Check out the Honda Insight section on Honda Japan’s website and you’ll be greeted by the teaser image above, which seems to indicate that an Insight with a larger 1.5 liter i-VTEC IMA engine will be available soon. So far, most Honda hybrids including the Honda Insight sold here in Malaysia use the 1.3 liter system, while the 1.5 liter system is reserved for the sporty Honda CR-Z.

A larger more powerful system in the Insight would certainly be welcome for those looking for a little more fun in their green motoring, but do not want to go for the 3-door body of the CR-Z. With the hybrid tax exemptions just recently extended by the Malaysian government, perhaps Honda Malaysia can introduce this 1.5 liter variant of the Honda Insight as well? I’m sure there’s a market!

Responding to comments made by Honda president Takanobu Ito about the new NSX, Toshihiro said that Honda was ready to start work on the next generation of its electric and hybrid vehicles, and suggested that a new sportscar would be evaluated as part of that project.

"We are now at a point where we can consider the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles," said Toshihiro while speaking at the Global Automotive Forum in Chengdu, China. "President Ito has already mentioned a new NSX, and we have looked at that in the R&D department. It would be an interesting project - electric or hybrid vehicles can be fun as well as economical. More than that I cannot say."

Ito previously suggested that the new NSX would be a different vehicle to the original NSX, which weighed 1350kg and had 290bhp.

Reports have suggested that a concept car hinting at the new Honda NSX could be shown at next month's Tokyo motor show, with a production car being shown early in 2012, ahead sales beginning later next year. However, timescales for the project are said to be flexible, as Japan continues to recover from disruption following the earthquake earlier this year.

Honda has also confirmed it will put its first full electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid on sale in limited numbers in Japan, China and the US next year.

For the full story on the next Honda NSX, including Honda president Ito's thoughts on the car and its possible powertrain, buy Autocar magazine or download the digital edition, available today.

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The Black Series idea seems to be catching on at Mercedes-Benz. Between 2006 and 2011, the company rolled out just three rabid Black Series cars, but now, mere months after M-B announced the 2012 C63 Black Series, we have proof that that work on AMG’s next super-ultra-high-performance product is well underway. Spotted on the Nürburgring wearing matte-black paint, purposeful fender extensions, and a wider front fascia, this SLS is AMG's response to the likes of the Audi R8 GT and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale.

The wide fenders cover tires that are even fatter than what you’ll find under a regular SLS. While the production SLS Black Series will sport similar flares, they will most certainly be integrated a bit more gracefully than those seen here. When the Black Series comes to market, expect it to bear a strong resemblance to the SLS AMG GT3 race car. In addition to the stretched fenders, that means bigger air intakes and more of them. The Black Series will weigh less than the regular SLS, but the difference won’t be nearly as significant as the 500 or so pounds AMG managed to cull from the SL65 in creating its Black edition. Figure on a reduction of about 100 pounds for the SLS. In keeping with its purist approach, the SLS Black Series likely will be available with a closed roof and gullwing doors only.

With bedplate construction and dry-sump lubrication, the SLS’s M159 naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 is a technological marvel. It’s rated at 563 hp and 479 lb-ft in standard trim, but will make well over 600 hp—perhaps as much as 650—in the Black Series. Mercedes will achieve this not with forced induction, but with internal tweaks. Power will be channeled to the rear wheels through a strengthened version of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission serving in the regular car.

Thanks to: Car and Driver