Porsche 944 Turbo Front Header/nose Panel (silver) on 2040-parts.com

Hybrid Lexus goes endurance racing

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 03 June 2007 02:35 A track-honed version of Lexus' GS450h hybrid saloon has completed a 24 hour Japanese endurance race. The racer ran the production car's powertrain: a 292bhp V6 petrol engine supplemented by 197bhp from an electric motor. This petrol-electric hybrid delivers the power of a V8, but with combined fuel consumption closer to that of a four-cylinder engine.

GM gets behind Vauxhall & Opel by dropping Chevrolet in Europe

Cars like the Chevrolet Trax (pictured) will disappear from the UK in 2015 GM has seemed to be fighting a battle with itself in the UK and Europe by marketing a broadly similar range of cars under the Vauxhall and Opel badges in the UK and Opel and Chevrolet in Europe. But unlike the VW Group, which manages to offer very similar cars from VW, SEAT and Skoda and create a different customer base, GM seems to have failed to make the marketplace work with Opel and Vauxhall competing with Chevrolet. So Chevrolet are on their way out in Europe.

Formula E HQ set for Donington

THE NEW global all-electric racing car series Formula E is to have its headquarters at England’s Donington Park circuit. Construction of the multi-million pound facility has started, with a view to making the facility the home of testing and development for the series’ battery-powered cars. There will be ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities for all 10 Formula E teams as well as workshops, offices and stores.