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To save the environment, more and more auto makers are moving into making hybrid-electric vehicles the type of vehicles that can feed on bio oil and use batteries alternatively, which the main objective is to improve fuel efficiency. Now, Toyota, as the leader of green auto makers, has announced that it’d build its first plug-in hybrid car by 2010. The plug-in hybrid is different from the current hybrid models, which allows recharging of the batteries from any ordinary power outlet. Conventional hybrids are recharged by power generated by the wheels.

The plug-in hybrid vehicle that is to be developed by Toyota, will run on lithium-ion batteries, instead of the nickel-metal hydride batteries that power the Prius and other Toyota models. The plug-in hybrid and lithium-ion powered vehicles are said to be capable of achieving fuel efficiency of 99.9 miles-per-gallon in electric mode. But it can only go up to 7 miles on pure battery power.

Toyota will unveil the models that will have plug-in hybrid versions available at the 2009 Detroit auto show. The new lithium-ion-equipped vehicles will first be made available to Toyota’s commercial customers â€" such as government agencies and corporations.

The announcement of Toyota is seen as a strong competitor to GM, which has also announced that they’d produce their own plug-ins around the same time.

AUTO SHOW

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford

It sounds like Ford is getting ready to square off against the Opel Meriva small minivan in Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford will be bringing an all-new B-segment van to next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Blue Oval’s European arm is keeping the details of the vehicle close to its chest, but from what we understand, the new minivan should begin production toward the end of 2012. The company has already made it clear that its Craiova, Romania facility will be tasked with constructing a new B-segment fighter sometime soon, and news has it that the vehicle will be more people mover than hatchback.

If true, that means that the new van is likely to carry the B-Max moniker to keep in line with creations like the C-Max and S-Max. In Europe, Ford has relied on its aging Fusion people mover to carry the company in the small-car segment, and the aging platform has begun to slip over the past few years. While it once held the number two slot, the Fusion has fallen to be the fifth most popular vehicle among the B-segment vans.

Regardless of whether or not the B-Max can knock the Meriva off of its throne, we aren’t likely to see it here in the states.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog

Audi aims to continue its string of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a completely new LMP1 sports car development. Since its debut in 1999, the brand with the Four Rings has won the world’s most important endurance race as many as nine times with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI models. In doing so, Audi has equaled this feat in the race’s roll of honor with Ferrari. With the new R18, which was presented at the Audi Sportpark in Ingolstadt on the evening of Friday, December 10, 2010, Audi is aiming for its tenth Le Mans success in 2011.

For the first time since 1999, Audi will contest Le Mans with a closed coupe again. ‘In the future, aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the past,’ says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. ‘A closed car has clear advantages in this respect. Our computer simulations have been confirmed in the wind tunnel and during initial track tests.’

Significantly smaller engines than those used before will be prescribed at Le Mans in 2011 as the rule makers aim to achieve a substantial reduction of engine power. By opting for a 3.7-liter V6 TDI unit, Audi retains the diesel concept that saw its first victorious fielding in 2006. ‘From our point of view, the TDI continues to be the most efficient technology,’ says Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development at Audi Sport. ‘There are good reasons why the share of TDI units among Audi’s production models is as high as it is.’

Through the innovative V6 TDI engine for the Le Mans 24 Hours, motorsport is yet again performing pioneering work for the production arm at Audi where there is a growing trend towards smaller, more economical but yet powerful engines.
Concept Carz

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford

It sounds like Ford is getting ready to square off against the Opel Meriva small minivan in Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford will be bringing an all-new B-segment van to next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Blue Oval’s European arm is keeping the details of the vehicle close to its chest, but from what we understand, the new minivan should begin production toward the end of 2012. The company has already made it clear that its Craiova, Romania facility will be tasked with constructing a new B-segment fighter sometime soon, and news has it that the vehicle will be more people mover than hatchback.

If true, that means that the new van is likely to carry the B-Max moniker to keep in line with creations like the C-Max and S-Max. In Europe, Ford has relied on its aging Fusion people mover to carry the company in the small-car segment, and the aging platform has begun to slip over the past few years. While it once held the number two slot, the Fusion has fallen to be the fifth most popular vehicle among the B-segment vans.

Regardless of whether or not the B-Max can knock the Meriva off of its throne, we aren’t likely to see it here in the states.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford

It sounds like Ford is getting ready to square off against the Opel Meriva small minivan in Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford will be bringing an all-new B-segment van to next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Blue Oval’s European arm is keeping the details of the vehicle close to its chest, but from what we understand, the new minivan should begin production toward the end of 2012. The company has already made it clear that its Craiova, Romania facility will be tasked with constructing a new B-segment fighter sometime soon, and news has it that the vehicle will be more people mover than hatchback.

If true, that means that the new van is likely to carry the B-Max moniker to keep in line with creations like the C-Max and S-Max. In Europe, Ford has relied on its aging Fusion people mover to carry the company in the small-car segment, and the aging platform has begun to slip over the past few years. While it once held the number two slot, the Fusion has fallen to be the fifth most popular vehicle among the B-segment vans.

Regardless of whether or not the B-Max can knock the Meriva off of its throne, we aren’t likely to see it here in the states.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

Audi aims to continue its string of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a completely new LMP1 sports car development. Since its debut in 1999, the brand with the Four Rings has won the world’s most important endurance race as many as nine times with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI models. In doing so, Audi has equaled this feat in the race’s roll of honor with Ferrari. With the new R18, which was presented at the Audi Sportpark in Ingolstadt on the evening of Friday, December 10, 2010, Audi is aiming for its tenth Le Mans success in 2011.

For the first time since 1999, Audi will contest Le Mans with a closed coupe again. ‘In the future, aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the past,’ says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. ‘A closed car has clear advantages in this respect. Our computer simulations have been confirmed in the wind tunnel and during initial track tests.’

Significantly smaller engines than those used before will be prescribed at Le Mans in 2011 as the rule makers aim to achieve a substantial reduction of engine power. By opting for a 3.7-liter V6 TDI unit, Audi retains the diesel concept that saw its first victorious fielding in 2006. ‘From our point of view, the TDI continues to be the most efficient technology,’ says Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development at Audi Sport. ‘There are good reasons why the share of TDI units among Audi’s production models is as high as it is.’

Through the innovative V6 TDI engine for the Le Mans 24 Hours, motorsport is yet again performing pioneering work for the production arm at Audi where there is a growing trend towards smaller, more economical but yet powerful engines.
Concept Carz

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford

It sounds like Ford is getting ready to square off against the Opel Meriva small minivan in Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford will be bringing an all-new B-segment van to next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Blue Oval’s European arm is keeping the details of the vehicle close to its chest, but from what we understand, the new minivan should begin production toward the end of 2012. The company has already made it clear that its Craiova, Romania facility will be tasked with constructing a new B-segment fighter sometime soon, and news has it that the vehicle will be more people mover than hatchback.

If true, that means that the new van is likely to carry the B-Max moniker to keep in line with creations like the C-Max and S-Max. In Europe, Ford has relied on its aging Fusion people mover to carry the company in the small-car segment, and the aging platform has begun to slip over the past few years. While it once held the number two slot, the Fusion has fallen to be the fifth most popular vehicle among the B-segment vans.

Regardless of whether or not the B-Max can knock the Meriva off of its throne, we aren’t likely to see it here in the states.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

To save the environment, more and more auto makers are moving into making hybrid-electric vehicles the type of vehicles that can feed on bio oil and use batteries alternatively, which the main objective is to improve fuel efficiency. Now, Toyota, as the leader of green auto makers, has announced that it’d build its first plug-in hybrid car by 2010. The plug-in hybrid is different from the current hybrid models, which allows recharging of the batteries from any ordinary power outlet. Conventional hybrids are recharged by power generated by the wheels.

The plug-in hybrid vehicle that is to be developed by Toyota, will run on lithium-ion batteries, instead of the nickel-metal hydride batteries that power the Prius and other Toyota models. The plug-in hybrid and lithium-ion powered vehicles are said to be capable of achieving fuel efficiency of 99.9 miles-per-gallon in electric mode. But it can only go up to 7 miles on pure battery power.

Toyota will unveil the models that will have plug-in hybrid versions available at the 2009 Detroit auto show. The new lithium-ion-equipped vehicles will first be made available to Toyota’s commercial customers â€" such as government agencies and corporations.

The announcement of Toyota is seen as a strong competitor to GM, which has also announced that they’d produce their own plug-ins around the same time.

AUTO SHOW

The Lamborghini LM002 was built from 1986 through 1993 with 301 units being produced. Lamborghini is known and respected for their exotic vehicles that are as stylish as they are fast. The SUV codenamed ‘Cheetah’ was a project that began in 1977 and designed to be sold to the United States Military. A Chrysler V8 engine was used in the prototype ‘Cheetah’ but the production versions were outfitted with a V-12, courtesy of the Lamborghini Countach. The original Cheetah prototype was destroyed by the US military during testing. The Cheetah project was short lived. Production on the LM001 began in 1981. This was the second attempt at creating a four-wheel drive, rear-mounted engine, all-terrain vehicle. The LM001 was powered by a twelve-cylinder powerplant and first displayed to the public at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show. The LM002, also known as the LMA, was introduced a year later featuring the engine in the front. Production finally began in 1986, albeit with many changes
Concept Carz