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Renault-Nissan and Mitsubishi to join forces

MITSUBISHI and the existing Renault-Nissan alliance are set to work together on a series of new cars. Discussions aren’t finished but as part of the deal Mitsubishi will get hold of a Renault chassis large enough to use as a base a full-size saloon for the North American market. The firms will also further develop an electric version of a Japan-only ‘kei car’.

Porsche 918 Spyder to get 4.6 litre V8

Porsche 918 Spyder to get 4.6 litre V8 The Porsche 918 Spyder is to get a 4.6 litre V8 and lose one of its electric motors when it launches after a Frankfurt 2013 debut. It’s almost two years since the Porsche 918 Spyder debuted at the Geneva Motor show as a potential 21st century eco-replacement for the Carrera GT. The amount of interest shown – and offers of deposits – persuaded Porsche to confirm the 918 Spyder for production last March, but it’s still more than eighteen months away from arriving on the road.

Toyota talks powertrain plans

After trailing many of its competitors in the recent engine- and transmission-technology wars, Toyota Motor Corp. will launch a swath of powertrains in the next several years, a top powertrain r&d executive said. Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain r&d, said that Toyota is investing heavily in turbocharged engines, larger displacement Atkinson cycle engines, continuously variable and fixed-gear automatic transmissions, and new hybrid and fuel cell technologies.