Project Kahn Cosworth squeeze 500 hp out of diesel Range Rover

There’s a grand tradition to enormously powerful and torquey diesel sport-utes. Most of them come from the Volkswagen group – like the Touareg V10 or the Audi Q7 V12 TDI – but this, as you might have guessed, is no VW. It’s a Range Rover, uut one that’s been thoroughly worked over.

The modifications have been carried out through the joint efforts of Project Kahn and Cosworth – two British tuners that have been working together for the past couple of years. Their latest product started life as the thoroughly capable and luxurious Range Rover Sport with the 4.4-liter V8 diesel. With 313 horsepower, the diesel Rover is hardly a slouch, but Cosworth has taken it a step further (and then some) by squeezing out a whopping 500 horsepower.

To go with the massive upgrade in output, Kahn has given the Range Rover an extensive cosmetic update both inside and out, with new bumpers from and rear, side skirts, 22-inch wheels and an interior decked out in billet aluminum and perforated & quilted leather trim. Check it out in the high-res image gallery below

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Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production is carried out

Finally, after what seems to be two centuries since the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, which both cars displayed, the Toyota GT 86 and BRZ Subaru began production last Friday, March 16. Presidents of both car companies attended the event.

After being unveiled last year, both the Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GT-86 have now officially started production at Subaru’s Gunma factory in Ota-city, Japan. FHI President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga commented: "This car symbolizes our corporate strategy in two significant aspects: good progress in our alliance and advancement of our ‘select and focus’ approach. TMC President Akio Toyoda said: "The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 could not have been successfully developed without collaboration between FHI and TMC.

Presidents of both Toyota Motor Corporation and Fuji Heavy Industries were on hand at the Subaru Gunma factory yesterday to watch the first models come off line, the culmination of a significant retooling that will allow the plant to make both Toyota GT 86/86 / , Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S. Both the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S will be 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 200 new horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The cars are differentiated by some subtle styling cues, different levels of standard content.
A Subaru BRZ runs about $ 24,000 in its least expensive form.

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Carlos Ghosn 2011 Nissan Leaf sold out

If you aren’t already on the list to purchase a 2011 Nissan Leaf, you’re officially out of luck. During a speech to the Detroit Economic Club today, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that the U.S. market allotment for the first year’s production of Leafs is already sold out more than six months before the EV even goes on sale. Nissan has now received 13,000 orders for the $32,780 electric car – quite impressive for a vehicle almost no one’s driven.

So far, the orders are comprised of refundable $99 deposits, so it will be interesting to see how sales and orders hold up once people begin getting calls from dealers. Prior to going on sale in 2008, the Smart ForTwoalso received thousands of orders before deliveries began – and we all know how well that turned out. While the Leaf will undoubtedly be a much more pleasant and practical car to drive than the Smart, it remains to be seen how customers will react once they get used to the real world electric range.

Ghosn remains extremely bullish on electric vehicles and will be adding production capacity in both the United States and Europe over the next three years.

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