Lexus teases new design direction ahead of Detroit 2012

Lexus Concept Tease Detroit 2012 (click image for full size) Lexus has sent us a teaser photo of a new Lexus Concept heading for the Detroit Motor Show which is said to preview a new design direction. With the 2012 Detroit Motor Show just weeks away, we’re starting to get the big teases from car makers eager to ramp up interest in their offerings. This morning we learnt that Honda will take the new NSX to Detroit, and now we have arch-rivals Toyota teasing a new design direction for Lexus with a tease of a new concept, also Detroit-bound.

Pace cadets: At AMG academy, students take their finals with their right feet

Mercedes-Benz USA launched the AMG Challenge in 2002, a program touted as "a chance to experience the thrill of driving the newest Mercedes AMGs on some of America's best racetracks." This year, MBUSA abandoned the Challenge in favor of the AMG Driving Academy, a multistage driver-development program pioneered by AMG in Europe. The difference? According to Greg Clark, AMG manager, "the Challenge was more about the cars, while the Academy is more about the driver." Having participated in both the Challenge and now the Academy, we'd say that difference is subtle, at least as it applies to the one-day program.

2010 / 2011 MINI Revealed

The MINI Range 2011 The MINI has had a terrific run under the ownership of BMW. It’s spawned an unbelievable number of specials and one-offs yet still seems to strike a chord in the hearts of buyers, despite its ubiquity and the arrival of challengers such as the Fiat 500, Citroen DS3 and Alfa Romeo MiTo. But there’s a new danger lurking in the wings for MINI with the imminent arrival of the A1.