General Motors and Toyota may have ended their 25-year run as production partners at the NUMMI plant in California. Yet despite the split, the two auto giants are still in the works on a new partnership. We’ve heard that Toyota is in talks with GM about the possibility of supplying a rendering of Toyota’s popular Prius hybrid vehicle to its Detroit-based counterpart.
While the plan has yet to be finalized, sources have said that the two heads of both companies - Toyota president Akio Toyoda and GM top dog Fritz Henderson - are expected to convene at the GM headquarters in Michigan sometime in August.
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Top Speed had the pleasure of trying out a greener option for that other necessary item in any weekend racers garage, a work truck. Sure its nice to have a classic Ferrari or a an all out race car in your garage, but what good are they if you cannot get them to an appropriate environment. That is where our GMC Sierra 2WD Hybrid Crew Cab comes into play, this pick up can haul up to 6,100 pounds of trailer and seat six individuals inside the cab. Aside from the nice touches like the 18 inch chrome rims and larger than life front grill, the Sierra Hybrid has the benefit of being an alternatively fueled vehicle.
The full sized trucks 2-Mode Hybrid/Electric power train is tuned to get as much as 21 MPH when driving around town, impressive for any vehicle that weighs over 5,000 pounds. Don’t let the size discourage you, the Sierra Hybrid is easy to drive and the power adjustable front seat allows the driver to find the perfect vantage point.
The truck uses a combination of an electric module and a 6.0 Liter Chevrolet small block to make 332 HP, but you most likely won’t have to use much of those ponies, we found ourselves driving the Sierra around on electric only power most of the time, negating the need for any of the eight pistons. It was nice to know that they were there when we needed them like when passing on the highway or pulling a heavy load. One thing was for certain, the GMC Sierra Hybrid is working hard to give trucks a good name again.
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Hybrid vehicles will most definitely be around for as long as we still use internal combustion engines in our cars. With models like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight selling like crazy automakers are going to capitalize on whatever sales they can generate at this point in time. So in an attempt to diversify the hybrid market, the Japanese automaker Honda is toying around with the idea of a hybrid sports car. The world’s largest producer of engines is hoping that the crowds at the Tokyo Motor Show accept their new CR-ZX this October with open arms.
Based on the Insight, the CR-ZX will be powered by a small displacement four cylinder engine, ranging somewhere from 1.3 to 1.5 liters that is expected to return almost 60 MPG while in a hybrid sports mode. The body features a very stylish large open mouth front bumper and a sleek three door hatch back profile. This future sports hybrid could compete with other green sports cars like the upcoming Volkswagen Blue Sport Roadster and perhaps even a hybrid 370Z. The hybrid Honda may not be quite up to the level of all electric vehicle like the Tesla Roadster, but if there was any automaker who could it’s Honda. We will just have to wait and see what the tuners at Mugen could do with a CR-ZX SiR.
The now Indian owned off road specialists, Land Rover, have decided to put their hybrid LRX concept car into production. What was interesting about the original vehicle is that Land Rover is not the type of manufacturer that tends to come out with concept vehicles, so it was nice to see that when they did, it will become an actual road going model.
The all new Hybrid LRX is set to debut sometime in the next two years. The gas/electric Rover will feature a drive unit that can run exclusively on battery power giving it the capabilities of an Electric Vehicle; and can also run on gasoline only or a combination of the two. It is also quite likely that the Hybrid LRX will receive some form of the futuristic looking Land-E concept car’s electric drive rear axle. The unit works much like BMW’s advanced rear ends that replace the traditional gear or clutch driven limited slip differentials in favor of a set of electromagnets that can send electric power to the front axle, alter the inner and outer wheel torque electronically all in the search of traction.
It will be about two years before there are any hybrid LRXs cruising down the highway or traversing mountain passes, but until then Land Rover has pledged to bring down CO2 emissions from their vehicles. So in an attempt for the green oval to be a little greener, Land Rover will include stop-start technology and brake energy regeneration systems into all their models in the near future.
If you had a choice on what car you’ll most likely want to bring you to the doorstep of the Pearly Gates, why not go take the eco-friendly route?
The Japanese – ridiculously awesome trendsetters that they are – have outdone themselves once again. Their latest brainchild is a 2010 Toyota Prius hearse, and by all accounts, it’s going to be making the rounds in funeral homes all over Japan anytime soon.
Now we’re not exactly sure how the Japanese people perform their funeral services over there, but at the very least, you can say that they’re making every effort in providing their dead the chance to ride in the finest of posthumous eco luxury one last time.
Anybody who might want to own their own Prius hearse will have to dole out $80,000, which, by all accounts, does not include a coffin inside. But hey, at least you’re getting your money’s worth with this car. It’s not too often you see people stopping for gas in a hearse, let alone a Toyota Prius hearse. The bewildered looks you’re almost certain to get should be enough reason to grab one of these bad boys.
And if you can’t afford them, you can at least tell your loved ones that when you die, you’d want to make a good impression and score some points with St. Peter by ‘going green’ one last time – even if you won’t live long enough to see it.
There’s no place like home for the Honda Insight.
That sentiment has apparently become more legitimate as the days go by for Honda’s hybrid vehicle. You see, it didn’t take long for the Insight to become an instant hit in Japan; it actually topped the list of best-selling vehicle in Japan for April and in doing so, became the first hybrid car to be place number one on a monthly sales list. But despite the overwhelming success it has enjoyed in its homeland, the number haven’t necessarily translated on the other side of the Pacific.
It may have been hot in Japan, but if early forecasts hold true, the Insight would be lucky to even get a lukewarm reception in America. After going on the market last March, sales of the Insight have dragged to a crawl with the numbers suggesting that it would all behind by as much as 33% of the predicted number of sales by the end of the year.
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Mercedes unveiled their full sized CL coupe back in 2006. Just like the new E Class coupe is taking over for the CLK, starting in 2011, the big bodied two door will be dropped from the Mercedes Benz lineup and replaced by the S Class Coupe. The name won’t be the only thing that changes for the German GT. For 2011 the Mercedes design team have changed thing up for the luxury coupe with a redesigned front and rear apron, all new grill, updated headlamps with LED lighting and a set of rounded mirrors.
Under the hood, Mercedes will use the same engines that they are already stuffing into the S Class sedan. However, the most interesting bit of news is that the Mercedes Benz engineers are preparing a green power plant to pull around the CL replacement. Aside from the traditional gas burning internal combustion engines, the S Class coupe will also get a little electrical assistance. The same 279 HP gas/electric hybrid engine that is used in the Mercedes S400 Hybrid, has a strong possibility of ending up in two door version as well. This would create a whole new market segment for the German automaker, green GT cars.
Toyota is preparing a hybrid successor for the Supra sportscar. A first concept version will be revealed in October at the Tokyo Motor Show, with the production version to follow in 2011. The design will be inspired by the FT-HS Hybrid Sports car which debuted back in 2007.
The engine will most probably be the Lexus 450H’s 3.5l V6 and we now know that it will be coupled with the current Toyota Crown hybrid system delivering a total of 400hp to the rear wheels.
Toyota is preparing to launch a hybrid version of the Auris hatchabck this autumn. It will be powered by the same petrol-electric drivetrain as the new Prius, but it will be priced less than the Prius.
The lower weight and smaller size could make the Auris hybrid Toyota’s cleanest model when it is launched at this autumn’s Frankfurt show, undercutting the new Prius’s 87g/km of CO2.
Next to the hybrid Auris, Toyota will also launch a hybrid RAV4.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that with the current state of the economy, businesses the world over – including the auto industry – would plummet in ways never before seen in history. If there are any cars that are actually in demand these days, then they’re the few fortunate ones because the rest of their brethren have been sitting idly in showrooms.
One of the said cars that’s actually in-demand, so much so that it’s even got its own wait list, is the 2010 Toyota Prius. Despite having already beefed up its personnel in its production plants in Japan, the demand for the Prius has forced Toyota to open their plants 24 hours a day with the added benefit of overtime pay for its employees just to meet its soaring demand. Can you imagine that at this time? Neither could we.
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