Subaru's freshly-unveiled Exiga CUV may be only a vowel away from sharing names with Lotus' Elise-based road racer, but that's where the resemblance ends. The three-row, seven-passenger Subie is a Japanese market only seven-seat option to the once-hideous, now bland Tribeca. Autocar UK claims that the Exiga is based on the Impreza. Elsewhere, we hear it's based on the Legacy. As a JDM-only product, Subaru will offer an front wheel-drive base version without shocking its export customers. Power comes from either naturally aspirated (FWD only) or turbo versions of the corporate 2.0-liter boxer four. The turbo version puts out a tidy 222 hp, in AWD trim only. A diesel version is rumored, but only if Subaru decides to export the Exiga to Europe. Now, if we could only get this turbo-AWD family-hauling thingie to mate with the superlight road-racing Lotus Exige…

First off, it's not very big. Measuring less than 10 feet long and weighing just over a ton, the iQ is Smart-sized. Unlike the two-seat Daimler product, the Toyota boasts a rear seat. Maybe "boasts" isn't the best word choice. ToMoCo is calling it a "three and a half seater." Ouch. Automotive News [sub] reports the iQ will also feature the thriftiest fuel economy of any Toyota product, save the Prius. Other pertinent info includes a diff in front of the axles to allow a relatively long wheelbase (79 inches) to create more interior space; a flat, underseat gas tank to cut down on the rear overhang, a longer steering column that lets the engine sit closer to the vehicle's front and high-tensile steel to create thinner seats. A legroom allowing flat-bottom steering wheel, too. Additionally, Toyota might sell the car in the US. Subjectively speaking, the iQ does bear a resemblance to both the Smart and Tata Nano. However, I find it much tougher looking. More sporting than either micro-car, too. Plus, unlike the ruthlessly decontented Nano, the iQ will be trying to pull off an upscale persona. Engines include a 1.4-liter oil-burner for Europe (natch) and 1.3 and 1.0-liter gas mills for other markets. No word on when the iQ is going on sale. But when it does it (maybe) could be yours for just a toro roll under $10,000.

The Wall Street Journal carries a rare interview with Honda CEO Takeo Fukui. Ever the cagey character, Fukui claims to be completely uninterested in the fact that his company just passed Chrysler for the number four slot in the U.S. sales race. "It doesn't really matter if you come in fourth or fifth or first. What's important for us is that our production is going at full capacity and production is balanced with sales." Yeah right, the former Honda motorcycle race team manager doesn't care about the score. When the subject is the delicate matter of how Toyota pulled the green carpet out from under Honda's environmental image, Fukui turns a bit more… combative. "Honda's image was better but has evened out with [Toyota] because of the strong image of one single model, the Prius, which Honda feels is a problem. Next year, we will come up with a dedicated hybrid vehicle. We feel this model will have to overwhelm and overtake Prius. That is key for us." (The hyrdogen fuel cell-powered Clarity? Not so much.) Ladies and gentlemen, start your electric engines! 

First and foremost, in terms of Nissan, four times more EV range equals 250 miles. This according to Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan's executive VP of R&D. That's slightly more distance than the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser can cover with a single tank of gas. Nissan's first-generation lithium ion packs are good for just 75 miles. The second-gen batteries will arrive in that most magical of years (2010) to propel an unspecified vehicle a bit over 100 miles. Third-gen lithiums will show-up right when the Mayan calendar ends (2012), and propel a car 185 miles on a charge. As AutoblogGreen's Dom Yoney points out, it's best not to compare these (hypothetical) numbers to the Tesla Roadster's (hypothetical) numbers. Apparently there's a metric called "watt hours per kilogram" involved, but my brain is too small and lizard-like to comprehend. Nissan lithium ion battery production will begin in earnest next year at 13k units before ramping-up to a 65k units. Eventually. 

In response to Honda's upcoming limited release of the FCX Clarity fuel cell car, Toyota has announced plans to start leasing the seductively named "FCHV-adv" in Japan later this year. If this is a beauty contest, FCX kicks FCHV's butt.  FCHV-adv's main claim to fame: a range of 760 – 830 km (472 – 516 miles). Long term durability of the fuel cell unit itself is "subject to ongoing R&D," which means it isn't there yet. Meanwhile, "Honda Motor Co.'s revamped fuel cell vehicle for leasing in California is rolling off a Japanese factory floor later this month." Forget Ford vs. Chevy; the real battle today is Honda vs. Toyota. Which begs the question: what happened to the GM Hy-Wire concept vehicle Wagoner showed off way back in 2002 as the The Answer? And lest we forget, where's the hydrogen for these vehicles going to come from? Oil?

Yeah, I know: car hacks always say that shit. But seriously, this one could hop the Pacific. It's Honda's Fit-based Freed, a Lilliputian van for the Japanese market named for the word yelled by occupants upon exit. Just kidding. The mini-minivan shares the Fit's 1.5-liter engine, which attempts (however fitfully) to move a maximum of eight passengers. Thanks to creative gas tank placement (shades of Toyota Previa), the Freed boasts a low loading floor and– get this– standard dual power sliding doors. Way-hey! The $16k Freed competes against the way cooler Nissan Cube3 and the Toyota Sienta. With gas prices eliminating SUVs as the stateside schleppers' wheels of choice, it's only a matter of time before one of these micro people carriers (or is that carriers of micro-people?) make it across the Pacific. But which one? And when will that vanning thing start anyway?

Can you tell we're a little excited about the planned Toyota-Subaru joint RWD sports coupe? Well, the more we learn, the more we want to know, and luckily Edmunds Inside Line has some new info on the project. The coupe's RWD platform will be developed from Subaru's existing AWD architecture, and will be powered by "a revised version of (Subaru's) naturally aspirated boxer 2.0-liter unit generating around 220hp." We're guessing that Subies 2.0 won't make that many ponies without a turbo, so maybe Edmunds got the "naturally aspirated" part wrong. Since the Integra Type R is identified the project's performance benchmark, expect a 0-60 time of about 6 seconds. With 220hp pushing only 2,866 lbs. using an STI-sourced six-speed manual, it sounds like the Toyobaru is going to be up to task. And maybe it's time to stop calling it a Toyobaru. The coupe will be based on Subaru kit and built at Subaru's Gunma factory, while Toyota's main contributions will be in the areas of planning and quality control. In fact, the Toyota version (little more than revised exterior styling) won't even be offered outside of Japan. Then again, if you could buy a sub-3k pound, 220 hp RWD coupe from Subaru with ToMoCo quality control, why on earth would you be tempted by the same thing with a Toyota badge?

Automotive News (sub) reports that Toyota is investing $673m in new Japanese battery facilities, with the goal of building one million batteries per year by 2011. A new nickel-metal hydride plant is planned for northern Japan, and a new lithium-ion plant will be built southwest of Tokyo. They're also adding to an existing metal-hydride facility as Toyota expands operations to meet the million hybrid vehicles per year demand it expects in the next decade. Toyota's batteries are built by Panasonic EV Energy Co, a joint venture between Panasonic and Toyota. Details are not currently available for the two new plants, but once expanded, the existing metal-hydride plant will build 300k batteries per year. Reports indicate that lithium-ion production will not exceed the tens of thousands, indicating that Toyota will continue to rely on its proven metal-hydride technology for most hybrid applications. With Nissan jumping into lithium-ion production, and Honda announcing an increased hybrid lineup, Toyota's investment is a necessary step in building on its enviable lead in hybrid production. With about 430k hybrids sold last year, and sales of the gas-electric whips rising at a steady clip, Toyota should have few problems selling a million hybrids annually within the next five years.

The Nikkei [via Business Week] reports Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) new car sales have improved slightly in the first quarter of 2008. But the number of automobiles on Japanese roads has fallen for three months straight (down 0.2 percent last quarter). That's the largest cumulative dip since record-keeping began in 1963. The Japanese government predicts traffic will peak by… 2010. Japan's population is slowly declining. More importantly, the cost and hassle of car ownership in the densely-populated island nation is driving people to alternatives. Imagine paying $400 per month on a Tokyo parking spot, and you're beginning to get the picture. As world governments milk the four-wheeled cash cow in the name of planet saving, expect more lower and middle-class motorists to be priced right off the roads. Japanese consumers bought some 282,600 Electric bicycles last year, up some 40 percent in the last five years. sts priced off the roads. In one of the worst first quarters for auto sales in recent memory, the U.S. scooter market jumped 23 percent, according to the L.A. Times. The times, they are a-changing.

According to the AP [via Yahoo News!], Panasonic Japan is offering a new in-car navigation system that interfaces with internet-capable mobile phones, that allows drivers to surf their favorite porn sites. Just kidding. They can use it to check-up on their homes. The "Strada F-Class" system– which sounds  like a Chinese knock-off of an Alfa-Mercedes– can keep an eye on pets (I'm sorry Rover, I'm afraid you can't do that), turn lights on and off (to freak out the neighbors), adjust the A/C ('cause a thermostat just isn't web 2.0 enough) and lock the front door (cause you remembered that you forgot). Of course, all this "convenience" comes at a cost: $3.4k. While you could just use your cell to communicate with a "web-enabled" home, Panasonic claims their "Strada F-Class" system is way safer. Oh, and user-san must have a web-enabled camera and front door, along with other plug-in shit. For some reason, Panasonic is hoping to sell 8k of Strada F-Classes each month to early adopters. The line forms on June 13. While we're one with Stevie Wonder on that whole superstition thing, we'd like to point out that the 13th of June falls on a Friday. Just sayin'.

News of Toyota and Subaru's joint $20k-$25k RWD coupe has Nissan scrambling to develop it own pocket rocket. 7tune.com reports that Nissan is testing a compact rear wheel-drive (RWD) coupe based on the new Z-car platform. The spiritual successor to Nissan's JDM Silvia is likely to be motivated by either the 2.0-liter NA engine, or a 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter turbo four (possibly equipped with Variable Compression Ration technology) making between 150 and 225 hp. The coupe should be about the same size as the last (S15) Silvia, offering the Z's wheelbase with shorter overhangs for "enjoyable handling." No word on whether the $23k-ish coupe will be offered stateside, but it will be available in Japan in the latter half of 2010. As far as we're concerned, the more light, zippy RWD coupes the better… no matter where they're sold.

For those attending the 36th ADAC Zurich 24 Hour Race 2008 in May, Toyota has a treat for you. Motor Authority is reporting that a prototype racing version of the as yet to finalized LF-A uber-Lexus will be running round the 'Ring. This impresses us because any 24 Hour race is murder on a vehicle. But one at the Nurburgring? That borders on suicidal. Which we like. The final production specs haven't been released/announced yet, but just to jog your memory we're talking about a 4.8-liter V10 kicking out more than 500 horsepower that powers the hot Lexus to more than 200 mph. This prototype racer raises the bar with bigger wheels and brakes, a Superbird-inspired rear wing, tenny-tiny racing style side mirrors; and at least a dozen new inlets, scallops and scoops. Plus, the inside is stuffed with carbon fiber and a roll cage. With the soon-to-be on sale Spec-V version of the Nissan GT-R already lapping the Nurburgring in an insane 7:25 and most likely embarrassing the hell out of Chevy ZR-1 Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter's claim that the Blue Devil will, "beat any production car's track record anywhere in the world," what on earth will this Lexus test mule kick up? (Who cares that the video voiceover is Japanese– just listen to that engine!)

We reported earlier that Toyota had upped its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru cars. We mentioned one possible fruit of that merger: a jointly-developed rear wheel-drive (RWD) sportscar. Autocar has "top secret" sketches of what the Toyobaru lovechild might look like. The coupe will use Subaru's 175hp boxer four as a base engine motivating the rear wheels only (to keep weight down and handling sharp). Apparently, there is also talk of an all wheel-drive 2.5-liter turbo-engined top-of-the-line model; a throwback to Celica GT4s of yore. With the Miata squarely in its sights, the Japanese-built coupe's could sticker as low as $20k. The United States is pegged as the main market for this tasty little slice of hoon, which should hit dealers sometime in 2010.  Could this possibly be the RWD Scion tC that's hit the rumor mills?

According to Nihon Car, the Scion tC "is one of those boring 2 door coupé made for the U.S. market and powered… with only 161hp, pretty lame both in and out." Now that we have that less than flattering (if accurate) assessment out of the way, Nihon Car reveals that Scion has "succeeded at stunning us this morning" by unveiling "its gorgeous Formula Drift version" of the tC. Exhaust and suspension manufacturer RS*R created this monster, which shares its platform with Toyota's Japanese-market Avensis and Caldina cars (i.e. it's been converted to rear-wheel drive). Blessed with a turbo and intercooler, the engine now offers more than 400hp. Twenty-one-year-old Ken Gushi will helm the modded Scion in U.S. Grand Prix Professional Drift events. Could an RWD tC be coming to a Scion dealer near you? "At this time we do not have confirmed plans to produce a tC rear wheel drive, but a lot of people will want to take one home," says company VP Jack Hollis. Ya think?

Last month I posted that noted hoon, auto journo and buddy of mine Jack Baruth predicted that the GT-R would be a non-starter. Guess who was wrong, at least in Old Blighty? Right, not you. Motor Authority is authoritatively reporting that UK dealers placed orders for 700 GT-Rs in a 48-hour period once Nissan gave them the OK to do so. And they need more. Since Godzilla's seemingly nuclear-powered mill is hand-assembled, the factory boys in Japan can only build so many– just 1,000 examples per month as it turns out. That's 1,000 engines per month for the entire world. Meaning that Tokyo drifters, Google janitors, extended Emirates families and sicko European Anime fetishists all get their Skylines from that same factory. And how can we forget teenage Russian billionaires? Exactly, we can't. As UK drivers seem to get bent over and reamed routinely these days, the worst part is that even with the massive pre-order, British Gran Turismo 5 Prologue fanatics won't be getting their 480 hp (at least) monsters until March of 2009. And by March we mean May. And if Red Ken has his way, London-based potential GT-R owners will be charged £25 an hour for daydreaming about their future rides. In semi-related news, a little birdie informed me that Universal Nissan — our nation's largest Nissan dealer across the street from Universal Studios — will be charging "only" $40K on top of MSRP. Maybe there's hope for Jack?