Yes, I know this is a very odd comparison. We know the Audi is faster but they are testing handling as well.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpA0EHSdjm0]

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The presence of Honda’s famous NSX in Japan’s Super GT circuit will finally end with the introduction of the HSV-10 GT.  The HSV has already been spied testing at Japan’s Suzuka F1 Track.  Honda has now released official photos of the HSV (Honda Sports Velocity) as well as a few performance specs.

The GT gets a Honda 3.4L V-8 (wait, Honda makes V-8s?) producing 496 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque, according to The Torque Report.

Follow the jump for more photos

Sporty entries into the hybrid class prove green doesn’t have to be lame – no offense to those of our readers driving a Prius or Insight.  (Remember, you too can have a stylish ride)  Honda and VW have everyone talking 0-60 times with their sporty hybrid entries, the CR-Z and NCC.

Volkswagen claims some pretty impressive performance specs for the NCC.  Even with an estimated 45 mpg combined fuel economy rating, VW predicts the NCC will reach 60 from zero in just over 8 seconds, with a top speed of 141 mph.  It’s got to be one of the coolest looking hybrid concepts to date too.

Honda’s CR-Z is expected to have some soul too, at least, compared to “other” hybrids.  Although it’s specs aren’t quite as impressive they are more likely the real deal.  The CR-Z is being shown in production form at Detroit, and is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. later this year. Honda says the CR-Z will make the trip from 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, and carry on some of the heritage of the beloved CRX.  The CR-Z’s fuel economy is rated at an unimpressive 37 mpg combined (with the CVT).  Motor Trend notes that even the old CRX-HF did much better.

If anyone expects to expand the market for hybrids, they’re going to need to build them like this.  They’ve got to convince people you can still achieve the unmistakeable thrill of driving a sports car, even if it’s got that “H” word in the name. VW beetle for sale

Source: Motor Trend

…the Ford F series pickup…again.

The honored F was redone for ’09.  But once the shining child of the American auto market, the F is far from its prime.  The pickup achieved its high-point in ’04 with almost 940,000 units sold.  The number for ’09?  Well under 414,000.  With all the cash, advertising, and labor put into it, the F couldn’t break out of the recession’s pull.  The Chevrolet Silverado (#3) was well behind it with 317,000, and Dodge Ram (#10) came in with a rather weak 177,000 units.

The big truck losers?  The GMC Sierra came nowhere near the Silverado’s numbers (112,000), making the argument for us that it’s time to assimilate the damn thing into the Chevy line.  The Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Ford Explorer were nowhere to be seen.  The smaller Tacoma, Escape, and RAV4 all did well, however.

The Toyota Camry was the top car and #2 overall.  The sale decline with the Camry was small, as the sedan managed to push out 357,000 units.  Behind it were the Corolla with 297,000, the Honda Accord with 290,000, and Civic with 260,000.  The only American car to break into the top ten was Ford’s Fusion.  That came in at #9 with 181,000.chevy silverado for sale

Body kits and tuning are nothing new to fans of Japanese imports, although they tend to remind us of Supras and Civics, rather than the fuel sipping hybrids of the 21st century. Hybrids, by nature, are not the speedy performance machines generally associated with aggressive body styling and over sized rims, so this seems like an unlikely market for tuner accessories.

Japanese tuner, Tommy Kaira has taken a chance that hybrid owners will still pay to make their green cars look mean. They have introduced cosmetic and performance upgrades for Japan’s hybrid hot shots, the Pruis and Insight. Accessories include body kits, suspension components and custom wheels.

So why bother to to make them look more sporty than they are designed to be? Well why not? Why can’t the forerunners of the hybrid consumer market feel like the cars they drive are fast and furious? Even if they’re not, I see no reason not to make them look that way. Although I’m generally a fan of European sports cars and American muscle cars, I actually don’t think the kitted Prius looks all that bad… for a hybrid.  What do you think?  Are hybrids too dorky for upgrades like this, or do the Tommy Kaira kits make you want to want to see a drifter slide around in an Insight?

Source: Tommy Kaira [via AutoBlog]

We’re pretty fond of the Jalopnik gang–partly for their insults against The Truth About Cars, and partly for their grassroots fondness for automotive and aeronautical performance. Joining a common trend this is their “Best10″ (a play on Car and Driver‘s “10Best”) cars of the decade.

Here’s the list with the watered-down specs:

1. BMW Z3 M Coupe (1999 to 2002)

Price: $42,000
Engine: 3.2 L I-6
Power: 315 hp
Weight: 3,230 lbs.

2. Chevrolet Corvette (2005 to Now)
Price: $50,000 to $100,000
Engine: 6.2 L V-8 to 7.0 L V-8
Power: 430 to 638 hp
Weight: 3,180 to 3,330 lbs.

3. Audi R8 V-8 (2006 to Now)
Price: $114,000
Engine: 4.2 L V-8
Power: 420 hp
Weight: 3,450 lbs.

4. Honda S2000 (1999 to 2009)
Price: $35,000
Engine: 2.2 L I-4
Power: 240 hp
Weight: 2,780 lbs.

5. Mini Cooper (2001 to 2006)
Price: $18,000+
Engine: 1.6 L I-4
Power: 114 hp
Weight: 2,520 lbs.

6. Porsche 911 GT3 (2004 to 2005)
Price: $100,000
Engine: 3.6 L H-6
Power: 375 hp
Weight: 3,050 lbs.

7. Ferrari F430 (2004 to 2009)
Price: $188,000
Engine: 4.3 L V-8
Power: 483 hp
Weight: 3,200 lbs.

8. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (2003 to 2006)
Price: $32,000
Engine: 2.0 L I-4
Power: 286 hp
Weight: 3,340 lbs.

9. Pontiac G8 GXP (2009)
Price: $40,000
Engine: 6.2 L V-8
Power: 415 hp
Weight: 3,800 lbs.

10. Ford F-150 Raptor (2010 to Now)
Price: $39,000
Engine: 5.4 L V-8
Power: 310 hp
Weight: 6,000 lbs.

1969 corvette for sale

Hard to believe: the NSX has been dead for three years–and was obsolete nearly a decade longer.  The ol’ Acura may have been slammed by snobs as lacking soul, but it was a brilliantly-engineered exotic.  Telling that Honda still doesn’t know what to do with the high-end vacancy left by the two-seater.

Which is why we chose the HSC as our #9 pick.

The HSC was unveiled six years ago in Tokyo.  From all accounts, the HSC was the logical step forward for the NSX.  The aging Honda exotic had long fallen behind its Italian (and even American) competitors.  The HSC’s similar exterior hid some progressive innovation, including a center-mounted “dial” shifter and an early rear-camera/nav display now commonplace in the industry.  A V-6 was still in play, but now a lighter unit with 3.5 L and 300 hp.

Somewhere within the higher levels of Honda management, the HSC was dropped.  Instead, we received a flurry of meaningless ideas that usually amounted to nothing.  The travesty here is that HSC wasn’t anything radical.  It had some freshness, but nothing beyond the means of Honda’s engineers.  The years since have brought us Lexus’s LF-A and Nissan’s GT-R as leaders in Japanese performance.

The Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) is another one of those unusual design studies for the future of personal transit.  The design, courtesy of Honda’s LA studio, focuses on an aerodynamic shape combined with maximum interior space.  The driving position is centered, offering a prime operating point–though at the expense of extra front passengers.  The rear-positioned engine bay will house a low-displacement petrol engine, a small-scale gas-electric powertrain, or a solely electric battery unit.

Looks like the city car isn’t going anywhere.  The EV-N hopes to be the future of the Japanese kei car.  The retro-styled ultra-compact features custom unicycles placed on the door panels, LED lights, folding rear seats, and an electric power unit with added energy coming from a solar roof panel.