Car Sport 2011: Hybrids

Showing posts with label Hybrids. Show all posts

10/27/10

Sneak Preview: Fortune Motorsports' SEMA-Bound Honda CR-Z

It's time for the tuning aficionados over at Fortune Motorsports to give us our first look at their customized Honda CR-Z that will be officially revealed at next week's SEMA Show. Even though this here picture is a computer generated rendering, the tuner claims its "almost 100% accurate" to what we'll see displayed on the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The build incorporates a bodykit with front and rear spoilers, side skirts and race-like mirrors, as well as a carbon fiber hood and larger alloy wheels shod in low profile tires. The photo also reveals a lowered suspension and a pair of body-hugging bucket seats from Zeal.

Still no word if the tuner has fiddled around with the CR-Z's gasoline-electric hybrid system.

Image credits: Fortune Motorsports

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

No manufacturer, not even performance orientated Porsche, can ignore the "green wave" that has hit the automotive industry. With hybrids and EVs becoming increasingly popular, it's clear that sports cars have to step it up a notch.

It doesn't really matter to pencil-pushing government officials that, in the real world, high performance vehicles aren't driven as much, so, in the overall scheme of things, they actually pollute a lot less than your suburban folk's Prius. They just want to see numbers.

So, Porsche is going greener with each new model it is launching, the Cayenne being the vanguard of this effort. The Germans achieved significant fuel savings in the New European Driving Cycle (or NEDC), ranging from 13 to 23% for all available model series in comparison with their predecessors. This means all Porsches using naturally aspirated engines consume 0.5 to 0.6 less liters of fuel per 100 km.

The Stuttgart firm's engineers achieved this by switching over to direct fuel injection and adopting newer transmissions like the PDK dual-clutch auto and the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic. Other measures taken to make Porsche as green as ever are massive weight savings (i.e. 185 kg/408 lbs for the new Cayenne Turbo) - and we'll be seeing more of that in future models.

The 911 Carrera with PDK consumes only 9.8 lt/100 km (24 US mpg), while the Boxster S and the Cayman S do with 9.4 liters per 100km (25 US mpg).

The Cayenne is even more frugal, with the Cayenne S Hybrid really shining on this task. Good for a total output of 380 hp (283 kW), Porsche's hybrid is almost as powerful as the previous generation Cayenne S (385 hp/287 kW), yet it returns a combined 8.2 lt/100 km (28.7 US mpg) representing a 40% gain in fuel economy with CO2 emissions of 200 g/km. Wealthy tree-huggers rejoice.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Busted: 2011 Toyota Prius MPV Picture is an Older Photoshop

Not that we expect the actual production version of the upcoming 2011 Toyota Prius MPV (or whatever else the Japanese maker names the hybrid minivan) to look any more exciting than the vehicle shown in the black-and-white picture above, but just to set things straight, what you see here is an older photoshop created by Japan's Best Car magazine and not the real deal as some hastily baptized. Proof seekers may follow the jump for color shots from the magazine.

We'll just remind you that Toyota has confirmed that the world premiere of the Prius minivan will take place at the 2011 Detroit motor show in mid-January, with sales to follow either towards the end of the same year or in early 2012.

Photoshop: Best Car , Via: Autoblog.it

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Marking the 10 years since the launch of the Prius onto the UK market, Toyota has released a special 10th Anniversary edition of its hybrid model. Said to be the most exclusive production Prius to date since only 1,000 examples are to be built, the"Prius 10th Anniversary" is offered with a choice of two paint finishes - White Pearl or Astral Black- and an on-the-road price of £26,150, with first customer deliveries to commence this winter.

The new front, rear and side skirts, 17-inch smoked-finish alloys and dark-tinted privacy glass plus the black leather upholstery embossed with the 10th anniversary logo, complete the list of upgrades over the standard top-of-the-range T Spirit model upon which it is based.

As with the T Spirit model, standard features include HDD satellite navigation (with integrated sound library), rear parking monitor, Bluetooth, Intelligent Park Assist, cruise control, smart entry and start, rain-sensing wipers and head-up display.

Update: Toyota UK informed us that the special edition's name is "Prius 10th Anniversary" and not "Prius Generation X" as the company noted in the original press release. Corrections have been made on the title and article.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Green Machine gets Meaner: Brian Fox’s Sema-Ready Lexus LS 600h L

SEMA is so close you can almost hear the 'doof doof' music ringing in your ears. With all those souped up Hyundais at the show every year, it's about time someone paid attention to the Mac Daddy of Retiree-Mobiles: the Lexus LS 600h L.

Fortunately, Brian Fox has done just that. His company, Fox Marketing, has taken the LS 600h L and made it show worthy. More pictures and specs after the jump.

First he added a fiberglass aerokit by Artisan Spirits, which includes bumpers, fenders and side skirts. A roof and rear deck wing, HID fog lights round and smoked taillights out the exterior package.

The car is finished in Glacier Green (which looks almost black) with Satin Black touches and Lexus logos. The exterior colors extend to parts of the interior, too. Finally there are the spectacular 20-inch Candy Copper wheels that remind me of the BBS ones everyone had on their Beamers in the 1980s.

I don't know if this is too subtle for SEMA though. The show is all about loud colors, carbon fiber and big speakers. With its stock standard great interior and subdued exterior, is Fox Marketing's LS 600h L a dud or a stud? Let us know in the comments.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Cardomain / Blog

Engine

5.0L V8 438hp Hybrid 22MPG
Interior:
Lexus Light Gray Leather
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Glacier Green Painted Interior Parts
BASF Glasurit Black Painted Interior Parts
Rear Reclining Seats
Rear night shades
Accentz 15 percent window tint

Exterior:
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Glacier Green Paint sprayed with Anesta Iwata LS400 Hyrbid
BASF Glasurit 90 Line Satin Black Accents
Artisan Spirits Front Bumper
Artisan Spirits Front Fenders
Artisan Spirits Side Skirts
Artisan Spirits Rear Bumper
Artisan Spirits Dual HID Fog Lights
Artisan Spirits Light Bar
Artisan Spirits Roof Wing
Artisan Spirits Rear Deck Wing
Color Matched Door Handles
Lexus Satin Black Logo's
Painted by: R Miller Auto Body, Palmyra, Pa.
Lighting:
Smoked Rear Taillights
Brakes:
Front:
Lexus/SSBC Modified 14 inch 6 piston Calipers
Rear:
Lexus SSBC Modified 13inch 4 piston Calipers
Suspension:
Factory Air Ride Suspension
Custom Controller – Adjusts Ride Height from 0-4 inches
Wheels & Tires:
Front:
20x9.5 Rotiform Concave BLQ Wheel Candy Copper Finish
255/35/22 Toyo T1R
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts
Rear:
20x10.5 Rotiform Concave BLQ Wheel Candy Copper Finish
265/35/20 Toyo T1R
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts
Partners:
Lexus USA, BASF Refinish, Yonaka Motorsports, Artisan Spirits, Rotiform, Toyo Tires, SSBC Brakes, Anesta Iwata, Slammed Garage

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Toyota to Build Prius Hybrid in Thailand

Toyota today revealed it will begin manufacturing its Prius hybrid in Thailand starting from November. The car will be built at the firm's Gateway Plant, near the Thai capital Bangkok, where it also makes the Corolla, Camry, Camry Hybrid and other models. Thailand will be the third country to make Toyota's popular hybrid after Japan and China.

The company said the decision was made as part of its effort to further popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Toyota Motor Thailand Co. President Kyoichi Tanada commented: "With its excellent environmental performance, design and advanced technologies, we hope the Prius provides even more people in Thailand with the joys of driving."

Toyota did not reveal how many Prius vehicles will be built at the Thai plant, but a company spokesman said production is for the local market.

Launched in 1997, the Prius hybrids cumulative global sales surpassed the 2 million mark at the end of September this year. Toyota said it aims to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles or more annually before the end of the decade.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Porsche wants Hybrid Version of every Model, 918 Spyder to follow Panamera Hybrid

In the ever-growing world of automotive efficiency, more and more sports car manufacturers have decided to get in the game of providing more efficient speed. Now, Porsche has taken it one step further, committing to a hybrid version of each of its models in order to get its average CO2 emissions down to 216 g/km by 2015 (from the current 255 g/km).

"In the future, we will have hybrid drive in every model line," Porsche's development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer, told Autonews Europe.

After the hybrid Cayenne and the upcoming Panamera hybrid, Porsche wants to release the hybrid 918 Spyder as a halo car to garner attention and learn more about the new path the company is taking.

To help bring down corporate CO2 output and improve fuel economy, Porsche also aims to cut weight by 10% on each model with every following generation (through the development of carbon fiber for body panels and the like), as well as possibly utilizing four-cylinder engines.

"If the CO2 guidelines require it, then our engines will become smaller and may have just four cylinders," Duerheimer said. "The important thing is that the performance has to be right. The 911 must always be on the cutting edge."

The Porsche development chief added: "We want to learn how we can electrify all our sports cars in the future with the help of [the 918's] short production run." So does that mean we're getting a hybrid entry-level 914/356 roadster or what?

By Phil Alex

Source: ANE (sub. req.)

New Lexus CT 200h F-Sport Receives World Premiere at 2010 Sydney Show

Lexus chose this week's Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) for the world premiere of its CT 200h F Sport model ahead of the car's introduction to Australia in the first half of 2011 as well other markets around the world.

As with other Lexus models, the F Sport treatment adds a number of visual and performance goodies to the firm's dedicated hybrid. On the outside, the CT 200h gets a sportier looking front bumper along with a honeycomb upper grille, beefier side skirts, and a reworked rear bumper that incorporates a diffuser.

The larger alloy wheels in a gunmetal finish and the option of a unique Flame Blue color round off the exterior upgrades.

Inside, those that opt for the F Sport-badged CT 200h will receive unique dashboard and door panel trims, plus F Sport steering wheel with a thicker rim, sports pedals, scuff plates, instrument panel and privacy glass.

While there are no changes to the CT 200h's hybrid powertrain, which comprises a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine, an electric motor and an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT), Lexus says the F-Sport features an up-rated suspension.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________