Honda Wins Appeal of Small-Claims Court Over Civic Hybrid's MPGs

In February of 2012, Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters was awarded US$9,867 by a small-claims court in California after she accused the Japanese automaker of overstating the car's 50mpg fuel economy figures.

However, being that Peters wasn't the only one to refuse Honda's class-action settlement that offered some 200,000 owners US$100-200 each and a $1,000 credit on purchasing a new car, the Japanese company decided to appeal her win.

While lawyers are not allowed in small claims court in California, they are permitted on appeal. And unfortunately for Peters, Honda pulled the big guns hiring a national law firm with more than 800 lawyers to represent the company in court.

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SCOOP: This is the New Porsche Macan Compact SUV

No more hiding under the body panels of the Audi Q5 for the Porsche Macan as the Stuttgart automaker's engineers took a completed prototype for a ride in Germany and our spy photographers were on hand to capture it on film.

Lifting a page from the 911 prototypes, Porsche's people added some goofy-looking head- and tail lamp covers mimicking the style of the larger Cayenne to confuse us, but the rest of the car matches the teaser sketch released by the company in February during the announcement of the name.

The overall exterior styling is very close to the Cayenne but the Macan is smaller in size and features a swoopier roofline.

The Macan shares its platform architecture with the Audi Q5, which means its key dimensions will be similar to Ingolstadt's crossover model.

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New Porsche Cayenne Cayster GT 670 by Hofele-Design

After previewing the new Cayster GT 670 program for the Porsche Cayenne at last year's Essen Motor Show, German aftermarket specialist Hofele-Design has now launched the tuning package onto the market.

The exterior upgrades are the main event for this package with Hofele-Design having developed a new 14-piece body kit.

Among other parts, the package includes a newly styled front bumper with LED daytime running lights, wheel arch extensions, a new vented hood with a power dome, side sills, boot spoiler, roof wing, and a new rear bumper that houses a diffuser and quad pipes.

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2013 Audi Q5 gets Barely Visible Styling Tweaks and an Updated Engine Range that Includes 3.0 TFSI

After four years in the market, the Audi Q5 has received its first refresh, but you will be forgiven for not noticing the styling changes.

To sum up the exterior and interior updates that we mentioned when the official pictures of the Q5 leaked onto the web, the compact crossover gets Audi's new six-point grille, fresh headlamp and taillight graphics, revised front and rear aprons, plus updated trim, refined ergonomics, new steering wheels and subtly modified column control stalks and instrument panel.

Of more importance are the changes found under the hood, as there are five new or upgrades engines plus the hybrid model. For the new model year, Audi is replacing the naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 petrol engine.

The 3.0 TFSI outputs 268hp (272PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque allowing for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 5.9 seconds, a top speed of 234km/h (145mph) and a combined fuel consumption of 8.5lt/100km (27.7 US mpg or 33.2mpg UK) on the European cycle.

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Ferrari Reveals HY-KERS V12 for Enzo Replacement at Beijing Auto Show

In any motor show, the Ferrari stand is a crowd magnet. Beijing wasn’t an exception, especially since the Prancing Horse displayed its brand-new F12berlinetta.

The company's CEO Amedeo Felisa said that the 730HP supercar lapped the Fiorano circuit in 1’23’’, which is the fastest time ever recorded by a production Ferrari, including the mighty Enzo. It’s also 30 percent more frugal than the 599 it replaces, with an average consumption of 15 lt/100 km (15 mpg US).

Even though the supercar, which made its Asian debut at Beijing, was the center of attention, the novelty that Ferrari displayed in China is the new powerplant that will power the next Enzo, rumored to be called the F70.

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Honda Concept S to Form the Base for a New Production Minivan

Joining the Concept C sedan at Honda's 2012 Beijing Motor Show booth is the Concept S minivan. According to the Japanese carmaker, the 'S' in the design study's name stands for "Stylish," "Smart" and "Surprise".

Honda tells us that the Concept S is motivated by an unspecified hybrid powertrain and that it features a spacious cabin without providing any information on the number of passengers that it can accommodate.

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BMW Debuts i8 Spyder and Announces "eDrive" Designation for "i" EVs and Hybrids in Beijing

The open-top, two-seater version of the innovative BMW i8 plug-in hybrid made its world premiere today at the China Auto Show in Beijing. At this point, the i8 Concept Spyder is just a concept, but a production version is most probably in the works.

Despite being slightly shorter and losing two seats compared to the i8 Coupe, the Spyder mirrors its closed-roof sibling in its design, lightweight carbonfiber construction and plug-in hybrid powertrain.

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Toyota Shows New Yundong Shuangqing Hybrid Sedan Concept in Beijing

In addition to the Dear Qin compact hatchback and sedan concepts that we told you about earlier today, Toyota also debuted a third study called the Yundong Shuangqing at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing.

The Japanese brand's concept is a sharply styled four-door sedan that features a newly developed hybrid system, which was primarily developed at Toyota's R&D facility in China.

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New Audi A6 L e-tron Concept Plugs-in to the 2012 Beijing Auto Show

The "A6 technological study" that Audi told us it will debut at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing turned out to be a plug-in hybrid version of the domestic market long-wheelbase A6 with the e-tron moniker.

The concept model borrows the driveline found on the production A8 Hybrid, which brings together a 2.0-liter TFSI petrol that produces 208hp (211PS) and an electric motor with a peak output of 70kW (94hp/95PS).

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Infiniti Marks China Debut with New M Long-Wheel Base Models

The next stop for Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is the Chinese market as the company moves ahead with its plan to begin building cars locally to compete with its German rivals in the premium segment, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, all of which produce cars in China.

The first step was made with the global debut of the Infiniti M long-wheel-basemodel available with both hybrid and naturally aspirated engines at this week's Auto China 2012 in Beijing.

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Spy Shots: Ferrari F70 Prototype Caught Testing at a Facility in Germany

What looks at first in these spy pictures like a shooting-break prototype of the 458 Italia is in fact a test mule for Ferrari's next top supercar and a replacement for the Enzo.

Many believe that Maranello's forthcoming flagship model will continue the naming tradition that started with the F40 and F50, and as such, will be called the F70.

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SCOOP: Lexus Begins Work on 2014 IS Sedan with Test Mule

As is common with many car manufactures these days, Lexus has begun the development phase of its next IS premium sedan with a test mule that utilizes the body of the current model with the undercarriage of the new variant to assess the car's mechanical parts without revealing its design.

This particular prototype that was freshly spied testing in Europe features slightly extended front-and rear-ends.

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China's Ferrari-Lamborghini-Audi-Inspired S11 Coupe Rumored to Debut as a JAC Model in Beijing

If you're experiencing a little bit of déjà vu after looking at these photos, no need to worry because chances are you remember our post on the red Tong Jian S11 coupe from the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show.

The news coming in from several automotive websites in China is that Jianghuai Automobile, more commonly known as JAC Motors, will present the S11 under its own nameplate at this month's 2012 Auto China Show in Beijing.

The same sources show a set of allegedly scoop photos of the S11 in a yellow exterior finish that they claim to be the JAC model, even though the car does not sport any of the brand's badges.

If true, then JAC Motors, which recently made headlines in the States for cloning the Ford F-150 pickup truck, may have come sealed some sort of deal with Tong Jian to build the coupe – that or it just "borrowed" the design…

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Watch Citroën's New Numéro 9 DS Luxury Concept on the Move

The first video of the Citroën Numéro 9 has sprung up in the wake of its official presentation on Thursday night.

The sleek looking concept model continues to push Citroën's DS lineup more upmarket while also previewing the design elements to be found in three brand new DS vehicles that will soon launch onto the market, including a C-segment compact sedan, an SUV and a mid-size D-Segment sedan.

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I Am Numéro 9: Citroën’s DS Concept in Detail with Over 120 High-Res Photos

Over the past few weeks, we managed to gather bits and pieces about Citroën’s newest DS concept study and now, we not only have more than 120 high-resolution photos to share with you, but we also have all the details in advance of its world premiere at the Beijing Motor Show on April 24.

Previously believed to be named the DS9, the French study is called the Numéro 9 concept, though Citroën makes it clear that it belongs to the DS lineup.

Citroën says that the Numéro 9 introduces the more chic and premium DS lineup to Chinese consumers before the company launches its first DS products onto the market later this year.

More importantly though, Citroën states that the Numéro 9 refines the brand's design language and signals the styling cues of the next three DS line models including a C-segment premium sedan (think Audi A3 Sedan), an SUV and a D-segment (mid-size) executive saloon.

As you can see, Citroën is all hyped up about its DS line, which currently consists of the DS3 supermini, DS4 compact hatch and the larger DS5, and all for good reason as it has notched up more than 200,000 sales worldwide just two years after launch.

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GM Says Explosion at Tech Facility Injures Five, One Seriously, was Related to Prototype Battery Testing

The explosion that occurred on Wednesday morning at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, near Detroit, and which we first told you about earlier today, resulted in the injury of five employees, one of which seriously, according to an official statement from the company.

"We are aware of five employees being evaluated on scene by medical personal and only one employee is being further treated," said GM.

A company official told the Detroit News that the employee who was seriously injured and hospitalized is expected to make a full recovery and that the injuries are non-life threatening.

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Toyota Begins Production of the Yaris Hybrid at French Plant

Toyota today announced that it has commenced production of the new Yaris Hybrid at its Valenciennes plant with the first vehicle to roll off the production line going to a customer in northern France.

The hybrid version of the third generation Yaris uses a new, more compact version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain that is demonstrated in the video that follows. The company claims that the HSD system does not impede on passenger or boot capacity, which are identical to the non-hybrid versions.

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Toyota Confirms UK Pricing and Specs of New Prius Plug-in Hybrid

The new plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius will arrive in UK showrooms at a slightly higher price than what the Japanese automaker originally estimated.

Back in September of 2011, Toyota had said that the Prius Plug-in would cost less than £31,000 and under £26,000 if you include the £5,000 government subsidy. Today we learn that the final on-the-road price for the plug-in model is £32,895, which falls to £27,895 with the £5,000 Government grant available on new vehicle purchases through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

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Honda Outlines Plans for China, will Debut Two New Concepts at the Beijing Auto Show

Honda has important plans set for the Chinese market over the next few years, as it will enhance its range with the introduction of more than 10 brand new or redesigned models from 2013 to 2015, while also increasing its local production capacity.

We'll get a taste of what Honda has in store for Chinese consumers at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, as aside from the presentation of the CR-Z, Insight and Fit hybrid models that will all be launched onto the market this year, the company will also debut two new concept models.

The Japanese automaker isn't willing to reveal anything about the two studies yet, but it did release a pair of sketches that outline the shape of a minivan and a what is most likely a sedan model.

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New Study Finds that Only a Third of Hybrid Owners Buy Hybrids Again

As it seems, the majority of hybrid car owners in the States don't go for seconds, or at least that's what a new study released today by auto research firm Polk reveals.

According to the report, while the number of hybrid models in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2007, only 35 percent or a little over a third of hybrid vehicle owners choose to purchase a hybrid again when returning to market in 2011.

To make matters worse, Polk says that if you exclude the high volume audience of Toyota Prius owners from the equation, hybrid loyalty drops to under 25 percent!

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