The “C” in the car have intrigued the fans and the Japanese car manufacturer have come up with meanings like China, Challenge, or Cool. The production version of the mid-size vehicle will be exclusive to the auto lovers in China. The car will be built thru a collaboration of Honda with the Guangqi Honda Automobile. It is expected to go on sale by 2013.

According to insiders, the conceptualization for the family car was initiated by the Chinese associates of Honda while the development of the idea, design, and other details were done thru cooperation between their teams in Japan and China.

Aside from unwrapping the Honda Concept C, the joint venture of the firm called Guangqi Honda Automobile revealed plans of having a third assembly line to be built on their ZengCheng factory.

The works on the additional production line will start before the end of this year and will be fully operation by 2014. Honda plans to have an initial production of about 120,000 vehicles. The Japanese car manufacturer plans to up the ante to about 240,000 units once things are going smoothly during production.

The new Zed car is the 2013 MY for the 370Z. The biggest changes include the softer lines of the snout which now features a daytime running lamp made of LEDs near the outer portion of the bumper which gives it a more masculine appearance. The boomerang headlights are still there and the character lines on the hood.

From the side, the new Nissan 370Z you will not miss the red brake calipers and the 19 inch rims if you opt for the Sport Package version. The stock rims for the 2013 Nissan 370Z are a bit smaller at 18 inches. Other features on the back are the red reflector on the bumper and the dark trim for the fuel gauge.

In terms of performance, the work has been minor too. The Sport Package 370Z has an upgraded shock absorbers while the Nismo borrows the GT-R’s higher quality brake fluid and hoses. Before it took a 2009 370Z about 111 feet before it screeched to 0 from 60 miles per hour. It will be nice to know how the new set up improved the stopping ability of this ride.

The facelift did not touch what is inside the engine bay so the 3.7L V6 still outputs 332 horsepower with a torque of 270 lb-ft and abut 350HP and torque of 270 lb-ft for the Nismo. The engine is still linked to a 6-speed manual transmission while there is an option for a 7-speed automatic gearbox except for the 370Z Nismo.

We expect the official announcement of the sticker price before June this year when it is schedule to hit the showrooms.

Evidently, the concept for the Porsche Carrera GT was conceived at Le Mans, the 24-hour race. With sixteen victories behind them, Porsche engineers wanted to create a race car that could handle high speeds while being extremely lightweight. The result was supposed to be a prototype proving that technologically, the feat was indeed possible and doable. But once the public saw the car, it was overwhelmingly received, and development began on a street-legal model. By the time it went to market, the MSRP was US$440,000.

What made the car so exceptional was that it was conceptualized and built upon Porsche’s strength in racing. It was also a car of its own, not a newer version of something else. Using leading edge engineering and technology, the Carrera GT advanced from the original 5.5 liter rated at 558 hp to the 5.7 liter 612hp engine. Most intriguing about the design was the block which was actually a component of the car’s structure. Two seater, six speed manual transmission, ceramic clutch, stainless steel exhaust, and titanium connecting rods all contributed to the allure of this luxury sportscar.

Cosmetically, the Carrera GT was smart-looking and sleek. It was offered in standard colors Guards Red, Fayence Yellow, Basalt Black, GT Silver and Seal Grey, as well as custom hues if requested. Soft leather adorned the interior, multi-functional liquid-crystal instrument display perfected navigation, and all models sported the iconic left hand ignition. In earlier days, the ignition was placed to the left of the steering wheel so that racers could jump into their cars, starting the car with their left hands and using their right hands to shift gears.

The removable roof came in two pieces weighing only about five pounds each. The Carrera was equipped with custom-fitted five-piece luggage set, a sound system, front and side airbags and optional air conditioning. The 2005 model was upgraded slightly to include a glass wind-blocker screen, the ability to adjust the seat height, and the chassis number was placed on a magnesium cover on the center console.

The Carrera GT, deservedly, received many awards and accolades including “Best of What’s New” from Popular Science Magazine 2003; “Engineering Excellence Award” from the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastic Engineers; and “Best Dream Car 2004″ by Road and Track Magazine.

Admittedly, the lifespan of the Porsche Carrera GT was short-lived, but according to Porsche it was still “the world’s best-selling high-performance sports car”. Models shown in 2003 were actually 2004 editions and by May 2006, production had ceased. Interestingly, at the beginning, the company felt that only five hundred cars would be built. By the time the limited run ended, there were close to thirteen hundred (1,270 to be exact) handcrafted units, half of which sold in North America. According to the Porsche fans at Porsche Blog Porshiana, airbag laws had changed in the US and Porsche was denied its request to waive new crash testing recertification. As a result, the company felt the impending expenses were too great.

Rightfully so, the Carrera GT was the ultimate Porsche, and Exotic Car News still ranks it the most hyper-hypercar of all times!

And it sounds good too. :p

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ll take one!

(More great Ferrari stuff at Ferrari-Blog.net)

According to the police forces’ spokesperson John McCarthy, the Altimas they testes were the very first hybrids fitted with an exclusive police package for patrol. NYPD wanted to test the performance of the vehicles in the field, first, before they agreed to sign up. Based on the recent announcement, it’s safe to say that the cops were pretty happy with the idea of having hybrids in their fleet.

With NYPD’s 200 hybrids, the Big Apple’s green car count will be raised to four hundred. What made NYPD sign up for the cause? Reviewers think that aside from cleaning up the planet, it’s because they’ll be making a lot of savings with the hybrids.

For example, the brakes of the police-issue Nissan Altima hybrids can last twice, if not three times, longer than the brakes of a standard gasoline-run cruiser. The hybrids are also three times more dependable.

To recap, the Nissan at $25,391 each cost the Big Apple $1500 a unit more than the Impala. According to NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the initial stages of the testing, the city would cover the difference between the standard Chevy’s cost and the cost of the Altima’s purchase. New York’s mayor was positive that the fuel savings would eventually pay off the city’s efforts and save its taxpayers money they could spend on something else than cop cars.

Check out our picture (but more so, check out the amazing video that highlights the whole car!) and note that the bumper in front was replaced by a carbon fiber assembly with a modular splitter. Notice the wider arch of the fenders and the side skirt works. The Vorsteiner body kit can also give you a race bonnet made of carbon fiber.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The rear portion makes use of arch extensions for the fender, a chrome emblem of Vorsteiner, carbon diffuser, and a wider arch rear bumper. There is also an option for a quad stainless steel exhaust setup.

The GTRS3 M3 is fitted with the 7-spoke forged V-308 wheels that comes either as an 18- or 20-incher. These cool rims are hugged by performance tires from Michelin.

This will be a very limited production run. Only 100 body kits will be available through the network of Vorsteiner worldwide, or you can contact your BMW dealer, and they’ll gladly put you in contact with the Vorsteiner people according to them. Prices have not yet been disclosed officially.

The M35 Hybrid is expected to go on sale by 2011 coming in as a 2012 model. The green car from Infiniti is fitted with a V-6 engine under its hood that is combined with an electric motor capable of giving out 68 horsepower supplied by lithium ion batteries. The hybrid system will be coupled with a 7-speed transmission in automatic configuration.

The new Infiniti hybrid utilizes two clutches. One is placed between the V-6 3.5L and the electric motor which permits decoupling of the naturally aspirated powerplant when in power regeneration and electric mode. The decoupling is done to lower the mechanical drag and boost the efficiency of the motor. The other clutch links the electric motor to the car’s drivetrain.

Looking at the picture, the electric motor is capable of acting as a propulsion unit by itself or it can provide a power boost to the V-6 engine when max acceleration is needed. The electric motor also serves as generator. The electric motor can charge the battery in a conventional way or the system can recover energy when the car slows down and when the driver hits the brakes.

The Direct Response System developed by Infiniti will most likely be the core of future range of many hybrid vehicles. The car manufacturer has not yet released the official numbers for the car’s fuel mileage and performance.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pretty funny though, they do capture Mercedes’, BMW and Lexus image nicely – and yes, the R8 is sexy as hell! More great Audi stuff at the best Audi Blog on the web.

It is a long shot for Corvette to apply hybrid technologies to their future sports cars but the car manufacturer is committed to meet the tougher fuel regulations set by the United States federal government. The fuel standards will hit a demanding mark of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Some car makers have opted to give their vehicles smaller engines to meet the clamor for greener rides by the market. Corvette might improve the technology of their V-8 power plants so they can meet the fuel mileage numbers. They plan to tandem the more efficient engines with tires having low rolling resistance and electric power steering. Improving the curb weight of future vehicles will also be another solution.

To jump the numbers on the fuel economy aspect, Corvette plans to give the engine better direct injection system, cylinder deactivation, and valve timing with variable configuration.

The car maker is looking at a realistic 30mpg fuel efficiency for their sports cars while letting the more higher production vehicles help reach the combined needed average of 35.5 mpg. I rented a Convertible Corvette ZHZ in Las Vegas last year and couldn’t even manage 17mpg, so that’s a huge jump…

The 2010 Corvette features a 430 horsepower with updated features like the launch control and graphics options. The Grand Sport version also returns on spotlight.

The 159 sedan will get two new engines—a petrol engine that is turbocharged and a brand new turbodiesel engine.  The latter will replace the present 1.9L diesel unit with 150HP.  Other Alfa Romeo models like the Brera and Spider will eventually be getting a taste of these new engines.

The petrol engine bears a 1.8L displacement and because of forced reduction, the output will exceed the 200HP.  This will replace the bigger 2.2L that now powers that Alfa Romero Brera and Spider models that only comes with 185HP.

The new engine will emit lesser CO2.  If all goes well, these modifications will help push the car from 159 to 62mph about a second faster compared to the present engine.  It will also increase the mileage from 25mpg to 28mpg.

The bigger 2.0L turbo diesel counterpart comes with 170hp.  However, according to initial test drives done by The Alfa Romeo Blog, some thinks that the older engine is better refined.

Naturally, the Alfa Romeo’s new engines will pass the standards of the Euro 5 emissions.  They will also be less pricey compared to the current engines in place.  The turbo 159 petrol engine is estimated to land somewhere €25,000.  But let’s keep it steady for a while as the official pricing will be released by Alfa Romeo sometime later this year.