Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery
has sold just over three million hybrids globally since it introduced its first, the Toyota Coaster Hybrid EV bus in 1997, followed that same year by the first-gen . More impressive is the fact that more than a million of those sales have come since August of 2009.
Toyota offers 16 different hybrid models around the world, and it’s about to introduce several new variations of the Prius to our shores. Toyota’s luxury division has augmented the company’s hybrid movement, offering a gas-electric electric option on the , and models, and two dedicated hybrids, the and .
By the end of 2012, Toyota says it will add 10 more hybrid models to the global market. According to Toyota, hybrid vehicles had saved the nearly 18 million tons of C02 it would have produced building similarly sized traditional gas-powered cars.
BMW Megacity EV – Click above for high-res image gallery
When launches the in 2014, it reportedly hopes to move 30,000 of the electric city cars a year. That number is derived from BMW’s stated target of matching the volume of its lower-production Mini models.
The i3, formerly known as the Megacity Vehicle, will launch alongside the i8 plug-inhybrid as the first offerings from BMW’s new i subbrand. The i8 is based on BMW’s 2009 Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. The i8 will fill the sports car market segment for i.
There’s no definitive word on pricing yet, but BMW sources have reportedly told AN it expects to price the i3 somewhere north of 40,000 Euro, though presumably it would be significantly cheaper if it reaches North America.
Cars 2 goes international – Click above for high-res image gallery
Disney has dropped the latest trailer for Cars 2, and along with the , they’ve released that make a nice addition to .
In the second installment of our favorite car-related, Pixar-animated feature, the crew from Radiator Springs goes global, racing in the World Grand Prix and getting caught up in an international espionage ring. Naturally, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) once again take center stage, and judging by the trailer, the Pixar people continue to one-up their own efforts.
to see the action and check out the new gallery of pics below.
2013 Audi S6 spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
In addition to a version, is giving its sleek new the full S treatment. Our spy photographers recently snapped this completely undisguised prototype out testing in Germany, leading us to believe that the production car will likely debut in the not-too-distant future. Audi’s usual S up-do is fully evident here, with the more aggressive front fascia, side sill extension and four exhaust tips out back all signaling a more sporting sedan.
The new will likely ditch the current car’s 5.2-liter V10 mill in favor of a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. Since the S6 will compete with the likes of the and , expect power output to be somewhere in the 500- to 550-horsepower range.
Fast Five film flies into theaters April 29th – Click above to watch video
, the latest installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, is fast approaching. This fifth Fast film features stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reprising the roles of Brian O’Conner and Dom Toretto. Other familiar faces find their way back for Fast Five; including Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang.
Universal aired , and now they’ve flipped forth with another look at Fast Five. to find the feature-film trailer for fifth Fast flick, which hits theaters on April 29th. Fantastic!
2009 Mazda6 – Click above for high-res image gallery
People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a unique – if unlikely – solution to 2009-2010 owners who have felt the bite of the . They want you to donate your ride to them. The animal-rights group is soliciting donations from any of the 52,000 affected Mazda customers who would rather see the spiders saved than murdered at the hands of mechanics.
Once they’ve chased the itsy-bitsy spiders from the car’s evap pipe, PETA says they’ll use the donated sedans to champion their cause. PETA says that this won’t be the first time they’ve received cars from animal loving donors: a PETA member who was terrified of mice once donated a brand-new to the organization after she found a mouse living in it. The mouse was saved, just as the spiders will be.
Shayton Equilibrium – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Shayton Equilibrium looks like it could be a whole barrel of fun. Or rather, it might be – if only it existed. For now, the Shayton remains a digital rendering only, but the Slovenian company is apparently toiling away at making the design a reality.
The Shayton packs a 1,000-plus-horsepower V12 amidships, and, Shayton says it will nail down 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, on the way to topping out at 248 mph. Couple that with carbon fiber bodywork equaling just 2,600 pounds, and you have a true hypercar recipe.
The design is a little bit Enzo, a little bit , and maybe even a little , but looks to spank all three of them on a track. To do that, the 20 or so Shayton plans to build will need to exist, and so far there’s no notion of when that might be.
To celebrate Greg Tracy’s win at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb last year, is releasing a commemorative special edition of its Multistrada 1200S for the U.K.
Pikes Peak Edition bikes will get a custom paint scheme based on the Ducati Corse livery, along with an anodized black engine and black wheels with red pinstriping. To make things a little louder and introduce more carbon fiber, the bike will be delivered with an EU-approved carbon fiber silencer from Termignoni and a low profile carbon fiber windscreen.
To top it off, Ducati is throwing on a carbon fiber front fender and a special seat with custom commemorative stitching(!). Ducati will start hawking the Pikes Peak Edition Multistradas in the UK in May, with a starting price of just over $27k.
Ferrari goes digital to explain the drivetrain of the 2012 FF – Click above to watch video
The latest exotic machine from Maranello is the 2012 FF. The unusual is a four-passenger shooting-brake with a 651-horsepower, 6.3-liter V12 under the hood. All of that go-go-energy is sent to the wheels via Ferrari’s new 4RM part-time all-wheel-drive system.
The Italian automaker has put together a video explaining how the system works. To put it simply, the system metes out torque to each wheel individually. That’s no easy task, since the twelve-cylinder mill churns out 504 pound-feet of the stuff. for a visual lesson on the Ferrari FF’s 4RM drivetrain. Also, turn up your speakers for the Beverly Hills Cop-esque soundtrack.
Audi A3 Sedan Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
The may not have been the Volkswagen Group’s at the , but it still garnered a lot of high praise from those in attendance. Automotive News reports that if produced, the sedan would likely be sold here in the United States – a no-brainer, really, especially since the German automaker offering a four-door bodystyle of the A3 here in America.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi AG board member for sales and marketing, tells Automotive News that, “If you look at this specific segment around the world, you come to the conclusion that this car is designed – but it is not yet decided – with the U.S. and China in mind.” Schwarzenbauer further states that these are two markets where “the [sedan] segment is quite big.” The A3 sedan could come to the U.S. as early as 2013.
However, when it comes to the smaller crossover that’s currently being developed, Audi has not yet decided whether it will be sold in the CUV-hungry U.S. Automotive News reports that if the Q3 is given the green light, it would not arrive for another 12 to 15 months – even though the European-spec crossover is scheduled to go on sale this year.
Gallery:
Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
2013 BMW i3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
engineers are busy putting their new line of i-branded vehicles through the winter-ringer, and in addition to , the i3 has been spied taking to the snow.
The shape of the i3 decidedly un-BMW, with its upright, pedestrian-friendly nose, slab sides and bulbous back end. The taillamps fitted to the prototype obviously aren’t production-spec, while the thin tire and wheel combo are doing double-duty, blending winter grip with low rolling resistance. The overall shape is rather anonymous, but we’re digging the sloped roofline and massive greenhouse, which should make visibility that much better.
Although BMW has confirmed that the , the rest of the chassis is likely to employ plenty of aluminum to keep the curb weight in check. What we don’t know is what kind of powertrain is fitted underneath and which wheels are driven. Our sources indicate that the i3’s architecture will be rear-wheel drive, but there’s . If it’s the latter, expect a 0-60 mph time of around 10 seconds and a range that tops out near 100 miles. Sales are slated to begin in late 2013, right after the range-topping i8 hits the market.
Mini Rocketman Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
This year’s Geneva Motor Show was as packed as ever with new concept cars that point the way forward for the world’s automakers. And with their debuts now behind us, reports are pouring in on their prospects for production.
First came word that the , then reports surfaced of ’s design pitch. Now sources from across the pond are indicating that plans to go ahead with production of its concept.
The subcompact show car aimed to pacify purists who bemoan the enlargement of the modern Mini range, and the new model could bridge the gap between the original Mini and the contemporary iteration.
According to Autocar, Mini plans on producing the Rocketman based on the Group’s new front-drive platform and technologies. Rather than replace the existing three-door hatchback, however, the production Rocketman would slot in below it (at least in terms of size) in the company’s rapidly expanding range.
Nokian Tires slides past Bentley’s Ice Speed Record – Click above to watch video
Nokian Tires was paying close attention to Ice Speed Record. If you don’t recall, Bentley used a Continental Supersports Convertible to dash across a stretch of ice last month at 205 miles per hour,. Nokian strapped a set of its Hakkapeliitta 7 studded tires on to an Audi RS6 and decided to have its own icy blast. Thanks to the grippy rubber and aerodynamic mods (as well as a curious lack of detail regarding performance mods), the Nokian team and driver Janne Laitinen upped the ice-speed ante with a trap figure of 206.05 miles per hour.
The Nokian team previously set an Ice Speed Record using its Hakkapeliitta 5 tires. During that run, a Bentley was used, but this time Nokian preferred Four Rings, Quattro all-wheel-drive and its latest generation of studded snow tires. to watch the new record and Nokian’s previous 199.86 mile per hour record run. Thanks for the tip, Ville!
Veritas RSIII Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery
Vermot AG is on the cusp of unleashing a hail of all-new models, including a fully-electric vehicle and a coupe version of the delicious Veritas RSIII. But before we get a taste of those, the company is dipping a pinky toe into electric waters with the introduction of the Veritas RSIII Hybrid. The vehicle basically throws a 105 kilowatt electric motor into the already delectable mix that makes up the standard RSIII. That means that you still get the sounds and feel of the 507-horsepower -built V10 engine in the standard RSIII, but with a little extra electron punch.
Even with the additional drivetrain components and a stack of lithium-ion batteries, the Veritas RSIII Hybrid tips the scales at 2,821 pounds, which is around 500 pounds heavier than the standard version. Even so, Vermot says its battery-operated speedster can do away with the 0-62 mph sprint in a skinny 3.1 seconds thanks in part to the fact that the electric motor kicks power to the front wheels, effectively making the machine an all-wheel drive terror. For reference, that’s .1 seconds faster than its predecessor.
We should have known better, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to believe the rumors. For over two years now, we’ve heard whispers of Nissan’s plan to introduce a convertible version of its , but the idea seemed so far-fetched that we just couldn’t wrap our gray matter around it. We managed to fall sleep at night by dismissing the notion as yet another silly bit of industry rumor-mongering, the sort of fodder serially dished out by British auto weeklies that splash absurd future product predictions on their covers (generally accompanied by fanciful artist’s renderings) to sell more paper at the newsstand.
We doubted it, but we should have known better. has shown real design bravery lately, as well as an unquenchable desire to fill any and all white space in its portfolio. Remember, it was Nissan’s product planners who conceived of a car designed exclusively with a T-square, throwing in a bit of asymmetrical glass and a patch of fake grass atop the dashboard – just in case anyone thought the was too boring. The automaker then announced that it was making a big bet on a only capable of driving 100 miles before having to have its e-umbilical cord reattached. It followed this up with a tiny yet oddly lovable wearing a Kabuki mask. In retrospect, we shouldn’t be questioning Nissan’s wisdom in lopping the top off its mid-size crossover to create a ragtop – we should be wondering what’s taken it so long.
As we stand around looking at the CrossCabriolet at its sun-drenched San Diego launch, we can’t help but be confounded. By all rights, the CrossCabriolet ought to look like a SEMA refugee. You know the type: four doors, shadetree roofectomy by Sawzall, a frumpy and ill-fitting top and a targa bar straddling the passenger compartment to keep the whole thing from collapsing in on itself. Amazingly, in person, the Murano convertible doesn’t look anything like this. Nissan has clearly expended a surprisingly large amount of styling and engineering resources on the project, and the resulting vehicle looks more cohesive than it has any right to.
Don’t call it a , whatever you do. Ram has officially yanked back the sheets on the newest addition to its growing stable of workhorses – a -based cargo van built to cater to the small business owners of the world. Along with solid side panels down the vehicle’s flanks, the Ram C/V packs a flat load floor and a load-leveling suspension. Under the hood, buyers will only be able to get the new Chrysler 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the engine helps provide what Ram calls a class-besting tow rating of 3,800 pounds.
The Ram C/V also boasts an economy mode to maximize fuel efficiency, and says that buyers can expect around 25 mpg highway.
The van is also loaded with heavy-duty kit like a more robust radiator, transmission cooler and stiffer rear coil springs. Combined, the pieces help the vehicle serve up a Gross Combined Weight Rating of 8,750 pounds with an 1,800-pound cargo rating. for the full press blast, or check out Ram’s new fighter out in the gallery below.
BMW i8 Spy Shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
doesn’t seem to be too engaged in trying to hide what the company’s new i8 supercar will look like when it arrives – in fact, it’s been so kind as to leave the label on one of its prototypes. Our keen-eyed spy photographers managed to snap a few quick photos of the vehicle dashing through the snow in northern Sweden during a little cold-weather testing. The machine you see above will be the reigning monarch of the Bavarian automaker’s new sub-brand, , once it debuts.
Based on the Vision EfficientDynamics concept that starred at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the vehicle is said to pack 2+2 seating, a 0-62 mph time in the 4.8 second range and fuel economy of over 62 mpg U.S., along with a supercar price tag. Look to fork over around $200,000 when this beastie touches down.
There’s been some indication that BMW will forgo the thrifty diesel engine of the concept in favor of a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline mill to work in coordination with a hybrid system. While that’s bad news bears for diesel fans, the fact that BMW is gearing the platform toward gasoline means that this vehicle will more than likely show up on American shores.
Tesla Model S – Click above for high-res image gallery
Tesla recently held a celebration in honor of its newest store, located in Milan, Italy. At the event, customers and company-folk mingled while chatting about their favorite electric car company. One of the key talking points was the upcoming Model S, and Tesla took the opportunity to answer a few questions.
Deliveries of the North American-market . The first 1,000 vehicles peeled off the assembly line will be Signature Series cars, which means they’re fitted with 300-mile range batteries and identifying options. Once the Signature Series run has been sold, Tesla will continue to produce 300-mile range cars while optional 230-mile and 160-mile Model S sedans will follow later in the year.
The base 160-mile range Tesla Model S will start at $57,000, but a $7,500 tax credit will cut that price to $49,500. Stepping up to the 230-mile range Model S will add $10,000 to the bottom line. The range-topping 300-mile Model S adds $20,000 to the base price. Tesla plans to produce 5,000 units in 2012 before going full-tilt in 2013 with a 20,000 vehicle production run.
Not limited to just the North American market, Tesla will being selling the Model S in Europe during the latter half of 2012. By the middle of 2013, the company will have a right-hand-drive version for the rest of Europe and Asia. Those launches will also features the Signature Series edition.
They’re both Italian. They both have V12 engines with around six and a half liters of displacement and upwards of 600 horsepower driving all four wheels. They’ll also both cost their affluent buyers over a third of a million dollars to get their hands on (before speculation and everything else is factored in).
That is, of course, only if they can actually get their hands on one. Because according to reports, both the and the have already been sold out for the next year’s worth of production.
We say “already” because both cars – flagships for arch-rival marques – were only just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show days before reportedly selling out. Eight hundred of the former are slated to be produced through the end of 2011, and 700 of the latter. Which means that either their buyers have been plonking down over three hundred thousand Benjamins sight unseen, or more likely, both companies have been giving select clientele previews.
2011Hyundai Sonata 2.0T – Click above for high-res image gallery
has been on an extended roll these last few years, and car buyers have apparently noticed. The Korean automaker’s sales have been steadily climbing, and new products like the and only help matters. Winning new customers is obviously a large part of Hyundai’s recent success, but it’s important to keep current owners in the fold as well.
Hyundai is apparently doing just that, as Brand Keys has named Hyundai the brand with the best customer loyalty. Brand Keys President Robert Passikoff pointed out Hyundai’s ability to meet customer expectations, adding that the car maker “scored the highest levels of loyalty when it comes to the Automotive category.”
After Hyundai, the top six automakers were at number two, followed by a tie for and and another dead-lock for and . to read over the press release.
