The Japanese automaker Suzuki has recently come out with the Kizashi compact sedan, and what better way to show off what the all new four door can be then to bring four highly modified examples to the world’s greatest aftermarket car show SEMA. The new Kizashi should feel right at home amongst a sea of modified Camaros and Challengers, not to mention a few Mustangs among others. Due to the new Suzuki’s affordable entry price, appeal towards the youth market and visually appealing design make the Kizashi the next great candidate to take over tuner duties from the Honda Civic.
The first modified Kiashi will come from engine tuners Road Race Motorsport and will feature a set of Carbontrix custom bumpers as well as an integrated rear diffuser. The body features a blacked out roof while hidden underneath the skin is a full racing suspension and a set of equally as capable high performance brake setup to complete the road racing theme. The second Kizashi scheduled to appear at the Las Vegas Convention Center comes from Delta Tech Engineering, who added a few bolt ons in order to extract a few more horse power. Their creation comes complete with an RK Sport body kit on the outside with a mix of LED and HID lighting while the interior is made up of Katzkin covered seats and a custom Kenwood stereo system.
Westside Auto Group is coming out with a Suzuki Hayabusa inspired model, complete with numerous distinct touches to emphasize the Kizashi’s sporting lineage. The car is covered in a custom two tone paint scheme consisting of Napa Merlot and Bronzed Amber laid on top of the new body kit as well as shaved and smoothed sheet metal. The speed theme continues with a GT Super Car wing and a Yoshimura exhaust while the Westside Kizashi rolls around on a set of R-Worx 7-spoke wheels. Last but not least, Import Tuner will also be at the show with a hot rod Kizashi with a few high performance enhancements under the hood as well as a few cosmetic upgrades to complete Import Tuner’s own editorial visualization of the new four door sport compact.
The Japanese automaker Leuxs has just revealed details about the extended wheelbase 2010 LS 600h L Hybrid luxury sedan. The LS 600h has always been more about providing owners with the feel of a twelve cylinder engine while offering them a hybrid badged vehicle at the same time. For 2010 the LS 600h L receives a new exterior design complete with revised front fascia and a redesigned front grille and bumper, while out back the tail lamps now feature a distinctive blue tint. As usual, the Lexus flagship sedan doesn’t fall short on the technological side either.
The 2010 LS 600h L Hybrid is powered by a variant of Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive power train, a system that combines a 5.0 Liter gas burning V8 with two powerful electric motors and a large capacity battery pack. The hybrid unit generates a peak combined output rating of 438 HP and can move the LS 600h L from 0 to 60 MPH in a very sporty 5.5 seconds.
The 2010 LS 600h L benefits from numerous additional luxury amenities as well as technologies like a driver’s seat that now features a standard slide away feature that makes it easier to enter and exit the vehicle and a memory function to ensure that the bucket goes right back to the perfect spot. There is also a new LCD instrument cluster; the standard Lexus Navigation system employs new casual language recognition; Bluetooth phonebook capability and new music playing capability with the obligatory USB/iPod connectivity.
The Genesis Coupe R-Spec is not the only model Hyundai will be presented with at SEMA Show. In Cooperation to Street Concepts they will show a customized Genesis sedan. What is more important is that graphic designer Courtney Mason will paint a one-of-a-kind graphic on a Pearl White Street Concepts Genesis sedan live at the show.
The Street Concepts Genesis exterior will be outfitted with 3M carbon fiber roof panels, black chrome accents by Chrome Tech, and upper and lower spoilers from RKSport. The vehicle will boast upper and lower E&G front mesh grilles also finished in black chrome by Chrome Tech. Interior features include custom suede and piano black detailing as well as carbon fiber dash accents. It will sit on 22-inch wheels featuring Chrome Tech black chrome wheel centers with black lips and General Exclaim UHP tires.
Thanks to Eibach lowering springs, Brembo brakes and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust, the 4.6-liter V8 engine will deliver an impressive 375 hp.
With rumors flying around that the people’s car maker Volkswagen will cease production of their B segment Passat sometime very soon, that opens the door for future design studies from the forward thinking group of German engineers. This official sketch represents Volkswagen’s new mid size sedan that is planned to be built at their all new production facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee; right here in the good old U.S. of A. The design continues what the automaker started with their Passat CC, considered to be their comfort coupe, the four door sedan gave the impression of a large sporty coupe with its sleek lines and swept back roofline. This new design study continues the theme with a very long and slender sedan.
What we are still in the dark about is exactly what the future four door VW will have hiding underneath the sheet metal. It is almost a given that there will be an Audi Quattro derived all wheel drive version as well as Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox. However what is left to be speculated upon is exactly which power plant VW will choose for their new flagship sedan. As long as VW doesn’t get overambitious and try to recreate the Phaeton, we can’t see where they could possibly go wrong.
We here at Top Speed have received another fun to drive Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited into our test fleet. Last time we had a look at the new Legacy we were driving the flagship 3.6 R model that is more about riding around in relaxed comfort whereas the Azurite Blue Pearl 2.5 GT model is what the Japanese automaker refers to as their sporting Legacy. The biggest difference between the two cars is their power train, while the R was powered by a 3.6 Liter flat six cylinder engine that made 256 HP and 247 lb-ft of torque and is connected to a five speed automatic transmission which of course fed Subaru’s Symmetrical All Wheel Drive System. Our new 2010 Legacy 2.5 GT uses Subaru’s familiar 2.5 Liter turbocharged flat four making 265 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque and is shifted with a six speed manual gearbox, the combination is good for a 0 to 60 MPH time of 5.9 seconds. Despite the smaller displacement and being down two cylinders, the addition of a turbocharger more than makes up for the difference while taking a few pounds off the front axle at the same time.
The fifth generation of the Legacy received a restyling for 2010 and features a bold new design that features a larger one bar grill and a set of Subaru’s new hawk eye headlamps. On the outside, aside from the larger 18 inch wheels, the only thing that gives away the GT as a performance model is the functional hood scoop that feeds fresh air to the Legacy’s top mounted intercooler. The 2.5 GT wears the same bulging fenders as the rest of the lineup as well as their signature side skirts that jut out more than down, giving the Legacy a very wide and stable stance. The 2010 Legacy is a nod at the future of automobile design with its sweptback windshield and short trunk overhang that is more aerodynamic than the traditional three box shape.
Subaru considers their products to be premium automobiles, and it shows on the inside. Our Limited trim Legacy came with a very attractive leather wrapped steering wheel as well as supple seats and a dash adorned with sophisticated wood trim that carries over into the door cards. The 2010 Legacy has been completely redesigned in the interest of a roomier interior and the new car is the most spacious and luxurious Subaru sedan to date. Starting a just under $30,000 our Limited model benefited from a $3,000 power moonroof and navigation system that brought our 2.5 GT’s asking price up to $34,146; not a bad price to pay for so much machine.
Resting in the shadows of the award winning Converj concept car, Cadillac was showing off a piece of their production car finest, another award winner, the Cadillac CTS-V. The dark grey super sedan took Top Speed’s car of the year award last year thanks to its practical four door layout and ability to take up to five from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.9 seconds because of the 556 HP 6.2 Liter supercharged V8 sitting under the power bulge in the hood. The mid size sport sedan will be defending the honor of General Motors later on this week at New York state’s Monticello Motor Club as GM’s knight in shining armor because of King Lutz’s challenge.
Fox Marketing and Artisan Performance teamed up to create this subtle yet aggressive Lexus IS-F for last year’s SEMA show, and almost a year later the Sunset Orange Pearl paint on this wide body IS is still shining brightly. The subtle part involves the numerous bodywork modifications that enhance rather than rethink the lines of the V8 powered factory tuned sedan, making it look even more muscular in the process. The aggressive aspect is applied to the eight cylinder engine we mentioned earlier that gets upgraded with a full blown twin turbo kit that the tuners expect to be good for over 600 HP. No matter which angle you look at this Lexus IS-F from you can’t help but be overwhelmed with the subtle details that set this IS apart from ordinary four door luxury cars.
Now under control of the Swedish super car manufacturerKoenigsegg, SAAB is currently enjoying a bit of a revitalization and in doing so took the wraps off of their latest generation 9-5 sedan at the 2009 Miami Auto Show. Although the new car made it’s international debut in Frankfurt, this 9-5 is still new to North America and the South Florida Show marks the car’s first appearance here in the U.S. The nose of the new 9-5 sedan is inspired by the Aero-X Concept featuring a deep grille flanked with curving, ice-block headlamp units. The entire greenhouse is presented as a ‘wraparound’ mono graphic, the disguised windshield and side pillars giving the cabin Saab’s signature cockpit look. Squint slightly, and the proportions of the windshield and roof become reminiscent of the classic 900 model. The new car comes with a variety of engine options, however here in the U.S. SAAB expects the 2.8 Liter turbocharged V6 engine that puts out approximately 300 HP to be the big seller.
Aside from fast Ferrari’s, the high performance retailer, the Collection also handles sales duty for the German sports car maker Porsche. They did have a low slung Cayenne Transsyberia and a few Boxsters on display, but all eyes were on the new four door sports car that made its world debut back in Frankfurt, the Panamera. Starting at just under $90,000 for a 400 HP direct injected V8 powered Panamera S complete with Porsche’s new PDK gearbox, these cars will be on sale sometime soon next year, but the best part of all is that the 520 HP turbocharged super sedan will also show up in showrooms at the same time, we can’t wait.
Mitsubishi brought their wingless wonder, the Lancer Evolution MR Touring to the Miami Auto show. This more discreet EVO X is a more upscale trend then we are used to from the Japanese budget super car maker, traditionally they would offer stripped down lightweight versions, where the large box shaped aerofoil is ditched for weight reduction reasons along with a radio and sound deadening. However as the Playstation generation grows up and gets jobs, heavily bolstered leather wrapped Recaro racing buckets await the driver as well as Mitsubishi’s new SST six speed sequential manual gearbox to go along with a more reserved EVO that can now hopefully fly under the radar, that is the blingtastic mirror covers don’t set off any alarms.
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