Lexus IS 2011: the Estate returns – but Hybrid only

The Lexus IS SportCross - the 1st generation Lexus IS Estate The Lexus IS Range is Toyota’s answer to BMW’s 3 Series and Audi’s A4. And it does a very creditable job, particularly for those drivers for whom quality of finish and lots of toys are much further up the list than driving dynamics. But despite there originally being a Lexus IS Estate – the Lexus IS SportCross – when the IS first launched in 2000, Lexus saw fit to drop that when the current IS turned up in 2005.

Concept Car of the Week: Italdesign Machimoto (1986)

The Machimoto might look and sound like a Japanese concept, but it was developed in Europe in the Turin-based Italdesign studio, and was based on a Volkswagen Golf GTI platform. The name actually derives from MACHIna (car in Italian) and MOTOciclo (motorcycle) as the perfect hybrid between the worlds of two- and four-wheelers. Unveiled on its home turf at the Turin motor show in 1986, it landed like a UFO, shocking both the public and the press.

GM to build Cadillacs outside the U.S.

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson said Tuesday that the company plans to begin building Cadillacs outside the United States by the end of 2012 as part of its plan to make GM's premium brand a true global nameplate. Akerson said overseas Cadillac production would reduce the risk of foreign-currency fluctuations and allow GM to better manage its supply chain. Although Cadillac long has been sold in China and other international markets, it's produced only in North America.