AutoWeek Daily Drive — Wednesday, June 23, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Wednesday, June 23, 2010                  The Toyota Camry Hybrid is rated to get 33 mpg.... 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid, an AW Drivers Log SENIOR EDITOR FOR NEWS BOB GRITZINGER: Having driven this back-to-back with the Ford Fusion hybrid, I am no longer surprised that the Ford won North American Car of the Year. Though this Camry hybrid is a smooth-running, competent and capable vehicle, the Fusion is better in nearly every way: drive quality, sportiness, steering, fuel economy and hybrid function. The Camry, as with most ...   Alfa owners throw a party for iconic brand Alfa Romeo turns 100 on June 24, and the Capital Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) is celebrating the famed Milanese maker's centennial with a weeklong series of festivities called “Alfa Century 2010.” Centennial celebrations take place June 21-27 in numerous locations...   Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura, an AW Video Interview The emotion and flair in the design of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles stems from the leadership of Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's global design chief. In the first part of a two-part interview with AutoWeek associate publisher Dutch Mandel, Nakamura talks about the challenges of designing electric...   NASCAR suspends LaJoie for failing drug test Two-time Nationwide Series champion and highly respected TV personality Randy LaJoie has been suspended from NASCAR after testing positive for marijuana. The 48-year-old Connecticut native freely admitted to indulging with a group of fans after the May 30 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway....   NASCAR notes: Patrick steps back into Nationwide car in New Hampshire With little else to offer, NASCAR and New Hampshire Motor Speedway are counting on Danica Patrick's appearance to help sell Saturday afternoon's Nationwide Series race at the one-mile track near Loudon. She'll run her fourth Nationwide race in the No. 7 Chevrolet owned and fielded by JR Motorsports....   Pit mishap in Iowa injures Kanaan team member Ryan Hunter-Reay now knows that he was wrong to complain about the drive-through penalty he received at Iowa Speedway for what happened during the final pit stop of the Izod IndyCar Series' Iowa Corn Indy 250. Hunter-Reay didn't initially think he had contact with Tony Kanaan's team when he...   Pirelli wins bid to supply F1 tires Italian tiremaker Pirelli on Wednesday was named the tire supplier for Formula One for three years, beginning in 2011. Pirelli topped French rival Michelin as the two jockeyed to replace Bridgestone as the racing series' tire supplier. Under terms of the deal, Pirelli will supply F1 teams... You May Have Missed...   2011 Honda CR-Z starts at less than $20,000 The first mainstream hybrid with a six-speed manual, the 2011 Honda CR-Z, will sticker at a shade less than $20,000 when it arrives on the market on Aug. 24.Honda announced pricing for the sporty compact two-seater on Tuesday, and a base car with the manual starts at $19,950, including a $750...   2010 BMW X5 xDrive35d, an AW Drivers Log EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I've never been a huge fan of the X5. It is big, heavy and high effort. I figure if I'm going to drive something this big and heavy, it should seat more than five, like a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Ford Expedition or something.The diesel certainly sounds like a diesel and wears on you... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.