Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Akio Toyoda would love to do a new Supra, probably won’t happen


While some automakers are diversifying, others are consolidating. Like Peugeot, for example, which is preparing to replace both the 407 and 607 with an all-new 508. The big sedan is set to debut in a couple of months at the biennial Paris Motor Show, but after spy shots found their way to our desks a couple of weeks ago, this first batch of official-looking images have already leaked their way out and are circulating the interwebs as you read these words.

Previewed by the 5 by Peugeot concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and based on sister-companyCitroën’s C5 sedan, the new 508 has appeared in both sedan and wagon formats. Full details will undoubtedly be released sometime in the next couple of months as the Paris salon approaches, but in the meantime Francophiles can check out the images in the gallery below for a closer look.

Pics Aplenty: Ferrari 599 GTO


The 599 GTO being the fastest road-going Ferrari ever to roll out of Maranello, you don’t stand much chance of seeing one sitting still. Of course, the limited run of 599 examples doesn’t help. But as if an excuse were needed, that does give us a reason to bring you the latest batch of high-resolution images showing the Prancing Goat in all its glory. You can check ‘em all out in the gallery below. That is, assuming you haven’t seen enough from theseemingly endless stream of videos that have circulated since the supercar’s debut. Yeah, we didn’t think so.

BMW M5 production comes to an end

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wants to see the next Supra tested in the near future.” But the reality of his company’s current circumstances means it’s unlikely to happen.

During a discussion with U.S. journalists on Friday in Japan, Toyoda was asked about the possibility of building a car like a Supra that would appeal to enthusiasts. As such a huge company, Toyoda said,even if one president says that we want to have a Supra again, the whole company is not going to be responding to that request.”

Toyoda explained that he did much of his development as a driver behind the wheel of a Supra and has fond memories of flinging that model around the Nürburgring. Speaking through an interpreter, Toyoda told the group that would like to create a car that is better than the Supra, and just for your information, I am not against this idea.”

However, this discussion came against the backdrop of a week where Toyota officials acknowledged that the company had grown too quickly in the past decade and would need slow down and re-prioritize. Between ensuring that upcoming models are trouble free, meeting new fuel and emissions requirement and delivering the FT-86 by 2013, a new Supra is likely to remain just a dream for the foreseeable future

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