Spy Shots: Toyota 4Runner snagged ahead of Texas debut

Filed under: Spy Photos , SUV , Toyota Thanks to one particularly sleuthy Autoblog reader, we now have a ton of useful information about the upcoming 2010 Toyota 4Runner , including the fact that its powertrain options will consist of a 161-horsepower four-cylinder and a 268-horsepower six. The new body-on-frame SUV is slated for debut at the State Fair of Texas later in the month, but the boys at Car and Driver managed to obtain a set of spy photos that shows the truck both inside and out.

Frankfurt Preview: BMW reveals Vision EfficientDynamics turbodiesel plug-in hybrid concept [w/VIDEO]

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Coupe , Hybrid , Technology , BMW , Alternative Fuel , Diesel BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery After several months of speculation and official teases for the past week, we now finally have all the details on the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept that BMW will show at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks.

Stillen Nissan GT-R: 620 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds (w/ video)

Filed under: Aftermarket , Motorsports , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Nissan Stillen Nissan GT-R Targa Race Car – Click above to watch the video after the jump It’s been more than six months since Stillen started working on their Nissan GT-R race car and we’re happy to report it’s finished and already on its way to Eastern Canada where it will compete in the Targa Newfoundland in a few weeks. Before the hopped-up GT-R was loaded on the trailer, Steve Millen and his crew took the car out to the El Toro Marine base for a few shakedown runs

Potential deal points leaked concerning Tengzhong’s purchase of Hummer

Filed under: SUV , China , Crossover , GM , Hummer 2008 Hummer HX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery As the Opel transaction takes on Biblical intrigue, the Hummer exchange goes on in another dark corner, laboriously, like the gestation of an elephant. The latest report from a Chinese news website states that General Motors and Tengzhong “might sign an agreement” this week, but that strikes us as exceedingly optimistic seeing that there’s been no word on the government approving the deal yet. Slightly more believable are the supposed deal points that would guide Tengzhong’s initial ownership of Hummer: Tengzhong will own all of Hummer’s intellectual property rights and sales network, but would not build Hummers in China and would operate the company as an off-shore entity based out of Detroit or Nashville .

Mini Roadster leaks out ahead of Frankfurt debut

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Convertible , Coupe , Performance , Crossover , BMW , MINI Mini kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with a birthday party in Nice, France where a select group of journalists were give an glimpse at Mini’s plans for Frankfurt and beyond. Matt Davis from Inside Line was in attendance and snapped a shot (right) of the Mini Roadster concept ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show debut, and plugged some of the automaker’s execs for information on Mini’s plan for the future. Aside from the Mini Coupe and Roadster, which will reportedly, “be produced for the 2011 model year and both will be available on all our world markets,” the Mini Crossover has been delayed as the automaker rethinks its brand position.

BMW teases Vision EfficientDynamics concept one more time

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Hybrid , BMW , Alternative Fuel , Diesel BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics teasers – Click above for high-res image gallery It’s been two whole days since BMW first teased its new Vision EfficientDynamics concept , and you know how the interweb masses get when they start feeling neglected, right? In an effort to properly satiate our never-ending desire for more, more, more, BMW has released yet another teaser image of the Frankfurt-bound machine that focuses on the intriguing rear quarter panel and tail lamp. According to Bimmerpost , we could be looking at a diesel hybrid that can accelerate to 60 mph in under five seconds and return 67 mpg.

2010 Toyota 4Runner to get four-cylinder model, third row option for 2010

Filed under: SUV , Toyota , Off-Road 2010 Toyota 4Runner teaser – Click above to expand and enlarge Thanks to a reader tip, Autoblog has obtained documentation confirming rumors that the nearly-here 2010 Toyota 4Runner will get both a four-cylinder model and an optional third row for added utility. The long-serving body-on-frame SUV finally gets a much-needed replacement for the 2010 model year, and the addition of a four-cylinder model (available only in two-wheel drive) should give Toyota marketers a valuable price and mileage leader, with the latter making friends among consumers and Corporate Average Fuel Economy calculators alike.

Respect Your Elders: Suzuki’s Kizashi concepts spotted stacked and awaiting crusher?

Filed under: Concept Cars , Etc. , Japan , Suzuki Old concepts don’t die, they just get thrown in a heap and stacked atop one another in some dank lot out back. Actually, we don’t know where the lot is located, but we do know it appears to be holding the Suzuki Kizashi , Kizashi 2 , and Kizashi 3 – important concepts that the Japanese automaker unveiled over the past two years.

VIDEO: Comically overpowered Honda CBR 900RR go kart gets all drifty

Filed under: Performance , Etc.

Reports of Toyota RAV4 gearbox woes mount as owner anger grows

Filed under: SUV , Safety , Toyota Imagine merging into speeding highway traffic when your transmission suddenly balks at the shift, leaving you struggling to choose between that 70,000-pound semi filling your rear view mirror or the shrinking median on the right side of the road. This scenario is just one of the complaints being lodged against Toyota’s 2001-2003 RAV4 as owners complain about the Japanese automaker’s reluctance to acknowledge a fault with the so-called cute-ute’s electronically-controlled transmission. According to the reports (more than 120 complaints have been lodged to the NHTSA so far), the engine control module (ECM) may fail and send mixed signals to the transmission

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