The second generation Porsche Boxster that’s due sometime in 2011 will feature a new base model equipped with a fuel efficient four-cylinder engine according to a report from UK’s Autocar magazine citing company insiders. The last 4-cylinder Porsche was the 1990s 968 which was the final model in an evolving line that started in the mid-1970s with the introduction of the 924 and continued with the 944. But unlike the 968 that was equipped with one of the largest four bangers ever to be offered in a production car with a displacement of 3.0-liters, the next-generation Boxster’s straight-four is expected to be quite smaller, featuring a displacement of 2.0 to 2.4-liters. Continued

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The cold hard truth for western countries is that China is on well on track to becoming the most powerful economy in the world. Acknowledging this fact, Lamborghini decided to establish a new branch in China in the country´s capital city Beijing that will start operations at the beginning of 2009. Currently, the Italian sports carmaker has three dealers located in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, one in Hong Kong, and another two will be shortly be opened in Chengdu and Qingdao. The company’s China sales this year a expected to grow by 186% or from 27 cars in 2007 towards 80 in 2008. Continued

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Corroborating earlier rumors that the new iQ will make its way into the States after its introduction in Europe, Toyota’s Chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima told Automotive News today that the company is investigating introducing the three-door city car to the U.S. market. Nakajima said that if the iQ gets official clearance to come to the States, it will most likely be launched in the midterm, before the first model update. as Toyota needs time to develop different airbags and improve bumper strength for the iQ to pass U.S. safety standards. Continued

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In response to rapidly declining full-size SUV sales and the ongoing economic crisis, GM announced on Monday that it will not wait until late 2010 to close its Janesville, Wisconsin assembly plant as it had originally announced. Instead, the troubled American automaker has decided to shut down the factory bythe end of the year. The Wisconsin plant employs around 1,200 workers and it assembles the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL large SUVs. Continued

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Credit crunch, what credit crunch? Maybe for us, but not for the rich and richer. While most automakers are in the process of tightening their collective belt, Rolls Royce is seeing its sales soar this year and it’s getting ready to hire more workers to keep up with demand. Last month the British brand delivered 129 cars which represents growth of 7,5 percent compared to the same month in 2007. From January through September of this year, BMW Group-owned Rolls-Royce has delivered a total 827 vehicles to customers, achieving a gain of 42.8% over the previous year (579 units). Continued

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Proving that some unorthodox concept vehicles can make it into production if the timing is right, Citroen has made it official that it has embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environmentally friendly vehicle based on the C-Cactus concept car that was presented at last year’s Frankfurt motorshow. The French automaker said that it is considering a range of powerplants for it Cayenne-like faced C-Cactus including a 1.0-liter petrol engine with sub 100gr/km CO2 emissions; a HYmotion2 diesel-electric hybrid consuming 2.8lt/100km (83.2mpg US / 100mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 78g/km or a zero emissions 100% electric model with a top speed and range of 112 km/h (70mph) and 160km (100 miles) respectively.

The C-Cactus Concept that was shown in Frankfurt was equipped with a hybrid diesel powertrain that combined a 70 HP 1.4-liter diesel engine with a 30 HP electric motor installed in the clutch housing. Apart from the hybrid drivetrain, the C-Cactus also featured a simplified design throughout, significantly reducing the number of components leading to a reduction in weight, cost, fuel consumption and the impact on the environment - sometimes less is more.

Citroen claimed then that the use of fewer parts in the 4.2-meter long C-Cactus not only drops the cost significantly, but equally importantly it results to a 15% reduction in overall weight compared to the C4 Hybrid HDi. The French automaker had announced then the particular C-Cactus hybrid could achieve an average consumption of just 3.4 lt/100 km (69.2mog US) for CO₂ emissions of 78 g/km.

If Citroen’s project gets the final green light, and from what we’ve learned, there’s a strong possibility it will, the C-Cactus will compete in Europe at least, against the Toyota Prius and its like. Continued

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With the lease term for Toyota’s next-generation fuel cell hybrid vehicle set at 30 months at a cost of 840,000 yen or about $7,700 per month, the experimental FCHV-adv isn’t for you everyday Joe. So it’s no surprise thatToyota announced that it has begun leasing the FCHV-adv to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The Japanese automaker said that it also plans to lease the fuel-cell hybrid model to other national government entities, local governments and companies in or related to the energy industry. 

Japan’s top automaker, which has already won the bet with its petrol-electric hybrids, will use the lease vehicles to obtain real-world feedback for further development, including efforts to improve the durability and reduce the cost of its proprietary high-performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the Toyota FC Stack. 

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