Auto News 5

Toyota raised its annual profit forecast, closing in on records set before the Lehman crisis as the weaker yen and growing sales in the U.S. sharply boost earnings. The company also nudged up its North America vehicle sales forecast.

Toyota raised its annual profit forecast, closing in on records set before the Lehman crisis as the weaker yen and growing sales in the U.S. sharply boost earnings. The company also nudged up its North America vehicle sales forecast.

Honda has established a new R&D facility in China. The new wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Motor China Technology Co. (HMCI), has been created with the aim of strengthening Honda's automotive R&D, parts procurement and production functions in China.

Mitsubishi will focus on SUVs, EVs and emerging markets under a new business plan that aims to boost global sales by 29 percent. In its European markets, Mitsubishi aims to lift vehicle sales by a third to 160,000.

Mitsubishi will refocus its lineup on utility vehicles and electrified drivetrains and lean heavily on emerging markets under a new business plan that aims to boost global sales by 29 percent.

Peugeot plans to boost profits by adding new high-end variants to its existing lineup, rather than developing new upscale model lines, its CEO says.

Heuliez, which used to make cars for Peugeot, Renault and Opel, closed its plant on Nov. 1. The shutdown came a week after PSA stopped the line at its factory in the Paris suburb of Aulnay.

Suppliers such as Honeywell and Hirschvogel played key roles in helping Volkswagen reduce CO2 emissions by an average of about 14 percent across the new Golf's model range.

From GMM

Pirelli is close to finalising a new deal to continue supplying tires in formula one beyond the end of its 2013 contract.

However, while it was believed the new deal beginning in 2014 would last for five years, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that a contract of that length might run into legal trouble in the absence of an official tender.

So, Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport this week as saying: "We have asked for an exclusive agreement for three years.

"We are in the final stages now. There is no pressure, but we have a very close collaboration with the federation, because the tires are used according to our instructions."

Photo: Pirelli

Recently, both Tronchetti Provera and Pirelli's F1 chief Paul Hembery warned that the Italian marque could quit F1 at the eleventh hour because of the teams' reluctance to cooperate in tire development testing.

Tronchetti Provera said in Milan on Wednesday: "We expect it to be formalised that tests will be done with a 2013 car, and that tests may take place during the season."

To Auto Motor und Sport, Hembery explained: "To prepare for the (pre-season) tests in Bahrain, we need tests in December and January with the 2013 cars."

But at the moment, the rules forbid testing with 2013 cars. Auto Motor und Sport said Mercedes' Niki Lauda in Abu Dhabi worked hard to convince rival teams to help the sport's tire supplier.

"We need to help them if we want to prevent a repeat of the tire dramas of this year," said the great Austrian. "It is in everybody's interest. We will have a 2013 car ready for Pirelli when they want it, and the others should do the same."

For this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Kia introduced five special editions of the Soul that pay tribute to the world of music with their unique accessories, flashy visual treatments, and powerful audio systems.

Amped Soul
Popular Mechanics has energized this Kia Soul with oversized JBL speakers, four 12'' Infinity subwoofers, as well as LED ambient lighting. The car also sports a white body, black tinted windows, and 22'' Forgiato custom three-piece wheels in gold finish.

Photo: Kia

Vans Warped Tour Soul
Here, Popular Mechanics wanted to embody the youthful and fun spirit of the Vans Warped Tour. Behold the custom paint job -- inspired by the colours of the music and extreme sports event -- with eye-catching air-brush artwork. The side windows have been replaced with custom-built fibreglass body panels housing eight 8'' Infinity speakers. There's a 50'' flat screen on the roof, a barbecue in the back, LED lights, and 20'' wheels.

Photo: Kia

DJ Booth Soul
Designed by RIDES magazine, the Soul DJ Booth has no roof so the DJ can rise up and stand on a custom diamond-plated stage (which replaced the rear seats) and start spinning on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer. The interior features black leather, graphite suede, and turquoise stitching, along with a Maschine Mikro production studio moulded into the passenger dash. A Pioneer sound system with five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10'' and two 12'' Champion Series subwoofers, and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers amps complete the package.

Photo: Kia

The Voice Soul
As an homage to the popular reality TV competition on NBC, RIDES magazine customized the exterior of this Soul with a bright red airbrushed The Voice logo on the side, incorporating vinyl on the window portion, as well as the inspiring words “I Want You” illuminated in the lower grille. Inside, an iPad Mini connected to a 40'' LED TV allows aspiring artists to use the preloaded The Voice app to sing their heart out.

Photo: Kia

Music Memorabilia Soul
RIDES magazine transformed the Soul into a music museum on wheels, with memorabilia spanning rock, hip-hop and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) history. You'll find a signed Slash guitar, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album, and a signed John Legend microphone, all of which are displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows, and rear hatch insert.

Photo: Kia

Honda selected SEMA as its venue of choice to unleash the 2014 Civic Coupe and Si on the world. Although we're not quite certain that the “new” Civic Si is a step up from the 2013, we still have to hand it to Honda for putting some cool cars together at their booth.

Photo: Matt St-Pierre

By far the one deserving of the most attention is the 1,000+ hp 2014 Honda Odyssey built by Bisimoto.

HPD or Honda Performance Development unveiled a few cars of its own including a supercharged CR-Z. On top of the blown engine, the car also gets a few suspension tweaks and a sport exhaust. Output is now rated at 187 horsepower, drastically increasing the car's appeal.

Acura holds a small portion of the Honda's real estate and the Street Performance ILX is the one to stare at. Wrapped in a 3M Copper metallic wrap and sporting a supercharger, this is the coolest ILX we've ever laid eyes on.

Among the 50+ vehicles shown by Ford at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas is a life-size Hot Wheels version of the Ford Transit Connect cargo van. Featuring a number of custom accessories, the vehicle sports the traditional blue and orange colours of the popular toy cars.

Inside the Ford Transit Connect Hot Wheels are two 18'' tablets, a 55'' television screen, Recaro sports seats borrowed from the Focus ST, and even a built-in Hot Wheels drag strip.

Sporting a wide body kit, 20'' wheels, and gullwing doors, the Ford Transit Connect Hot Wheels is powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder Ti-VCT engine. It will go on sale next year... as a 1:64 scale model, obviously.

Photo: Ford

From Ford

When the cars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series take the track on Nov. 17 for the Ford EcoBoost 400 season finale, they will be led by a one-of-a-kind Mustang that is a featured star in the upcoming Hollywood movie and Electronic Arts video game entitled "Need for Speed."

The "Need for Speed" Mustang was created solely for the movie and features a custom-designed wide body created specifically for this new role with unique 22-inch alloy wheels, capable of supporting 900 horsepower, and larger intakes to feed its supercharged V-8 engine.

Also keeping the engine cool is the enlarged lower grille with corner air intakes to cool the front brakes.

Designers also worked on reducing aerodynamic drag by using low profile mirrors and extended rocker panels. The splitter was also redesigned to provide better handling at high speeds.

The rear spoiler and diffuser were created to improve airflow, reducing drag and giving additional traction for high-speed acceleration.

Things continue to heat up as we traverse the streets of Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show. We happened across one of the coolest cars around (in our opinion), a Local Motors Rally Fighter.

Local Motors is a company that relies heavily on crowd sourcing to create its off-road (but street-legal) monster, the Rally Fighter. We here at Auto123.com were lucky enough to try our hand at one, and we have to say this thing is as mental to drive as it looks. The Rally Fighter looks the way it does because the adoring internet public made it so. Pretty cool? We'd say so.

As far as owning your own, sure you can do that. It is legal, after all, and even insurable for daily driving. Local Motors even offers an online build-your-own Rally Fighter on its website now. So get picking! You can make your Rally Fighter as unique as you with a plethora of vinyl wraps to choose from. Why vinyl? Well, it saves on weight (about 12 lbs thanks to no paint) and is easier to maintain in the long-run for all the off-roading you'll surely want to do behind the wheel.

Definitely one of the cooler discoveries this week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, check out our video on the Local Motors Rally Fighter below. And for more coverage of SEMA (and other great stuff), make sure you visit Auto123.TV.

On November 19th at a VIP customer and media event, on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jaguar will unveil the new F-Type Coupe. Based on the C-X16 Concept of two years ago, this all-aluminum model will arrive in showrooms next spring. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The first picture released by the company shows the Jaguar F-Type Coupe's panoramic glass sunroof. We'll have to wait two more weeks to get more shots and find out the technical specs.

Photo: Jaguar

What makes the ideal tuner car? Well, for starters it has to have a solid platform and engine, preferably RWD and it has to look good out of the box. So, that really only leaves one set of twins we can think of: the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.

As we pound the pavement here in Las Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show, it's clear to us that the FR-S and BRZ are clearly considered the new Honda Civics of the tuner world. They are the ideal candidates for modifications. Already revered for a number of reasons: handling, poise, balance in braking and steering, with just enough power to round it all out, the RWD twins are sure to be a hit for a few years to come.

Of course, the 2013 SEMA Show is all about improving on those elements, and that's precisely what a number of tuning houses have done, and their work is readily on display on the Sin City streets. While most of the mods we came across received big thumbs up from us, there were a few who took it just one step too far. Yes, there's such a thing as too much mod!

Check out our Scion FR-S and BRZ sight-seeing at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas below. And for more videos and live coverage of the SEMA Show, make sure you check out Auto123.TV as well.

Reports published in Europe suggest that the McLaren Formula 1 team is considering Dane Kevin Magnussen to replace Mexican, Sergio Perez, in 2014.

What was just a rumour a few weeks ago has grown into something much more serious.

Sky Sports F1 has learned that the senior management of McLaren is seriously thinking about putting Magnussen in the new Mercedes turbo hybrid-powered car next season alongside veteran, Jenson Button.

Perez has struggled in his maiden season with McLaren. He's had some good races so far this season (even beating Button), but Sky Sports F1 says that “the feeling persists that the Mexican is not the driver McLaren thought he might be.”

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-28, at Silverstone. (Photo: WRi2)

After that crucial test, McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh, described Magnussen as "lightning quick."

McLaren initially considered placing the 21-year-old Dane at Marussia for him to gain valuable F1 experience without too much pressure, but now McLaren would seriously consider putting him in a McLaren-Mercedes in 2014.

However, what's unclear is if Perez brings sponsorship money to McLaren through Carlos Slim's Telmex mega telecommunication company.

We've been all about the performance upgrades and engine changes so far this week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, but the aesthetic bits and pieces are just as essential when it comes to creating a truly impressive vehicle that'll stand out from the pack.

Who better to do that then the powerhouse that is Rotiform? Responsible for creating some of the hottest wheels currently available on the market, we stopped to drool over some of their more prominent cars on the 2013 SEMA Show floor.

Over the years, Rotiform has continued to deliver wheel styles that tuners the world over drool over and desire. Two of their more popular models, the BLQ and NUE wheels, are perhaps the most recognizable (and pretty damn hot, if we do say so ourselves).

From BMWs to the glorious perppermint-green Porsche 964 we spotted on the show floor at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Rotiform wheels make a serious statement on any vehicle. How do they do that? Well, they know the history of the wheel, they understand the importance of it, and they understand the impact a good-looking wheel can have on the overall look of a car.

Add to that the fact that Rotiform wheels are also extremely functional, and well you've got yourself the complete package. We're sold.

Wanna see how hot these wheels can really look? Check out our live coverage of a few smashing examples of Rotiform wheels we discovered at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas below. And for more great coverage of SEMA make sure you check out Auto123.TV.

Las Vegas, NV - After a road trip from LA to Las Vegas (which you'll get to see photos on soon enough!), we've finally arrived in the desert heat only to find the streets of Sin City smouldering with so much automotive goodness we weren't quite sure where to look first.

2013 SEMA Show Photo Gallery: Day 1

The 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas has just begun, and the Auto123.com team is on hand to bring you the latest and greatest from the aftermarket, tuner world.

In this day 1 photo gallery installment of the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, we spotted some pretty sweet rides on the tarmac outside the convention centre. From a SPOON Honda to a Ford F-100 that had us weak in the knees, the car porn surrounding us is almost too much to handle.

Check out our extensive photo gallery of day 1 at the 2013 SEMA Show. And for more coverage including videos, make sure you head over to Auto123.TV.

Well, we finally made it inside the convention centre at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and what is waiting there to greet us? Possibly one of the hottest Mk1 VW Golf's we've ever seen care of tuning house, Forge Motorsport.

What is it exactly? Well, besides complete car porn, it is a 1982 Golf (known as a Rabbit here in North America) that belongs to the Gloucester, England arm of Forge Motorsport. If you hadn't noticed it was special just by looking at it, let us go on. No need to talk about it what it was, here's what it is now: a 1.8L 20-valve beast that's been bored out to 2.0L and features a massive Garrett turbocharger.

Just an aside here; Garrett have been in the business of sucking, squeezing, blowing, and banging (in other words: turbos) since the 1930s. So, they kinda know what they're doing, and it shows in this prime example of the Forge Motorsport Mk1 Volkswagen Golf.

Now, back to the beauty at hand: With said engine nestled in the Mk1 Golf, it's good for 400 horsepower until the boost hits 1.8 bar then it's good for 500. Yup. 500. Add in a 6-speed manual transmission and limited slip... we told you this thing was hot.

Wanna know more about it? Check out our video on the Forge Motorsports Mk1 Volkswagen Golf at the 2013 SEMA Show at Las Vegas below. And for more great coverage of the SEMA event, make sure you visit Auto123.TV.