Archive for February 17th, 2010

Filed under: Hybrid, Honda

The rumormongers at AutoExpress are at it again, donning their speculative fedoras and suggesting that a 200-horsepower Honda CR-Z Type-R is on the way. But if you were hoping for a K20 swap to ditch the hybrid setup, you’re in for a disappointment.

In stock form, the production CR-Z unveiled in Detroit makes due with a 102 hp 1.5-liter four-cylinder mated to an electric motor good for an additional 20 ponies. If AE is to be believed, Honda and its internal tuning partner, Mugen, plans to up the output of the stock four-pot to approximately 150 hp. Since the CR-Z was designed from the onset to be a hybrid, apparently Honda just can’t swap in the 2.0-liter engine from the Euro-Civic and call it a day. Instead, a beefed-up electric motor will be fitted – reportedly good for another 50 hp – and bringing total output up to 200 hp.

Naturally, the transformation won’t just be under the hood. A reworked suspension, upgraded brakes and a smattering of body mods will be included in the package, along with an additional driving mode (bringing the total to three), “Sport Plus” which will reportedly modify throttle response, steering, the start-stop system and the electric motor assist.

If the Type-R comes to fruition, expect it to debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, with the production version arriving sometime in 2012.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Rumormill: Honda CR-Z Type-R in the works originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog Green

Ferrari says it weathered last year’s global economic storms with sales of 6,250 cars, only 5% down on 2008.

The company says that while the luxury sports car market collapsed by 35% in 2009, Ferrari’s market share rose to 10%, making it the leading manufacturing in the segment. The Italian company says it is also set to invest 18.5% of its revenues in new products, a very high proportion for the car industry.

Ferrari bosses also make the point that the company can self-finance new products, unlike Aston Martin, which is thought to be preparing to float on the stock market to raise funds. Ferrari made an operating profit of €245m (£212m), down from last year’s record €341m (£296m), a return on sales of 13.8%. Profits were hit by the weakness of the U.S dollar.

Ferrari sold 1,467 cars in North America last year, down 200. European sales hit 2,752 units, down 6%. Italy (655 cars) and Germany (644 cars) are the biggest EU markets. Asia Pacific markets took 1117 cars. 60% of Ferrari California customers are claimed to be new to the brand. Ferrari’s branding and merchandising operations are also booming, with retail sales up 22.5% mostly thanks, it says, to the opening of the Ferrari retail store in Regent Street, London.

Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said, “Achieving these results in such a challenging economic climate is the best possible endorsement of the quality and the commitment of all the people of Ferrari and of our strategy focusing on innovation and exclusivity.

“Those guidelines will also allow us to tackle 2010. It will be a very difficult year and the first small signs of recovery will not come until next autumn.”

Via Cars Of The Future® Blog

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Hyundai

When we got our first in-person look at the 2011 Hyundai Sonata at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we were pretty impressed with what we saw. The Korean automaker delivered on expressive design for its all-important midsize offering while promising a potent 198 horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a class-leading 35 miles per gallon highway. But the promises didn’t end there. Hyundai also mentioned that it would utilize a turbocharged and direct-injected four in place of a V6 offering, and a hybrid version of the Sonata that utilizes technologically advanced lithium polymer batteries. But we haven’t heard much about the turbo or hybrid models post-LA, until now.

Product Planning head Scott Margason reportedly popped onto Hyundai’s official twitter page to inform us that the 2011 Sonata Turbo and Hybrid would make their grand entrance at the 2010 New York Auto Show. With three distinct variants of the Sonata and a price of entry under $20,000, Hyundai could stand to gain quite a bit of street cred (and market share) in the hyper-competitive midsize segment. We can’t wait for details on specs, but with the media days at the New York show scheduled to start March 31, we reckon we’ll know soon enough.

[Source: Twitter]

2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Hybrid will debut in New York originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Videos, Nissan

Past generations of the Nissan Micra have done well for the company, garnering accolades and proving its worth in the marketplace. There’s a new compact Nissan coming, which we’re likely to see for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show.

Nissan has released a video covering some of the new car’s details as a way to whet our appetite. There’s a sharp-looking rendering at the very end of the video, after you’ve learned about the 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, which Nissan claims has NVH levels equivalent to a four cylinder. There’s a new constantly variable transmission, and the V platform, as its named, is also a clean sheet design and developed for flexibility and packaging. Sounds like every other press release lately – “better performance, more efficient, more flexibly packaged, cures warts!” We’ll see. Make the jump to watch the video.

Continue reading Video: Nissan teases new compact global compact car, Micra replacement ahead of Geneva

Video: Nissan teases new compact global compact car, Micra replacement ahead of Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog

Coming this Spring

The new Toyota Auris hybrid will make its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and the production-ready hybrid will go on sale throughout Europe later this Spring.

Not many details on the new Auris hybrid are yet available, but Toyota did reiterate its plans to have hybrids across its entire lineup by 2020. And, while the new Auris hybrid is not intended for the US market, it is a step towards the new compact hybrid cars that Toyota has planned for the US market some time next year.

Via Hybrid Cars