Honda says its affordable, sporty hybrid CR-Z will go on sale Friday in Japan, hoping the car will appeal to the younger set or empty-nesters who want a "green" car with a bit of pizazz.

Japan's No. 2 automaker says the two-door hatchback will go on sale in the U.S. and Europe by midyear.

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday the Japanese price would be 2.268 million yen ($25,300) for the basic model and 2.498 million yen ($27,900) for the top-end model. Prices elsewhere haven't been decided yet.

The company says the CR-Z gets 25 kilometers per liter (58.8 miles per gallon).

Honda's Insight sedan has intensified competition in the hybrid car market, which had been largely dominated by Toyota's Prius...businessweek.com  Honda.com

Very limited amount of vehicle problems has created a stir for the always hungry media. Toyota has and always will continue to build a quality and safe product. How many other manufacturers would shut down their auto lines to ensure a quality product. Toyota has increased incentives for car buyers with both rates and rebates. This is what ever auto shopper likes, a deal!! The deals are at Toyota.

The prius is the latest model under attack. Again, very small amount of complaints. In my opinion. Out of a hundred complaints in any business, how many of them are really legitimate. I would be confident to buy a Toyota. I know they will take car of me.  The Roamer  find your Toyota

To get the all-new, two-seater Lexus LFA supercar you not only have to have a whopping $350,000, you also have to pass a sort of "coolness test," the Huffington Post reports.

"We want people who will drive the car, who will be seen in the car.  We want it to be seen on the right roads, in front of the right restaurants and not just being enjoyed by one individual in their private garage," Paul Williamson, national manager at Lexus College, a dealer training school, told the Wall Street Journal.

In short, Lexus must "choose" you to drive the LFA, their top-of-the line car in the Lexus "F" portfolio. They pick owners based on criteria like other cars owned, where the person lives, and how often and where they drive, WSJ.com reports.

So what's so special about the LFA?  For one, only 500 cars will ever be produced (20 each month for 25 consecutive months). The car is also super-fast, accelerating from zero to 60 mph in only 3.6 seconds and can reach 202 mph.  It has a 10-cylinder, 552-hp engine, features a unique Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) cabin that makes it super-lightweight and can be customized in different colors and wheel designs...nydailynews.com  Find your Lexus!

DETROIT — Toyota plans to sell more than a million hybrids annually within the first half of this decade, and it’s taken a big step toward that goal by unveiling a baby brother to the Prius.

The FT-CH hybrid is a concept, but the compact dedicated hybrid speaks to Toyota’s plan to create a family of cars descended from the Prius. The company that made “hybrid” a household word wants to offer a wide range of gas-electric models while branching out into plug-in hybrids and even electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

“Within the next 10 to 20 years, we will not only reach peak oil, we will enter a period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president. “A century after the invention of the automobile, we must re-invent it with powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional petroleum fuels.

“One of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification of the automobile. By far, the single most successful example of this has been the gas-electric hybrid.”...wired.com  Find your Toyota

The Cadillac Converj will be the second GM vehicle built on the automaker's system combining a lithium-ion battery pack with a traditional engine as backup, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said late on Sunday.

The rechargeable or plug-in Cadillac is "heading for production" and will be designed, like the Volt, to be driven for 40 miles on battery power alone, Lutz said.

The Volt is expected to be priced near $40,000. The Cadillac variant will use technology developed for the Volt and will be aimed at consumers "who don't mind paying a large price for a luxury vehicle," Lutz said.

He said production plans for the Converj had yet to be determined but that it would not go on sale before 2013.

The comments from Lutz, who was speaking at an event organized by the Society of Automotive Analysts in Detroit, marked the first indication of the next step in GM's plug-in hybrid development efforts since the shake-up in the top leadership of the automaker late last year... reuters.com        Find your Cadillac!

Many of the engineers on the development team have worked in the Engine and Electrical Engineering Building on the Dearborn, Mich., product development center campus. For years they walked past the original 5.0-liter V-8 Coyote Indy racing engine on display in the lobby, continually inspired by its mix of heritage, high technology and horsepower. The powertrain development community had long wanted to develop a new 5.0-liter powertrain, with strategic discussions beginning in 2000. By 2007, the Mustang competitive landscape was beginning to change, a sign that the time was right for advancing the Mustang GT powertrain to world-class levels.

The team began 5.0-liter engine development with the objective of delivering 400-plus horsepower, on a timetable accelerated by 12 months without compromises in reliability, durability, fuel economy, or noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) control. “Nearly all of the team members have worked on other high-profile powertrain programs,” said V-8 Engine Programs Manager Mike Harrison. “They all had a clear vision of the work required on their particular component or subsystem. Their passion for engines, racing and delivering every last ounce of performance throughout the engine speed range really demonstrated that they put their heads and their hearts into this powertrain.

Development test engines and benchmarks included 5.0-liter blocks, employing different bore and stroke measurements, GT500 four-valve-per-cylinder heads and cams, various intake manifold runner configurations, differing compression ratios and a deep-sump oil pan. The team also evaluated Ford Racing’s 5.0-liter “Cammer” V-8 crate engine for transferable best practices....muscularmustangs.com