SEMA 2010: Honda brings a surplus of custom CR-Zs

Honda has a grand total of 12 different CR-Zs on display at this year's SEMA show. In addition to the Mugen and Hybrid R we showed you earlier, the Japanese automaker has created the CR-Z with Genuine Honda Accessories and HPD CR-Z Racer, and eight other companies have put their spins on the compact hybrid hatch.

Big name companies like Bisimoto Engineering, DSO Eyewear, Eibach Springs, Fortune Motorsports and Konig Wheels have created their own one-off CR-Zs, accounting for a little less than half of Honda's overall showing. Two special project CR-Zs are on hand, as well, done up by the folks from Honda Tuning Magazine and the Los Angeles Auto Show.


[Source: Honda]

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SEMA 2010: Local Motors puts five Rally Fighters on display

Just like it promised, Local Motors has come to the 2010 SEMA show with five ready-to-rock Rally Fighters. The crowd-sourced design is paying off, because LM says that another five should be done before we switch the calendar over to 2011.

On hand are the two prototype vehicles, known as Beta 1 and Beta 2, while the other three Rally Fighters represent the first vehicles going to customer homes. Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, naturally scooped up the first example and he uses it as his daily driver. (Awesome.) The other two customer cars are going to face two very different lives; the one going to Jay Zuppardo and his family will be turned into a sand rail, while the other going to John Domolky will be used as a daily driver vehicle in his hometown of Boston.

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SEMA 2010: Stasis R8 V10 Spyder and Autonomous Audi TTS say hello to Vegas

What happens when tuners cast eyes on the Audi R8 is symptomatic of the basic and inherent awesomeness of the R8 proposition, both design- and driving-wise. See, there isn't much that happens on any tuned Audi R8 – all of them look like Audi R8s, maybe with a little more carbon fiber and a new set of wheels. There is simply nothing else to be done to it that could make it better, or, at least, we haven't seen it, and so almost all hyped R8s are known by their rims.

Stasis has joined that club, with an R8 Custom Spyder blessed with up to 7.5 psi of supercharger boost good for 710 horsepower, some suspension mods and a 20-inch set of its trademark wheels. An independent cooler keeps the supercharger chilled, and a lighter, more open exhaust runs out of larger tailpipes. It certainly looks good, and that's mostly because the R8 looks good on its own.

Of all of the high-dollar cars in Audi's first-ever space at SEMA, only the autonomous TTS was behind a barrier and untouchable. Pikes Peak dust still coated its antennas and inertial sensors, and the open hatch revealed just how much computer hardware is necessary to replace a human.

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2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid to hit U.S. dealers in November

2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid will be arriving after a few more days. It will carry a $21,000 premium over the V6 Porsche Cayenne, but for your $67,700 you will hold onto the performance and gain a economical help. The six cylinder supercharged, 333 horsepower with the help of battery does 0 - 60 in 6.1 seconds and it gives 25 miles per gallon. In addition, you will get a max speed of 37 mph in electric operation.

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Rossin-Bertin Vorax entring into supercar club

The Rossin-Bertin Vorax will debut this month at the São Paulo Auto Show. Over an aluminium chasis this car features a carbon fibre body, with 570 horsepower, or supercharged with 750. Earlier it was 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed was 205 mph. Latter, acceleration time was improved to 3.6 seconds, 180 horsepower boost and top speed increased to 231 mph.

Rossin-Bertin Vorax coupe is aimed to hit the market in late 2011 or early 2012. A convertible version is scheduled to follow a year later with overall production of 500-1000 and an estimate price around $ 400,000.

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Oldest Porsche In America

Porsche started a search for the oldest model in the country, in August, on Porsche's 60th anniversary in America. Porsche announced the winner: Dr. Robert Wilson's rejuvenated 1952 Strawberry Red 356 Cabriolet and its 60 horsepower, 1.5 liter tail-mounted engine. This car was brought by Max Hoffman, who also, in 1950 brought Porsche to the country.



Richard Brumme has an even older Porsche, which was brought but not sold here. A blue 1950 356 Cabriolet, according to Porsche it was one of the first produced car.

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Competitors: Honda Accord and Toyota Camry

Engine: V6-equipped 2.0 and 2.4-liter engine

Mileage: 36 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway




Other Info: Sonata is a sedan that has always shown up with the kind of styling, efficiency and price this low which make consumers to scurry for their checkbook.

All new 2011 Sonata can also be driven in all electric mode. Hyundai says that the Sonata Hybrid can cruise on all-electric at speed of up to 62 mph, and company's engineer indicated that the car might do even better. Hyundai did this by converting its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine to the Atkinson Cycle and added a 40-horsepower electric motor, which is good for a combined 206 horsepower and 193 pound-feet of torque, but the main thing is the car's battery pack.

Instead of cull out the cheaper nickel-metal hydride cells, Hyundai's choice was costlier lithium-polymer cells with a total of 72 cells into the pack, which weighs a relatively 96 pounds.

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