Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Sport Coupe Concept

The stunning Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Sport Coupe Concept has been honoured with the annual EyesOn Design Award for the best concept car, at the Detroit Motor Show (NAIAS).

The Lexus Calty studio in California created the LF-LC and their aim was to create a future redefinition of Lexus design, with new and advanced technologies. Some of the features of the new design concept have already been introduced in the new GS 450h, for example the “spindle” grille shape and the rear architecture.

Lexus LF-LC concept

Kevin Hunter, Calty President,said,”The LF-LC was a dream car to design and a true collaborative effort at Calty. It is an honour to have that work recognised by our peers and to receive the award”.

The EyesOn Design Awards are one of the most prestigious awards a car manufacturer can receive, as the judges are made up of a group of world leading automotive designers and design academics. They evaluate Aesthetics and Innovation, Concept Implementation, Functionality and the Spirit of Industrial Design.

MG6 added to Avis hire fleet

Avis is adding the new MG6 to its national car hire fleet with both the MG6 GT Fastback and MG6 Magnette sports saloon on offer. The first 100 cars have just been delivered and this is the first order of its kind for MG. Both cars are powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine and offer comfort, space for five adults and the legendary MG driving dynamics.

Guy Jones, MG Motor UK’s Sales and Marketing Director, said,”We are delighted that such an important company as Avis will be promoting the MG6 as part of its fleet”.

Anthony Ainsworth, Commercial Director of Avis Rent a Car, commented,”We are extremely pleased to see the iconic MG marque back again and know that our customers will be delighted to be offered the chance to drive an MG when they hire a car from us”.

Toyota GT 86

Toyota will unveil the eagerly waited Toyota GT 86 four-seater sports car at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show with a return to its sporting roots. The Toyota GT 86 has a 197bhp Subaru horizontally opposed, front mounted, 1,998cc petrol engine, coupled with Toyota’s D-4S injection technology, powering the rear wheels of the car.

It has MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear and rides on 17-inch alloy wheels, with ventilated disc brakes fore and aft. The car comes with either a six-speed slick manual transmission or six-speed automatic with paddle shift operation on the steering wheel and is an entirely driver-focussed, compact sports car.

Toyota GT 86

The lower grille has a “scorpion” look giving the GT 86 a powerful appearance and the rear spoiler, twin exhausts and the “86″ piston logo all convey the power of this new sports car. Inside the steering wheel is trimmed in buckskin for best performance and grip and the instrument cluster is arranged around a large tachometer.

The driver-focus of the cockpit is further enhanced by carbon-effect trim, all-black roof lining, red stitching on the upholstery, aviation style rocker switches and lightweight aluminium pedals. The Toyota GT 86 should go on sale in June next year when full details on pricing, vehicle specifications and accessory options will be released.

Porsche Carrera Cabriolet models

Porsche has released a new convertible edition of the Carrera and Carrera S with an innovative new folding that features an intelligent and lightweight design to also reduce weight. The 911 Carrera Cabriolet will go on sale in March 2012 and offers you the sporting credentials of the 911 Coupe, combined with the thrill of open-top motoring.

The 911 Cabriolet offers the same engine line-up as the 911 Coupe with rear-mounted flat-six engines. The 3.4-litre engine in the 911 Carrera Cabriolet produces 350hp, driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual transmission, while the Carrera S Cabriolet gets a 400hp 3.8-litre engine, also coupled to the seven-speed manual transmission as standard.

Both models return over 28 mpg which for a high-performance sports cabriolet is pretty good. You can always opt for the PDK double-clutch transmission which is an option that delivers even better fuel consumption and shorter acceleration times. The Carrera Cabriolet is priced from £79,947 and the Carrera S Cabriolet from £89,740.

Nissan Juke-R

Nissan has released some more images of their Nissan Juke-R which is being dubbed as the world’s fastest crossover, taking its lead from the flagship GT-R sports car with its bold styling, power and speed. The Nissan Juke-R packs 480hp from its twin-turbo V6 3.8-litre engine and full testing of the car should happen later this month.

Nissan Juke-R crossover

The Juke-R has large vents at the front in the bumper to provide cooling for the powerful engine with flared wheel arches covering the 20-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels, merging with the sculpted skirting. A dynamic split rear wing adorns the back of the car providing impressive down-force, while twin pentagonal exhausts emit the powerful engine note.

The Juke-R’s cabin is kitted out with twin race seats, full race harness and a race-spec roll cage, GT-R steering wheel,  pedals, dials and a 7-inch touch screen display fitted into the dashboard. The Juke-R is not a production car, but a road-legal concept, with a right-hand and left-hand drive model being made.

If you want to find our more about the Nissan Juke-R then visit the Facebook or YouTube site.

You can’t order the Nissan Juke-R on contract hire but we do have the Nissan Juke 1.6 Acenta on the site on offer from only £146.14+VAT on a two-year contract hire deal, 10,000 miles per annum, non-maintained on a 6+23 rental profile.

BMW M5 Saloon

BMW has released the details of the fifth-generation BMW M5 saloon which has the most powerful production engine BMW has ever built, with power up by 10 per cent, torque up by 30 per cent and fuel consumption down by 30 per cent.

Powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine, developing 560hp, the car reaches 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds, has a top speed of 155 (limited), CO2 emissions are 232g/km and combined mpg is 28.5.

The standard equipment in the UK includes Head-up Display, DAB digital radio, front and rear Park Distance Control, four-zone air-conditioning, Xenon headlights, Adaptive Headlights and front seat heating. The M5 also gets Professional Multimedia Navigation system and BMW Assist, a new real-time traffic information service that provides accurate traffic bulletins and diversion suggestions as well. With Bluetooth and USB audio interface as standard, the integration of Smartphones and music players should also keep you entertained and informed.

BMW M5 Saloon

The interior of the M5 has the intimacy of a sports-car cockpit, the spaciousness of a prestige saloon and the luxury of a premium car. It features bespoke M Sports seats, Merino leather upholstery, Aluminium Trace interior trim strips and the BMW Individual roof liner in Anthracite, plus the BMW iDrive control system with a 10.2-inch Control Display. M5 lettering on the sill panels is also standard for that extra exclusivity.

The instrument cluster with black-panel technology has classic BMW M circular dials with red needles and white illumination. The multifunction buttons on the M leather steering wheel operate the cruise control, radio and telephone. On the left-hand side the driver will now find two M Drive buttons which can call up a pre-configured setting for the car – for example, a sports or a more comfort-orientated set of driving characteristics.

The BMW M5 has gone on sale this month at £73,040 on-the-road with BMW expecting to sell around 550 models a year in the UK in its first full year.

Porsche Panamera GTS

Porsche has unveiled their new, powerful, Porsche Panamera GTS four-door saloon sports car, which is powered by a 430hp 4.8-litre V8 engine with Sound Symposer and sports exhaust. This agile four door saloon has a dynamic chassis and 10mm lowered air suspension with larger brakes as standard, for an even more rewarding drive.

The extra 30hp in the Panamera GTS powers all four wheels via a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission that powers the car from 0-62 in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 179mph where permitted. The combined fuel consumption is 25.9mpg and CO2 emissions are 256g/km.

Porsche Panamera GTS

The car has a distinctive exterior with Turbo design cues, black styling details, 19-inch Panamera Turbo wheels (with red calipers) and is equipped with the Sport Chrono Package as standard. Inside there is a choice of five Alcantara leather colours, 18-way adjustable sport seats and the car will go on sale in February 2012, priced from £90,409.

Kia new four-door sports sedan

Kia is planning to unveil a brand new four-door sports sedan (saloon) concept at the IAA 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, plus the world premiere of the three-door version of the all-new Rio and a facelift version of the Kia Soul.

The new four-door sedan concept has a powerful, dynamic, forward-looking style and this new design clearly signals a new styling direction for the Kia brand. The car has rear-wheel drive and the sleek and muscular proportions of this sports sedan are married to a sophisticated and elegant four-seater cockpit.

Peter Schreyer, Kia Motors Chief Deign Officer, commented,”No matter from which perspective you look at it – this concept car is roaring with energy and ready for take-off. I believe the car is a strong statement from Kia: we are ready to fast forward to an all-new chapter”.  The new concept is certainly eye-catching and Kia continues to excel in attractive, yet affordable quality cars. We have Kia contract hire on the site now on all of their current range, including Picanto, Sportage, Sorento, Carens, C’eed, Rio, Soul and Venga.

One Hyde Park

McLaren is opening a prestigious new car showroom at One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, London, on the 21st June 2011. This flagship showroom marks the opening of a global network of showrooms totalling 35 locations  in 19 countries. The first car to be sold by McLaren will be the new MP4-12c high-performance sports car and each sales and service location will stock every part for this supercar.

Following the launch of the London showroom, two more UK showrooms are planned in Manchester (June 30th) and Birmingham (July 5th) and then through the summer expanding their European network in Belguim, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

The MP4-12C is set to be the first of a range of high-performance new cars that McLaren intends to build at their £40m production centre at Woking in Surrey and in their first year they expect to produce around 1,000 hand-built cars for worldwide distribution.

Mazda2 Takuya

Mazda is adding the special edition “Takuya” across their range of Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 cars. The Takuya 2011 special edition models are highly specified and have now gone on sale, with a total production run of 3,894 units.

Here is a summary of the standard equipment by range:

Mazda2 Takuya

This new model adds front fog lights, black sports trim, rear electric windows, automatic climate-control-air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, sports headlights, sports styling kit, “Parrot” Bluetooth hands free kit plus a new rear bumper sports trim. This model is powered by a 1.3-litre 84ps engine, accelerating from 0-62mph in 13.6 seconds, returning 55.4 combined mpg and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.

Mazda3 Takuya

This larger hatchback boasts 17-inch alloy wheels, sports styling kit, front fog and LED rear lights, plus automatic dusk sensing lights and rain sensing wipers. Inside you get automatic dual-zone climate control air conditioning, black sports interior trim, heated front sports seats, integrated Bluetooth system, six-disc CD changer and leather covered steering wheel and knob. This models offers you 43.5 combined mpg and CO2 emissions from its 105ps 1.6-litre engine.

Mazda6 Takuya

This fleet favourite comes in three engines and derivatives, a 2.0-litre 155ps five-door, 2.2D 163ps five-door and 2.2D 163ps Estate. All three come with 18-inch alloy wheels, sports grille, front fog lights, privacy glass and dusk sensing headlights. Inside you get an alloy pedal set, half-leather heated seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control air-conditioning, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, integrated Bluetooth system and six-disc CD player. Four metallic, mica or pearlescent paint colours are also offered free of charge.

Mazda contract hire leasing on all the new models will be loaded shortly.