Roof Top Antenna 2007 Vitara P/n: V3-05176e R252639 on 2040-parts.com

Lexus sales up but Toyota's profits tumble

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 13 August 2008 13:25 With spiralling fuel prices, luxury off-roaders may be seen as the devil on wheels in the UK’s current cash-strapped economic climate – which would explain why last month saw a sharp drop in SUV sales at BMW, Audi and Mercedes. But not at Lexus. July 2008 sales of the company’s RX400h hybrid off-roader climbed 28 percent over the same period last year, rising from 223 to 285.

McLaren MP4-12C Sets 7.28:00 at Nurburgring +video

McLaren MP4-12C sets a time at the Nurburgring We’ve had a spate of claims for lap records at the Nurburgring by production cars, and the latest to play the game is the McLaren MP4-12C, with McLaren claiming a time of 7.28:00. The last shenanigans we had with Nurburgring records was with the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR setting a Nurburgring time of 7:12.13 which, although very quick – and claimed as a Nurburgring record – wasn’t actually a record at all. Although we do have sympathy with our colonial cousins who believe its validity is greater than that of cars like the Radical.

BYD F3 Surui

The BYD F3 Surui replaces the outgoing F3 sedan, one of the most popular cars in the Chinese market. Based on the Toyota Corolla platform, the wheelbase of the F3 Surui has increased from 2,600mm to 2,660mm. While many Chinese manufacturers prefer employ well-known foreign design studios, such as Bertone and Giugiaro, BYD has eschewed that practice by relying on its own design team.