Camry

Source: MotorAuthority.com

 Toyota Camry NASCAR pace car
Enlarge Photo

Would you tune in to NASCAR, not on Sunday race day, but on "Must-See TV?"
A report out of Hollywood suggests NASCAR is lending its drama to NBC for "The Crew," a new drama that unfolds with the racing series as a backdrop. From the pen that brought you the short-lived superfriends drama Heroes, Joe Pokaski's new drama will follow brothers who work on a NASCAR racing team and have a shared goal--but probably predictably, many different ways of getting there. Watch for black sheep, relationship angst, and, we suggest, chunks of tires if you're on the infield.
NASCAR has been chronicled before on TV and in film--but it's rarely been treated seriously. Think Talladega Nights, or the recent "poor and stupid" episode of South Park. A distinct difference with the new pilot: it's said to be done with the full cooperation of the racing league, down to the usage of its brand and marks, traditionally the final frontier of mega-licensing deals in all media.
We can hope the series won't turn into another Days of Thunder, which Car and Driver once deliciously described as "inexplicably filled with enough smoke to cure several thousand hams."
[Deadline via InsideLine]

News

Click Thumbnails to Enlarge

• 
• 
• 

VW Amarok: Volkswagen pick-up comes to UK in 2011

By Tim Pollard

Motor Industry

26 October 2010 15:12

Volkswagen will launch the Amarok pick-up truck in the UK in spring 2011. It’s the first time since the 1980s that a VW pick-up has been sold in Britain.
VW plans to sell just a couple of thousand Amaroks a year in the UK in a full year; the big markets for this truck are utility-centric markets such as Australia and both north and south America (the VW Amarok is built in Argentina).

How much will the VW Amarok cost in Britain?

Prices haven’t been announced yet, but it’ll be on a par with its four-strong competitor set. The Toyota Hilux will be a benchmark, we hear, so expect prices from around £18,000 for the high-powered diesel.
At first just one Amarok will be sold here: the 161bhp 2.0 TDI common-rail diesel. A lower-powered 120bhp version of the same engine will arrive later.

Amarok: double-cab or single-cab?

The Amarok will be available only as a double-cab pick-up in Europe initially. However, a single-cab concept was shown at the Hanover commercial vehicle show.
Although this model won’t set Volkswagen’s sales figures alight overnight, it’s further evidence that the VW Group is intent on filling every which niche.
Last week, SocialCarNews was the Twitter source for news at the JD Power Automotive Internet Round Table conference in Las Vegas. We brought you discussions live from the conference, just like we'll do next week at SEMA.
You'll want to fire up your Twitter viewer in a couple of weeks, too. Auto show season is upon us, and High Gear Media will be doing it again, this time from the show floor at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Starting November 16th, we'll be bringing you all the social car news you can handle. With over 20 press conferences and 40 vehicle debuts, we'll be covering the first looks at cars like the 2011 Hyundai Elantra and the upcoming Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.
The show will have a strong emphasis on the green sector of the industry. Infiniti will show off the new M35h Hybrid while Toyota shows off a RAV4 electric. Not to be left in the green dust, Honda will unveil a new electric car, though details are scarce at this point.
We'll also be covering manufacturers as they grease the social skids all on their own. Case in point: while Dodge has already used Facebook and Twitter to reveal some of the their new vehicles to the public, they will still have their official unveiling at the LA Auto Show. From the new 2011 Charger to the new 2011 Durango, the booth will be chock full of new or updated vehicles. The same goes for parent company Chrysler, and the other sub-brands. Add in the new 2011 Chrysler 200 along with the U.S. version of the Fiat 500 Sport and Chrysler will be getting busy in 140 characters or less--right alongside us.
Be sure to become a fan on Facebook and also follow us on Twitter for the latest from the show floor. You can also sign up for our daily newsletter to get TheCarConnection's daily headlines in your inbox.