more glass than you’ll know what to do with (though it’s unclear how all that glass will do in a crash), and a nice hint of BMW’s i blue along design lines, seat belts, and lights makes for a streamlined and sporty look to complement BMW’s elegant style.

As far as range goes, the i3 and i8 are very different. The all-electric i3 will offer between 80 to 100 miles per charge, however BMW knows how much range anxiety affects consumers and provided a solution. The i3 has an optional range extender (or REX, as BMW calls it) which uses gas and motor to offer an additional 80 to 100 miles. However, the gas and motor are merely running to further charge the battery, rather than power the wheels of the car.

The i8, on the other hand, is a hybrid-electric vehicle, meaning it features both an electric motor along with an internal combustion engine. You’ll see around 20 to 30 miles per charge out of the i8, but when paired with the internal combustion engine that expands to about 300 miles combined.

http://techcrunch.com/2011

Subaru said Tuesday it will debut the BRZ concept sports car at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

It’s Subaru’s first sports car with the power coming from the rear wheels — a characteristic more in line with European performance cars. The feature will be combined with a lower center of gravity for improved handling.

The BRZ was developed in partnership with another Japanese carmaker, Toyota (NYSE:TM). But Toyota’s version will be known as the FT-86, feature different body characteristics and have less horsepower than the BRZ, according to numerous reports in the automotive press.

read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2011/11/01/a-first-for-subaru-sports-car-with.html?ana=e_pft

“Performance is back,” Mark Reuss, GM’s president of North American operations, has said on numerous occasions.

For all the attention GM has given the electric Volt, the automaker has delivered significantly more muscle car models to market over the last year, including an assortment of Camaros, and several new versions of the Cadillac V-Series, including the 550-hp CTS-V Coupe.

Indeed, the Chevy Camaro (with an EPA fuel economy rating of 19 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway) was one of the hottest cars of 2010, notably knocking down the king of the pony-car hill, the Ford Mustang, for the first time in 25 years..Chrysler

This version of the Camaro will be considerably more powerful -- and probably much more expensive -- than the 426-horsepower Camaro SS that's now available,  Chevrolet

"Rush Limbaugh and others wanted to walk away," Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, said Thursday. "Rush Limbaugh and others saw a million people that worked at these factories, that worked at these parts suppliers, that supported communities, and thought we should all just walk away.  The President didn't think that walking away from a million jobs in these communities made a lot of economic sense."

President Obama was at the Chrysler plant in Detroit and the GM plant Hamtramck on Friday, and he will visit the Ford plant in Chicago this week. Each of these plants has recently added workers -- approxmately 1,100 at the Chrysler operation, and 1,200 at Ford's.

The President's message was that the federal government's timely actions saved the American automotive industry. ibtimes