New Toyota FT-86 Shots Bring Specifications into the Light

Adding to a long line of leaks these past few days, the specification sheet along with a few more brochure shots of the JDM 2012 Toyota FT-86 made their way onto Japanese forums revealing new details on the firm's rear-wheel drive coupe.

Cutting to the chase, the FT-86 measures 4,240mm (166.9-in.) long, 1,775mm wide (69.9-in.), and 1,285mm (50.6-in.) tall, while riding on a 2,570mm (101.2-in.) long wheelbase.

In its home market of Japan, the FT-86 is powered by a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four churning out 200-horses at 7,000 rpm and 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) of peak torque at 6,600 rpm. It is very likely that the output numbers will remain the same for the global Toyota FT-86 and the North American Scion FR-S.

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Suzuki Ditches Los Angeles and Detroit Motor Shows

The strong yen is eating away profit margins and hurting Japanese carmakers’ sales and as a result, is forcing them to find ways to cut their losses.

Suzuki, which has been hit very hard by the currency exchange rates since it manufactures all of its U.S. market models - sans the Equator pickup truck- in Japan, decided to withdraw from next month’s Los Angeles Motor Show, despite having originally confirmed its participation.

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New Toyota FT-86 Revealed Through Leaked Japanese Brochure?

It's almost time for the official unveiling of the production version of the Toyota FT-86 rear-wheel drive coupe, which means you should probably brace yourself for a barrage of photos and details over the next few weeks.

The first wave comes through a set of leaked brochure scans that seem to be legit. The FT-86 depicted in these pictures is the Japanese domestic market Modellista version that has been accessorized by Toyota's in-house customization company.

Among other bespoke features that you won't see on the base model is the exterior aero package that comprises of a front spoiler, beefier side skirts and a two-piece rear apron, along with the model-specific alloy wheels.

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JDM 2012 Subaru Impreza G4 Sedan and Sport Hatchback Detailed in Brochure Shots

The first pictures and details of the Japanese domestic market [JDM] 2012 Subaru Impreza have emerged online thanks to a set of brochure shots that were leaked before the official presentation on November 30.

As most of you probably expected, the JDM model is a carbon copy of the North American version of the new Impreza, which goes on sale in the States next month. In Japan, the hatchback model will carry the Sport designation while the sedan will be called G4.

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PSA Peugeot Citroën to Cut 3,500 Jobs in Europe as it Tries to Slash Costs

French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën is feeling the burden of the economic crisis as the company said on Wednesday that despite group revenues being up 3.5% compared with third-quarter 2010, its core automotive division's revenues are down 1.6% year-on-year and as a result, it would barely break even this year.

The Paris-based automaker blamed the drop in revenues on the negative impact from the aftermath of Japan's tsunami (€250 million) and the higher prices of raw materials (€700 million).

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Mazda to Introduce New Clean Diesel Models in Japan Starting with the CX-5

Up until now and despite their popularity in other regions especially in Europe, diesel vehicles have yet to win Japanese consumers. This is mainly due to the costs associated with the NOx emission-reducing technologies that are necessary for diesel engines to meet the country's stringent exhaust gas regulations.

Mazda says it has overcome this problem with its brand-new SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine that made its debut on the CX-5 crossover.

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Aston Martin Launches New Cygnet in Hong Kong and Japan

Perhaps the most controversial Aston Martin model ever made - or to be more precise, re-made, the new Cygnet luxury city car has arrived in two more markets outside of Europe, in Hong Kong and Japan.

Essentially a heavily luxed-up version of the Toyota / Scion iQ, the Cygnet is available to order now in Hong Kong and Japan from the Aston Martin dealership network with deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2012.

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Subaru to Unveil New JDM Impreza Sport and G4 on November 30

The Japanese domestic market version of the latest generation Subaru Impreza will be revealed online on November 30 before making its first public outing at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

While Subaru has launched a teaser site in Japan, the automaker is not yet ready to release any detailed information and photos other than that the five-door hatchback will be named Sport and the four-door sedan, G4.

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Ad Watch: Oh Japan…Up Garage Auto Parts Commercial is...Uplifting

Among a whole lot of other things, Japan is known for its corny and sometimes bordering-weird commercials (and let's not forget, reality TV shows and games).

These two local adverts from Japan's aftermarket specialist Up Garage will probably make you wonder, "What the heck did I just watch and why am I so wired to look at the second clip?"

Hit the break for a strong dose of Japanese commercials....

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Weak USD Makes Small Car Imports Expensive, American Buyers Turn to Domestic Brands

Is a weak dollar a good thing? If you’re asking the U.S. car industry, it most definitely is. Imported car prices have reached their highest point in the last 12 years, thus driving some of their prospective buyers away.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in August the average price of an imported car reached a record high of $31,536. That makes the price difference between a comparable domestic-made car $7,614, which is the largest since December 1999.

Add to that the severe supply issues faced by the Japanese manufacturers, who are only now starting to recover from the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, and it’s easy to see why more and more American car buyers are choosing domestic brands instead.

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Mitsubishi Announces New 1.8-liter MIVEC Engine with Auto Stop & Go System

While there's not much going on in the product front for Mitsubishi, the Japanese automaker continues the development of new powertrains and their related technologies.

Today, Mitsubishi released the first details on its next generation 1.8-liter gasoline engine codenamed "4J10" that incorporates a new version of the company's MIVEC variable valve timing system as well as the introductions of a new Auto Stop & Go (AS&G) idle-stop technology.

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Major Wire Harness Systems Manufacturers Face Class-Action Lawsuits for Decade-Long Price Fixing

Three vehicle owners, acting on behalf of many others, have filed separate class-action lawsuits against a number of major automotive parts suppliers, accusing them of conspiracy and price fixing.

The lawsuits, which were filed in the US District Court of Detroit, allege that the parts manufacturers “engaged in a massive, decade-long conspiracy to unlawfully fix and artificially raise the price of wire harness systems” on a global scale.

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New Toyota Prius C: Leaked Brochure Reveals Standalone Small Hybrid Hatch

We got our first taste of the next member to join Toyota's growing family of Prius models with the Prius C concept study that made its debut alongside the Prius V minivan at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year.

But today, thanks to a tip from a Carscoop reader in Japan who goes by the nickname "i-Ryuji", we can show you the actual production version of the Prius C through a plethora of scanned images from a leaked brochure.

With a big stretch of imagination, you might see the resemblance between the concept study and the production variant of the Prius C that evolves the design language of the regular Prius liftback.

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VW Group Says "Nein" to Suzuki's Request to Return its Shares

The feud between Volkswagen Group and Suzuki Motors Corp. continued on Monday as the German automaker issued a press statement saying that it has no intention to sell its 19.9 percent stake in the Japanese company despite the latter's request to disband their partnership.

The VW Group said it will keep its stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. "unchanged," adding "the discussion between both parties will be exclusively conducted internally" and that "it will not comment on any further speculation."

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Nissan Develops New Hybrid System with a 2.5-liter Supercharged Engine for FWD Cars

Not to be outdone by its Japanese and European rivals, Nissan has developed a new hybrid system for front-wheel drive vehicles, the first details of which were released today along with the announcement of its next generation XTRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) for use with 2.0-liter to 3.5-liter engines.

Nissan came a bit late to the hybrid game and was forced to license hybrid technology from its Toyota rival for use in certain markets in 2004.

“It was a bit of a blow to our pride, but that was the right thing to do under the circumstances,” says Mitsunobu Fukuda, a senior powertrain engineer at NATC (Nissan Advanced Technology Center).

“Instead of rushing out a ‘copy-cat’ hybrid we wanted to take the time to develop our own hybrid, one that is clearly different – and better. I think we’ve managed to do that.”

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Video: Mario Bros Kart Gets Real in Japan

Chances are that you have played, or at least heard of, Nintendo’s Mario Bros video game and its numerous variations. One of them is Mario Kart in which the virtual plumber gets to race (what else?) go-karts.

A Japanese car site called Cliccar decided to bring the video game into the real world. Thus, they got dressed up as Mario and his brother, Luigi, got into two X-Karts and drove around the streets of Tokyo, creating quite a fuss.

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Japanese Carmakers' Production Back on Track, But it May not be Enough

For the first time after the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami, Japanese automakers have returned to their normal production levels. In fact, they are superseding last year’s numbers in an effort to make up for the lost time.

Toyota and Nissan, Japan’s two biggest car manufacturers are leading the pack, reporting increased production for the first time since March, with Mazda, Suzuki, Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi following their lead.

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Mazda PR Tweets that the Company is Working on New Rotary Engine-Powered Model(s)

Even though Mazda President and CEO, Takashi Tamanouchi, has repeatedly stated that the company will continue to develop the firm's rotary engine after the demise of the RX-8 sports car in June of 2012, many have questioned the company's commitment to the Wankel concept.

To calm the Japanese brand's fans, Mazda posted a tweet on its Japanese account that said it is "zealously" planning the development of "new models", which will be equipped with a rotary engine.

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Toyota Warns Suppliers to Lower their Prices, or Else…

The strong yen is harming the profitability of Japanese carmakers. After Honda, which plans to halve its domestic production over the next decade, Toyota, Japan’s number one automaker, told its parts suppliers to severely reduce their prices or risk being replaced by overseas manufacturers. Read more »

Mazda Bids Farewell to RX-8 with Japan-Only Spirit R Special Edition

We already knew that Mazda has decided to kill-off the RX-8 four-door coupe sooner rather than later. More strict fuel economy and CO2 emission regulations saw to that, forcing the Hiroshima-based carmaker to pull it from overseas markets and keep it alive in Japan only.

Today, Mazda announced that it is launching a final special edition of its rotary-engined sports car, which will only be available in the domestic market with sales set to start on November 24. Production will be limited to 1,000 units.

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