Mitsubishi to Sell Rebadged Infiniti M as its New Flagship Sedan in Japan

Mitsubishi may have a wide range of vehicles, but it lacks a flagship model since it stopped production of the Diamante back in 2005. However, that will change soon.

Today, the troubled automaker announced that, as a part of cooperation agreement signed with the Nissan Group in December 2010, it begin selling a rebadged Fuga, which in the rest of the world is known as the Infiniti M, from next summer.

Even though Mitsubishi had already begun development of a successor to the Diamante, the model’s low sales, which dipped below 10,000 units in its last year of production, along with the company’s economic problems, killed off the project.

According to Mitsubishi, the rebadged luxury sedan will be sold only in Japan and there are no plans to export the car in overseas markets. The Japanese automaker has yet to reveal the flagship sedan's name.

The cooperation between the two companies extends beyond the M sedan, as Mitsubishi has already agreed to sell Nissan’s NV200 van while providing Nissan with the electric Minicab i-MiEV commercial van.

The two Japanese makers have also formed a joint venture for the common development of mini cars for their home market.

Story source: Autonews

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Range Rover VS BMW British Team to Race Range Rover Evoque with BMW Straight-Six at the 2012 Dakar Rally

More than 9,000 km in 14 days in extremely demanding conditions: this is the world-renowned Dakar Rally in which every year hundreds of competitors strive not just for the win, but for a chance to cross the finish line having lived an outstanding experience in the most prestigious off-road race on earth.

The British Excite Rally Raid Team will race three cars commissioned by RaBe Race Cars and driven by an all-British line-up consisting of Martin Rowe, Andrew Coley and John Hardy. And if the photo reminds you of something, you are right: the T3 race car’s body shell is that of the brand-new Range Rover Evoque.

However, power will come from a BMW 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six diesel pumping out 275HP and 650Nm (479.4 lb-ft) of peak torque. A ZF 6-speed transmission will transfer power to the wheel that are dressed in BF Goodrich desert tires.

“We’ve been working on this project for a long time”, said the team’s business manager David Jones. “We were approached by a manufacturer, RaBe Race Cars, whose staff has been around the sport for a long time. Seeing our professional approach, they asked if we could work together. We have goals we can assist each other with, so we have now set our sights a bit higher.”

Mike Jones of RaBe Race Cars commented: “We have years of off-road motorsport experience at every level, from club to international works teams. The last 15 years have been devoted to Desert raging and achieving top honors at Dakar. It is little known, but we have built cars for many other teams who race under their own colors and logos.”

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Dodge Mulling Super Durango SRT8 with 465HP Hemi V8

Chrysler already a high-performance SUV in its arsenal, namely the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 that comes fitted with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 pushing out 465 HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque and which can complete the quarter mile sprint in the mid-13 seconds range.

But now, the Detroit carmaker it also considering giving the Durango the SRT8 treatment in 2013. This would be an easy task, since both models are based on the same platform.

Therefore Dodge should have no problem shoehorning the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 under the Durango’s bonnet, as well as use the Jeep's lowered active suspension and proceed to some bodywork and interior upgrades befitting the SRT badge.

The only obstacle is that the most powerful model in the Durango line-up, the370HP R/T, has sold only 2,418 units since it launched in March – a meager 7% of the model’s total sales.

As a result, Chrysler’s executives are still understandably cagey about producing a model that would sell in even smaller numbers and wouldn’t justify its development costs.

Story source: Inside Line

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Lamborghini to Roll Out More Limited Production Supercars like the Sesto Elemento

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelman surprised everyone when, on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show, announced that the Italian company would put the impressive Sesto Elemento concept into production.

The carbon fibre-bodied Sesto Elemento is powered by a 570HP V10 and, thanks to its low weight of 999 kg (2,202 pounds), accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 2.5 seconds.

Now, if you thought that this was a surprise, here comes another one: Winkelmann revealed that the very limited-production Sesto Elemento (20 units) is only the beginning.

“Once in a while we should do one-offs or special editions. In this case, we made the concept and then got enough interest to make a limited run”, said Winkelman. “The key is that every car we build meets the emotional standards of Lamborghini and is profitable.”

He admitted though that future models will most likely not be as outrageous as the Sesto Elemento. “We have stretched the limits of weight with this car. To build something lighter would be too expensive."

Considering the price for "normal" Lamborghinis, "too expensive" probably means a price tag out of this world...

Story source: Autocar

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Ford Police Interceptors Reporting For Duty in Michigan

Michigan outlaws beware: State Police is getting ready to add another weapon in its armory, or rather two: the Ford Taurus Police Interceptor Sedan and the Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, which today passed the two-day State Police tests and are ready to enter service.

Although the Taurus Interceptor was tested just as thoroughly, it was the Explorer SUV Utility version that received most of the attention.

According to Ford, not only did it outperform its direct rival, the Chevrolet Tahoe, but it also stood its ground among other saloon models in 0-60mph acceleration, handling and braking tests.

“We are pleased that the performance of the Police Interceptor Utility was validated because it provides more choice for law enforcement agencies,” said Police Interceptors’ marketing manager Lisa Teed. “They can be assured that whether in slippery conditions like snow or in pursuit situations the purpose-built Utility will deliver.”

Both vehicles come equipped with four-wheel drive as standard. The Explorer is powered by a 3.5-liter flex-fuel V6 with 300HP and the Crown Victoria-replacing Taurus sedan with either a flex-fuel 3.5-liter V6 or a 365HP twin-turbocharged V6.

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GM Prepares All-New 2012 Chevrolet Colorado for Launch, but it won't Come to the U.S.

After traveling all around the world in concept format, the new 2012 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck has entered the final testing phase in Thailand before the introduction of the production model that will go on sale towards the end of the year.

Today, General Motors released some new photos showing the prototype models being put through their paces as the company prepares to produce the midsize pickup in its Rayong assembly plant in Thailand.

The Detroit automaker said the Rayong manufacturing facility has undergone a $300 million upgrade, including a retooling of the entire vehicle assembly line, to build the new pickup truck.

“The hard work for this program has been done, and we are incredibly pleased with the results,” said Chevrolet Colorado Chief Engineer, Roberto Rempel. “This is a world-class truck that will appeal to buyers not just in the heavily concentrated truck markets of Southeast Asia, but around the world.

GM says that the new Colorado will be sold in markets across Asia Pacific including Australia where Holden showed its own concept model, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Thailand will be the first market to receive the Colorado. No word if GM's future plans include the North American region.

While these photos don't reveal much about the appearance of the final production version of the Colorado, a completely undisguised prototype of the pickup truck was recently spotted unguarded at a parking lot in Thailand (click here to check out the photos).

At least for the Asia Pacific region, the new 2012 Chevrolet Colorado will be offered with newly developed 2.5-liter and 2.8-liter turbocharged diesel engines that will also be produced at an adjacent GM plant in Thailand.

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