2003 Subaru Baja Sport on 2040-cars

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Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.

Subaru ending Tribeca production in January?

The writing has been on the wall for some time, but it seems that Subaru is finally pulling the lever on the guillotine to put the midsize Tribeca crossover out of its misery. Jalopnik has what appears to be a communication from Subaru to its dealers announcing that the final Tribeca will roll off the Lafayette, IN assembly line in January, with the last dealer delivery expected to occur the following month.
The last report we heard regarding the Tribeca said that Subaru could be planning a fullsize, three-row crossover, possibly to compete against the Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Explorer. Dropping the Tribeca would leave the automaker without a three-row crossover for the foreseeable future, but according to the memo, Subaru has sold just 78,000 Tribecas since 2005 making it one of the worst-selling vehicles in the US in 2011 and 2012 - for comparison, the automaker has already found 84,372 customers for its new Forester this year (through September) alone.
We have reached out to Subaru for comment on the Tribeca's passing, but have yet to hear back as of this writing. Stay tuned for an update, when and if we get word.

Toyota GT86 GT4 racer is ready for UK competition

It's about time we saw someone cook up a legitimate race version of the delectable Toyota GT86, and now it looks as if GPRM has done just that. The Buckingham-based race engineering team has built the creation you see here, complete with a turbocharged 2.0-liter, direct-injection four-cylinder boxer cooked up by Nicholson McLaren Engines. The team says the new mill delivers between 360 and 400 horsepower to the rear wheels depending on final testing, which is a sight bit more than the 197 horses the naturally aspirated stock mill offers.
The car will compete in GT4 events, including the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Technically, the GPRM effort isn't factory backed, but the team says the effort "has the blessing of Toyota Great Britain." How could it not? You can check out the brief press release below below, and be sure to take a closer look at the machine in our gallery.