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New Forza 6 car pack will let you race the Pontiac Aztek

Just in time for this weekend's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the new Alpinestars Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 6 on the Xbox One lets you slip into the driver's seat of last year's winner. If you want to take something much weirder for a spin, the collection also includes a 2005 Pontiac Aztek. The download is available now for $6.99. The Ford #02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Mk XXVI Daytona was in a four-car battle early in last year's race, but it eventually was victorious. Forza Motorsport 6 also challenges drivers who download the car to a new Rivals event around Daytona, and the fastest people could win Alpinestars prizes. If you're nostalgic for a classic Daytona racecar, this pack includes Mercury #15 Whistler Radar Cougar XR-7. The V8-powered beast won the IMSA GTO class in the 24-hour event in 1990. It should be fun around the game's longer road courses like Road Atlanta. This collection also has an eclectic mix of vehicles that aren't racecars. The controversial Aztek and the equally-controversial 1996 Subaru SVX take their places beside a lineup that offers drivers three eras of performance cars – a 1967 Sunbeam Tiger, 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5, and 1992 Alfa Romeo Milano Quadrifoglio Verde. The video below shows all of them in action. Race to the Finish Line with the Alpinestars Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 6 By Xbox Wire Staff posted on January 27, 2016 at 8:00 am With the racing season set to kick into full gear during this weekend's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race, Forza fans now have a chance to get their own taste of endurance racing glory with the Alpinestars Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 6, available on Thursday, Jan. 28. Leading off the pack of seven cars is last year's 24 Hours of Daytona winner, the 2015 Ford #02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Mk XXVI Daytona Prototype. The prototype will be fielded in this weekend's race, which begins at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 30 and can be viewed live on Fox Sports 1 in the U.S. The Alpinestars Car Pack features six additional cars, each with a unique pedigree all its own. From the 1990 Mercury #15 Whistler Radar Cougar XR-7 – also a competitor in Daytona 24 Hour events of years past – to the inimitable 2005 Pontiac Aztek (famous more for its fictional owner than its performance), this pack has something for every kind of car fan. Forza Motorsport 6 is the only game where players can drive last year's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner on the recently remodeled Daytona International Speedway.

Details about next-gen Toyota Prius emerge

The Toyota Prius is undeniably the king of the hybrid market in the United States, with a 39.4 percent market share in 2013. With the next-generation Prius likely to go on sale in 2015, Toyota is trying to build an even more efficient hybrid to keep its control of the market.
Keeping cost down will be one of the major concerns of the new Prius. The next generation will ride on the new, modular Toyota New Global Architecture platform. The lighter underpinnings will improve efficiency and will reduce production costs by allowing for more shared components among vehicles. Toyota will not reveal how many vehicles will use the new platform. But even with the cheaper platform, price will remain a concern. Toyota is still deciding whether all versions of the next Prius will use lithium-ion batteries or whether some models will stick with the heavier nickel-metal hydride batteries to keep cost down.
Of course, the reason most people buy the Prius is because of its great fuel efficiency. Toyota will aim for at least an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy in the next Prius, which would increase it to 58 miles per gallon city and 52 mpg highway.

Toyota and Lexus recalling 235,000 hybrid CUVs and sedans over separate issues

When it rains, it pours. Toyota has announced a pair of separate but voluntary North America recalls covering approximately 235,000 vehicles built between 2006 and 2011. The larger of the two recalls targets Toyota's hybridized crossovers, the Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. 133,000 units, including 2006-2010 Highlander and 2006-2008 RX crossovers are covered in the campaign. The other recall affects 102,000 IS350 sedans, IS350C convertibles and GS350 sedans built between 2006 and 2011.
With the CUVs, the faults in the parallel circuits of the transistors can cause heat damage in the inverter assembly, triggering an abundance of warning lamps and sending the vehicle into limp mode. The Lexus sedans are being recalled due to loose bolts on the variable valve timing controller. Detected by unusual underhood sounds on startup, the issue can cause the engine to stop while driving. The inverter issue is also triggering similar recalls in Japan and Europe.
At the moment, it's unclear if any of these issues have caused any crashes or injuries. Toyota says it plans to notify owners of the recall via snail mail. Additional information for owners can be found on the recall sites for Toyota and Lexus or by calling Toyota's customer service line, at 1-800-331-4331. Scroll down for the complete recall notice from Toyota.