Tesla Motors projects that its revenue will increase in the second half of 2012 as production and sales of the Tesla Model S are expected to outpace the automaker's now-extinct Roadster. Though the carmaker lost money last year, CEO Elon Musk told reporters last week that his company is fully capitalized and ready to meet its production goals without raising any additional funds.

Late last week, Tesla announced that its fourth-quarter net loss widened to $81.5 million, compared to $51.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Still, the company's annual revenue beat the street's predictions. The automaker reported annual net revenue of $204.2 million in 2011, where analysts had projected $203.5 million. That's nearly a 75-percent increase over Tesla's reported annual revenue of $116.7 million in 2010.

Tesla attributes last year's losses to nearly $200 million in capital expenditures, which were spent readying the carmaker's Fremont, California production facility to build the Model S. Tesla now predicts that annual revenue for 2012 may soar to $600 million, with 90 percent of the money expected to come in the second half of the year, when the Model S goes on sale.

During a conference call, Tesla chief executive officer, Elon Musk, stated "The bulk of 2012 revenue is Model S-related." Tesla aims to sell up to 5,000 Model S electric sedans by the end of 2012. But until Model S deliveries commence, Tesla's main revenue source is supply deals with Toyota and Daimler.

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By Jeff Cobb

Toyota wants you to mark the date: March 6 is when it will reveal the FT-Bh Concept, a mini hybrid car that saves production expense with lower cost materials and helps save the environment with emissions that are 50-percent lower than other cars in its segment.

Shunning costlier materials like carbon fiber which competitors such as Audi and BMW have added to their mini cars, Toyota says it makes use of economical production methods to make small, cute and green also more affordable.

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Customers paying more for Hyundai Elantra than Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As we dropped into the back stretch on lap 4, I knew this would be the moment. Strapped into a screaming yellow 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, it was finally my turn to pass one of the other track cars and catch up to the lead pace Lambo. Following the pace car were me and three more Italian speed machines, all Lamborghinis with a total of about 1700 horsepower among them. I was in the second position among the four cars as the Lambo in front of me swung to the right, giving me a clear path to lift off. The stands to the left were a blur, not unlike a dash cam at Indy, as I paddle shifted at red line to second at 9000 rpms. Nothing can equal the wail of a Lamborghini at these engine speeds, and even with my insulated driver’s helmet and flame retardant mask, it was both deafening and intoxicating.

I mashed the petal with earnest, knowing that this car had a top speed in excess of 200 mph and I was on the longest backstretch of motor speedway in the Southeast United States. Ahead, the white Gallardo pace car taunted me to play catch-up with the other Lambo swinging aside to the right in a 135 mph blur as we hurled toward the hair pin right turn. The huge brakes produced physics-defying deceleration and I caught up (sort of) to the pace car and then rocketed again by the pits for the final lap. I now had the privilege of following the line the instructor found on the track, and I threw all here-to-known concern for life and limb and plowed into the turns. G forces in excess of 1.1 and 1.2 stunned me as we carved the S turns and sweepers past turn one. The Gallardo’s 570 horsepower V-10 goaded me on along with the state-of-the-art All Wheel Drive, ultra light carbon fiber body and Formula 1 speed paddle shifting technology. It all proved that there wasn’t anything I could do that would even mildly challenge this Lamborghini, as this beast was made for this kind of track. It’s as if it was saying: “Is that all you can do? Come on!” I knew then I was in the absolute pinnacle of sports car engineering and design, without peer world-wide. That was my welcome to Lamborghini.

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By Jeff Cobb

Since receiving federally underwritten help through bankruptcy, and developing the extended-range electric Chevy Volt, GM has for the most part turned the other cheek to a cottage industry of critics, but that may be changing somewhat.

The company’s head of communications, Selim Bingol has launched a new blog which attempts to correct erroneous critical commentators GM has said are politically motivated.

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THE NEW SEVENTY-TWO from benedict campbell on Vimeo.

Last week we published an overview of Harley Davidson’s newest bikes, the 72 and the Softail Slim. This week, Bullz-Eye.com will be joining Harley Davidson in Miami to review both of them in person. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @bullzeyedotcom to get up to the minute updates on the trip, and general motorcycle awesomeness. Also, don’t forget to look for the full review on the bikes over on Bullz-Eye.com.

Since we know you can’t wait to see these new bikes in action, click the video above to see what director Benedict Campbell did with the Harley 72.

Stay tuned.

By Jeff Cobb

BMW’s plug-in hybrid i8 looks like it will feature innovative doors suitable for the avant-garde car, according to spy photos borrowed from our sister publication, AutoGuide.

The main difference looks like hinge placement, which allows the doors to open upwards and twist which should ensure they are fully out of the way upon entering and exiting the vehicle.

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By Jeff Cobb

Yo-Auto Yo-Mobile.

With the first sale of his Russian Yo-Mobile hybrid car due in December this year, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov said he will invest in a new assembly line for his inexpensive “peoples’ cars.”

“The next Yo-mobile plant must be built in the Far East to develop local innovation production,” Prokhorov said at a press conference in Russia.

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Continue reading Watch as Hot Rod goes from El Paso to LA the hard way

Watch as Hot Rod goes from El Paso to LA the hard way originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

By Jeff Cobb

GM says the 2012 Cruze diesel will look nearly the same as the gasoline version (LT gas model shown).

Perhaps emboldened by the fact that its Cruze nameplate is Chevrolet’s global best seller, and hoping to create anticipation for a 2013 diesel variant co-developed in Europe for the U.S., GM is putting German automakers on notice.

“The market for diesel cars in the U.S. is small at present, but is expected to grow due to Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements and expected increases in gas prices,” said Mike Omotoso, powertrain analyst at LMC Automotive. “So far, the German automakers haven’t had any diesel car competition in North America. GM could do well with it, particularly with younger buyers who don’t have the old prejudices against diesel.”

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