AutoWeek Daily Drive — Thursday, July 1, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Thursday, July 01, 2010                  The Audi R8 spyder will get a 430-hp V8 to complement the V10.... Audi adds V8 power to venomous R8 spyder Will a V8 lessen the bite of the Audi R8 spyder? Unlikely. To complement the spotlight V10 engine in its supercar convertible, Audi is adding the 430-hp V8 to round out the powertrain lineup. This is the 4.2-liter FSI unit that will propel the drop-top to 62 mph 4.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 186 mph. It's paired with the R-tronic sequential transmission or a six-speed manual....   Button and Hamilton get a McLaren history lesson in new video WITH VIDEO -- First, McLaren Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were left alone to assemble one of their cars. Now, in a new Web video, the teammates wander through the McLaren racing-car collection and get up-close with a major historical milestone--Ayrton Senna's 1988...   Tesla Roadster 2.5 breaks cover Perhaps feeling a bit of chutzpah after a wildly successful stock offering this week, Tesla is demonstrating on Thursday that it still has an eye toward product, revealing the updated Tesla Roadster. And it's available for order now. Called the Roadster 2.5, the car features minor enhancements, ...   Toyota and Lexus cars may have problems with stalling engines More than a quarter-million Toyota cars sold worldwide--including many Lexus cars--have engines that may suddenly stall while the car is moving, Toyota said on Thursday. So far, Toyota has not recalled the vehicles, which total about 270,000 units. And its announcement in Japan did not say how... You May Have Missed...   McLaren MP4-12C to charge hill at Goodwood with Button and Hamilton at the wheel The McLaren MP4-12C will make its much-anticipated public debut at Goodwood, and yet another advanced prototype will charge up the famous hill in the supercar portion of the event--driven by none other than McLaren Formula One stars Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. They'll be piloting the VP9...   IndyCar to introduce new chassis on July 14 Izod IndyCar Series officials have spoken about the 2012 chassis, as promised. Sort of.They announced on Wednesday that they will hold a formal unveiling of the new car platform on July 14 in Indianapolis. That day is significant because it's typically one of the slowest news days in U.S. sports--...   F1: Kubica says he should have finished on the podium in Valencia Renault Formula One star Robert Kubica maintained his run of top-10 finishes with fifth place in Valencia last weekend, but an unfortunate pit delay cost him the chance to beat Jenson Button to third place.Kubica was running in fifth place and was the first driver after the unfortunate Ferrari pair ...   Formula One to reduce emissions in near future Formula One is set to adopt a raft of technical changes aimed at reducing the sport's emissions while increasing fuel efficiency.The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) issued a statement on Wednesday that said the organization has obtained the results of an environmental study it commissioned,...   GM to expand Volt launch markets to include New York, Texas, report says General Motors Co. is expanding the launch of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car to markets in the New York region and Austin, Texas, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. GM Chairman and Chief Executive Edward E. Whitacre Jr. will publically announce the plan Thursday in a speech to the Austin ...   Range Rover unveils new SUV on Thursday Range Rover turns 40 on Thursday. And to celebrate, it plans to unveil a new compact SUV during an event in London. You can watch it here, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.We won't get all the details at this event--the British luxury automaker is saving some details for the Paris motor show this...   2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS, an AW Drivers Log COPY/PRODUCTION CHIEF WENDY WARREN KEEBLER: I’ve driven our long-term Kizashi recently, and I’m quite surprised at how much nicer this one is (for less money?). The manual transmission is smooth, the ride is likewise, and it’s generally lovely inside and out. I wonder why I...   1970 Chevelles fetch top dollar at Barrett-Jackson auction The muscle-bound favorite of enthusiasts and boulevard cruisers everywhere, the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, returned in force at the Barrett-Jackson Orange County Collector Car Auction, June 25-27.The top seller at the event was an SS 454 LS6 convertible, which sold for $253,000. That was closely...   Ganassi Racing penalized for engine violation The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team was penalized for an engine violation during the Rolex Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 19. The team was docked 25 team points and fined $15,000 payable to Camp Boggy Creek, the official charity of Grand-Am. Drivers Scott... 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. 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