has let slip a few additional teasers for the company’s concept headed to the Geneva Motor Show in March. As you may recall, the vehicle is an engineering study designed to evaluate what kind of emission reductions can be accomplished in the city car segment without resorting to exotic materials or science-fiction drivetrains. Toyota says the concept emits around 50 percent less CO2 than your run-of-the-mill supermini thanks in part to the fact that it tips the scales at a feathery 1,763 pounds.
The hybrid’s aerodynamic shape and efficient powertrain also contribute to the reduction. While the FT-Bh isn’t headed to production any time soon, there’s a good chance some of the vehicle’s tricks may show up on consumer models in the near future. to check out a short teaser video and the press release, and be sure to stay tuned for our live Geneva Motor Show coverage.
An auto salon like the isn’t just a chance for automakers to show off their latest production and conceptcars, but also for stoic design houses to shape the state of automotive design. So with Pininfarina, Bertone and Carrozzeria Touring all having released glimpses of the designs they will be unveiling this year at the Palexpo, so has ItalDesign Giugiaro.
As you can see, there’s not much we can tell from this detail rendering, but what it does tell us is that the concept in question will be high-performance in orientation. Or at least look the part, anyway – minivans, hybrids and city cars seldom call for big air intakes like this one.
While formerly an independent design house, these days ItalDesign is owned by . Its last couple of designs – the and the – have both worn VW badges on the nose, so we’d expect this year’s to sport one as well, although another brand in the group could get the action this time. What we wouldn’t expect is for the show car to presage any specific production vehicle as much as outline a styling ethos for the German automaker. Watch this space for more.
The car in the image above may bear a striking resemblance to the , but take a second look – that’s actually the next-generation , despite its shockingly similar appearance. It’s no secret that Lexus’ new hourglass grille is quickly spreading across its entire model range (check out the recently unveiled for reference), and while the ES looks fashionably familiar, there are a few new touches to note:
Underneath, the headlamps we can clearly see a row of LED running lights, similar to what’s found on the GS… and … and . Around back, there’s a similar resemblance to the larger GS, though the lines are a bit more sedate – a good thing, as the ES shopper tends to be a little more conservative than folks opting for the rear-wheel-drive GS. Chinese site got its hands on some interior photos, too, and – surprise, surprise – there’s a whole lot of GS in the reworked cabin as well, with a two-tiered dash featuring large navigation/infotainment screen up top.
The car Autohome caught is the ES 250 model, which suggests that Lexus’ 2.5-liter V6 is underhood – the same engine available in the GS 250 in other markets. Here in the United States, the ES will still likely be available with the automaker’s 3.5-liter V6, though earlier reports have suggested that could also be in the cards.
Episode #270 of the is here with Chris, Dan, and Autoblog Executive Editor Chris Paukert. Topics include the announcement of the Porsche Macan, the state of Fisker’s finances, the DOT proposal for distracted driving guidelines, and in-dash smartphone integration tech. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #270:
In the Autoblog Garage
Hosts: , ,
Runtime: 01:18:08
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With all the news coming out recently about the over the , readers may have forgotten the name behind a long-running legal issue over Toyota’s hybrid system: . The latest development is that Paice and the Abell Foundation (an investor in Paice) have sued and over the gas-electric technology used in the and hybrids (pictured), which shares some parts with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Read up on the details of Alex Severinsky’s story .
According to Automotive News, Paice claims that Hyundai and Kia should have known that was dealing with legal issues – especially since Paice has been contacting Hyundai about the issue – and says that the Korean automakers are infringing upon three patents that Paice owns. Toyota and Paice settled their case in 2010 after eight years, during which time the Toyota’s request to dismiss the case. Toyota eventually paid royalties to Paice for the , Hybrid and models it sold.
A year-and-a-half-ago we heard that the model to replace the Ferrari Enzo was at the for inspiration. Then we heard, nearly one year ago, that this Ferrari . Add those two ingredients to a 7.3-liter V12 and stir in Ferrari’s talk of light weight, and the resulting supercar will be a 920-peak-horsepower celestial stallion that weighs just 2,500 pounds, according to a report in Automobile.
The V12 will be responsible for 800 of those horses, 100 more than the replacement, the F620, that will use a and that we’ll see at the in early March. The supplemental 120 hp will be provided by a KERS hybrid setup.
The carbon fiber body is expected to hold largesse down to around 2,500 pounds, which – if all of these numbers come true – would mean a supercar that weighs 500 pounds less than 651-hp Enzo, and about the same as the 2,546-pound, track-only FXX, but that has about 100 more ponies. If all goes to plan we’ll see it in the fall – until it starts moving, at least, when we’ll just have to listen for the sonic booms.
All things being equal, we’d generally rather have more cylinders than fewer. But upset that particular applecart with the latest . Not only is the 500-horsepower V8 version less expensive than the 567-hp W12, it also boasts better handling (thanks to less weight in the nose) and better fuel economy, too – all with a scant 67 less horsepower.
So why would anyone want the twelve-cylinder version? That’s a good question, and one which Bentley is apparently not afraid to ask itself.
Some customers will likely opt for the W12 for snobbery’s sake or because their last Conti had one, but the crew at Crewe aren’t about to let that stand at the extent of it. So word has it that the British automaker is gearing up to substantially improve its W12 engine in due course.
So what will those improvements encompass? Hard to say, but sources in the UK suggest a similar process that brought the -sourced V8 up to Bentley specifications. The speculation is also that an eight-speed automatic is in the cards to replace the current six, and that hybrid technology is under consideration, too.
Aside from the fuel economy aspect, however, we ought to be looking at around 600 horsepower from the updated W12 – and that’s just in base trim, with the Speed model and maybe even a new Supersport version to pack even more.
The picture is getting clearer and larger with Peugeot’s advance reveal of the 208 XY concept (pictured above) and 208 GTi concept (right). Both are based on the 208 hatch and are meant to represent Peugeot’s move upscale, but each has a different audience: the XY is for urbanites, the GTi for those who miss the hot-hatch legend.
The XY uses a 115-horsepower diesel hybrid for motivation and six-speed manual transmission. All that lies under sixteen layers of paint and varnish to create its Pulsion exterior hue. Inside, black leather with crimson trim joins an elevated instrument panel perched atop the dash lined with crimson light.
The GTi is a throwback to the slips. It gets numerous tips of the hat to its racing forebear, including a French or a British flag painted on the lower grille, a subtle checkered-flag pattern underneath the clearcoat on the hood and roof, Nappa leather seats with cloth inserts and an Alcantara-topped dashboard.
for a press release with lots of details, and get closer looks before our Geneva report in the gallery of high-res images.
that we couldn’t even find a picture of the U.S. Army’s Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CERV), but times have changed.
At the 2012 , the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) displayed the CERV, which uses a diesel-hybrid “” powertrain from that Quantum says, “saves taxpayer dollars and – most importantly – saves Soldiers’ lives.”
With a top speed of 80 miles per hour and a “run-silent” range of eight miles (we assume this means all-electric range), the CERV prototype can produce over 5,000 pound-feet of torque and go up hills with up to 60-percent grades. It does all this while using 25 percent less fuel, which is critical when you have to to use the stuff in theater.
The Army says that . In World War II, it was one gallon a day.
has announced a whole slew of products it intends to showcase at the rapidly approaching , with the biggest reveal being the first public showing of the five-passenger 6 Series Gran Coupe.
But that’s just the tip of the Bavarian iceberg. Another highly anticipated machine, the , will make its world debut in Geneva before going on sale in the U.S. in the late summer as a 2013 model. The , which is a big seller for BMW in the States, will debut in April at the and will go on sale shortly thereafter.
Also on hand will be the BMW M550d xDrive, M550d xDrive Touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d. Together, these four diesel-powered machines launch BMW’s line of (not to be confused with M-badged models like the and ). Sadly, these oil-burners are not headed Stateside.
Naturally, the brand new will be on display, with Europeans getting their first look at some of the new diesel engine offerings. Those of us in the U.S. will be more interested in the 3 Series with the M Sport Package that will go on sale in August and the 3 Series ActiveHybrid that will hit the market in September.
Geneva showgoers will get to see the refreshed ahead of its entrance into the U.S. market in the spring, plus the electrified and plug-inhybrid . And finally, BMW will unveil a new line of M Performance Parts and officialaccessories for the new 3 Series. On the M Performance front, those new additions will include blacked-out kidney grilles, exhaust systems, carbon fiber front splitters and M-branded steering wheels.
We know that’s a lot to digest, so we won’t mind at all if you want to for the complete press release. But first, be sure to check out the high-res image gallery of M Performance Parts above.
Tesla and Daimler are set to collaborate on a new electric . According to Gigaom.com, the fourth-quarter earnings report released by Tesla earlier this week revealed the company is set to supply a full powertrain for an unnamed electric Mercedes-Benz in the near future. Those components include a motor, transmission, inverter and all of the software necessary to keep the car whirring along. Funds from the deal are supposed to begin trickling in by the second quarter of this year, though no details about production timing or volume were available in the report.
The two automakers aren’t strangers. Daimler is an investor in the small electric vehicle manufacturer, and Tesla already supplies battery packs for the low-production Smart ED. Mercedes-Benz made waves at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show when it unveiled the . At the time, the vehicle boasted a lithium-ion battery sourced from a joint venture between Daimler and Evonik, though it’s certainly possible the German automaker has changed course on the five-door. Then again, the B-Class E-Cell Plus was an extended-range hybrid, whereas the Tesla earnings report seems to hint toward a full-electric model. Consider us curious.
Don’t call it the Cajun anymore. has officially announced the company’s upcoming small sport utility vehicle will be called the Macan. As with the vehicle’s larger brother, the , the Porsche Macan will blend the seemingly incongruous worlds of tall-riding off roaders and low-slung sports cars with performance to match.
The Macan is the latest effort in Porsche’s plan to expand its portfolio by 2018. While true purists may once again cry foul at the notion of another non-sports car with the Porsche shield on the hood, something tells us this Porsche will meet with far less skepticism this time around. The Cayenne and the have proven Porsche can successfully expand into segments beyond sports coupes without sacrificing its core principles. The Macan is likely to toe that line as well.
From , the Macan will arrive on the same chassis as the Audi Q5, though with suspension, brake and engine tweaks suitable to the Porsche range. Rumors have also hinted toward both hybrid and three-door iterations as well.
The automotive world has been mistakenly calling the upcoming baby Porsche the Cajun for more than a year after Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn mentioned the name in an interview. for the full press release on the Macan name, as well as a quick introductory video.
As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to try and get . In his State of the Union address in 2011, he and proposed turning the $7,500 tax credit into a point-of-purchase rebate. That hasn’t yet happened, but in the President’s proposed budget that was released this week, Obama took another stab at promoting plug-ins: upping the maximum credit to $10,000.
To go along with pushing PHEVs, the budget calls for cutting more subsidies that Big Oil currently enjoys. Of course, the President’s political opponents that would divide America. Others are entirely.
Getting to a million plug-ins in four years will be tough. Last year, the top two plug-ins, the and the , sold just 17,345 units, . Add in sales of the and the new , and that leaves 980,000 or so to go. Do you think an extra $2,500 off the price of the car – plus more models to choose from – will do the trick?
Chicago Auto Show recap, Tesla Model X, BMW M6, Toyota Prius C
Episode #269 of the is here with Chris, Dan, and Sebastian Blanco. Topics include a quick recap of the Chicago Auto Show, some chatter about the Tesla Model X and BMW M6, and we finish up with the Toyota Prius C. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #269:
In the Autoblog Garage
Hosts: , ,
Runtime: 01:08:32
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Whatever has done to get to the position of dominance in the European – and indeed the global auto industry, it’s clearly been working. But some of its decisions still leave us scratching our heads. The Phaeton is one such four-wheeled decision.
A Volkswagen sedan that shares its platform with the , the Phaeton offers the space, luxury and meticulous engineering standards you’d expect of a or , in a package decidedly bereft of the badge cachet that goes with it. VW clearly spent big dollars developing the vehicle, so when sales never really materialized, we were hardly surprised that plans were floated to phase it out in favor of something a little more cost-effective for both buyer and manufacturer, closing the enormous canyon between the current Phaeton and the and ranges that sit below it.
In fact, we’ve read reports for years now stating that VW will/will won’t follow up the Phaeton with a new model – it’s one of the most cyclical future product stories in the entire auto industry. This latest report from Motor Trend suggests that Volkswagen is planning to replace the current Phaeton in 2015 or 2016 with another model in the same mold, downsizing in neither price point nor scale – and bringing the new model back to the North American market in the process. MT suggests the Phaeton will be an technological wonder, going with smaller engines (no W12), forced induction power and available hybrid and plug-in models. Us? we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Phaeton adopt the new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine found in the .
Apparently VW is keen to retain the buyers who have enjoyed their Phaetons thus far, giving them the conservatively styled, anti-prestige alternative to the luxury sedans built by its sister company and its own retiring executives – including Group CEO Martin Winterkorn and his product chief Ulrich Hackeberg – something of a parting gift.
F1 drivers typically have a shelf life shorter than what you otherwise might call a career. As the constant stream of new, young drivers usurps existing F1 seats, you’re left with a wealth of talent available to contest other forms of motorsport. That’s how you end up with former grand prix pilots in other series like IndyCar, DTM and even ice racing. Then there’s Le Mans.
Every year the most famous of endurance races packs its grid with rejects from the Formula One circus, and 2012 is no exception, particularly with launching a works effort out of the German facility that used to house its F1 team. Toyota has already that the first of its TS030 Hybrid LMP1 racers will be driven by former F1 drivers Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima (along with Nicolas Lapierre), and has now announced that Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi are on the roster for the second car.
Davidson is an established F1 test driver, having worked for the team known successively as BAR, , Brawn and . He’s also driven a handful of grands prix for Super Aguri and Minardi, and contested Le Mans and related series for and Peugeot Sport, including a win at Sebring.
Buemi drove the last three F1 seasons for Scuderia Toro Rosso until being cut this year. He’ll combine his endurance racing debut with his test driver role at Red Bull Racing.
They’ll be joined by Hiroaki Ishiura, who has driven for Toyota teams in Super GT and the Nürburgring 24 before helping roll out the new TS030. We’ll be watching to see how they do against the returning champions at , but for now you can follow the jump to dive into the full press release and check out the updated image gallery above.
A California woman last week, receiving nearly $10,000 in damages after getting lower-than-advertised fuel economy in her Hybrid. Early next week, we may have a better idea of how many people intend to follow her lead.
A key deadline arrives Saturday that affects all U.S. residents who bought a Civic Hybrid between 2003 and 2009. Those owners are considered part of a class-action lawsuit regarding the fuel-economy issue – unless they opt out of the case by Saturday.
Owners who opt out will not be entitled to the expected settlement of up to $200 and a coupon off their next purchase. But opting out preserves their right to go it alone in court, as Heather Peters did, and seek a more substantial payout.
In order to opt out, owners must send a certified letter to the settlement administrator postmarked no later than tomorrow. More information can be found at hchsettlement.com.
Automakers, legal experts and consumer-rights advocates are all keeping an eye on what happens in the class-action suit, both in terms of how the case is settled and how many people forgo a smaller settlement with the intent of filing individual cases.
clearly wants to get as much mileage as it can out of the “duel” it staged between its Hybrid and the S Hybrid. You’ll remember , ahead of the hybrid . got Guinness World Records to proclaim it the fastest accelerating full hybrid last year, which served as the inspiration for filming the online ad.
Now, a new video has been posted to YouTube, showing some behind the scenes footage of the filming of the ad. It’s not exactly earth-shattering stuff, as the parts we found most interesting were the shots of the camera chase car, which is neither an Infiniti nor a Porsche, but actually a .
While we like the spot, this second go-round with it had us contemplating other things. We always wonder about the effectiveness of comparing your brand to another when it’s clearly done to try and rub some of that competitive luster onto your own badge. And backing it up by throwing out a name that we most closely associate with ? We like the M Hybrid, and we’re happy to get more of a look at it, but if Infiniti really wants to impress, we’d like to see some more competitive comparisons, like how it performs on a road course or even how it matches up with non-hybrid models.
Most concepts you’ll see on the show stands of the will come packing some manner of sci-fi powertrain and ultra-expensive chassis and body materials. That’s where the FT-Bh concept stands apart.
Toyota is calling it a “full hybrid city car study,” so the FT-Bh isn’t destined for production. However, Toyota’s goal was to create an inexpensive, fuel efficient urban runabout that doesn’t rely on expensive materials or complex manufacturing, but rather uses existing technology to make an affordable hybrid for the masses – something that would be perfect for Europe.
Thing is, Toyota is bringing just that to Geneva in mass-market form.
Joining the FT-Bh on stage is the production version of the Hybrid, which for all intents and purposes is exactly what the FT-Bh is: an inexpensive, small hybrid based off an existing platform and using tried-and-true technology. Packing a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated with an electric motor, the Yaris Hybrid outputs 98 horsepower and is some 20% lighter than the Auris Hybrid. Toyota is calling it “Europe’s first full hybrid supermini,” which begs the question: Where’s the line between a “supermini” and a “city car?” We’ll find out when we’re on the floor in Switzerland next month.
Get all the details on Toyota’s Geneva plans in the press blast .
Toyota’s new doesn’t look like a math problem, but that’s what it is.
Hidden behind its attractive hatchback body and Toyota Synergy Drive hybrid powertrain, the Prius C is just a bunch of numbers. Numbers like the car’s miles per gallon rating, its MSRP, how many can be produced and how many Toyota hopes to sell. ran these numbers through its “Do we build it?” formula, which is what caused the Prius C to come into being, but the good news is that this smallest of Prii adds up to more than what was put into it, and even introduces a bit of fun to the appliance-like Prius driving experience. Not much, mind you, but enough that its target audience – young people who want to buy the most efficient gas-powered vehicle on the market today – should take notice.
Here are some of the calculations that Toyota is making for its new Prius family. Instead of selling 136,463 “normal” as it did last year (down from 140,928 in 2010), the Japanese automaker believes that three new models – the , the smaller C and the – will push cumulative Prius sales up to 220,000 in 2012 and then go up from there.
Last year, Toyota’s group vice president for U.S. sales, Bob Carter, said he expects the Prius to be the automaker’s number one nameplate by 2020. Sure, the Prius continues to sell well in green car circles and has been the best selling car in Japan for a year and a half, but for Carter’s statement to come true, the Prius family would have to outsell the almighty . Think about that. Think about the ambition – and challenge – behind those words. This is the equation that the Prius C needs to solve.
An auto salon like the isn’t just a chance for automakers to show off their latest production and 
