2013 Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition

“It’s been nearly 20 years since I started designing cars for Hot Wheels and I have yet to drive one home,” said Felix Holst, vice president of creative for the Mattel Wheels Division. “Personally, I can’t wait to open the doors and see the Hot Wheels Camaro sitting in the garage.”

The Custom Camaro 1:64-scale toy car from 1968 was one of the original 16 Hot Wheels issued by Mattel and is considered today as one of the most valuable of the series among collectors. This is the first time that a full-size, production Hot Wheels car has been offered for sale by any manufacturer.

With the exception of the oversized logos on seats, the 2013 Camaro Hot Wheels Edition looks tastefully done as it echoes the styling cues of the toy series without going overboard.

Available in coupe and convertible body-styles in both 2LT V6 and 2SS V8 trims, the special edition model comes in a Kinetic Blue exterior color with two-tone matte hood and rear taillight panel “blackout” graphics, red accent stripes on the front ZL1-sourced front grille, and flame decals on the rear fenders.

Other exterior features include the unique black 21-inch wheels with red outline stripe, Hot Wheels grille, decklid and front fender logos, a ground effects package, including front splitter and rocker treatment, a ZL1 rear spoiler (for coupe models).

On the inside, the Camaro gets a black leather-trimmed interior accented with red and black seat stitching with the Hot Wheels logo embroidered on the front seats, Hot Wheels-style flame decals on the door panels, and Hot Wheels Edition sill plates.

The Hot Wheels Edition will be offered as a $6,995 optional package on the 2013 Camaro.

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Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix

After 11 straight wins, it lost to Ferrari. It then continued its streak, claiming a startling 15 wins out of 16 starts but by a strange twist of fate, the one it lost was on Scuderia’s home ground and, at the same time, the first Italian GP after Enzo Ferrari’s death…

That was then and this is now. The latest Formula 1 race was the Indian Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel took an easy win, his fourth in a row. It was an almost perfect race for the reigning world champion, who extended his lead in the drivers’ championship by seven points.

Fernando Alonso, who until the previous race at Korea was leading the standings, managed the best he could with a car that’s clearly inferior to that of his rival.

As always, he drove brilliantly to pass McLaren’s Jenson Button and, when his KERS failed, Red Bull’s Mark Webber. He then started closing in to Vettel, but eventually had to settle for second place.

After the race, Ferrari’s top driver admitted that “it’s not easy at the moment to fight Red Bull… we knew we were not fast enough but we lost the minimum points”. Alonso added that he and the team “will not give up” and that he hopes they will perform even better in the three remaining races of the season.

Vettel was asked what it is that has made him the favorite for the title: “There’s not one thing that stands out and makes a difference. I think it’s all of us working hand in hand together and I’m glad to be part of that and just enjoying the moment.”

The winner, who currently has an advantage to snag his third title in as many years at the tender age of 25, said that he was also very proud to be the first driver since the late Ayrton Senna to lead every single lap for three consecutive races.

As for the rest, McLaren had another not too impressive weekend, by its own high standards, claiming fourth and fifth positions with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button respectively. The only silver lining was that it did much better than in Korea and Button recorded the fastest lap of the race. Small comfort for a team that’s used to being a title challenger...

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Nissan Extreme Concept

The Extrem is the first concept car from Nissan designed specifically for and produced in Brazil to underscore the company's commitment to the country where it recorded a significant sales growth claiming almost two per cent of the market in 2011, doubling its 2010 deliveries, and aims to account for five per cent of new car sales by 2016.

Nissan Design America (NDA) in San Diego, California, penned the small 2+2 crossover in collaboration with Brazilian designers

"We call it Baby Beast," said Robert Bauer, Senior Design Manager for the project at NDA. "We see it as an urban rally car, a tough little street fighter that can handle the urban jungle with agility and confidence."

The concept is based on Nissan's V-platform shared with cars like the North American Versa sedan and the global market Micra / March supermini.

At 3,850mm (151.6 inches) long, 1,765mm (69.5 inches) wide and 1,530mm (60.2 inches) tall, with a 2.450mm (96.5 inches) wheelbase, the Extrem is much smaller than the Juke (4,125mm or 162.4 in. long) all around.

It's design borrows elements from various Nissan models ranging from the GT-R's front grille and fenders with air vents to the 370Z's headlamp and roofline.

Power for the small 2+2 seater comes from Nissan's direct injection and turbocharged (DIG-T) 1.6-liter gasoline engine, with the automaker stating that the CUV could be offered with a choice of front or four-wheel drive with Torque Vectoring.

Nissan pointed out that the Extrem is "strictly a concept car with no immediate plans for production", but added that elements of its styling offers a glimpse into future products, for Brazil and beyond.

"EXTREM suggests that exotic and exciting design need not just be reserved for expensive cars. It shows that innovative, sophisticated design can be made in a clever, attainable way. EXTREM is one of our answers to this possibility and it opens an exciting new chapter in our design relationship with Brazil," said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer.

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2013 Lexus GS350 F Sport

One of the highlights at the Japanese luxury brand's stand will be a 2013 GS350 F Sport prepared in partnership with VIP Auto Salon.

The Orange County, California-based tuner muscled up the premium mid-size sedan by bolting on Apexi CG SPL custom supercharger kit to its 3.5-liter V6 engine, which in naturally aspirated guise, delivers 306-horses. VIP Auto Salon did not say how much power the V6 gained with the addition of a supercharger.

The rest of the tune includes a WALD International Aero package, a Brembo HighPerformance GT Brake kit, Vossen CV7 20-inch wheels in Yokohama S.Drive tires size 255/30-20 front and 275/30-20 rear, a PTS Joe Z Series True Dual Header-Back exhaust system and a RSR Super i coilover system.

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Exona Supercar by Nikola Novak

Nikola Novak is a young "amateur designer" with a knack for futuriatic sports car and who says he was accepted by the Coventry University in the UK as well the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but never able to go due to a lack of financial resources.

This did not discourage Novak from continuing his passion for automobile design with one of the many projects he has finished being the Exona supercar study.

Instead of creating a sports model for an existing brand, Novak chose to design the Exona as an independent proposal in the segment.

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