Yamaha Xt 225 on 2040-parts.com

Hennessey Venom GT2 to bring 1,500 hp

Hennessey The Hennessey Venom GT2 will debut in late 2013 from Texas tuner Hennessey Performance Engineering. The already-bonkers Corvette-powered Lotus will now house a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 making an unthinkable 1,500 hp. Hennessey didn't reveal the weight but says that the Venom GT2 has more than one horse per 2.2 pounds (1 hp/kg).

News watch March 2010: today's auto industry news

Tuesday 30 March 2010• Mercedes has dismissed claims that its Maybach brand is for sale, after reports in the Chinese media claimed Chinese car company BYD was considering a bid for the upmarket offshoot. BYD has also denied the claims (Reuters)• Toyota president Akio Toyoda has promised his company will listen more carefully to customers and react faster in a bid to regain credibility after the Japanese car manufacturer was forced to recall millions of vehilces over safety fears (BBC)• The Obama administration is expected to unveil its finalised fuel economy and tailpipe emissions through to 2016 this week, to coincide with the opening of the 2010 New York auto show (Detroit News)  Monday 29 March 2010• Toyota has agreed to licence the hybrid technology in the Prius to Mazda, which will combine the electric system with its next-gen Sky engines. It’s part of Mazda’s plans to increase the average fuel economy of its vehicles by 30% by 2015 (compared to 2008 levels) and it hopes to have its first hybrid vehicle on sale in Japan by 2013 (Mazda)• Ford and Chinese car company Geely have signed a stock purchase agreement that will allow the latter to acquire 100% of Volvo (along with related assets including intellectual property rights).

Pontiac G8: A bit of hope?

There could be a slight glimmer of hope for the Pontiac G8 to live on in some rebadged form. “I know there's still discussions on it,” General Motors' product czar Tom Stephens said in Automotive News. “But Chevrolet already has several sedans.