Daihatsu's Funky Little D-X Roadster

For this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Daihatsu brought along an innovative new concept for a multi-purposes kei car series called the D-X ("d-cross").

While the car shown at the Japanese brand's booth is a two-seater roadster, Daihatsu says that its can be easily modified into different types of models by replacing or adding components on its resin-based body.
Among other body styles, the D-X can be transformed into a shooting-break-like hatchback with a hard top, a two-door crossover and a lightweight weekend-racer.
 
As you can see in the pictures, Daihatsu's roadster model is extremely compact measuring just 3,395mm in length, 1,475mm in width and 1,275mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,230mm.
Power for the D-X comes courtesy of Daihatsu's 0.66-liter two-cylinder engine with direct-injection and turbocharging technology, with the Japanese automaker saying that it "strikes a balance between the joy of driving and fuel-efficiency."

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Kawasaki ZX10R Rider Loses it on Mulholland Highway

A guardrail is one of those things that you either never notice or don't really appreciate its existence until it saves your life.

And that it did when the owner of a Kawasaki ZX10R seemingly locked his front brake (we could be wrong, but that looks to be the culprit from the video) while taking a soft corner on Mulhollland Highway near Malibu California and ended up on the ground sliding dangerously towards the canyon.
Follow the break to watch the video for yourself.

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Toyota FCV-R Fuel-Cell Concept Heading for Production in 2015

Toyota's conceptual products at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show are a bit more than crowd pleasers as both the FT-EV III mini and the FCV-R study pictured here, are slated to enter production.

The FCV-R is a next-generation fuel-cell concept model fueled by hydrogen that Toyota says is planned for launch in 2015.
According to the Japanese automaker, the fuel-cell unit is located beneath the specially designed body thus saving space with the concept being able to accommodate up to four passengers and their luggage. 
 
The next generation fuel cell stack consists of a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank, which said to provide a driving range of approximately 700 km or about 435 miles.
Being that the FCV-R not only resembles the Prius in looks but is also very similar in size at 4,745 mm long, 1,790 mm wide and 1,510 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm, it is possible that the two cars share the same platform architecture.

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Ferrari 599XX Evolution Comes with More Power and Less Weight

We're not even half way through the press days of the Tokyo Motor Show, yet we already have news from the next event in our automotive calendar, the 36th edition of the Bologna Motor Show in Italy (December 3 to 11) which will provide the venue for the unveiling of the updated 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evolution.

The 599XX is track beast for a select few über rich of our world that was introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show as replacement for the Enzo-based FXX.
The updated model features a number of technical improvements including an even more potent version of the Enzo-sourced V12 engine due to the adoption of side exhausts that allowed engineers to increase output to 750-horses at 9,000 rpm with a peak torque of 700Nm (516.3 lb-ft). In addition, Ferrari made the final gear ratio shorter to improve acceleration on technical, medium- to high-speed tracks.
The Italian company says that the non-homologated sports berlinetta also sports improved chassis dynamics thanks to an active aerodynamic package integrated with the vehicles’ electronic control systems.
The highlight of the aero package is an active rear wing design with two flaps that rotate electronically to adjust the downforce between the front and rear axles in relation to vehicle speed and the maneuver. According to Ferrari, the active rear wing is triggered automatically according to specific parameters which are integrated with the car’s other control functions (ESP, ABS, SCM and F1-Trac).
The 2012 599XX also gets a modified front splitter and a new rear diffuser featuring a larger surface area and redesigned fences and foot-plates. As a result of these changes, total downforce at 200 km/h (124mph) is boosted to 330 kg (727 pounds) when the flaps are open and 440kg (970 pounds) in the closed configuration.
Finally, the ultimate version of the 599 series gets a new set of Pirelli tires while Ferrari claims to have trimmed 35kg (77 lbs) off the original model.
According to the Italian automaker, the 599XX Evolution laps the Fiorano in just 1 minute and 15 seconds.

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