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Latest by Nick Jaynes

Lighter, cheaper Caterham Seven coming soon to a track-day near you

Yes, apparently the Caterham Seven can get lighter and cheaper.

Toyota launches charity drive/mpg ad campaign called ‘2013 Prius Plug-in Challenge’

Toyota will be handing out Prius Plug-ins to several charity organizations over the next few months.

All-new Porsche Macan compact SUV slated for LA debut, price may even be reasonable

The Porsche Macan is slated to be unveiled at this year’s LA Auto Show.

Honda throws cash in the air, drops Fit EV lease to $259 – even for those now paying $389

Lessees can now pick up the Fit EV for just $259 per month with zero down and no mileage limits.

Renault adds Formula 1 KERS system to its Twizy urban EV, creating the even whackier Twizy F1

Powered by KERS, the Twizy F1 produces some 100 horsepower all in a tiny little urban EV body.

Crikey! GM should learn from the Aussies and offer an LSA-powered Chevy SS in the USA

The Australian Holden tuner HSV has a 580-horsepower version of the Commodore, on which the Chevy SS is built.

Tesla: Model S drivers can take a road trip coast-to-coast later this year – for free

Tesla promises to up Superchargers to 120kw and install them in every major metropolis across the country by the end of the year.

Let the robots do the walking for you with the Honda ‘Walking Assist Device’

Powered by an onboard lithium-ion battery pack, the Honda Walking Assist Device (WAD) will help users walk for over 60 minutes on a single charge.

BMW to offer front-wheel drive diesel models in the U.S.

BMW will be pushing front-wheel drive models to the U.S. along with an expanded diesel powertrain lineup in the next few years.

‘World’s Smallest Production Car,’ the Peel P50, for sale on eBay

We’ve pined over the Peel P50 ever since we saw Jeremy Clarkson drive one on the BBC’s Top Gear.

Another shout-y Brit: 205mph Aston Martin V12 Vantage S packs more power, less weight

Powered by a new 6.0-liter V12 engine, the V12 Vantage S is now the fastest road-going Aston on the planet, save the One-77 supercar.

Forget about adding the Volkswagen XL1 to your car collection, Jay Leno, it’ll only be available for lease

We’ve been marred with non-stop disappointment surrounding the world’s most fuel-efficient production car.

New Lexus-produced film series aims to convince viewers of the brand’s sophistication – without a single car cameo

Would you say Lexus is sophisticated and design-oriented? If not yet, perhaps its new short film series will help pursued you.

Tesla: Nissan LEAF competitor on tap in ‘three to four years’

Hold on to your LEAFs, Nissan. Elon Musk’s Tesla automotive aims to have a sub-$40,000 EV of its own within the next few years.

Flatbed Volkswagen ‘Fusca’ pickup truck concept rendering embraces visual dynamics, ignores mechanical viability

In Brazil the Beetle is called the “Fusca.” And judging from these renderings, pickup trucks don’t need bedsides or engines.

Henrik Fisker – having his cake and eating it, too – wants to buy back sinking Fisker Automotive

Now that VL Automotive has shown interest in the remnants of Fisker Automotive, company co-founder Henrik Fisker wants the company back.

There, there, Clarkson: Aston Martin video teases new limited-run V12 Vantage

When Aston Martin unveiled the V12 Vantage, Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear predicted it’d be the last of its kind.

Scary but true: IIHS releases new crash test video series

Automakers recently lashed back against the IIHS for its new ‘small overlap’ frontal crash test, after many models failed.

Duke researchers remove virtually all CO from hydrogen production process

Hydrogen proponents paint it as the flawless solution to the planet’s transportation energy woes.

McLaren builds an inexplicably lighter weight MP4-12C to celebrate its 50th year

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, McLaren has created a special edition MP4-12C that’s $30,000 more than the regular version.

Act fast! Four of the five Pagani Zonda R Evolutions to be built have been sold

$2.2-million seems like a lot to spend on a hypercar that’s not legal on the street.

SimCity goes all ‘green’ with Nissan LEAF solar canopy charging stations

First launched in 1989, the latest iteration of SimCity allows for users to install solar-powered Nissan LEAF-brand canopy charging stations.

An American snake in… Munich? The SRT Viper might be bound for Europe after all

Some lucky Germans could pay upwards of $120,000 for the SRT Viper, should an example or two find its way across the pond.

Tesla waves arrivederci to federal loans, calls Chrysler un-American

Tesla brags it repaid its federal loans nine years early, saying it was the first American company to do so.

Honda to build engine for McLaren’s Porsche 911 competitor…or so we’d like to think

Honda recently announced its teaming back up with its old racing buddy McLaren to build the new turbo’d 1.6-liter V6s for McLaren’s Formula 1 team.

Chinese firm and former GM chief Bob Lutz circling around Fisker’s fresh corpse

Now that Fisker is bankrupt, the vultures have descended to pick at its corpse.

Grab the sunscreen: Lotus’ Exige S Roadster drops its top for a little fun in the sun

The Lotus Exige S is already one of our favorite cars. And quite remarkably, the British automaker has made the Exige S Roadster even more amazing by cutting out the roof.

Moto-Electra all-electric motorcycle to make three-day cross-country run

Powered by a 20kWh air-cooled electric motor, the Moto-Electra-modified Norton Featherbed motorcycle aims to go from Florida to California in three days.

New documentary ‘Charge’ tracks high-speed evolution of electric motorcycle racing

“Charge” documentary begins in 2009 following teams as they compete in the infamous Isle of Man TT motorcycle race with all-electric bikes.

Romanian teen creates accurate $4000 autonomous vehicle system, one-upping the Brits, Google

Ionut Budisteanu has created a $4000 autonomous vehicle operating system from a low-res radar unit, a webcam, and a homemade artificial intelligence program

High-tech excuse? LEAF-based Infiniti EV to ‘wait’ for inductive charging because cords are too much hassle

Inductive charging, while great, is still a ways off. Frankly, luxury EVs don’t need it to succeed.

The world’s most expensive pony: a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake fetches $1.3 million at auction

Standing as the fastest Mustang that Shelby ever built in the 1960s, the ’67 Super Snake is on prodigious beast but is it worth $1.3-million?

Porsche to drop all-wheel drive from the 911 GT2 but add more ponies

Based upon the 911 Turbo S, the GT2 will feature 552 horsepower, a PDK dual-clutch transmission, and rear-wheel drive.

Audi aims to sell a bunch of RS and A3 models in 2013, bucking an automotive trend

High-end luxury cars and low-end luxury cars historically haven’t been great sellers. Despite this fact, Audi hopes it bolster its profits off the back of these traditionally hard-to-sell vehicles.