In five years the connected car will become a mainstream reality with more than 60 percent of the world’s cars offering features such as built-in internet, wireless connectivity and smart notifications.

By 2017 market researcher ABI expects the figure to exceed 80 percent in the US and Western Europe as new cars get pumped full of smarter technology.

Toyota has released the first images of its new sports car, confirming that it will go on sale next year as the GT 86.

Built on an all-new platform, the model is hoped to reestablish the Japanese brand as a sporty name following the dominance of best-selling but mainstream models such as the Camry sedan and Prius hybrid.

The GT 86 is a compact model boasting a 197 hp 2.0-liter engine which should give the car quick performance when combined with its light curb weight.

More renowned for its prowess with wheeled vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp. is increasing its seaborne fleet with the launch of a new leisure boat, the Ponam-35.

But the 11.95-meter cruiser is still related to the car manufacturer’s mainstream products as its two V8-cylinder engines are adapted versions of the 4.5-liter V8 diesel engine that can be found in the Toyota Land Cruiser.

And while elsewhere it might be considered unusual for a car firm to dabble in pleasure boats, several of Japan’s other major auto firms also have boat divisions.

Toyota took another step towards a new sports model March 1 with the unveiling of the FT-86 II concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

The biggest hint yet of the styling expected from a new production sports model, the FT-86 II was described as a model that paid homage to Toyota’s previous sports cars of the past such as the 2000 GT of the 1960s.

The model features a long, low hood and rear-set cabin and measures 4,235 mm long and 1,270mm high.

Aston Martin has today confirmed that the Cygnet will go into production in 2011 at the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire.

Initially shown as a concept earlier this year, the the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet is described by its manufacturer as an ‘Aston Martin tailor fit for the city’.

Aston Martin’s CEO Ulrich Bez said “The Cygnet is designed to support our sports cars by providing a greater degree of freedom in the urban context; it is a very special car, a premium but compact package with heart, soul and personality.”

According to the Environmental Transport Association, Lamborghini Murcielago is the least ‘green-friendly’ car and sports car in the United Kingdom.

The Luxury car emits a CO2 amount equivalent to ‘a football pitch-sized forest of trees’, which brought it the Least Green Car of the Year 2010 title.

According to The Sun, the two-seat Murcielago produces five times more carbon dioxide per mile than the greenest car of the year – the Toyota iQ.