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We’ve also got a brand new design coming shortly and a few long awaited suprises!

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Porsche is claiming, after internally testing the Nissan GTR on the ‘Ring, that the car could not come within 25 seconds of April’s acclaimed time of 7 mins 29s.

Product Chief August Achleitner for the 911 team claims ‘“This wonder car with 7:29 could not have been a regular series production car” and that  “For us, it’s not clear how this time is possible. What we can imagine with this Nissan is they used other tyres.” - meaning semi-slick tyres.

Achleitner said his team bought and tested a brand new Nissan GTR with new tyres, and achieved a time of 7:54, behind the 911 turbo at 7:38 and GT2 at 7:34. The opening shot at Nissan’s performance car credibility will no doubt create a response from fans and the company, and is being hailed around the world as a case of ‘sour grapes’ for Porsche, who’s 911 contender retails for double the cost of a new GTR.

[Source: Carsguide AU]

The Nissan GTR

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The new Sportback and Sportback Ralliart have debuted online prior to the Paris Motorshow in a series of stunning images.

Aimed squarely at the popular hatchback and sedan Imprezas, the base Sportback will come in four cylinder 1.5L, 1.8L or 2.0L turbodiesel models, with the Sportback Ralliart recieving a 2.0L, 177kw/321nM turbocharged MIVEC four.

The Evolution X’s AWD system, Twin Clutch SST and Active Centre Differential round out the Sportback’s impressive list of features.

[Source: NetCarShow ]

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart:

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

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The Japanese tuning scene lost a father and founder on Saturday with Hideki Tanabe of Amuse (Amuse Power-House) fame passing away. A master of the Japanese tuning scene, Tanabe will be sorely missed by fans and drivers across the world, and will be remembered for raising the bar on absolutely top notch work to another level of supreme quality, workmanship and dedication.

It’s business as usual at Amuse, and the ultra high quality parts and service that Tanabe embodied will continue.

Related: Please read this heartfelt tribute from NAGTROC, I cannot say it better myself.

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As speculated previously, the mystery Mitsubishi teaser images are actually of the upcoming 2009 Mitsubishi Colt. The new Colt shares styling cues clearly poached from the new Lancer.

Both the front and rear of the Colt have been extensively overhauled, to suit the aggressive new snout. The new car comes in both three and five door forms, with an almost micro-van like rear end to increase capacity.

Intended to go head to head with the likes of Toyota’s Yaris and Honda’s Fit/Jazz, the new Mitsubishi can be optioned with fuel sipping 1.1L to 1.5L 4 cylinder petrol engines, and a 1.5L DI-D diesel.

2009 Mitsubishi Colt Teasers

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At first glance the teaser displays the now familiar cues we associate with Mitsubishi’s  new Lancer, but the proportions appear a good deal smaller, and the headlights are definitely rounded, as opposed to the standard Lancer’s sharp lights.

Speculation is rife about the new vehicle, but the two likeliest candidates are the Concept cX and the new face-lifted Colt. We’ll see what transpires come October 2nd.

Press Release:

MITSUBISHI 2008 PARIS MOTOR SHOW PRESS CONFERENCE

Three World Premieres

• Press Conference - October 2nd at 10.45 AM, Hall 3
• Keynote speakers: Kurihara-san (Head of Product Strategy at MMC) and Tim Tozer (MME’s President & CEO)
• MMSP (Mitsubishi’s motor sports team) representatives also available

Mitsubishi Motors are happy to welcome you to their stand for their Press Conference at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, and the unveiling of a string of significant new products, on October 2nd at 10.45 AM, Hall 3.

Three World Premieres:

• Lancer Sportback - Mitsubishi’s distinctive 5-door “Sports Hatch” for the C/D segments.
• Racing Lancer - Mitsubishi’s entry at the 2009 Dakar Rally, modelled after Lancer Sportback and powered by an all-new 3.0 V6 turbo-diesel engine.
• Mitsubishi Motors will reserve a third world premiere for the Paris Motor Show (see below), which can only be discussed on October 2nd.

A European Premiere:
Paris will also see the European premiere of the 240PS Lancer Ralliart, in both Sports Saloon and Sportback (5-door hatch) forms.

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Mazda’s adding a new clean diesel to the ever popular Mazda 6 family sedan. The new CRTD is based on the standard 2.0L petrol, but only gains 6 kg despite turbocharging and a bevy of improvements. The 136KW(185HP), 400nm motor promises to be an exercise in torque steer for the light sedan, but owners will be smiling with an impressive fuel economy of 5.6L/100kms.  The new CRTD will be sent first to Europe, and it remains to be seen if motor will arrive in Australia.

Mazda Develops new Clean Diesel Engine with Improved Output and Environmental Performance

As a result, the new catalyst mechanism reduces the amount of fuel required to burn off the particulates (soot). This improves the overall fuel economy, and results in lower CO2 emissions and cleaner exhaust gases.

[Source: Mazda]

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In a shocking turn, popular Japanese tuning house and aftermarket import parts maker Trust (also known as GREDDY in some countries, notably the US) has filed for bankruptcy.

Trust filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo’s District Court after weathering a serious downturn in demand over the past decade, compounded by even worse sales since February this year. Trust is currently USD$60 million in debt, and $43 million behind on loan repayments.

It’s a sad day for a hugely popular and respected firm.

[Sources: Autoblog]

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