Toyota returns to its compact-truck roots with its latest concept vehicle A-BAT (Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck) making its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in January. The A-BAT uses a hybrid powertrain reported to provide modern versatility, roominess, and style for a new kind of buyer.

“Driving from the suburbs to the city is a way of life for many people,” says Kevin Hunter, president, Calty Design Research, Inc. “We’ve taken Toyota’s truck heritage to a different level by envisioning a vehicle capable of maneuvering the suburbs as well as dirt roads.

This compact truck is as comfortable for long commutes as it is for road trips. It can accommodate outdoor toys and home-improvement supplies. Plus, customers benefit from the hybrid powertrain’s low emissions and fuel economy.” Read more »

It’s that time of year where everyone’s prognosticating like Nostradamus about what the coming year will hold. The authoritative ink slingers at Automobile magazine have decided that Audi’s R8 deserves the dual honors of 2008 Automobile Of The Year and Design Of The Year, as well.

While infused with the generous spirit, Automobile named General Motor’s Two-Mode Hybrid rig Technology Of The Year.

The R8 is Audi’s sports/GT that looks like a supercar and radiates a glow across the entire Audi model line. Not only does it have neck-snapping visual presence, with a 420 horsepower V8 between the axles, there’s a deep well of accelerative force to go along with a finely-tuned AWD chassis that doesn’t scramble the occupants. Read more »

Some will say for better, others will say for worse, but one way or another, the Mercedes SLR McLaren is the supercar that refuses to go quietly into the night.

It was previewed by the Vision SLR concept way back in 1999, and since entering limited production in 2003, the Anglo-Saxon supercar has performed disappointingly both on the road and in the market.

But rather than allowing it to slip away, Mercedes has repeatedly given it new transfusions with the Roadster, 722 and most recently the 722 GT derivatives.

The SLR, in all its incarnations, is about due for retirement, so where has it gone? To Florida, of course! Read more »

Nissan doesn’t look like it’s ready to throw in the towel on minivans–at least not yet.

The Forum concept, which Nissan is bringing to the Detroit auto show in January, has the automaker’s design crew trying to shift the perception of people movers from the stigmatized mom-mobile to a luxurious gathering space for families on the go.

To that end, the concept’s interior is loaded with gadgetry:

– A two-seat second-row bench seat with motorized swiveling. The bench can swivel to face toward each side, or 180 degrees to face the third-row seats. Read more »

When the BMW X6 concept was revealed in Frankfurt in September, we had mixed reactions to its oversized hatchback proportions. BMW made no bones about the fact that the sleek CUV was close to its production reality, and after seeing the motion pictures on YouTube, we tend to believe them.

Video of the freshly-unveiled X6 in production trim is sitting out there for everyone to see, and from what we can tell, it’s almost a dead-ringer to its Frankfurt forefather. As the scribes over at Carscoop pointed out, the b and c-pillars are now predictably visible, the side view mirrors are now larger, and the tail pipes have been modified.

The high-end crossover shown in the video carries XxDrive35d badging, which means an oil-burner sits underhood. On the other hand, the start-up audio in the video sounds decidedly petrol-powered. Read more »

The premise of the Race of Champions is simple: take the best drivers in the world and have them compete on equal terms. Drivers from Formula 1, DTM, WRC and more go head-to-head in the same cars on the same track with personal and national pride at stake.

Drivers face off in a trio of different vehicles per round, with the best-of-three winner moving on to the next round. Recent winners include 2004 DTM champion Mattias Ekström, 2004-2006 WRC champ Sebastien Loeb, and Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen.

Results from this year’s Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in England can be found after the jump, and plenty of action photos can be viewed in the gallery below. Read more »

One of the stylistic highlights of the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show was the Buick Riviera concept. The gullwing coupe was developed by GM’s Chinese design team, who did a bang-up job.

The Riviera reportedly gives a pretty good preview of the design direction for future Buicks, especially ones sold in China. If so, Buicks will finally have some real character besides those fender portholes.

The Riv would make an attractive variant of the Zeta platform, although those gull-wing doors are unlikely to go any further than the concept. Read more »