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Posts Tagged ‘Toyota’
Wed, October 29, 2008 5:16 am By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 It was in 1905 for the first time an effort was made to use hybrid technology in cars. Energy saving efforts was not the prime focus of that time. But the efforts were to increase the speed from zero to twenty-five miles an hour in ten seconds. And sadly with in time this technology got approval, accelerators had already become a part of cars.
The hybrid technology at that period had few takers. The hybrid energy was used for the first time in US in 1918. Again here the main purpose was speed, not cutting the fuel costs. But serious efforts on introduction of hybrid energy were considered for first time in 1960’s. The United States Congress in 1966 felt the need to cut down air pollution and recommended bills that would boost up the production of electric vehicles. This later led to the production of an advanced battery that would ease the transportation on highways.
Most of the developed countries including Germany and Japan started introducing hybrid cars as the air pollution seemed touching serious level. Most big names like Toyota and Volkswagen started introducing hybrid cars. Toyota was the first car maker to bring out hybrid cars to the public. In 1997, it was marketed solely to Japanese people.
Honda was the first automaker to bring out a hybrid car in the US. The first two-seated hybrid car rolled on US roads in 2000, which was followed by different models.
Ford offered its Escape Hybrid in 2004, which is a SUV. With the popularity for hybrid cars getting increased, almost all big names started bringing out hybrid vehicles into the US market.
Apart from the US, many Asian countries including Japan, Korea and Singapore are promoting hybrid cars by providing tax relief to the owners. With in near future, it is sure that fuel vehicles will become part of the history and hybrid vehicles becoming the complete source of transportation.
Tags: Cars, Honda, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Fuel, Hybrid Cars, Japan, US, Transportation, vehicle, Korea, , Singapore, high ways
Sun, October 12, 2008 6:23 am By James Coolridge
 Well at last Mitsubishi is flying to Russia. After a series of speculations regarding the entry of the Japanese auto giant into the Russian land, now news is almost confirmed. The sources from Russia’s business and tourist capital, St. Petersburg, say that Mitsubishi has had some of its top executives visiting the mentioned location. The rumours regarding the entry of Mitsubishi was in air for a few couple of months.
The news is at last confirmed by one of the major Mitsubishi distributors in Russia. According to him, the Japanese auto tycoon I looking for an assembly unit in St. Petersburg. A whole delegation of officials from Mitsubishi was here looking up for the perfect location. This news is confirmed by Matt Donnelly, the president of Rolf, the exclusive distributor of Mitsubishi performance parts and Mitsubishi vehicles in Russia as well as in Kazakhstan. Donnelly also added that the officials are satisfied and exited by the improvements, looking for a better future ahead.
St. Petersburg and the rest of Russia is already a major hub of manufacturing and assembly plants for various auto manufacturers. With General Motors, Nissan, and Toyota are eyes for their plants in this soil, Russia is soon going to be another Detroit. Ford already has an assembling unit here since 2002.
The Mitsubishi delegation of officials has already visited two spots, both falling in the south of St. Petersburg. One of them includes shary which is the current site of plants for Toyota and General Motors. If Mitsubishi plant begins its operation, it would be a landmark in their production account with the automaker producing a large number of vehicles here. Apart from that the company will also be able to create and design new vehicles for the various markets around the world. It also will be an additional boost to the Russian economy resulting a high rise in their economic output.
Tags: Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Nissan, Japan, GM, Detroit, Russia, St. Petersburg, plant, assembling unit
Thu, September 18, 2008 11:57 am By James Coolridge
 The auto giant Nissan Motor Company is quietly working on a campaign to overhaul their car line up. The present models including the Maxima,Altima, and Sentra, soon will be transformed into more luxurious and expensive models. They will launch the Versa as the introductory model.
The Nissan motor division has been a big name in the US automobile market with good performance. With the transformation of the make’s name from Datsun to Nissan in the early 1980s to the introduction of a luxury line, Infiniti, in the late 1980s, the Nissan Motor Company has benefited financially and its customers have been receptive to the changes. Nissan was overtaken by Honda and Toyota making it go to third in the lucrative U.S. auto market.
The pending changes for Nissan’s line up are coming about and for the following reasons:
1. The Maxima’s competition, the Toyota Avalon has shed its frumpy image as it borrows Lexus styling cues to give it a much more luxurious and appealing look. An improved interior and more standard equipment has pushed a fully loaded Avalon into the low to mid-30s range as well.Nissan’s response to Toyota’s move is to “Infinitize” the Maxima starting with the 2007 model year. It hopes to give it a more luxurious edge to compete effectively with the Avalon.
2. Introduction of the Versa. To fight Toyota’s budget minded Scion division, Nissan brings Versa — a 1.8L 4 cylinder powered xA-competing hatchback — expected to retail at about $12,000.
The strategy of Nissan does not include the sale of the Maxima, Altima, or Sentra for a less price. In fact, the Maxima’s price may ultimately surge several thousand dollars and into the range of cars sold by their Infiniti division which begs the following question: why purchase a Maxima when an Infiniti G35 could be had for almost the same price? The all new Alabama-built Hyundai Sonata should sell for several thousand dollars less than a comparatively equipped Altima. With Hyundai’s quality levels improving, the Sonata’s appeal rises measurably.
In the end, Nissan must keep pace with Toyota and Honda or risk being marginalized further. With other manufacturers duking it out, it will be interesting to see if higher prices hold for Nissan models or whether the Japanese automaker will be forced to cut prices to win consumers and to hold onto market share.
Tags: Car, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, US. Automobile, Maxima, Altima
Mon, August 11, 2008 8:22 am By James Coolridge
 The fuel price hike has definitely affected the automobile market. The soaring price has made users to switch over to hybrid cars. Car makers by foreseeing this shift of taste of drivers have brought out different hybrid vehicles. These vehicles are becoming a hit among the drivers. Thanks to the fuel saving techniques.
Toyota has launched its Camry Hybrid car which seems to have become more popular among the contemporary models. Let us now look at the characteristic features of Toyota Camry hybrid. Although the Toyota Camry hybrid is exactly the same as the previous Camry sedan models in many aspects, this Hybrid models differ in some ways. Yes, at the same time we agree that the Hybrid cars run partly by electricity and the rest by gasoline, making things more positive than ever. However, it also has certain negative impacts. The latest Camry hybrid’s model, such as the 2007 was classified as a “full hybrid” as it could run on gas or on electric energy, depending on the preference of the driver.
The sales of Toyota Camry hybrid are currently remarkably high ensuring Toyota a better share in the market. As per the current specifications of the Toyota Camry Hybrid, we realize that the hybrid is either superior or just within the average level. The Toyota Camry hybrid claims a 40 MPG gas mileage. The latest model runs utilizing a four-cylinder engine that is using gasoline as fuel. The maximum capacity of its NiMH 245V battery is about 30 kilowatt or 40 horsepower, peaking at about 192 horsepower or 140 kilowatts.
The new model launched by Toyota has the capacity to accommodate about 2.4 liters of fuel in its gasoline engine while the electric motor is 45-horsepower. It also has a system that helps the Camry Hybrids’ engine to maintain its efficient power band. It facilitates the continuous variable transmission or CVT the transfer of power to the front wheels.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid, in many ways do match the acceleration speed of the Toyota V6 Camry. It also has a finer acceleration particularly during traffic merges or highway speed, despite being a Hybrid.
Altogether it could be stated that the latest Toyota Camry Hybrid can be your best buddy at roads. So if you are looking for a pal for a long drive around country roads, then you could get no better choice than this model.
Tags: Cars, Sedan, Toyota, driving, mileage, Fuel, Hybrid Cars, acceleration, electric energy
Tue, July 8, 2008 1:55 pm By James Coolridge
 After a one-year delay, the 2009 Toyota Corolla has finally debuted. The Toyota has a chic drooping snout behind a wide grille. A neat feature is the Toyota logo suspended from the leading edge of the hood; it is matched by an indent in the lower edge of the grille surround.
The 2009 Toyota Corolla is redesigned with more available power, more standard safety features, and fresh styling. This compact sedan is 2.5 inches wider than the 2003-2008 versions, but other exterior and interior dimensions are little changed. Corolla offers five trim levels for 2009 vs. three for 2008.
The 2009 Corolla has five trim levels: standard, LE and XLE, and the sporty accented S and the high performance XRS. The XRS model has a 158-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Manual transmission is standard. The optional automatic transmission is a 5-speed on the XRS and a 4-speed on other Corollas. The XRS includes 17-inch wheels and 4-wheel disc brakes vs. other models’ 15- or 16-inch wheels and rear drum brakes.
Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, and front side airbags. A navigation system is a first-time Corolla feature, and it’s optional on all but Base and LE models. Leather upholstery is an option exclusive to S and XRS.
There is a choice of two new engines with three different transmissions. An all-new 1.8-liter 16-valve four doesn’t skimp on technology with variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust sides. The result is an impressive-for-its-size 132 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard with a four-speed automatic optional. The automatic has hill sensing technology which, based on throttle position, vehicle speed and acceleration, determines whether the car is going up or downhill and selects gear ratios accordingly, including shifting down on downhills for moderate engine braking.
The other engine is Toyota’s 2.4-liter four, though completely redesigned for use in the Corolla. It’s rated at 158 horses, but it’s the gain in torque that makes the bigger engine worthwhile. At 162 lb-ft, the extra grunt improves acceleration and around-town drivability. It too comes with a 5-speed manual as standard equipment but the optional automatic is a five rather than four-speed.
Tags: Toyota, new cars., 2009 Toyota Corolla, safety features, automatic transmission, engine power
Wed, June 18, 2008 10:16 am By Jimmy Letto
 New Toyota Avensis, the third-generation Avensis is expected to be launched at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The fresh new snaps of Toyota Avensis was caught by some enthusiastic photographers during winter testing of the vehicle.
The car was launched in 2003 and since then, it has traversed a journey of success. In 2004, the second generation Avensis won the European Car of the Year. In the following year, its sales shot upto 156,000 units. The current Avensis has received its mid-product life cycle facelift at the Madrid Motor Show in 2006.
The competition in auto industry has heated up and the Avensis is facing the up-market medium-sized cars in the market such as Mazda 6. The recent media reports have revealed that Toyota is updating the Avensis range probably with a hybrid. The all-wheel drive and diesel hybrid models are expected to hit the markets by 2010.
Tags: Toyota, Avensis, 2010
Sat, March 29, 2008 12:43 pm By James Coolridge
 After ruling the market for seven years, Toyota Prius is still the best hybrid car for those who just want a car that burns least amount of gas. This car saves you a lot of money and is extremely economical. Being a roomy hatchback, this car is built from the scratch and excels in providing maximum interior space, which most hybrid sedans fail at or they simply diminish the boot space and eliminate folding backseats. There is no gas-only version, but there doesn’t have to be. It’s both the most efficient and most affordable hybrid out there. EPA-estimated mileage (city/highway, mpg): 48/45
Tags: Toyota, Prius
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