2003 Toyota Camry on 2040-cars

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Toyota says C-HR Concept is more of a Prius preview than we thought

When the designers thought they were just about finished with the new look of the fourth-generation Toyota Prius hybrid, higher-ups did not like what they saw and sent those designers back to the proverbial drawing board to come up with something a little spicier. Duly inspired, the designers came up with something last spring that may look a bit like the C-HR crossover concept, Automotive News says. For those looking for a Prius design with a little more bite, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The C-HR hybrid concept isn't a direct preview of the new Prius, but the "diamond architecture" features like thick wheel wells and mean-looking grille could make an appearance on the hybrid. Those aren't exactly familiar Prius materials, but they may be coming to the next version of the world's most popular hybrid, whose production debut has been pushed back until the end of next year. It is also notable that there will likely be a far greater design difference between the standard Prius hatchback and the plug-in hybrid variant, which are pretty much identical in their current versions. The C-HR concept, whose look has been compared to that of the Nissan Juke, was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last fall. We think it looks good, and wouldn't mind seeing some of the touches in the new hybrid.

TMG's super Lexus LS Sports 650 gets track tested

The people at Toyota Motorsport GmbH have been responsible for the Japanese automaker's motorsports efforts since the 1970s, but since Toyota pulled out of Formula One after the 2009 season, the tuning shop has been developing a super sedan based on the Lexus LS called the Sports 650. Details on TMG's first road car have been scarce, but XCAR was recently invited to drive the 641-horsepower Lexus on track.
Here's what we know: the Sports 650 has enough power to sprint to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds, tops out at 199 mph, weighs over two tons and utilizes LFA brakes. Oh, and its twin-turbo V8 bellows like an AMG V8. That last part isn't surprising when considering TMG could become Toyota's in-house tuning arm - like AMG is to Mercedes-Benz. As for the bespoke body kit, fender flares and stacked exhaust pipes? They fit the car well and even remind us a bit of Lexus' other high-performance sedan, the IS F. Currently there are no plans for the Sports 650 to be made into a production car, but we doubt TMG is devoting this much effort developing the LS into a road-rocket for nothing.
Check out XCAR's video below to see the AMG-fighter wrung out on track, and then ponder what could be if TMG were let loose to fiddle with other cars in Lexus' lineup. Now that's something we could get used to!

BMW M850i Coupe, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser | Autoblog Podcast #585

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder. This week, they talk about driving the BMW 8 Series Coupe, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Then they talk about the news, including electric Hummer rumors and Tesla pickup timing. Finally, they consider whether or not Greg should buy his neighbor's 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser. Autoblog Podcast #585 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: BMW M850i xDrive Coupe Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Toyota Corolla Hatchback In the news: Is an all-electric Hummer in the works? Tesla pickup truck is on its way Spend My Money: 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: