Chevy Trucks License Plate Aluminum Stamped Chrome Metal Bowtie Auto/car Tag on 2040-parts.com

Toyota eyes turbos, direct injection

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce 11 new or redesigned hybrid vehicles by 2012, but the carmaker is hardly neglecting the humble internal combustion engine. Takeshi Uchiyamada, executive vice president in charge of r&d, also wants to increase the fleet's fuel efficiency by putting turbochargers and direct fuel injection in smaller vehicles.

Ford builds it, you test it

Only a select few usually get the opportunity to test out upcoming vehicles. Ford is bucking that trend by allowing customers to sign up at BuiltToughTest.com, and get the chance to explain how they would put the aluminum reinforced 2015 Ford F-150 to the test. Product development does extensive testing to the extremes, going as far as disguising the F-150 and running it through the 2013 Baja 1000.

Hyundai i30 SR – a taste of Sporty Hyundai

Hyundai in Australia has revealed the Hyundai i30 SR, an i30 with a 2.0 litre petrol engine and a sportier edge. Hyundai in the UK defaults to its diesel engine offerings across almost its entire range, with the Golf challenging i30 offering only a 1.4 litre petrol with a very modest 98bhp apart from the diesel offerings. But Hyundai in Australia marches to its own beat and has rather bigger ambitions for the brand than Hyundai exhibit in most of the rest of the world, with thoughts about a Hyundai ‘Genesis’ luxury brand (although that seems to have come to nought so far) and their very own ‘Sporty’ take for the Hyundai range in the ‘SR’ model.