Renault Clio S

Renault Clio S – Click above for high-res image gallery

Every so often, Renault impresses and teases us with the launch of a new hot hatch. Impresses because they're widely rated as some of the most dynamically competent micro-machines on the road today. Teases because, well...they don't offer them in North America. So all we can do is admire from abroad such offerings as the Twingo 133 Cup, Clio 200 and Megane R26.R, to name just a few.

The range is set to expand both upwards (with the likes of the new Gordini line-up) and downwards (with the adoption of the GT range), but every once in a while, Renault fakes us out with something that when it comes down to it, really only looks the part. The World Series editions were one recent example, and now the French automaker has launched the Clio S for the British market.

Sure, the Clio S looks the part. It's got 16-inch wheels, a spoiler on the trailing edge of its roof, a front lip spoiler below the grille and racing stripes galore, all done up in contrasting white. But the Clio S lacks the go to back up the show. Engines are limited to 75- and 100-horsepower fours and an 86-hp diesel. Not exactly Renaultsport figures, but then neither are their prices, ranging from £11,209 to £13,458 all-in (that's around $18k-22k USD, not accounting for the UK market's inflated pricing). So for the moment, we can rest easy this time around, neither impressed nor enticed. Details in the release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

Renault Clio S

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2010 Lexus RX 450h

2010 Lexus RX 450h - Click above for high-res image gallery

With a slew of sensors and CPUs, the 2010 Lexus RX450h can pretty much drive itself. Want to go somewhere? Sit down in the driver's seat, use the Remote Touch device (a.k.a. "mouse") to tell the crossover where you want to go, and follow the easy-as-store-bought-pie instructions to your destination. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on how badly you want to feel like you're in control of your commute. For those concerned about fuel economy and comfort, the almost-autonomous nature of the RX450h is nice, but certainly doesn't offer a tremendous amount of ability to control how much fuel you burn moving down the street. As it turns out, this is a feature, not a bug. Find out why after the jump.

2010 Lexus RX 450h

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2010 Devon GTX

2010 Devon GTX - Click above for high-res image gallery

This is a depressing way to start the new year. According to a "source close to the project" speaking with Automobile, plans to produce the Devon GTX have been cancelled due to the Dodge Viper discontinuation.

As a refresher, the 650-hp, Viper-based coupe was unveiled last year in Pebble Beach and was due to go into limited production this year in Southern California. We even had the chance to go for a spin the GTX late last year after one of the prototypes set a lap record at Laguna Seca. Devon hoped to thrust America back on the main supercar stage with the bespoke coupe, but without a source for the chassis and 8.4-liter engine, those plans have apparently been dashed. We're hoping to get more details directly from Devon, so stay tuned for an update.

UPDATE: We've just heard back from company founder, Scott Devon, and the rumors are unfortunately true – the Devon GTX is dead. However, Devon Motorworks will live on, focusing instead on apparel and an upcoming motorcycle project. So what will happen to the one-time Laguna Seca lap-record-holding Devon GTX? One of the two prototypes will be put on display at the company's flagship store opening in Beverly Hills this April. The other might see track duty in the hands of development driver Justin Bell. Here's the official response from Devon:

The Viper platform being discontinued and the inability to amortize tooling costs are the key reasons. But we have two beautiful prototypes and might still race the Laguna Seca car with Justin Bell in GT2. However, our Devon brand plans have expanded to include jeans, leather jackets, watches, scents, and eyewear. Our Beverly Hills flagship store will open this April. We also have a line of motorcycles being made by legendary builder Shinya Kimura. And the black and chrome GTX will be in the store as a display piece of automotive art. I wish we could have gone into production but have no regrets and feel we achieved a significant contribution in auto design along with the Laguna Seca record.

Devon GTX

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2010 Devon GTX

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Chevrolet Volt Mobile Smartphone App

Chevrolet Volt Mobile Smartphone App – Click above for high-res image gallery

When the Chevy Volt goes on sale late this year, General Motors intends to leverage its popular OnStar technology to help drivers maximize their electric driving time and minimize their use of liquid fuel. To do that, GM created an OnStar/EV lab last year at its Detroit headquarters. Engineers there have been working on how they can utilize available communications technology to save fuel, and the first public result is a new mobile phone application that is being announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

When the production version of the Volt was unveiled in 2008, many called the interior very Apple-like because of its smooth white plastic center stack with capacitive touch controls. Thankfully, for those of us who have not fallen prey to the allure of the iPhone, the new mobile phone app is being developed to work on other touch screen phones including the Motorola Droid and Blackberry Storm. Read on after the jump to learn more about what OnStar has created.

Chevrolet Volt Mobile Smartphone App

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Toyota Etios Concept

Toyota Etios Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

It doesn't take a MENSA member to understand that small, inexpensive and reliable transportation is a big thing in India. On one side, you've got the diminutive Tata Nano. On the other, Honda's New Small Concept. And right in the middle is this: the Toyota Etios concept.

Due to be available in both four- and five-door variants, the Indian-market Etios is yet another inexpensive, easy to maintain runabout for India's burgeoning middle class. Amenities are minimal and so are the engine choices –a 1.2-liter in the hatch and a 1.5-liter in the sedan. But basic transport is each models reason for being, and when the Etios goes on sale in India later this year with a price well below $10,000. Toyota expects to sell around 70,000 units annually and plans to export the Etios in markets outside of India in the near future. But don't expect the either model to arrive in the States anytime soon. Hit the jump for the press release and thanks to Indianautosblog for the pics.

Toyota Etios Concept

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Hummer HB compact off-roader

Hummer HB Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

With Hummer's future seemingly in the hands of China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd, questions naturally turn to the automaker's barren product cupboard. How will Tengzhong replace Hummer's current crop of SUVs? With the news that the Chinese automaker would like to focus on more environmentally friendly models, a Romanian designer by the name of Andrus Ciprian envisions something along the lines of the compact HB concept you see above.

A Hummer wouldn't be a Hummer without significant off-road capability, and Ciprian suggests that the HB would retain a body-on-frame design in lieu of a lighter unibody, though hewn from aluminum and carbon fiber instead of steel. Under the comely concept's hood sits a biofuel-capable V6 engine. But those aren't the most interesting bits of the concept, the stance and general proportions of which would look perfect on the front of a Traxxas RTR box.

Ciprian included two separate windshield designs, one of which sees the screen sectioned into thirds with a slew of cameras relaying additional information to the pilot. We'd go with the more production-likely single-piece glass. In any case, see the stunning high-res renderings in our gallery below and let us know what you think.

Hummer HB Concept

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