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Toyota FT-86 Open Concept: The GT86 Convertible arrives early + video

The Toyota GT86 Convertible – in the guise of the FT-86 Open Concept has arrived earlier than Toyota would like ahead of a Geneva debut. Toyota teased the convertible GT86 with a sketch of the FT-86 Open Concept a few weeks ago – with a promise that all would be revealed at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show – but it’s arrived a bit earlier than Toyota wanted. The intrepid folks at FT86Club have managed to come up with photos of the FT-86 Open Concept (above) – and video – ahead of the official reveal by Toyota – and it looks pretty good.

Apple Carplay vs Android: the smartphone hits the road

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 11 June 2014 07:18 The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.  Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

Nissan TeRRA [w/Gallery]

Nissan has added another entry to the list of things see at the upcoming Paris motor show in the shape of its TeRRA SUV concept. The TeRRA is a seeming oxymoron as an electric SUV, mixing two of Nissan's strongest market segments into a vehicle that resembles a cross between a Leaf and a Patrol. "You have the big tires, high belt-line, thick pillars and thin side windows of the SUV vocabulary,” explains Shiro Nakamura, Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer.