Car Fact of the Day

The Chevrolet Camaro was introduced on June 28, 1966 in Detroit at a press conference. When the Camaro name was introduced, the automotive press asked the GM product managers "What is a Camaro?" and were told that it was "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."

-Anthony Alaniz

Toyota Introducing Smaller Hybrid

Toyota is moving closer to produce a smaller, and more affordable, hybrid. The new hybrid is expected to be released January 11 at the North American International Auto Show. Production of the subcompact hybrid is expected to start in late 2011 and reach U.S. dealerships in 2012. Toyota is expecting to sell 150,000 units of the subcompact hybrid each year. Toyota is planning to offer a hybrid version for each vehicle in their lineup.

-Anthony Alaniz
[Source: The Detroit News]

Term of the Day

Single Overhead Cam (SOHC) - An engine where one overhead camshaft operates all the valves of a given cylinder head.

-Anthony Alaniz

Mazda RX-7 to Replace RX-8

In order to compete with the new slew of Japanese rear wheel drive vehicles, like the Toyota FT-89, Mazda is introducing the Mazda RX-7. The RX-7 will use the new Renesis 16x rotary engine. The engine is capable of producing 350 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque. The output will be limited to 200-250 range in order to keep the price around $25,000. The RX-7 is intended to replace the slow selling and expensive RX-8.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: Mazda Renesis 16x Rotary Engine from Inside Line)

[Source: egmCarTech]

Video of the Day: The Fast and the Famous