Toyota Sold More Than GM In 2007

There are some news on the net which tell that GM has sold more than Toyota in 2007. But that's not true. The numbers of both automakers looked too close to call, but GM was counting its sales in China in its overall total.

GM had a solid year in 2007, with sales growing all over the world (except in the U.S.), but it is now the world’s second-largest automaker. GM had included 516,435 vehicles of the Wuling brand in China as part of its total, despite owning a minority share in the operation.

The industry practise is to only include sales of majority-owned subsidiaries, which meant GM slipped well behind Toyota with 8,885,599 sales in 2007, while the Toyota managed an estimated 9,370,000. Official figures from Toyota will be released in a few weeks.

Other manufacturers such as Ford, are also not allowed to count sales of minority owned subsidiaries such as Mazda (Ford owns 33.4 percent of Mazda).

Worst Cars Of 2007

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, financial magazine Forbes has released their fourth annual list of "Automotive Turkeys.", which lists the worst cars of 2007.

Somewhat surprisingly, the five worst cars on the list of ten are all made by Chrysler. And all the top ten cars are American.

Based on this data, Forbes claims the ten worst cars are:

10: Pontiac Grand Prix

9: Hyundai Entourage

8: Nissan Quest

7: Chevrolet Aveo

6: Ford Crown Victoria

5: Dodge Magnum

4: Dodge Caliber R/T AWD

3: Jeep Liberty

2: Dodge Nitro

1: Chrysler Sebring

Gallery: Worst Cars Of 2007

The World's Most Beautiful Automobiles Of 2007

The Lamborghini Reventón has been named as the World's Most Beautiful Automobile in the special models category. It earned this honor from the annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy.

There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner.

The Aston Martin DBS is the winner in the Sports Car category, followed in second place by the Maserati GranTurismo. Lexus has the firs two spots in large sedan category. With the Lexus LS 600h as the most beautiful large sedan in the world, followed by the Lexus LS 460.

Gallery: The World's Most Beautiful Automobiles Of 2007

LA 2007: Toyota Sequoia

The 2008 Toyota Sequoia made its debut today at LA 2007. And as we expected, it's a Tundra in SUV form. The Sequoia's front end and interior take design cues from its pickup truck sibling. A 4.7 L V8 comes as standard. The new model will also get the option of the 381 HP 5.7L V8 engine mated to a six-speed transmission.

The new Sequoia is designed with an active family lifestyle in mind. The rear seats and the third row are more adjustable for better storage, access and comfort. Toyota also threw in more electronic gadgets to keep up with consumer demands. A JBL synthesis 14-speaker sound system is available complete with Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 player ports, XM satellite radio and a rear DVD player.

Gallery: 2008 Toyota Sequoia

Tokyo 2007: Subaru Impreza WRX STI

The new Subaru Impreza WRX STI makes its official debut at Tokyo Motor Show 2007. Most of the Subie Fans were disappointed when the new Impreza first unveiled. But the STI version seems a lot better.

The new Impreza WRX STI has a 2.0 litre turbo boxer engine which mated with a 6 speed manual transmission.

Gallery: Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Tokyo 2007: Mazda Atenza

The redesigned Mazda Atenza( Mazda 6 in some markets) launches at Tokyo 2007 in both a hatchback and sport wagon body styles. The new Atenza will complete with either a 2.0-liter or a 2.5-liter four pot.

There are some minor differences between the European Mazda 6 and JDM Mazda Atenza. And these differences are mostly in design. Now with these minor differences, will the North American version significantly different? We'll see it sometime maybe next year.

Gallery: Mazda Atenza

Tokyo 2007: Nissan GT-R

Finally all-new Nissan GT-R made its official debut at Tokyo 2007. And the most important thing is that Carlos Ghosn has committed to Nissan fielding GT-Rs in next year's Super GT Championship.

As you know the GT-R has a twin-turbo 3.8L V6 which produce 473 horsepower and 434 ft-lbs. of torque. Mated with a GR6 dual-clutch six-speed. 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

The deliveries start in next month, and to the rest of the world by the end of 2008.

Gallery: Nissan GT-R

Kimi Raikkonen Wins F1 Championship

Finnish F1 pilot Kimi Raikkonen wins his first F1 Championship. The whole world were waiting for Lewis Hamilton writing Formula 1 history to be the first rookie to take the championship, even after the McLaren team was disqualified from the constructors championship. But Kimi won twice in a row while Lewis stumbled, twice.

The "Ice Man" was smiling for the first time in this season of F1. Kimi: "It is very difficult for me to explain in words what I am feeling at the moment: it is an incredible emotion. Even when we went through some difficult times and it looked as though there was no way to fight back, we never gave up and this work produced its reward today.”

The Ferrari became the constructors' champion while Kimi gathering 110 points throughout the season. Both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso ending on 109 points, Lewis takes second place.

GM Passes Toyota For Global Sales In Q3

GM's global sales pass its cross-pond rival Toyota in the first three quarters of 2007. The Japanese automaker managed to move 7.05 million vehicles during the the first three quarters, while GM sold 7.06 million.

But GM's global numbers include vehicles sold in China with its joint-venture partner. Toyota's numbers, as well, include sales of Daihatsu vehicles and commercial trucks built by its Hino division. Exclude the sales of these divisions the results might be different. But it's sure that GM and Toyota are neck and neck in global sales so far this year.

Tokyo 2007: Audi A1

Before its official debut at Tokyo Motor Show, Audi released the details on its newest ultra compact car concept. The Audi A1 concept car carrys similar design cues to some of the automaker's larger offerings.

Power comes from a 1.4-liter TSFI engine, making 150 HP and mated to an S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox. A 41 HP electric motor is mounted on the rear axle, able to produce 147 lb.-ft. of torque. This motor gives the A1, plug-in capability, allowing lithium-ion batteries to be charged and giving a 100 km range.

Audi also employs engine start/stop technology and brake energy regeneration, which the automaker claims decreases fuel consumption by 15-percent.

Gallery: Audi A1 Concept

Toyota Hit Hard By Reliability Ratings

Do you think that Toyota is the perennial leader of reliability reports? Than think again... Consumer Reports' 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey says otherwise. Toyota Camry V6, Tundra V8 4WD and Lexus GS AWD were all bumped from CR's "Recommended" list because of receiving below average ratings. It has also some other effects, as CR will no longer recommend new or redesigned Toyotas based solely on the automaker's past reliability.

Toyota iQ Will Be Powered By A Yamaha Engine

A version of Toyota's iQ concept, which has orginally shown in Frankfurt, is rumored to begin production next year. According to Automotive News, the little city runner will be powered by a motorcycle-derived Yamaha engine. The two Japanese firms are currently collaborating on a new 1.0-liter engine based on one of Yamaha's motorcycle powerplants.

Toyota is expected to produce around 100,000 units, when sales begin in 2009.

Tokyo 2007: Lexus LF-Xh

Lexus will be showing in a couple of weeks at the Tokyo Motor Show a new concept car, which looks like a new version the RX400h. This V-6 hybrid LF-XH crossover concept carries some hints of the current RX, but looks more aggressive than the current model.

Gallery: Lexus LF-Xh