The VN Channel

The new coupe version of the Subaru BRZ will have the lowest center of gravity of all production cars today as it heads to showrooms next summer. The rear-wheel-drive setup of the BRZ gives more room for the 2.0L Boxer powerplant to be lower in the chassis of the coupe compared to the usual setup of the 4WD configuration.

The Subaru BRZ was a product of collaboration with Toyota but most of the engineering work were done by Subaru. The car manufacturer though reveals that the flat four BRZ will also make use of the fuel injection system of Toyota. The output of the engines though has some considerable difference, with the BRZ to give out a bit under 300 horsepower while the FT-86 produces around 200 horsepower.

Other details about the new BRZ have never been released though. Subaru might be considering a roadster version of the BRZ as a future model.

Subaru insiders said that they do not have a costing strategy at the moment but if the BRZ is aiming to compete with the Volkswagen Scirocco, then the price of the Subaru coupe might just be around the VW’s coupe range.

Despite the lack of pricing and image of the production version of the BRZ, fans have already expressed their excitement as inquiries keep the dealership network of Subaru busy answering questions about the upcoming ride.

In the UK, the 2+2 coupe will be filling up a good demand for a new niche market but they plan to focus on products like the XV crossover and sell around 7,500 units for 2012.

The Subaru BRZ will be unwrapped this November at the Tokyo auto show.

… and it’s the one and only Lamborghini Gallardo. Vanessa Rousso is one of the most popular poker players of the moment – and I just can’t imagine her paying for this car with her own money. Either GoDaddy, DC Motors or PokerStars hooked her up with this ride – or it’s a gift from poker-player boyfriend Chad Brown.

If she did buy it herself: learn something about the car you just bought before you hand out interviews pimping it, girl!

Cars are to boys, as shoes are to girls. That explains why men often mark significant phases of their lives with cars: teenage dreams, personal achievement, male menopause, whatever. But sorry boys, as impossible as it may seen, according to a new study, a brand new car won’t help you much to attract women. Maybe that’s because more and more women are buying themselves cars, making them toys for big girls as well.

A study that was commissioned by the Australian Top Gear revealed that the brain of a typical woman does not show significant reactions to men whether they are driving a Ferrari of a beaten-down jalopy that was due for the museum, say 20 years ago?

Based on pop culture and belief, men who drive an attractive and fast vehicle automatically become more attractive to women compared to those pedaling away in bicycles. Also men who are generally attractive (or believe to be attractive) are immune to the type of car they drive. According to Neuro Insight’s Peter Pynta, the one who made the study, you don’t have to worry about driving a jalopy if you’re already attractive.

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Another outlandish, yet intelligent, concept car makes its way at the Geneva Motor Show—the Nissan Qazana. Atsushi Maeda, Nissan Design (Europe) studio chief, said that the Qazana concept car is an “intelligent, all-wheel-drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets.” He also added that his design team patterned the concept car after the “modern-day buggy and four-seat motorbike.”

The Nissan Qazana concept car lacks exterior door handles, thus it is often mistaken for a two-door car. It is a four-door car with rear-hinged back doors, which become accessible once the front doors are opened. This door system eradicates the “B-pillar”, making it so much easier to get to the back seats.

Slightly larger than the Nissan Cube, the Qazana is only 159.8 inches long. The most striking exterior features are the two large headlights. Small headlights for daytime use are also attached at the top of the fenders. The interior is composed mainly of exposed plastic and fabric. Nissan said that the contour of the center console comes from the design of motorbike’s fuel tanks.

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Audi’s premium subcompact Audi A1 will enter the European market later this year. However, Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, said that with the American’s mentality of small cars being cheap, the United States’ market might not be ready for the Audi A1.

According to an interview with Automotive News, Johan de Nyscchen said that the Audi automobile company is “seriously looking” at their plan to bring the Audi A1 to the United States six to eight years from now. He stressed that introducing the car earlier might spoil the car company’s hard work in building pervasive recognition for the brand.

Another interview at the Audi headquarters, de Nysschen said, “People who know us consider us very highly, but not enough people know us yet. I’d like to get that entrenched much more strongly, and it will probably take us another five to six years. That will be the time that you can kind of roll down the market with a smaller car.”

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After the launching of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3, the men behind the new machine are more eager than ever to unveil the performance-based version at the motor show in Geneva this coming March.

The new Mazdaspeed 3 t comes with two engine options: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has 148 horsepower and 135 lb.-feet of torque; and a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a borrowed power train from a larger Maza6, with 167 horsepower and 168 lb.-feet of torque. Both the engine has a highly developed electronic throttle actuation. The 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 has a five- and six-speed manual transmission, as well as a five-speed automatic transmission with the Sport-AT manual shift mode as option. This could become as big a hit as the Mazda mx-3, I’m sure!

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Survival is the name of the game during tough economic times, and it will take GM around $16.6 Billion more government aid to make it through. Without the funding, GM may drain its cash deposits by March.

The automaker is set to cut 47000 jobs from its global employee base. Five plants in the United States are also scheduled for shutdown by 2012.

GM is also contemplating on ending the Saturn brand when units for its current models are produced by 2012.

The automaker is facing a loan and line of credit amounting to $30 billion based on a report submitted to the US Treasury Department.

GM is requesting for an additional $4.6 billion funding to complete the aid that it received last December 2008. The company also needs $4.5 billion by 2011 to pay for some revolving credit line. An additional $7.5 billion will be needed to help the company as it anticipates worsening sales.

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As an opening post, we thought we’d show you the car we used for our header image. It’s the extremely decadent (yet elegant!) Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss Edition. According to Mercedes-specialists at Mercedes Talk: “The interior of the car follows a minimalist perspective using high grade leather, carbon fiber, and aluminum. The shifter is the center of the interior featuring an engraved aluminum plate signed by Moss. Under the hood of the [Stirling Moss] SLR is a supercharged V8 engine adapted from the 722 edition. The power plant that outputs 650 horse power is capable of sending the car from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds. Top speed is jotted at 217 mph.”

What a beauty!