Toyota Video Teases New NS4 Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car – Is it a Coupe?
In addition to a extremely closely cropped teaser photo, Toyota has now published a new video on the NS4, a plug-in hybrid notion car that will be totally revealed at subsequent week’s 2012 North American International Motor Show in Detroit.
While mystery continues to shroud the specifics on the NS4, the new promotional clip offers us a sneak peek on some of the car’s styling and tech elements this kind of as instrument panel and center console.
We also get a quick glimpse of a handful of sketches that seem to be displaying a coupe or maybe a sporty hunting four-or five-door fastback, but we can’t be sure. Stick to the break to watch the video for oneself.
VIDEO
Honda: New Cars 2012
2011 is a year that Honda Australia desperately desires to forget. Sales fell by as considerably as 25 % thanks in large to the Japanese tsunami and the floods in Thailand. That is not to say its ageing core item line up wasn’t the blame, nonetheless the the moment mighty Honda is hunting forward to a brighter long term in 2012. The Japanese company is planning a substantial comeback subsequent year with the launch of 3 all-new designs as nicely as an aggressive marketing strategy. Apart from the recently launched Honda CR-Z, production for the Jazz is shifting to Japan up coming year, Odyssey has observed a cost cut and there will be a new Civic hatch and sedan plus an all-new CR-V planned for the following 12 months.
CIVIC SEDAN AND CIVIC HYBRID
Car type: Tiny auto. Timing: March
1 of the company’s most popular designs is expected to get a boost in sales with the arrival of the new Honda Civic sedan and hybrid all around March. Although it failed to dazzle the critics when it was unveiled at the New York motorshow earlier this year, Honda Australia holds higher hopes for the model as it enters an incredibly challenging and overcrowded segment. The current Civic, which has been previous its employed by date for some time, has seen its marketshare hit 2.9% this year, down from virtually five percent in 2010. Tiny is known on pricing and specification on the 2012 Civic sedan/hybrid but we suspect it will retain a related price point to stay competitive. The Hybrid variant will also search at chasing revenue away from the Toyota Prius (which in itself, is not performing all that well in Australia), but it’s anticipated to remain a largely niche product for the foreseeable future.
Study shows hybrids are safe in a collision – but pedestrians beware!
A study conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows that hybrids are safer than their gas-powered brethren, but they (unfortunately) tend to hit more pedestrians.
According to the affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the occupants of a hybrid vehicle are 25% less likely to be injured in an accident.
This is due to the fact that hybrids weigh an average of 10% more than heat engine models, namely because of their heavy battery packs. People in smaller, lighter vehicles are typically at a disadvantage in a collision. The standard Honda Accord weighs 480 lb less than the hybrid version, for instance.
On the other hand, a separate HLDI analysis reveals that pedestrians have a 20% greater chance of being involved in an accident resulting in hospitalization and/or medical fees with a hybrid car than a conventional one.
Why? Because they can’t hear them coming in electric mode…
Hybrids safer than normal cars, more dangerous to pedestrians: study
By Brett Davis | November 18th, 2011
According to a recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute in the US, hybrid drivers a 25 per cent less likely to be injured in a car accident compared with non-hybrid car drivers. Conversely, hybrid vehicles were found to be more dangerous to pedestrians than conventional cars.
External factors, such as the attitudes and driving habits of hybrid drivers may have contributed to the results, the study says, but the main element behind hybrid’s increased safety is the weight. Matt Moore, vice president of the Institute, said in a statement,
“Hybrids on average are 10 per cent heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have.”
Toyota Prius C Pictures Leaked
A leaked brochure breaks the embargo on a sporty Toyota hatchback which seems to be the Prius C.
The production version of Toyota Prius C seems to be about 110 percent different than the concept car revealed earlier this year. This thing look like a hot hatch actually! That said, it could be the Japanese version.
The hybrid powertrain in this car consists of a 75hp 1.4-liter petrol engine, and an electric motor. The Prius C is apparently the hybrid car for young people . It certainly got the visual appeal, and with 60 mpg fuel economy and a price tag of around 20 grand, it sounds tempting.
Let’s wait for the official details and pictures, then see what’s what.
via: Carscoop
Nissan Announces New Hybrid Powertrain With 2.5-Liter Supercharged Four and Lithium-Ion Battery
October 14, 2011 at 3:52pm by Stuart Fowle
Nissan may be generating electric buzz with the new Leaf, but when it comes to hybrids, the company has never been a leader. After all, the discontinued Altima Hybrid didn’t even use a Nissan-designed system, but hybrid technology borrowed from Toyota. Without that car—which was actually only sold in 10 states with California’s strict emissions standards—the company doesn’t offer a single gas-electric.
That will change in 2013, however. Nissan has announced that the North American market will get a new hybrid vehicle that year, with an all-new hybrid-electric powertrain. The engine at the heart of it is a supercharged 2.5-liter inline four, and it’s paired with a next-generation continuously variable transmission. The configuration is similar to what Nissan did in the Infiniti M35h hybrid, with an electric motor packaged between the engine and transmission. The motor itself is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.
Altogether, the company claims, the hybrid powertrain will produce power levels equal to a 3.5-liter V6—for reference, Nissan’s makes 270 horses in the current Altima—while delivering far better fuel economy on both the city and highway ends of things. Because it uses a CVT and a small-displacement engine as its base, the new hardware will also fit in existing vehicles and could end up in any number of places. We view the Murano as a top candidate, along with the next Altima, which we spied in August. And while the new hybrid powertrain is as powerful as a 3.5-liter V-6, we do expect them to live side-by-side for the foreseeable future.
Official: BMW F02 7 Series Long Version by Tuningwerk
BMW, Car News, Tuning News — By MR on October 11, 2011 at 4:10 pm — No Comments
The Bavarian-based Tuningwerk company from Puchheim in Munich area has released their program for the BMW F02 7 Series Long Version.
After some improvements the 7 Series engine produces 720bhpP with the maximum torque of 1,090Nm. The top speed is reached at 350km/h as well as the really “smooth” acceleration from 0 to 100km/h is done in just 3.5 seconds.
Equipped with a five- or six-gear sport automatic transmission, the unique CarbonCeramic brake system featuring 396mm ceramic brake disks for the front axle and only slightly smaller ones for the back axle saves about 70kg revolving mass in a streamlined teamwork with wheel disks and tyres.
The German tuner shook off another 50kg (total of 120kg) without compromising the absolutely fully equipped Fonds Entertainment System. The weight reduction was achieved by means of the lightweight design sports exhaust system, as well as carbon hybrid car front and body sills. With the gas tank only half full the Long Version F02 weighs 2,030kg and will cost its owner 198,000 euros.
