Toyota reveals TS030 Hybrid endurance prototype

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. So, apparently, do the world's automakers. At least, that is, when it comes to Le Mans. Case in point: the new Toyota TS030 Hybrid, the Le Mans prototype that the Japanese automaker has just revealed, mere days after Peugeot announced its departure from the endurance racing scene. Shorthand for the third Toyota Sport prototype – following the TS010 and TS020 that challenged Le Mans in the '90s – the TS030 is the first LMP1 to employ a hybrid drivetrain. (Peugeot was experimenting with a similar system before shutting down its program, and Audi is rumored to be testing one as well, but has yet to...

Read More

Volkswagen says it could conclude takeover of Porsche this year

It's been a whole three weeks since we checked in with Volkswagen's takeoever of Porsche, and the most recent news wasn't so good: investors filed a $2.6 billion suit against Porsche over the Stuttgart maker's attempt to gobble up VW. Those same investors also filed an arbitration application against Volkswagen. That hasn't stopped a VW executive from saying that its ownership of Porsche could finally be concluded this year, according to a report in Der Spiegel. VW had earlier predicted the deal would be done last year, then released a statement in September saying that that too many hurdles and unknowns remained concerning investigations...

Read More