has announced that it will voluntarily repair 650,000 models for a fault in the hybrid cooling system. According to Reuters, a glitch in the vehicle’s coolant pump could cause the vehicle to overheat and lose power, though no accidents or injuries have been reported in association with the problem to date. It’s worth noting that this isn’t an official recall in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it’s a service action.
According to the report, the way the electric water pump is designed can allow air bubbles into the system, a development that can slow coolant circulation and increase the heat build-up in Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive components. if the overheating problem isn’t tended to in a timely fashion, it could trigger a warning light and cause the vehicle to slip into limp mode.
The repair notice covers 2004-2007 model year Prius vehicles, 378,000 of which were sold in the U.S.. Toyota will repair the problem free of charge starting in December, and Prius owners can expect to be notified of the campaign shortly. The Japanese automaker is also stressing that it has changed the coolant pump design in the Prius since 2007 and that none of the company’s other hybrid vehicles are affected by the problem.
Are you clamoring for a droptop version of the hybrid? We didn’t think so. But even so, just because won’t build you one (though that ) doesn’t mean you can’t get your kicks elsewhere.
The gang at CarScoop has stumbled upon this diecast model of a CR-Z convertible, giving us a glimpse at what an open-top version of Honda’s two-seat hybrid could look like. It certainly isn’t the prettiest of scale models, and we dread to think about what the cabrio’s rear end looks like with the roof (and hatch) lopped off, but it might be enough to stave off your hybrid/coupe/convertible pangs.
Gallery:
Gallery photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing / AOL
Oshkosh Extreme Racing Light Concept Vehicle (LCV) – Click above for high-res image gallery, for video
Yep, that’s a diesel hybrid Light Concept Vehicle (LCV) from the Extreme Racing team competing in the 43rd running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. “Light” in this case is relative, of course. Oshkosh builds a large variety of bigger machines, ranging from fire trucks to rigs capable of hauling up to 70 tons.
Now, the Oshkosh outfit didn’t win the event. In fact, only one of its two entries finished, and it was six and a half hours too late to be scored. It was, though, an opportunity to see how Oshkosh’s hybrid system would hold up to the rigors of off-road abuse. In that department the race was a success.
According to the Oshkosh, the hybrid system uses a diesel engine to send power to a generator which, in turn, directly powers the wheels (Though not stated, we imagine there’s an electric motor involved for each set of wheels.) In place of batteries, the setup relies on ultracapacitors to store and deliver energy. The arrangement is said to reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent thanks to the elimination of components such as the torque converter, automatic transmission, transfer case and driveshafts. To get a better look at this beast, check out the gallery below or the video of it in action .
By the year 2020, hopes to be the “leading premium seller of electric vehicles,” Franciscus van Meel, the automaker’s manager for electric mobility, told AutoWeek during a recent technical workshop at the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. In addition to launching a number of hybrid vehicles (including the and ) over the next few years, Audi plans to debut a plug-in hybrid in 2014.
Exactly what sort of plug-in hybrid we’ll actually see hasn’t been disclosed just yet, but the whole business is part of Audi’s division – the folks that gave us beauties like the -based e-tron supercar (pictured above) that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Furthermore, Audi’s board member for technology, Michael Dick, says that by 2020, he wants to see the automaker’s internal combustion engines improve efficiency by 30 percent, with 5 percent of the brand’s lineup to be purely electric. That’s a tall order, indeed, but with parent company AG aiming to be the number one producer of hybrid and electric cars before the end of the next decade, the four-ringed automaker’s quest for electrification isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.
European car buyers have a favorite Asian automaker, and its name is no longer . and have tag-teamed to best the longtime Japanese automaker, with a four percent overall rise in total units through the first ten months of 2010. During that same period, Toyota-Lexus sales have fallen 17 percent, with Hyundai at 521,369 vehicles sold compared to 511,754 for Toyota.
Toyota’s recent tough road, along with the expanding number of quality offerings from Hyundai-Kia, have allowed the Seoul train to slide past the Japanese brand. Unless Toyota picks up the pace, that gap could widen because the Korean company is understood to have a greater number of new models planned for its European portfolio.
Of course, Hyundai has a long road ahead if it wishes to make the same claim here in the States, but it’s certainly moving in the right direction. Overall sales in the U.S. have risen 21 percent and demand for the redesigned has jumped 64 percent.
sent a last year indicating it wanted to challenge and . Aiming at those targets, it at the Paris Motor Show this year, unleashing the new , , , and showcars. Then came the name for the project, “,” and its tidings of a new era. Yet behind all the modern interpretive art, there are the simple nuts and bolts of getting a car company into a new place. Follow the jump to find out what we learned.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a preliminary investigation in to mid-2000s and hybrid models after receiving a complaint that originated from a fatal crash in July of 2005. In this instance, the driver of a 2005 Accord Hybrid said that she was driving over rumble strips on the side of a highway, and when she tried to apply the brakes, the car sped up and caused her to cross into oncoming traffic. NHTSA reports that the resulting accident caused the Accord’s passenger to die, while the driver sustained disabling injuries.
It’s no surprise that NHTSA is being particularly careful these days when receiving complaints citing unintended or sudden acceleration, especially after the series of recall fiascoes earlier this year. Using NHTSA’s crash database, the Accord driver found 22 other incidents similar to hers, all of which involved Honda Accord and Civic hybrids. NHTSA plans to further research this individual complaint before starting an official investigation into these vehicles. Hat tip to Frank W!
Porsche 918 Spyder Clay Model – Click above for high-res image gallery
may have inadvertently given us our best glimpse yet at the upcoming production version of the company’s 918 Spyder. The German sports car manufacturer has announced its intention to invest mountains of cash in its Weissach facility, and has released a bevy of images from inside the studio walls to mark the occasion. Tucked among the images of designers furiously sketching away and engineers toying with crash-test dummies is one very interesting shot of a 918 clay model. Of particular interest is that single, massive side-exit exhaust nestled behind the passenger door; clearly a different design from the double-stacked tips of the concept. Could this be a 1:3 scale clay of the future production car? Or is it just an older take on the 918 that predates the eventual showcar? We won’t know one way or the other until the eventual production car makes its debut.
Porsche says that it intends to invest €150 million (around $202M USD) in its Weissach facility through the addition of a new wind tunnel. Additionally, the company plans to open a new state-of-the-art design center and what it calls an “electronic-integration center.” We aren’t positive, but our guess is that portion of the facility will play a big role in the Porsche hybrid program moving forward. for the official press release.
Jay Leno drives the Jaguar CX75 Concept – Click above to watch video
Here’s another feather for Jay Leno’s cap. The Tonight Show host can officially say that he is one of only a handful of drivers to have slipped their way behind the wheel of the amazing from this year’s Paris Motor Show. Penned by design guru Ian Callum, the supercar is as sexy as it is advanced. The vehicle gets its power from a quartet of electric motors that are good for 195 horsepower each. Throw in two small turbine engines for generating power and you’ve got one very unconventional extended-range hybrid.
The C-X75 was designed to celebrate the Leaping Cat’s diamond anniversary, and as such, the company pulled all the stops. With a design that pulls from the most successful points in Jaguar history, the car is nothing short of gorgeous. We’re not sure, but for the moment, you can to watch Leno take it all in – and don’t forget to watch for an appearance by Callum, too.
Car and Driver has just released its annual list of top 10 vehicles for 2011. Populated by plenty of familiar faces like the , and , this year’s 10 Best won’t bring too many surprises to the table. The newcomers to the crowd won’t exactly raise any eyebrows, either. The , and (the did make it ) are all solid, common-sense picks in our eyes.
Of course, some of the old guard had to fall off to make room for the new metal, and as such, the , and are nowhere to be found.
It’s worth noting that the inclusion of the Chevy Volt marks the first time that an electric-powered car has ever made the cut, though it’s unlikely to be the last. Check out our gallery of the winners below, then to have a look at the full press release.
Toyota has big plans for its model lineup, as the automaker intends to introduce 11 new or redesigned vehicles by 2012. This will be accomplished by offering hybrid versions of existing models, as well as introducing all-new hybrid vehicles. However, Toyota’s focus isn’t going to be entirely on improving the electric half of the hybrid equation. The automaker is looking at ways to produce more efficient gasoline engines, and turbochargers and direct fuel injection are both in the cards.
There’s no word yet on which models will benefit from either technology first, but the initial round of products should also come equipped with start-stop technology in addition to the DI and turbo. It was hard to believe at the time, but maybe a really is right around the corner.
Oprah gives away 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to audience – Click above to watch the video
After dominating the afternoon talk show circuit for 25 years, Oprah Winfrey is going out in style by giving each member of her studio audience keys to the as-yet-unseen . The promotion is part of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things giveaway, in which audience members are lavished with pricey surprise gifts of all descriptions.
Jonathan Browning, President and CEO of of America, confirmed that Winfrey reached out to the German automaker about the giveaway, saying that as an owner of the current VW New Beetle, the icon has long been one of her Favorite Things. The show, which aired moments ago on ABC, saw Oprah making the surprise announcement in front of a silhouette of the forthcoming model, and a current model New Beetle was featured on stage. While Browning admits that Oprah has been given a sneak peek at the completed car, her 275 lucky audience members will be in the dark about their new rides look until VW reveals it at a date to be determined this Spring (read: it won’t be shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January). Audience members will receive their cars next Fall when VW’s Puebla, Mexico plant begins production.
While VW officials declined to talk in detail about the 2012 Beetle, Browning did confirm that the new model will feature technologies like Bluetooth integration and a touchscreen, along with branded audio systems and ambient lighting. More importantly, Browning insists that the new model will have a decidedly sportier bent than previous iterations. The 2012 Beetle will feature available performance-minded items like a stiffer suspension, sport seats, 19-inch wheels and dual exhausts.
This more sporting attitude is interesting, in part because VW officials have previously indicated that they hope to ‘degender’ the new model (the New Beetle’s image and ownership base has long skewed heavily female). Given this positioning, the decision to launch a major promotion with Oprah Winfrey may seem a bit curious, but VW knows that it will still need to woo the current New Beetle’s core audience in order for the 2012 model to be a success.
Autoblog was able to confirm that not only will VW’s TDI engines figure in to the model’s plans, clean diesel technology will even be available in the Cabriolet model, making it the first modern oil-burning convertible sold in the States. The company’s venerable 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine will also be available, but there’s no word yet about a dedicated high-performance model or a possible hybrid variant.
This is not the first time Oprah has given away new cars as part of her Favorite Things show – she famously handed over the keys to 276 then-new Pontiac G6 sedans back in 2004 as part of a $7.7M promotion. Nor is it the first time that the talk show queen has worked with Volkswagen – last year she . to watch video of Oprah breaking the news to her studio audience.
Acura Advanced Sports Car concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
According to Peter Lyon, Motor Trend’s correspondent abroad, is still hard at work on a successor to the much-loved . If true, we can expect the halo car to be powered again by a six-cylinder engine, this time augmented by a hybrid powertrain.
Up to this point, we’re willing to put on our tinfoil NSX fanboy hats to suspend our fleeting grip on reality in hopes of a return to Honda-spec supercardom. However, not even Mulder himself could sell us on what Lyon is suggesting. According to MT’s man in Japan, Honda is planning to use a flip-flopped platform as the basis for its super coupe. You read that right.
While we’d love to see a 400-horsepower, all-wheel-drive NSX hit the market in 2014, we’re not holding our collective breath… especially for one based on a backwards Accord chassis.
AutoWeek reports that will wade into plug-in electric waters in 2013. The automaker’s head of electric vehicles, Yoshikazu Nakamura, said the vehicle will be an SUV similar to the 2009 Px-MiEV Concept and that the production version is already nearing the final stages of development. The concept got its pep from a tiny 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine working in coordination with two electric motors and a battery pack. Mitsubishi pegged the Px-MiEV as being able to travel for up to 30 miles one pure electric go-go, so there must be some pretty hefty battery technology onboard as well.
Whether or not the production SUV will use a similar drivetrain remains to be seen. We can say with some certainty that Mitsubishi is likely to simplify the vehicle’s name considerably. The automaker has already scrapped the i-MiEV moniker for the somewhat more palatable name of “i powered by MiEV” in the States. We can’t wait to explain that one to the fine people of the DMV.
Mercedes-Benz B-Class – Click above for high-res image gallery
According to the crew at Inside Line, AMG may be looking into working its magic on a model below the current . While speaking at this year’s LA Auto Show, Ola Kaellenius, the head honcho of the go-fast division, said that while there isn’t much of a case for AMG-tweaked versions of the A- and B-Class right now, that may change in the next three to four years. That means that Mercedes-Benz would have to give the go-ahead on a much smaller high-performance engine than AMG’s current go-to 5.5-liter forced-induction V8, though Inside Line says that AMG has been working in that area already.
This is our excited face.
In addition to the good news about brawnier baby Benz models, Kaellenius also said that his brand will pursue reducing weight before sliding hybrid drivetrains into its products. That means that AMG is safe from dreaded battery packs – for now. Likewise, we can keep our ears pinned for news of two new Black Series cars sooner rather than later.
may be raking in the awards with its right now, but isn’t exactly going unnoticed for its efforts on the green front. The GreenBlue Oval has won Nielsen’s first Automotive Green Marketer of the Year award. The honor is given to brands that help shape consumer awareness of environmental themes, and Ford beat out , , and for this year’s pick in the automotive category. According to Nielsen, the campaigns for both the and helped tip the scales in the Ford direction. Additionally, Nielsen says that FoMoCo’s decision to sponsor this year’s hybrid-oriented American Idol helped out quite a bit as well.
This isn’t just some popularity contest, though. Nielsen dug through three research studies to determine each manufacturer’s effectiveness in green advertising. All told, over 7,000 participants were involved in the research. for the press release.
Lexus ‘Darkcasting’ – Click above to watch the teaser video
is continuing its “Darker Side of Green” advertising campaign for the new CT200h with a new video series. Comedian Whitney Cummings will interview a host of unique personalities as they drive the new hybrid hatch through their home cities. Each episode will focus on a different locality, with hotspots like San Francisco, Miami and New Orleans taking center stage.
Don’t expect the interviewees to be hardcore driving aficionados, either. Instead, Lexus has handpicked a few movers and shakers from each community to spend a little time behind the wheel of the company’s newest hybrid.
The automaker is calling the video series “Darkcasting,” and the interviews will be shot in a total of six cities across the United States. Eventually, the series will be found at the campaign web site, but the impatient among you can check out the quick trailer . The full press blast is there, too.
