Davidson and Buemi to drive for Toyota at Le Mans

• Toyota Racing finalises its 2012 driver line-up
• Anthony Davidson (Great Britain), Hiroaki Ishiura (Japan) and Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland) to drive additional Toyota TS030 Hybrid car at the Le Mans 24 Hours
• Davidson past winner of the Sebring 12 Hours and Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

Anthony Davidson, one of the world's most accomplished endurance racing drivers, has been recruited to drive an additional Toyota TS030 Hybrid at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June).

Davidson is named by Toyota Racing in its finalised 2012 driver line-up, alongside Japanese GT star Hiroaki Ishiura and Swiss Formula 1 pilot Sébastien Buemi.

BMW unleash the M6 coupe and cabrio

• 560 horses force fed by twin turbos
• Auto only, stick-shift later

M - mmmonster

To achieve the performance levels demanded by the M6, the engineers at BMW M started with the proven BMW M developed V8 engine from the BMW X5 M - X6 M (internally known as the S63) and further developed it for its duty in the latest M5 and M6 models.

Internally designated as the S63Tü this new engine uses similar M Twin Power technology combined with the reverse flow V8 layout.

The result is that the high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology lends a whole new intensity to the powerful thrust at higher rev ranges for which M cars are known.

The 4.4-liter engine develops a peak output of 560 hp (412 kW) at 5,750 – 7,000 rpm (versus 555 hp at 6,000 rpm for the S63), while its maximum torque of 500 lb-ft (680 Nm) is on tap between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm (versus 500 lb-ft from 1,500 to 5650 rpm for the S63).

The rev limiter intervenes at 7,200 rpm (up 200 rpm from the S63 engine). The rev band, which offers extremely dynamic acceleration between peak torque and the availability of maximum output, is therefore almost three times as wide as that of the V10 engine in the previous generation M6.

More photos and all the gory details after the jump.

VIDEO: A close look at Red Bulls's RB8

Last year they were dominant, so this year everyone is copying last year's design...lets take a closer look to see what new stuff they have come up with for this year to make Sebastien Vettel's life even easier.

Below is the interview with Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal

SCOOP: Lexus RX with new spindle grille

Lexus's new spindle grille has been splitting opinion since launch and that is probably why it was chosen, to force motorists to like or hate the new design.

Some designers say, the worst thing for any new design is indifference. It is rather difficult to be indifferent about the spindle grille.

These are scans of Japanese brochures showing the popular Lexus RX with the new spindle grille. We think it certainly to lift an otherwise bland design. We don't like it but at least we have a strong opinion about it, right Lexus?

Proton takes first SWRC victory

• P-G Andersson won SWRC with 3-minute advantage
• Sticky damper almost meant sticky end on second day
• 12th Overall is highest position for P-G in home rally

DRAMATIC  WEEKEND: Bitter cold and powdery snow

conditions made the Rally of Sweden challenging with multiple

World Champion Sebastian Loeb crashing on the first day and 

the eventual winner Jari-Matti Latvala almost lost his lead with 

a puncture in the late stages on the final day. 

After seeing their chance of the first victory snatched from their grasp after stumbling at the last SS in Monte Carlo, the Proton SWRC team took no chances and was handsomely rewarded in the bitter cold of the Rally of Sweden with victory in the SWRC category and a respectable 12th spot overall.

P-G Andersson did not waste any time building up a lead in his home rally and found a two minute advantage by the end of day one and added another minute by the end of the second day.

Andersson made it look easy but the treacherous snowy conditions and bitter cold (temperatures dropped to -40 Celsius at times adn threatened to freeze everything) took its toll on all the teams and their cars. The Proton Satria Neo S2000 began losing confidence at the start of day two with the tail wiggling loose in the snow.

This saw Ford's Craig Breeen make the best of the situation and closed the gap by a few seconds in the first few stages of day two.

Breen was keen to make up lost ground, the result of a shattered rake disc that forced them to make and unscheduled stop in the middle of an SS to remove the damaged disc and caliper and soldier on with three brakes.

Full story and Result Table after the jump. There is also a video to recap Proton's test day before the weekend event.

VIDEO: Behind the scene with Infiniti's world fastest hybrid advert

Car Ads costs millions to make and they usually look fantastic, Infiniti is taking us behind the scene to see how their 'Fastest Hybrid' video was made... enjoy

Toyota preparing future low-cost hybrid concept

Geneva is where car companies usually go wild with their concepts, coming up with submarine cars, titanium bits, carbon chassis, foldable truck, glowing tyres, that sort of thing but Toyota is going the opposite direction - they are showing off a concept for low cost hybrid cars for the city...

typical Toyota eh, thinking practical, thinking real world... it will be called by the innocuous sounding codename of FT-Bh,  of which FT probably means Future Toyota while Bh could mean anything really...

Toyota says the concept will showcase total vehicle approach to reducing emissions in an affordable city car, in my mind this means the total carbon footprint of the vehicle throughout its entire life cycel from production to use to end of life recycling.

Right now no one takes into account the amount of carbon released in the production of Hybrid cars, its a lot considering the amount of electronics and high-technology solutions on the cars and this could easily offset the limited advantage of the slight improvement in fuel economy.

I hope Toyota's FT-Bh will be made out of recycled plastic bottles and costs next to nothing to make and sell for the price of a small bike and run on sunshine and a bit of water mixed with fresh air.... now that would be something else



PRESS RELEASE


FUTURE HYBRIDS, FUN AND MORE FROM TOYOTA AT GENEVA
First reveal of the production-ready Yaris Hybrid, Europe's first full hybrid supermini at the Geneva motor show
First European appearance of the production-ready GT 86
World debut for the FT-Bh concept, showcasing a "total vehicle" approach to reducing emissions in an affordable city car
European premiere for the NS4 and FCV-R concepts, exploring next-generation plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicle design
Toyota diji concept shown in Europe for the first time, taking vehicle personalisation to a new level
The rejuvenation of Toyota can be witnessed "in the metal" at the Geneva motor show, with a display of future showroom and concept models, shown in Europe for the first time.

Yaris Hybrid

Yaris Hybrid will be shown for the first time in its production-ready form, ahead of going sale in June this year. Powered by a re-engineered Hybrid Synergy Drive, it will be Europe's first full hybrid supermini, opening up the technology to a new customer group. It will deliver quiet, smooth performance with the lowest emissions in its segment, while maintaining the small-but-spacious quality for which Yaris is renowned.

GT 86

GT 86, Toyota's all-new sports coupe, arrives in Geneva on a wave of enthusiastic advance media acclaim and public interest. Due to reach the road this summer, GT 86 rediscovers the pure passion and excitement of sports car driving, at an affordable price.

FT-Bh concept

Geneva marks the world debut of the FT-Bh concept, an ultra-lightweight, full hybrid city car study, designed to achieve low emissions within an economically viable production framework. The team that produced FT-Bh purposely avoided expensive materials and complex manufacturing processes, working instead only with those that are already commonplace in the auto industry.

NS4 and FCV-R concepts

Toyota's NS4 and FCV-R concepts are also being shown in Europe for the first time. NS4 is a next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicle, designed to address customer demand for added value from hybrid motoring, together with advanced design and a more involving drive. FCV-R represents Toyota's next step towards mass production of hydrogen-powered vehicles, paving the way for the launch of a saloon-type fuel cell vehicle by 2015.

Toyota diji

The Toyota diji concept – previously shown at last year's Tokyo motor show as the Fun-Vii – is all about personalisation. The entire body, inside and out, serves as a display, with the driver being able to change colour and content at will. The process of displaying images or information is as simple as downloading an app. The car can also link to nearby vehicles and infrastructure to create an even more connected driving experience.

Press conference

Toyota will host a press conference on its stand at the Geneva motor show at 10.15am on Tuesday, 6 Mach.