AutoWeek Daily Drive — Monday, September 27, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Monday, September 27, 2010                  After Lexus builds the current batch of 500 LFA coupes, there could be a one-year hiatus.... Future products: Lexus reloads to do battle with BMW, Mercedes Lexus' sales lead in the luxury wars is under threat from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in part because of aging products in crucial segments. But several new or redesigned Lexus models are due to be launched in the next year. Besides replacing the slow-selling GS series and the volume-leading ES 350, Lexus will move into the entry-luxury segment with the CT 200h hybrid hatchback. CT 200h: ...   2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, an AW Drivers Log EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: I like the exterior styling of this car, and it just might contain the best interior GM has done in a long time, maybe forever. The interior is top-notch, with surfaces you want to reach out and caress, from the top-stitched leather on the dash to the piano-wood...   2011 Ford F-150, an AW Flash Drive What is it? The 2011 F-150 gets four new engines: two V8s and two V6s. New is relative--they are new to the F-150 but are already doing duty in other Fords and Lincolns. The base engine is the naturally aspirated, 302-hp, 278-lb-ft, 3.7-liter V6. Next is the twin-turbocharged, 365-hp, 420-...   Volvo ponders adding 2 small vehicles Among the first product moves that Volvo is considering as it adapts to new management is the addition of a small sedan that targets BMW's 1 series and a compact crossover to go up against the BMW X1. The sedan would be smaller than the S40, said Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America....   Formula One: Lotus reclaims name from Fernandes in 2011 Group Lotus has launched an all-out attack on Formula One team boss Tony Fernandes and claims he has no right to use the Team Lotus name in 2011. Fernandes had a licence from Group Lotus to use the name in 2010 but that was withdrawn by new boss Dany Bahar, who has F1 ambitions of his own....   New Porsche SUV could be called Cajun Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn said a new Porsche small SUV will be brought to market soon as part of plans to expand the sports car brand's lineup to boost sales. Winterkorn said Porsche will get "a new SUV, a smaller brother to the Cayenne which might be named Cajun." He was speaking in...   Porsche celebrates 60 years in the U.S. The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, has prepared a special exhibit celebrating 60 years of Porsches in the United States. The exhibit will include a prototype Porsche 356 Speedster, a 356 America Roadster and a 550 Spyder. It will open on Oct. 12 and run until Jan. 9, 2011. The museum... You May Have Missed...   NHRA: Schumacher, Hagan, Anderson put pressure on title leaders with wins in Texas The points races in the NHRA's Countdown to the Championship squeezed tighter once the dust settled over Sunday's O'Reilly Super Start Batteries Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.Sunday's winners--Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan in Funny Car and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock--were the biggest...   Lamborghini Super Trofeo race car reset for street duty Lamborghini has taken the version of the Gallardo it builds for the single-make Super Trofeo racing series and re-engineered it for street duty to create the Gallardo LP 570-4 Blancpain Edition.The 5.2-liter V10 in the road-going car pumps out 570 hp, the same as the race car. It also gets the race ...   Infiniti to sell luxury EV in 2013 Infiniti plans to launch its first luxury electric vehicle in the United States and other global markets in 2013.Nissan Motor Co.'s luxury division said Friday that the Infiniti EV will be “a stylish, high performance five-seat luxury vehicle with zero emissions technology.” Infiniti...   F1: Fernando Alonso wins second straight for Ferrari Having won in Monza two weeks ago, Fernando Alonso scored another success in Singapore to really give his world championship campaign some momentum.However, by finishing third Mark Webber continues to lead the points battle as five drivers remain very much in the hunt.From pole Alonso charged into...   Sept. 25: i-MiEV stays a bit longer, plug-in Prius waits in the wings The date to give the i-MiEV back to Mitsubishi was supposed to be next Thursday, Sept. 30, when the electric car's three-month loan is scheduled to end. But I will be in Paris at the auto show all next week, so I asked Mitsubishi if I could turn the car in on Monday, Oct. 4. They said to keep it...   Paris auto show: Infiniti adds convertible to IPL lineup Infiniti is adding to its Infiniti Performance Line portfolio with a concept of the G-series convertible that will debut next week at the Paris auto show.Nissan's luxury brand launched its IPL line in early August with the presentation of the IPL G coupe during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance...   Blogging Petit Le Mans: Day 1--Motorsports on Main Street This first blog from Petit Le Mans isn't from Road Atlanta, where the American Le Mans Series season concludes on Oct. 2. Instead, I write this from Greenville, S.C., where everyone in town came to meet MOM and fell in love. Let me explain. On Sept. 23, Greenville hosted an event called Motorsports ...   F1: Alonso on a championship charge Fernando Alonso’s win in Singapore has moved the Spaniard into second place in the Formula One World Championship.He now lies 11 points behind leader Mark Webber, having scored 93 out of a possible 125 points over the last five races, despite crashing out in Belgium.Alonso said it was...   Formula One could be broadcast in High Definition next year Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says the Grand Prix circus might finally get the High Definition TV treatment next season. Ecclestone said previously that HD was unlikely for F1 until at least 2012--claiming that he did not want to rush it through and would only produce an HD feed when it could...   Here He Goes: Jimmie Johnson scores first NASCAR Chase win of 2010 at Dover If Jimmie Johnson fired a warning shot across the bow of his Chase rivals by winning the pole on Friday, he launched an all-out assault on them Sunday at Dover. The four-time defending NASCAR champion led five times for 191 of 400 laps in winning the AAA 400, an unambiguous message that he's not...   NASCAR: Ricky Carmichael to make Nationwide Series debut at Kansas Turner Motorsports has announced that one of its drivers--former motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael--will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the No. 10 Monster Energy car at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 2. Carmichael--who turns 31 on Nov. 27--is a 15-time AMA champion and current full-time... 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.