2013 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG packs 550 hp

Mercedes-Benz is adding a fire-breathing AMG variant of the GL sport-utility vehicle for the first time for 2013.

The people hauler will pack a biturbo 5.5-liter V8 rated at 550 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. Code-named M157, it's capable of propelling the ute to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds en route to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. The engine works with a seven-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4Matic all-wheel drive.

Akio Toyoda takes 2013 NASCAR Toyota Camry for a drive

Last week we showed you the 2013 Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup car, complete with orange and red TRD livery. Sources said that Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and JTG-Daugherty Racing will remain with the Japanese automaker for at least two more years.

Today we have an HD video of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda hot-footing the car around Daytona Speedway with Kyle Busch in February.

Toyoda is a bit shorter than Busch and looks small in the big V8-powered car. But he is an accomplished racer and seems to have no trouble hustling the car around the 2.5-mile oval.

Toyoda is famous for taking his own creations out on the track. He did the same for the Toyota 86 and owns a matte-black Lexus LFA.

We love when Toyoda does stuff like this; it proves he's an enthusiast.

Source:
autoweek.com

SPLIT OVER PLUG-INS

White House pushes to get more vehicles on the road while industry shifts to traditional technologies

WASHINGTON -- A disconnect is emerging between the White House and the auto industry over the short-term future of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

2-liter - reducing fuel consumption!

BMW put a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine in its U.S. 5 series for the first time last year. But the staff at New Country BMW in Hartford, Conn., doesn't like to spread that fact around -- at least not before a shopper takes the car for a drive.

‘Offensive’ travel insurance advertisement back on the air

A television advertisement that aired in Australia in 2011 is back on the air in a revised form, having been criticised by the public and come up against the Advertising Standards Bureau. The advert, which was for review and comparison website Compare Travel Insurance,

Altima raises stakes!

Fighting Toyota's Camry for top spot, Nissan must balance demand, capacity
Nissan North America last week started building its high-volume Altima with hopes of taking the volume even higher -- even as competition in the segment heats up.

Electric vehicles enter the main line!

When we went to an earlier running of the Electric Vehicle Symposium in 1994, it was held in a parking lot outside Disneyland, a transportation fantasy held in Fantasyland.