Long-time racing journalist Chris Economaki dies

UPDATE: Whoever you are, wherever you are, take a moment to think of Chris Economaki. Make it your personal tribute, however brief, to this grand old man of auto racing journalists because he left us late Thursday, Sept. 27 at age 91, and he left a hole in the motorsports firmament that can never be filled.

MG CS SUV Concept heading for Shanghai Motor Show

MG are still struggling to make much of an impact on the car landscape, but one car that could change that is a funky urban crossover / SUV to give cars like the Nissan Juke a run for their money. That looked to be on the cards last year when MG turned up at the Beijing Motor Show with the MG Icon, an SUV.Crossover Concept that took the ‘Ugly but Cute’ style cues from the Juke but grafted on a nose that looked like it could have come from MG’s sports car past. The Icon was a decent effort – and even won an award for ‘Best Concept’ at Beijing from Autoweek – but it looks like MG has decided the design of the Icon was just a bit too radical, so they’ve toned it down with a new concept heading for this year’s Shanghai Motor Show – the MG CS Concept.

Honda CR-Z, Fit joining hybrid lineup next year

Honda is growing its hybrid lineup with the addition of the CR-Z coupe and a hybrid version of the Fit. The Japanese automaker on Monday said that the sporty CR-Z, which has been shown as a concept, will go on sale in Japan next February. The hybrid Fit is to hit the Japan market before the end of next year.