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Friday, 30 April 2010
The Toyota Fortuner had been launched in August 2009. This macho SUV has been working its magic on the Indian roads since then. The number of prospective car buyers interested in buying this new car is only increasing by the day and Toyota is finding it difficult to manage the demands of the ever-growing consumer. The Fortuner has received robust response from the market and has so far sold around 6,500 units. The company has already increased production to more than 950 vehicles per month from the initial 500 units per month.
What more could Toyota do? The car maker has now suspended bookings for this SUV till July in India. It intends to clear the backlog of bookings by this time. The move comes at a time when the company's Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motor is undertaking an exercise to change faulty brake kits of the vehicle following complaints from 220 customers.
"The average waiting period for the SUV Fortuner is around six months and we have closed bookings as we do not want our customers to wait. We will re-start bookings in June -July once we are able to clear the backlog," Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Singh said. The company would be resuming the bookings only when the waiting period comes down to three months. As of now, Toyota has pending orders of over 6,000 units.
Just yesterday we said that Toyota was already into rectifying brake problems on the Fortuner based on customer feedback on a case-to-case basis. The company had to do this as some of its customers, especially those shifting from sedans and MUVs to the Fortuner, a four wheel drive, may have felt that the brakes were a little different.
Toyota feels the actual performance of the SUV will be different from what the traditional car drivers are used to. The brakes are perfectly fine. But, Toyota does not want to take chances. Though there has been no recall, the auto maker has been replacing the brakes. Toyota says that it has received feedback from 200 customers till date.
The hybrid car, Toyota Prius has also been doing great. The company plans to sell 200 units in India this year and has already received 80 bookings for the vehicle. Isn’t that great? While the Fortuner is India’s best selling SUV, the Prius stands as the best-selling hybrid from Toyota's stable. The car was introduced in India in January and it has received great fame as Toyota’s test vehicle for the alternative fuel technology in India.
While the Toyota Fortuner has a long waiting period of around six months, the Toyota Prius too comes with a three-month waiting period. For this year, Toyota has already ordered a consignment of 200 units and lined up the month-wise dispatch figures. TKM has delivered 12 units of the car in the Indian market since its launch.
The Toyota Prius is a car that’s imported from Japan as completely built units and is available in India in two variants at a price range of Rs 26.55 lakh to Rs 27.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). So, if you want to buy a Fortuner or Prius hybrid, there’s no other go. Wait a little longer for the car to reach your porch. The best things do take long to come, but it’s always worth the wait. Labels: New-Car, Prius-Hybrid, Toyota-Cars, Toyota-Fortuner, Toyota-Prius, Toyota-Recalls
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
 The automotive major, Toyota Motor Corp is all set to launch the Prius hybrid minivan using lithium ion batteries at a very reasonable price by early 2011. A Japanese business daily, the Nikkei just reported so and we just can’t wait to experience a drive in the special hybrid. Will new car ever come to India and when? Well, as of now, we only know that the hybrid minivan will be launched with the lithium ion batteries. With the launch of the Prius, Toyota has been very enthusiastic about demonstrating its commitment to provide India with greener automotive technology and now we may have the new Prius minivan. Ever since the Prius became the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, it has received worldwide acclaim. Today, the current Prius is already the most successful hybrid in the world with rising sales of around 1.5 million. The car maker has pledged to promote eco-friendly vehicles in India and contribute towards saving the environment. It’s very surprising to note that Toyota would be keeping the price of the new Prius model at a level similar to those of current models. It is looking at strengthening its lead in the hybrid market. The new Prius minivan will offer roomy interiors and better mileage. It may also have three rows of seats for carrying five to seven people. Don’t you think that’s really great? Toyota will initially produce the lithium ion batteries at its Teiho factory in Aichi Prefecture. Later the production may shift to Panasonic EV Energy Co, a battery joint venture with Panasonic Corp. A lithium-ion battery can pack more electricity than its nickel-metal hydride counterpart. That only means that the hybrid car will run longer on a single charge. Prius in Latin means ‘to go before’. Staying true to the meaning of its name, the Prius sports the latest technology. It is equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II or the Hybrid Synergy Drive. The Prius, with one of the best aerodynamic performances, has an amazing fuel economy. The third-generation Prius that we currently have in India comes with three driving modes - Power Mode, Eco Mode and Electric Vehicle Mode and a host of dynamic features that offer outstanding driving pleasure with superior environmental performance. The Toyota Prius 2010 has been completely redesigned but still has four doors and can seat 5 persons. It is packed with a 1.8 litre gasoline engine along with two electric motors and a planetary gear set. In case of full acceleration both these power sources work in combination offering the maximum benefit. The Toyota Prius’ fuel efficiency is estimated to be about of 20 kmpl which is way better than most hybrids and regular cars. The lithium batteries are only going to add to the minivan’s performance. The current Toyota Prius includes beautifully sculpted exteriors and more conventional interiors which hybrid car lovers just love. The digital speedometer, climate control buttons and stereo buttons are positioned in a more traditional way. Labels: Eco-Friendly-Vehicles, New-Car, Toyota, Toyota-Cars, Toyota-Motor-Corp, Toyota-Prius
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
 Well, it is the award season. And we are not talking about one of those mediocre movie awards. We are talking about the top awards in the automotive industry. Yes, the day belonged to General Motors in the design category. Chevrolet Camaro won the 2010 World Car Design of the Year award. In doing so, the Chevrolet Camaro showed the other finalist, Citroen C3 Picasso and the quirky Kia Soul, the exit door. “In recreating this modern sports car, we have proven that people are just as passionate about Chevy as ever,” said Tom Peters, Chevrolet Design Director, Global RWD, Performance Cars and Full-size Trucks. “We have been delighted about the strong reaction to the Camaro. Even in markets that are new to Chevy, it has been creating an emotional appeal for the brand.” A design panel, which consisted of five highly respected design experts, was asked to first review the entrees from each candidate and then make a short-list of recommendations for the final jurors. The award was presented to Camaro at the New York International Auto Show, 2010. The award is sponsored by BASF and focuses on new vehicles that are considered to be high on eye-friendliness and cutting edge technology. Other awards at the prestigious show included the Volkswagen Polo for World Car of the Year, snagging it from the very prissy Toyota Prius and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The Audi R8 won the World Performance Car of the Year and Volkswagen's Bluemotion trio, the Rabbit, Golf and Passat, for World Green Car of the Year. Chevrolet Camaro is an internationally popular model and if you are looking at purchasing one for yourself, you can keep your hopes alive. For General Motors is planning to launch the Camaro and Corvette in Indian markets soon. These cars will be sold in small numbers, through unique boutiques. Labels: Chevrolet-Camaro, Chevrolet-Corvette, General-Motors, Mercedes-Benz-E-Class, Toyota-Prius, Volkswagen's-Bluemotion, VW-Passat, World-Car-Design-of-the-Year-Award, World-Green-Car-of-the-Year
Thursday, 25 March 2010
 Toyota may resort to several methods, including numerology, to improve its luck in the automobile industry, but at the moment nothing seems to be working out in Toyota’s favour. First it was the massive recalls of its various models which affected the sales and turned things upside down in the U.S. And now after the launch of its globally popular hybrid model, Prius, in India, it has been denied the rights to exclusive “Prius” trademark. ‘Prius’ is a Latin word which means "prior" or "before". Toyota picked up this name for its hybrid concept, which was launched in the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995. The name was picked with an intention to indicate that the Toyota’s hybrid, Prius, was ahead of the other hybrid cars that would come. One thing that Toyota missed out on was registering the Prius trademark worldwide. Now that little folly of theirs is proving costly for them as an automotive company in India called Prius Auto Industries cropped up about half a decade ago and registered the prius name as its own trademark. Toyota which had moved the Delhi High Court for the “Prius” name got a whack on the face when the Delhi High Court dismissed Toyota’s petition that sought exclusive rights over the “Prius” trademark in India. Toyota wanted the ‘Prius’ brand exclusively for its own purposes but the Delhi HC dismissed Toyota’s plea seeking an order that prevented Prius Auto Industries, a high-profile automotive supplier, from using their trademark. Well, all that is fine, but why did Toyota, after the launch of Prius, want to get into this trademark tussle. Supposedly Toyota believes that the customers of its spare parts would get confused with the products of the Prius Auto Industries and would be deceived into believing that products of Prius Auto Industries, are from the Toyota group. This plea was also dismissed by the court, saying that the Toyota buyers in India are from high income group and well educated to understand that component manufacturer Prius Auto Industries cannot manufacture or be related to one the world’s most acclaimed automobile. The politics of trademark is fierce in the auto industry and the latest one to suffer is Toyota. Prior to this there have been many cases where car manufacturers had to compromise on the preferred name for a model. Earlier when Ford wanted to launch its SUV with the name ‘Everest’, it could not do so, because that name was already patented by someone else in advance, and Ford had to settle down with ‘ Endeavour’. Apart from that, Suzuki Splash is Ritz in India as Ford owns the rights for the ‘Splash’ tag. Labels: Prius-Auto-Industries, Toyota-Prius, Toyota-Prius-Hybrid, Toyota-Prius-Trademark-Right
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Last month was ruled by the recall trend and Toyota was one amongst the many other car makers that buckled under the pressure. Toyota cars owners across the world complained about brake pedals, accelerator pedals and the floor mat entrapment issues which occurred across various models. And Toyota announced the recall of a huge number of its cars. During the recall, Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, had admitted that they were not immune to fallibility and that the company would double its effort to remind everyone that its lifeline is “quality.” And that is exactly what the company is busy doing these days. You must be wondering as to why we are talking about a subject that is so stale. Let me tell you that the latest on the issue is that Toyota has, so far, completed the repair work on about 90,000 cars, almost half of the total number of vehicles that required the repairs. Toyota has said that the models, which needed the remedial work on the accelerator pedal and ABS software upgrade in the Prius hybrid models, take around half an hour to complete the process. Toyota workers, at more than 200 centres, are putting in extra efforts to bridge the quality gap and make the recall programme successful. Toyota has also claimed that about 96 per cent of the owners have said that they are quite satisfied with the recall process and the work. All things considered, the question still arises: Will the low quality standard affect Toyota sales? The answer is yes. The production of Toyota Prius has already been reduced by 10 per cent. No prizes for guessing that it has been done in the wake of the slow demands which can be blamed on the quality issues that has affected the age-old reputation of Prius. Toyota has seen a fall in the demand of Prius hybrid in the US by up to 40 per cent. Labels: Akio-Toyoda, Toyota, Toyota-Prius, Toyota-Recall, Toyota-Recall-Effect, Toyota-Recall-Target
Thursday, 25 February 2010
 As people become more comfortable with the hybrid technology, global manufacturers are rushing to get it right and launch their hybrid cars. Recently Toyota launched its hybrid car, Prius, in India. While the rest of the auto manufacturers were sweating it out with their hybrid car competition, Hyundai maintained a low profile. But now seems to be the right time for the Korean car manufacturer to join the race. Hyundai is all set to unveil its new Sonata hybrid during the upcoming New York Auto Show which is scheduled in April. Soon after this Hyundai hopes to launch its own plug-in hybrid some time in 2013. The hybrid Sonata is equipped with a 2.4-liter engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission coupled with a 30kW electric motor and a 1.4kWh battery pack. The battery pack will use lithium-polymer batteries rather than the NiMH batteries used by the other hybrids in its class. The polymer batteries are said to be more durable and cheaper to manufacture. The Sonata hybrid will run on a parallel hybrid system. An electric motor and gas-burning engine will work in concert to increase fuel economy. It will be the first mass-produced vehicle to feature a lithium-ion battery under its hood. Indian customers have still not warmed up to the concept of hybrid cars. One among the many reasons is that they are really expensive and so far the government has not done anything to bring relaxation on import duties. Honda cars have a fan following in India but still when Honda launched its hybrid Civic in India in June 2008; it could not manage to get a warm response, mainly because of the price factor. But still, after the launch of Toyota Prius in India which is priced at around Rs 26.5 lakh and onward will give a tough competition to Hyundai’s hybrid Sonata when it is launched in India. No words have been spilled on the pricing of the hybrid Sonata, but considering the technology, we can assume that it will cost much more than the petrol engine variant Sonata which are priced at Rs.13,84,841 and onwards in India. Labels: Hybrid-Cars, Hyundai-Sonata, Hyundai-Sonata-Hybrid, Lithium-ion-Battery, New-York-Auto-Show, Plug-in-Hybrid, Toyota-Prius
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
The 2010 Auto Expo has drawn the curtains on. It attracted nearly two million visitors during its seven days of display. From big machines to concepts to alternative fuel technology vehicles, the auto fair had something for everyone. The 2010 Delhi Auto Expo gave the world the message that the Indian automobile industry is fast on a full recovery mode. The visit of Shah Rukh Khan to the Hyundai stall to unveil the i10 electric car and stopover of other celebrities to the Expo added icing to the cake. While the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota compact car concepts and Chevrolet Beat managed to pull large crowds, Tata Motors’ Jaguar and Land Rover become the photographers’ delight. The upcoming Tata Aria and luxury concept sedan Prima also fascinated the crowd. The audience appreciated the Audi Sportback and Mercedes Benz SLS AMG. Other attractions included the Honda small car concept and the Maruti Suzuki Eeco and first indigenously designed concept car from Maruti, the R III. The Skoda Yeti and the BMW X1 too got some cheers. Toyota amazed the crowd with the launch of the Prius and Maruti Suzuki showcased its SX4 hybrid. Labels: 2010-Auto-Expo, Hyundai, Maruti-Suzuki, New-Car-Launch, Tata-Motors, Toyota-Prius
Thursday, 7 January 2010
 Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the subsidiary of Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled the third generation Prius in India at the Auto Expo 2010 today. Prius which means ‘to go before’ in Latin stands true to its name. Toyota Priusis the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle since 1997 and has received world-wide acclaim. Toyota Prius is also the most successful hybrid in the world with cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million. Mr. Sandeep Singh, the DMD of Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor during the unveiling of Prius said through the launch of the Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India. He also added that “Toyota will continue to popularize environmentally friendly vehicles in India to further our efforts to help save the environment.” The Toyota Prius that belongs to the third generation features the latest of its pioneering technology, the Toyota Hybrid System II (also called Hybrid Synergy Drive) and has one of the best aerodynamic performances. Toyota Prius has proved its worth as a world-leading fuel efficient car. Prius is equipped with a 1.8L, 2ZR FXE engine that churns out 134 bhp and also features Electrically controlled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission. The other features present in the Prius are Push start system and smart entry, Audio and Bluetooth controls with touch sensor on steering wheel. Toyota Prius gets safety features like that of ABS, BA, EBD, VSC, Traction Control and 7 airbags. The Third-generation Prius comes with three driving modes − Power Mode, Eco Mode and EV (Electric Vehicle) Mode, − as well as a host of dynamic features that combine to give improved driving pleasure with superior environmental performance. The Prius will be available in limited numbers in two variants, priced at 26.55 lakh and 27.86 lakh, ex showroom, New Delhi, and bookings start from today. Toyota Kirloskar Motor apart from the Prius also launched the Corolla Altis CNG while Innova CNG and Camry Hybrid were on display at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi. Labels: Camry-Hybrid, Corolla-Altis-CNG, Innova-CNG, New-Car-Launch, Toyota Motor-Corporation, Toyota-Kirloskar-Motors, Toyota-Prius
Friday, 11 December 2009
Toyota Kirloskar Motor is certainly on a roll. It has confirmed that it will be showcasing 14 production and concept cars, including its low-cost compact car at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo. Bring it on Toyota, We are ready for it. Going by the company’s press statement, Toyota will be displaying its futuristic technologies in the form of concept and hybrid cars, highlighting the world's largest car maker's environmentally-friendly technology during the event. Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the joint venture between Toyota and Kirloskar Group, will start production of the compact car next December at its upcoming second plant in Bangalore. The small car project is one of the most ambitious car projects of Toyota to showcase their decade old relationship with the Indian car market. The company has really expectations on this pet project and could also well become a major player in the small car market in India. As per the sources, both the hatchback and the sedan version of the small car will be revealed during the Expo. Toyota also has plans to roll out 70,000 units of the proposed compact car in the first year of production. It had also announced plans to showcase its Toyota Prius hybrid car in the biennial event in the national capital and is looking for its launch in the domestic market. The company currently has sedans like Toyota Camry and Corolla Altis and SUVs like Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado, Toyota Fortuner and Toyota Innova in its portfolio. Labels: Concept-Car, Hybrid-Car, Small-Car, Toyota-Kirloskar-Motor, Toyota-Land-Cruiser, Toyota-Prius
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Toyota Motor Corp is all set to unveil the concept model of its compact car for the Indian market next month and it is planning to display their upcoming small concept car at the Auto Expo to be held in New Delhi, next month. Toyota, which is quite ambitious with its small car project for India, treats this compact car project as a prestigious one to explicit its 11 year presence in the Indian market and production of Toyota’s compact car being developed especially for India, would commence in December 2011. Toyota’s green car Prius would also be on display at the Auto Expo and is planning to launch it in India as well. Toyota could be a key player in the small car segment and is also touted to lead the category pretty soon. Toyota is launching the car with an aim to make its entry into the small car market, which is quite on a roll right now. With this, the company also hopes to grab 10 percent of the automobile market by 2010. Toyota, the world’s largest car manufacturer also announced that they will launch its hybrid car ' Prius' in India early next year. Prius is the Toyota’s first and most successful hybrid passenger car. Prius is the highest selling hybrid model of TMC with a cumulative global sale of over 1.4 million units since 2000. Labels: Green-Car, Small-Car, Small-Car-Market, Toyota-Motor-Corp, Toyota-Prius
Friday, 27 November 2009
Tata Motors must have thought about adverse environmental affects in India and decided to roll out the Indica Electric in the country. Hence, India will welcome another electric car in the coming years. The Tata Indica Electric will be launched in India at the same time as it will be launched in the markets of Europe. The company will make a market studyfor the car before they introduce it in 2011. The introduction of the electric version of the Indica in India would depend on the cost factor, as the price tag attached to it will be a bit heavy. Tata Motors has always been wise on pricing its cars and other vehicles. Hence the company will tackle this problem easily. Another hurdle Tata Motors has to face is the availability of electricity for the car in the country. The car is said to be suitable for Indian roads. The Indica Electric is being developed by Tata Motors along with a Norwegian company. The car is scheduled for launch in Britain, Norway and Denmark in 2011. If the feasibility study in India shows positive results, the Indian launch of the car will coincide with its launch in European markets. The Tata Indica Electric was unveiled at the 2008 Auto Expo. The Indian car market will soon have a few more electric cars in its catalogue. The upcoming Auto Expo will showcase the Toyota Prius. Hyundai has announced to build an electric variant of the i10. Moreover, the REVA NXR and NXG are India bounded. Labels: Electric-Car, i10-Electric, Tata-Indica-Electric, Tata-Motors, Toyota-Prius
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
 The high price of the environmental-friendly cars won’t stop you from buying one anymore. Yes, you will not be worried any more about the cost of the environmental friendly cars. But you will soon decide to buy them at any cost as the cost of environmental-friendly cars in India henceforth will be very low. And this is real good news to rejoice for those who wants to buy an environmental-friendly cars in India. The Indian government is finally considering the wishes of the Indian car makers and car lovers, and they want to reduce the import duty on hybrid vehicles so that global automakers can introduce vehicles running on alternative fuels and power train technologies in India. A proposal would be soon presented to the Finance Ministry by Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. And this suggestion would be about how it should be done and by how much. It is really interesting to see how the government is also now aware of the need of eco-friendly vehicles. The high import duty of the country has restricted the auto makers introduce more cars. But now there is going to be a new way out and more and more cars will be introduced in India. And it is time for that eco-conscious bunch of people to rejoice. The Indian car industry has been waiting for reduction of duties for environment-friendly vehicles. Toyota’s Prius which runs mainly on an electric engine supplemented by a petrol engine is one such car that is expected to be launched soon. Other hybrid cars in overseas include Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, Ford’s Fusion Hybrid, and the Chevrolet Volt. Labels: Chevrolet-Volt, eco-friendly-cars, Hybrid-Cars, Toyota-Prius
Friday, 6 November 2009
All of you would be waiting impatiently for the Delhi Auto Expo. And being a major auto event that will be hosted by India very shortly, we are all excited about the auto show. Now, we here are Carazoo.com had already covered the exciting news about how more and more manufacturers are flooding towards the Auto Expo. And the most interesting fact is that the auto makers find the Delhi Auto Expo the most significance and popular one. And that could be the one reason why the auto makers, at least a few of them, declined to continue in the Tokyo Motor show and was keen to join in the Delhi Auto Expo.
Toyota is expected to be showcasing two of its much awaited models, Toyota Avanza and Toyota Prius, Interesting, uh? And we still can’t confirm whether these are the only two models the car manufacturer will be showcasing or will there be new cars announced to be showcased at the Auto Show by the manufacturer, you never know.
Avanza is an MPV from the Toyota stable. It is a five seater and once launched in India, the Japanese auto maker expects it be a bigger hit than its most-popular model Toyota Innova. One reason behind this expectation could be its low price, it is priced lesser than Innova.
The Avanza will be equipped with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Wait, the Show is promising a real car raining season in India. Labels: Delhi-Auto-Show, MPV, New-Toyota-Innova, Toyota, Toyota-Avanza, Toyota-Cars, Toyota-Prius
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) has secured its hold in the Indian car market. The Fortuner proved to be fortunate for the Japanese car maker. Now Toyota has more to offer to India. The world’s number one car maker will not stop with just offering petrol and diesel powered variants in the country. Toyota is planning to bring in the fuel efficient Prius to India. This hybrid car is presently the most fuel economic car of the world. As a result, Toyota is busy these days conducting feasibility studies for its hybrid car Prius in India. In fact, the Toyota Prius was unveiled to the general public at the 18th International Engineering and Technology Fair (IETF) in Bangalore in year. The aim of this display was to assess the mass reaction. Toyota Motors might decide to bring the Prius in Complete Built Unit (CBU) to India. But this could prove to be very costly. Moreover, the Indian government does not offer any duty slashes for imported hybrid vehicles. Toyota must have noticed that the Honda Civic Hybridhad no customers when its price tag was around Rs. 20-25 Lakh. When the price was brought down by 8 lakh rupees, the consignment was sold in just a matter of days. That leaves Toyota with just one feasible option – Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits. The Prius has to be priced competitively to attract customers in India. Labels: Hybrid-Cars, Toyota-Kirloskar-Motors, Toyota-Prius
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Frankfurt Motor show or the International Motor Show (IAA) held at Frankfurt in September of every year draws car enthusiasts and car manufacturers at the same breath. This year’s IAA is abuzz with the news of Hybrid and electric vehicles taking centre stage in the show. Every major and minor car manufacturers have lined up a slew of these hybrid and electric cars just for the event to paint the automotive world in the colours of Blue and Green. Making a world debut in the 'Blue Drive Zone' is the Hyundai ix-Metro, a new crossover hybrid with CO2 emissions of just 80g/km. The ix-Metro is powered by an inline three-cylinder petrol engine displacing just one-litre. Direct injection, dual CVVT and turbo-charging are all combined with a six-speed dual clutch transmission to make for a highly potent compact package. Hyundai will also be unveiling the HND-4 'Blue-Will' plug-in hybrid, which promises 40 miles of all-electric range with its parallel hybrid architecture which combines a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engine with direct-injection technology to charge a set of lithium-polymer batteries, which in turn provides power to an electric motor to drive the front wheels. Kia is also showing their latest hybrid offering. Among the models unveiled will be the 2010 Sorento diesel hybrid - powered by a twin-turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine mated to an electric motor to provide 161 horsepower. The all-new five- or seven-seater Kia Sorento SUV is longer and lower, with sleeker styling and better aerodynamics. Kia will also debut a mild-hybrid version of the Kia Cee'd hybrid – the company's top-selling model in Europe. The vehicle will pair a 1.6-liter four cylinder gas engine running to a hybrid power-train. While no stranger to hybrid technology, Toyota will be showcasing three new hybrids at the Frankfurt Show including the Lexus LF-Ch, a 5-door hatch back with Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. Few details have been released on this model but more information is expected at the Show. Also from Toyota is the Toyota Auris Hybrid already proven popular in Europe with 400,000 units sold since its launch in 2007. Not to be left out, given its iconic hybrid status, the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept will also be making an appearance in advance of its fleet testing scheduled for early 2010. Indian electric car manufacturers REVA are ready to launch two new fully electric models the REVA NXG a 4-seat family hatch-back and the REVA NXR, a sporty 2-seater. The 4-seat NXR hatch back will run on Lithium ion batteries that can attain a maximum speed of 104kmph and covers a range of 160 kms when fully charged. Hyundai will also be unveiling the Hyundai i10 Electric, a production-ready zero emissions vehicle. Powered by a 49kW motor and a 16kWh battery, the i10 Electric promises a driving range of 100 miles and top speed of over 80 mph. The mass of hybrids and electric vehicles due to be unveiled at Frankfurt clearly conveys the current mind-set of the auto-industry, with a strong emphasis on lower emissions. Even Porsche are jumping on the green bandwagon with the announcement of a hybrid version of the Cayenne due in 2010. We just can’t wait to see the 63rd International Motor Show (IAA) unravel itself on 17th and will run until the 27th of September in Frankfurt. Labels: Electric-Cars, Hybrid-Cars, Toyota-Prius
Friday, 7 August 2009
The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius come from different car manufacturers all together, but they still come from the same country and that probably is the single matching gene in their design DNA. They are so much identical in design but Honda probably felt a little offended on this allegation made by design critics and is now in a strict denial mode. Honda says that the design of Honda Insight is much of an accidental design and the Insight looking more like Toyota Prius is just coincidence. Though the blame of copying the Prius design for Honda’s Insight weighs heavy on Honda, both the cars were introduced along the same time, early this year. And Toyota Prius, in particular, is doing a good job, selling more units than the Honda Insight. The Toyota Prius has been the topper in its category in the sales chart in Japan for the past three months. Honda Insight is not far behind, but there is a considerable difference in the numbers. Honda Insight had its presence in the car market from 1999 to 2006, but it is the revamped Insight, which is first car to be built based on the Integrated Motor Assist. Both Insight and Prius are hybrid cars and have been performing well in the market. There are more and more car lovers opting for these eco-friendly cars, which switch between an electric motor and a gas engine, for the concern of a pollution free tomorrow. Both the companies make dynamic cars but uses different technology and designing techniques. The Honda has a completely different designing approach from Toyota called the “design DNA.” But these dissimilarities apart the onlookers feel both the car look alike. Labels: Honda-Insight, Hybrid-Cars, Toyota-Prius
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