Hyundai announces high-perfomance diesels

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 05 November 2008 11:56 Hyundai will significantly boost its diesel appeal in 2009 with the arrival of two new Euro V compliant powerplants that will slot into the next-gen Tucson, Sonata, Santa Fe and i30. The new 2.0 and 2.2-litre diesels feature a third generation common rail system with piezo-electric injectors to deliver fuel at 1800-bar. Fitted with a particulate trap as standard, the 2.0-litre unit develops 181bhp and 289lb ft, while the bigger 2.2-litre unit pumps out 197bhp and 335lb ft of torque.

Lexus IS-C Convertible gets F-Sport options.

Lexus has launched a range of F-Sport accessories for the new Lexus IS Convertible With the Lexus IS Convertible having launched in Japan this week, and the Lexus IS 250C arriving in the UK in July (and the Lexus IS 350C to arrive sometime next year), Lexus are looking for ways to ‘Up-sell’ the range, particularly as it looks like it will totally eclipse the woeful SC430. With prices starting from low £30k, there is no doubt a big push to get people to spec up their cars. And what better way than to offer some nice Lexus F-Sport bits and pieces to bolt on to your new pride and joy.

Great Americans: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

The classic Dodge Challenger's most famous movie role was the 1971 box-office success "Vanishing Point." A pastiche of man vs. society, a legendary staple in classic narrative -- as exemplified by such works as "1984," "Fahrenheit 451," "Charlotte's Web," Idiocracy -- "Vanishing Point" was a movie made by those who commonly styled themselves as "auteurs," making a "film" for the corporate overlords at Warner Brothers, who just happened to land themselves some brand-new Chrysler products and ultimately went on to create, as the DVD reissue box art that I found in the $5 movie bin at Wal-Mart claims, "the ultimate car chase movie!" The movie is rife for philosophical introspection, performed as it is by Philosophy 132 majors needing to pass their Humanities requirement and who couldn't find any more copies of "American Beauty" at their local Best Buy. So, ignore the movie.