Brabus E V12 Cabriolet1

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Honda, McLaren As one of the premier sports cars in the world, the Porsche 911 is always driving around with a target on its rear-engined backside. If a new report is to be believed, the latest automaker with plans to build a 911-fighting sports coupe could be McLaren. Motor Trend is reporting that the recent news that Honda and McLaren are teaming up to build Formula One racecars could bear road-going fruit as well. According to the article, the unnamed entry-level McLaren coupe may be powered by a Honda-sourced engine, but a detuned version of the 3.8-liter V8 from the MP4-12C is said to be more likely. All in, though, there is no solid information on the car just yet. As a reminder, M/T points out that the last time McLaren partnered up with a mainstream automaker, the world was introduced to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.McLaren pondering Honda-powered 911 killer? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: BMW, Toyota, Earnings/Financials An annual market study of the strongest brands across various industries has seen Toyota leapfrog BMW as the world's most valuable automotive brand. Toyota's 2013 brand value rose to $24.5 billion, up 12 percent versus 2012 numbers according to market research company Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list. BMW's value fell slightly; down by 2 percent to a total of $24 billion. Mercedes-Benz finished in third place in the automotive category, up 11 percent from 2012 for a valuation of $18 billion. Honda ($12.4 billion, down 2 percent) and Nissan ($10.2 billion, up 3 percent) rounded out the top five for the category. Volkswagen was the only other auto brand that finished in the top 100 overall, in 100th place. Audi made the greatest percentage gain over 2012, up 18 percent to $5.5 billion, but finished outside of the top 100. Technology companies dominated the overall list, with Apple, Google and IBM ranking one through three. Couture brand Prada was 2013's biggest gainer, rising by 63 percent over 2012.Toyota passes BMW as most valuable car brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments