AutoWeek Daily Drive — Friday, October 1, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Friday, October 01, 2010                  A Honda source says a higher-performance version of the CR-Z hybrid may be coming.... Future products: Honda aims to build on momentum surrounding the Odyssey Honda has run into a few problems with its new-vehicle introductions of late. The current Accord was a bit too large in this era of downsizing, the Accord Crosstour was knocked for its styling, and the Insight hybrid suffered disappointing sales. Things may have changed, though. The newly redesigned Odyssey minivan has received high marks. The crucial question is how the delayed Civic...   Future products: Acura will push for luxury credentials without V8, RWD The dreams of getting a V8 engine, rear-wheel-drive platforms and a sports car to replace the NSX have died for Acura dealers. Now the question is whether Acura can follow Audi's lead and elevate its brand from premium to luxury with front- and all-wheel-drive platforms. Meanwhile, Acura may...   2010 Infiniti G37S Convertible, an AW Drivers Log EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: An evening drive in the summer with the top down is one of my favorite things to do, and the G37 convertible was the perfect vehicle for a top-down drive home from the movies last night. A simple one-button actuation is nice--no flipping of locks or anything. But ...   Paris auto show: Porsche 911 Speedster may sell out fast The order bank for the new Porsche 911 Speedster is growing rapidly, making it likely that the car will sell out by the end of October, Porsche said on Friday. Porsche is building only 356 copies of the Speedster. Deliveries of the $275,000 sports car are set to begin in November. "There's a...   Porsche or Audi could join Formula One under 2013 turbo rules The Volkswagen Group is looking at the possibility of a move into Formula One under the turbocharged-engine rules that the FIA is finalizing for 2013. Porsche chairman Matthias Mueller said at the Paris motor show on Friday that VW would join the series with either the Porsche or Audi brand,...   Chevy will use World Series to pitch Volt's debut Chevrolet will use next month's World Series to launch ads for the debut of the Volt plug-in hybrid sedan, General Motors Co.'s marketing chief Joel Ewanick said. The ads will be part of a broad campaign that Chevrolet will initiate during Major League Baseball's fall classic and run throughout... You May Have Missed...   NHRA: Al-Anabi Racing to run two Top Fuel cars in 2011 The Al-Anabi Racing Team will stop racing in the NHRA's Funny Car division at the end of the season and add a second Top Fuel car for the 2011 season.Del Worsham will drive the team's new Top Fuel car, while Larry Dixon will continue driving the team's existing Top Fuel entry. Worsham drives Al-...   Chevrolet sets base price for the 2011 Camaro convertible at $30,000 The price of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible when it hits showroom floors in February will be $30,000, including an $850 destination charge, General Motors said on Thursday.The price is about $2,000 more than a similarly equipped Ford Mustang convertible.The Camaro convertible will be...   Brake issue prompts recall of BMW and Rolls-Royce vehicles BMW is recalling about 198,000 cars with V8 and V12 engines to fix a problem with the brake system.The automaker said a potential leak in the brake system could cause a loss of vacuum, which would reduce the power braking assistance. BMW said the mechanical brakes will stop the vehicle even if...   Paris auto show: Porsche tests plug-in Panamera for engineering purposes Porsche is testing a plug-in electric concept version of the Panamera sedan, though it has no plans to show the car publicly.Incoming Porsche chairman Matthias Mueller told a small group of journalists at the Paris motor show that the car was developed for engineering purposes. It has an eight-...   Paris auto show: Maserati posts sales gains, ponders future product The future of Italian dream-car maker Maserati is looking brighter after the company posted impressive sales gains in key markets this year.Maserati CEO Harald Wester says deliveries are up 20 percent around the world through August compared with 2009. Deliveries are up 49 percent in the United...   Mini unveils new World Rally Championship car in Paris Mini finally unveiled its new World Rally Championship contender on Thursday at the Paris motor show. The Mini WRC features a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine and sends power to all four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. The rally car's chassis and body are based off those...   Formula One: Former Malaysian prime minister called into Lotus fight; team pledges silence The dispute over the use of the Lotus name in Formula One has taken a new turn after Lotus Racing sought the support of former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir.Mahathir ran his country from 1981 to 2003 and was very much behind the birth of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Still a big player, he... 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.