The third concept Toyota will have on display at the Tokyo Motor Show is the Prius Plug-in Hybrid - the first Toyota vehicle brand that uses a lithium-ion battery as the drive battery.
Thanks to the lithium-ion battery, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has a fuel efficiency of at least 55km/l (target); that’s quite an improvement compared to the 38km/l of the model now on sale.
Charged from an external power source such as a household electrical outlet, it extends the cruising range in electric vehicle mode, maximizing the benefits as an environmentally-considerate vehicle. As the cruising distance as an electric vehicle increases, environmental benefits that surpass those even of the regular Prius can be expected including lower CO2 emissions and air pollution and reduced consumption of fossil fuels. Approximate charging times using ordinary household electricity are 180 minutes at 100V and 100 minutes at 200V.
Press release after the jump.
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The Volkswagen Golf is another iconic shape from Germany. The original Rabbit started the hot hatch craze as well as giving the tuner car market a boost. Just like its high performance cousin the 911, the practical Volkswagen continues to become larger, heavier and more sophisticated. With the brand new MkVI Golf scheduled to arrive in the U.S. as a 2010 model, all while European drivers have been scooting around in one of the world’s best loved hatchbacks since this past January. However it looks as if the sleeker five door hatchback may be short lived. According to the automotive sleuths at Auto Express, because they have already found official images of what the soon to be seventh generation Golf and it might just surprise you as to exactly who they came from.
AE is claiming that these are official images leaked onto the web by none other than Volkswagen themselves. This is not as far fetched a plan as you may think. After a few extra attentive hyper milers caught a few designers working one something interesting in the background of the “New Volkswagen L1 Concept Car Design Package” (after the jump) Internet video. At exactly 4:36, a trio of designers are working on a clay model of an even sleeker hatchback with sharper lines and bolder fenders. It just so happens that these new images reflect the cues of that model very closely. So perhaps knowing that the jig was up, VW simply decided to beat all the spy photographers and computer aided imagineers to the punch by releasing it themselves.
If this is the case and the Golf VII has already taken shape, you can expect that what we here in the U.S. are looking forward to might be short lived in order to make space in showrooms for what you are looking at. However if the German automotive conglomerate continues to do business as usual we will have to wait until the European market has had their fun with the new car before U.S. drivers can have a go behind the wheel. Even if the Golf VII is slated for a 2012 release, it may not arrive in the U.S. until as late as 2014, giving the new 2010 Golf VI a few years to shine in the spotlight on Volkswagen of America’s sales sheets.
New Volkswagen L1 Concept Car Design Package video after the jump.
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The photo is a little too grainy for our liking; nevertheless, we’ll take it any way we can get it. From what we’ve gathered, the photo looks a lot like the production version of the new Citroen C-Cactus, which company officials have said will go out on the market in 2012.
The cute and compact vehicle will come with a 1.4 HDi diesel engine that has been carefully tagged with its own electric motor, with rumors also circulating that Citroen is in the works for an all-electric version down the road. After debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show a few years back, Citroen has spent the better part of two years developing a production version of the car that would be both affordable and eco-friendly. Though it took longer than we all expected, it looks like Citroen has finally reaped the fruits of its labor.
Whether or not it translates to positive sales won’t be determined until a couple of years. Then again, progress is as progress gets.
Together with the 2010 Golf, Volkswagen USA also revealed details on the hotter version GTI. Sales will begin at a price of $23,290.
For 2010 the GTI comes with a more aggressive front end featuring the hallmark black honeycomb grille with the GTI badge on the passenger side, and the distinct red stripe outline, which flows into the new angled teardrop headlight housings. Two halogen fog lamps, a more subtle pair of black side skirts, newly-shaped taillights and 17 x 7-inch alloy wheels accentuate the car’s sporty character.
The 2010 GTI US versions is powered by 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 200 hp at 5,100 rpm, and 207 lbs.-ft. of torque from 1,800 all the way up to 5,000 rpm (the European version delivers 207 hp). With the standard six-speed manual transmission, the GTI can go from a zero to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, and on to an electronically limited 130 mph top speed (140 mph on the European one).
Press release after the jump.
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Volkswagen USA revealed today details on the 2010 Golf, a model that besides the fact it lost the Rabbit name, comes with design, both in and out, but also a new TDI engine. Prices start at $17,490 for the two-door model, and $19,190 for the four-door version.
Up front the 2010 Golf features a wider, double-bar grille that blends into angled halogen headlamps for a sportier visage (High Intensity Gas-discharged Xenon headlamps are available as an option on the TDI model). The body-colored bumper sits above a revised lower front fascia featuring a wide-mouthed cooling duct. Crystalline oval fog lamps complete the front fascia on TDI models. These elements, combined with the Golf’s wider appearance give the hatchback a more commanding road presence.
Under the hood there is a choice of two engines: a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers a total of 170 hp at 5,700 rpm and 177 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm. or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder clean diesel TDI engine that delivers 140 hp at 4,000 rpm, and an impressive 236 lbs.-ft. of torque between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. The engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission as standard or a six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic control.
Press release after the jump.
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As the economic crisis hit the automobile industry, certain manufacturers were forced to scrap a few of their popular programs in an effort to save a few bucks and make their board of directors happy. One particular racing series that felt the blow from the lack of racing enthusiasm was the World Rally Championship. Many of the sports long time runners have dropped out of competition for financial reasons, leaving the field quite empty. Thanks to the world’s best automotive magazine, Car, who recently released a few snap shots of Ford’s upcoming rally racing version of the Fiesta conducting an initial shakedown run in Cumbria, we can rest assured knowing that at least one automaker is thinking of a future competing in the adrenaline filled world of international off road racing.
This particular flared and caged Ford Fiesta has been developed over the past six months by M-Sport, the company responsible for producing Ford’s current WRC Focus, with the intention of campaigning in the FIA’s S2000 category. The class has been designed for naturally aspirated production cars that make up to 270 HP, while a full fledged WRC car is allowed a turbocharger and additional aerodynamic aids. So with a little bit of boost and a few oversized wings, the S2000 Fiesta could be up to WRC specification. M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said, “The important thing now is that we undertake a strong test and development campaign in order to provide our customers with the best possible S2000 package… I’m sure that this car will also provide a very strong base for Ford’s next generation WRC car.”
Now the only question that remains to be asked is whether or not Ford will come out with a street version of their WRC hopeful. A new Fiesta being sold with wildly flared fenders and low profile tires would certainly inspire a few other new car shoppers to consider Ford’s new compact hatch as their city car of choice, especially with a newfound high performance attitude.
The Tokyo Motor Show is shaping up to become a personal showcase of Japanese car brands after most of the international delegation decided to skip the event.
One local brand that’s expected to participate in the event is Suzuki, where the brand is already on tap to unveil a Swift-inspired plug-in hybrid concept. The concept’s hybrid drivetrain is similar to that being used on the Chevy Volt – a drivetrain that houses both a small gasoline engine and a lithium-ion battery pack.
The car, which is being pegged to be exclusively electrically-powered, runs after it’s charged from any electrical socket and as soon as the battery runs low, the engine revs up to power a generator that charges the battery.
If that confused you, look at it this way: the gasoline engine isn’t used to make the car run. It’s used to charge the batteries SO the car can run.
Pretty nifty, don’t you think?
Further details behind the Swift hybrid have yet to be disclosed, but as soon as any new information becomes available about the car, we’ll definitely provide more updates.
If you can remember a short while back, we reported about Honda’s in house tuner Mugen and their planned take on the Civic Type R hot hatch. Well today they have just reveled some details regarding just how much these trick body parts will cost if eager enthusiasts are looking to recreate the tricked out tuner ride from the comfort of their own home with aggressive restyled bumpers, vented hood and fenders and an oversized rear wing that would make the Mugen Type R at home on a stage of the World Rally Championship.
A while back Mugen came out with a Civic that went above and beyond what any Honda enthusiast could have hoped for with the Mugen RR, the only drawback is that the RR was a pit on the pricy side. So if you aren’t ready to dish out big money for a front driver but still want the aesthetic appeal of the limited production super civic, then the “unlimited” Honda tuner has just what you are looking for with their aggressive new aero kit for the Honda Civic Type R. The six piece tuning kit is being marketed as turning an ordinary Civic into the "Premium Super Sports" concept and comes complete with everything needed to drastically change the appearance of your Type R.
As we all know, Mugen is more about going than showing, so aside from new front bumper with integrated lip spoiler, twin hood scoops, wider fenders, lower side skirts, new rear apron and massive rear wing, Mugen is also developing a series of power producing parts for the tiny Type R hatchback. So no matter whether you want a full out sport compact tuner car, or one that just looks and performs like one, you might want to check out what Mugen has to offer.
Press release after the jump.
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The Volkswagen GTI has maintained its status as one of the world’s most desirable hot hatches due to the fact that the German fun to drive car builders have focused on offering the faster Golf as an excellent value right from the beginning when it was nothing more than a stiffer 8 valve VW. Today the Golf GTI is in its sixth generation and it is still a great performance bargain. You will start to see more and more Golf VI GTIs running around the streets of America as the year comes to a close, and just like last year’s model, they will be powered by 2.0 Liter TSI four cylinder engines tuned to produce 207 HP and 207 lb-ft of torque. The old car was able to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in a spirited 7.2 seconds and still get as much as 31 MPG on the highway, all starting at around $24,000. At that price, sport compact owners will be left with a few more dollars to upgrade their rides.
Unlike the original Rabbit and the various GTIs that came before, squeezing addition ponies out of a modern day turbocharged stratified injection engine doesn’t require getting your hands dirty. There is no longer a need to crack open a valve cover to replace camshafts or splurge on an expensive Shrick manifold. A trick learned with the old 20 valve 1.8T is that with a Volkswagen factory turbocharged vehicle, there is plenty of oomph left to be unlocked inside the brain of the engine. So if a mere 200 HP just isn’t enough for you, and you want your GTI to perform more like the upcoming Golf R, the aftermarket hot rod shop APS has you covered.
The APS Stage 1 engine performance upgrade for the new Golf VI GTI is a simple ECU remap that boosts the turbocharger pressure and tunes the fuel sprayers to precisely make a maximum output 250 HP, while the torque numbers jump signifigantly to 292 lb-ft of twist. The added power drops the GTI’s 0 to 60 MPH time by a full second while raising the car’s top speed to 155 MPH, best of all it shouldn’t cost more than a grand to get installed. One problem that modified Golf IV GTI owners faced was a gearbox that wasn’t up to the additional action, the question begs to be remained as to how tuner friendly VW’s DSG transmissions will be.
Some people protest that the rest of the world gets really cool cars while we here in the U.S. are subjected to watered down versions of automobiles that are more fun to drive in other parts of the globe. Unfortunately for domestic drivers, Renault hasn’t sold a new car in the U.S. since the 1980s so we will never know the joy of driving a Twingo, just saying the name is fun. Adding to an already great product, the French manufacturer has decided to churn out a few stripped down lightweight examples of one of Europe’s favorite hot hatches.
Just like Hyundai’s upcoming Genesis Coupe R-Spec, the Renault Twingo RS 133 Cup is a more affordable variant of a sporty economy car that comes with a few key components that makes the more expensive models great while ditching a few unnecessary items to keep costs down. Aimed at delivering a more focused driving experience with less equipment and a lower price, the factory tuned Cup car will go on sale in places like Europe and South America starting in November, starting at around $17,000. The Renault Twingo RS 133 Cup keeps Renault’s optional sport suspension that lowers the car almost an inch and a half while incorporating firmer dampeners and a set of springs that are about ten percent stiffer than the factory coils. You also get a set of 17 inch lightweight aluminum alloys wrapped in sporty rubber, but you don’t get a few things like air conditioning and the Twingo’s signature sliding rear buckets; however you can get Glacier White bodywork with a few accents done up in glossy black.
Even though the RS 133 Cup has all the proper equipment to go fast around the bends, it is still powered by a 133 HP 1.6 Liter four cylinder and takes all of 8.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60 MPH on its way to a 125 MPH top speed. Now those performance numbers aren’t quite that impressive, but we can guarantee you that it gets great gas mileage. Perhaps a few of these factory tuned lightweight econoboxes would go a long way towards breathing a healthy dose of fun into an automaker’s lineup while helping out their CAFE situation at the same time.
Press release after the jump.
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