GTPlanet report that Sony’s chief executive in Southern Europe, James Armstrong, has stated that the release of Gran Turismo 5, the latest installment of the acclaimed series, is set for Christmas ‘09. In a statement to Spainish newspaper El Financiero, Armstrong said that he is in the process of developing “the new version of Gran Turismo, which will arrive at Christmas [2009].” He also mentions a new “thriller” game, adding “the player may be designing their own history.” A little early to speculate on that, perhaps.

Either way, it looks like Gran Turismo 5 is set for next winter, in time for the Christmas rush. Makes sense; it is one of the PlayStation’s bigger franchises, after all. The prestige around the series means that GT5 is certain to be highly realistic and a treat for fans of the series, so whenever it comes out, I’m sure plenty of people will be happy. Any thoughts? Will you be buying the game on release? Let us know in the comments.

It’s Friday, and of course this means that Criterion have announced another awesome addition for its acclaimed racer Burnout Paradise. This time it’s the Carson Hotrod- Criterion say “it’s the fastest car in Paradise City – a stripped down, ultra low, overpowered straight line monster.” Not content with that, they also explain that “it handles more intuitively and drifts more realistically than any other car,” adding that it will be the first of two cars to revamp the boosting system in the game. No details as to how, but it certainly seems that this is a car Burnout fans are going to have a lot of fun with. Hit the jump for the another image.

The Playstation blog reports that a Gran Turismo 5: Prologue update has been released, ready for download right now. The update brings some performance updates as well as three shiny new cars. While the cars cost up to a million credits in-game, for those of us in real life the update is completely free. Hit the jump for details on the four-wheeled boxes of metal.

Firstly, the “GT by Citroen”. Based on a collaborative effort between Polyphony Digital, the folks who make Gran Turismo, and Citroen, the French car manufacturer. It’ll cost a million credits.

The Ferrari California is the second new motor vehicle. Now that’s what I call red. This one’s just 300,000 credits.

Lastly, the Lotus Evora, pictured at the top of the page. My personal favourite, so I’m glad it’s only 100,000 credits.

Here’s the list of gameplay tweaks:

Changes to the penalty system; specifically, during Time Trial events, speed penalties have been removed, and instead incurring such a penalty now invalidates the lap time for that particular lap. Race events are also being updated, with tweaked difficulty levels and increased earnings for winning a top spot. Additionally, improved responsiveness when using the wireless controller, and improved sound volume balance for sound effects and music for a better racing experience. Drift Trial races have also been changed to feature a rolling start.