2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version

The third chapter of what has turned out to be a very long saga came to an end tonight with the official presentation of the new 2013 Scion FR-S, which follows the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier today.

The name Scion chose for the North American version of the Toyota 86 stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The 2+2 coupe is the fifth model to join the Scion family and will go on sale in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2012.
“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance," he added.
When Scion impressed us with the sleek concept version of the FR-S at the New York Auto Show back in April, we had some slight hope that Toyota's youth brand would follow a different road applying the same styling treatment to the production model.
Sadly, as you can see for yourselves, this didn’t happen with the FR-S being an identical twin to the Toyota 86. Makes you wonder why Scion even bothered showing us a different concept in New York in the first place…
Under the Toyota 86 body you'll find the same mechanical hardware and layout you've obviously heard and read about so many times, including the Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system that incorporates both direct and port injection. 
 
The naturally-aspirated flat four churns out 200 ponies and 151 pound-feet of torque, and is linked to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
The FR-S will be offered with 17-inch alloy wheels and ventilated disc brakes on all four corners as standard.
At least in base trim, it appears that the FR-S won't come with the "Start" button nor the cool aviation-style rocker switches under the a/c controls featured on the JDM Toyota 86 as well as the European Toyota GT 86 and the Subaru BRZ
We'll no doubt hear and see more on the FR-S in the coming days/weeks, so stay tuned.
By John Halas

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Audi to Build Second Plant in China for A3 Production

The country with the most car brands and factories in the world just agreed to let Audi to open another plant. Audi made the announcement today stating that FAW-VW, the VW Group's current Chinese operation, will set up a new plant in Foshan for the production of the next generation of the A3.

“Our ties with China and our partner FAW date back more than 20 years”, said Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler at the ceremony announcing the new production site. “In order to be able to tackle future challenges together as well, we want to strengthen our presence significantly in China and further strengthen our strategic partnership. The new plant is an important milestone in our long-term growth strategy in China.”
 
The new plant that will include press, body and paint shops as well as a full assembly line, will be built on a site covering 100-hectares and employ around 4,000 people. It will become operational in 2013 and its annual capacity will be between 150,000 to 200,000 units.
VW and its Chinese partner FAW plan to invest a total of three billion euros in the next five years for the expansion of the Audi brand. Apart from the Foshan factory, Audi’s existing plant in Changchun, which has been operating for more than 20 years and currently manufactures long-wheelbase versions of the A4 and A6 saloons along with the Q5 SUV, will see its production volume increased to 500,000 and 550,000 units per year.
It’s clear that Audi, which is already the market leader in the local luxury segment and expects to exceed 300,000 sales in 2011 for the first time ever, plans a rapid and high-volume expansion in China.

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New Subaru BRZ Sports Coupe

After the unveiling of the Toyota 86 (GT 86 in Europe) on Saturday, it's time for Subaru to take center stage with the presentation of its version of the jointly developed rear-wheel drive sports coupe in production guise.

The new BRZ was revealed today less than two weeks after Subaru exhibited the STI-badged concept model at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and just before the sports coupe makes its first public outing under the spotlight at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday, November 30.
To the surprise of no one, the production BRZ loses the concept’s neat aero-kit with the large rear wing and carbon-fiber parts, but no need to worry as it's almost certain that Subaru's STI division will offer either the same or similar components as an option in due time.
Even though we knew from day one that the Subaru BRZ, the Toyota 86 and the upcoming Scion FR-S were all jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, we had some hope that the cars might differ in appearance and flavor. As you can see for yourself, this never happened – at least with the BRZ and the 86.
From this first set of pictures, we see that the exterior styling changes between the BRZ and 86 are limited only to the re-sculptured front bumper, the alloy wheel designs, the fender trims and the tail lamp graphics (even the shape remains the same). We don't have any photos of the interior yet, but we’re willing to bet that there won't be any noticeable differences between the two cars.
The same goes for the mechanical hardware with the BRZ and the 86 sharing Subaru's 2.0-liter flat-four engine with Toyota’s “D-4S” direct injection and port injection technology, which is rated at 200-horsepower and 205Nm (151 lb-ft) of peak torque.
Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox with a short stroke shift lever or an optional six-speed automatic with paddle shifts on the steering wheel, while the BRZ also gets a specially tuned electronic stability control. The basic model will ride on 17-inch wheels wrapped around 215/45R17 rubber.
We could go on with the dimensions and the suspension setup but we'd be practically repeating what we said about the 86. In fact, come to think of it, we could have just swapped the words "Toyota" with "Subaru" and "86" with "BRZ" and be done with it. Too late now…

By John Halas

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Honda AC-X is a Futuristic Study for a Plug-in Hybrid

Honda is betting heavily on conventional as well as more advanced plug-in hybrid models as the company is planning to increase its 'green' offerings in the very near future.

At the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011, the Japanese brand lifted the wraps off a conceptual proposal for a mid-to-long range plug-in hybrid called the AC-X. The study is much larger than the Insight hybrid measuring 4,700mm long, 1,820mm wide and 1,400mm with a wheelbase of 2,750mm.
The four-seat, fastback-style model makes use of several active aero components including the front and rear bumpers, and side skirts along with the specially designed alloy wheels to achieve a very low aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.21.
The AC-X is powered by a hybrid powertrain that consists of a 127HP 1.6-liter petrol engine and an electric motor delivering a maximum output of 161HP (120kW).
Honda says that its plug-in hybrid concept can run on electricity alone for 50 km (31 miles) at speeds of up to 100km/h (62mph). The combined driving range, however, is in excess of 1,000 kilometers (+620 miles).
As a plug-in hybrid, the AC-X has an estimated fuel economy of 110km/L (236 mpg US or under 1lt/100km), while as a hybrid, 36km/L (84.7 mpg US or 2.8lt/100km).

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Honda UK Confirms Production of Supercharged CR-Z iCF by MUGEN

As we rightfully suspected when Honda revealed the Mugen CR-Z RR Study at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 earlier in the summer, the Japanese carmaker confirmed a production version of its hotted-up hybrid sport hatch that will go on sale in Britain next spring.

And for those of you wondering, unfortunately, Honda has no plans to offer the car in other markets – at least for the time being.
The production model is named CR-Z iCF and it has been developed in partnership with Mugen's European arm. At the heart of the car lies a modified version of the CR-Z's 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain that gains a supercharger, a new induction system and a reprogrammed ECU.
As a result of these upgrades, the CR-Z iCF has almost 50 per cent more power than the standard car at 175PS (equal to 173HP and 177bhp) and can sprint from zero to 62mph (100km/h) in just 6.1 seconds or 3 seconds quicker than the regular 124PS CR-Z.
In addition to the power boost, Mugen will also retune the chassis and modify the appearance of the CR-Z inside and out.
Martin Moll, Head of Honda UK's marketing division commented: "MUGEN Euro magic has created a super responsive yet eco-conscious model building on our sporting credentials and giving us the ability to compete in the "hot hatch" marketplace as we move into 2012."
Honda said that it is still working on the pricing but it expects the CR-Z iCF to start from around £24,000 (approx. US$37,300 or €27,990). More details are to be released closer to the launch date.

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