In a world teeming with 400- to 600-horsepower performance guzzlers — including a few from BMW — the 328i is a reminder that a great sport sedan doesn't have to swill to thrill.
His is a Japanese-market Corolla GTV, a 205-horsepower performance coupe that shares little with the generic front-drive sedans most American buyers associate with Toyota's economy-car nameplate.
This vividly Italian, aggressive-looking, strident-sounding, 433-horsepower performance car is directed at the company's most committed sedan buyers.
The solid bet assumes that any surprises will be more about horsepower and performance than technology and alternative fuels.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY German auto manufacturers love to talk horsepower and performance figures, especially when it comes to slinky two-seat sports cars like the BMW Z4.
Though they are not typically shopped against German track-day specials, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 are plumbing supercar depths of horsepower and performance, arguably diminishing a car like Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which landed like a Teutonic hammer in 2010.
"I like to think there's a little bit of Evo in all of our cars," Mr. O'Neill said, referring to the Lancer Evolution, a small but powerful car that has won at the World Rally Championships and is a favorite among young adults who "tune" their car's engine for higher horsepower and performance.
Power output is a claimed 550 horsepower, with performance of less than four seconds to 60 mph and a top speed in excess of 200 mph.
The Polestar 1 is a grand touring coupé based on Volvo's Concept Coupé - the 600-horsepower electric performance hybrid powertrain promises 150 km (93 miles) of pure electric range.
Auto World, which was first published as Auto World Weekly in 2000, has been shuttered and will return as MPH (Maximum Performance Horsepower) in the fall.
