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Toyota Prius c Demand in Japan Could Affect US Allocation
The overwhelming demand in Japan for the new Toyota Prius c (known as the Toyota Aqua Hybrid) could affect the number of vehicles the US receives when they start to arrive in March. Toyota reported that they have received 120,000 orders in Japan for their new compact hybrid sedan, a number 10-times the 12,000 they…
Honda CR-Z Race Car to Compete in Japan’s Super GT Series
It appears as though Honda won’t let Toyota hog the spotlight in the GT300 class of the Super GT racing series. Joining the Prius Hybrid race car will be a Honda CR-Z developed with M-TEC Co., Ltd. and will be campaigned by Team Mugen. The hybrid racer won’t, however, be competing until Round 4 of…
Volkswagen XL1 to be Built as Diesel-Powered Plug-in Hybrid
Volkswagen first showed off its XL1 Concept at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, and the futuristic-looking coupe will be making its way to production, albeit in a limited run. The XL1 will be will be built on Volkswagen’s new modular MQB platform and even though no official photos of what the production model will look…
Watch the Lexus LF-LC Come to Life [Video]
Easily the most beautiful piece of sheetmetal unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus LF-LC Concept stunned crowds with its technology, style and mystery – hinting at a future super coupe that’s still a few years off. Created by the brand’s Calty design studio in Southern California, one can’t help but wonder how…
Toyota to Compete in FIA World Endurance Championship
Toyota racing announced today that the TS030 hybrid powered race car will compete in the World Endurance Championship races. Originally Toyota racing had planned on entering selected races on the World Endurance Championship circuit, but citing unexpected changes faced by the championship has now announced they will be a full-time entrant. This means that the…
Audi Announces Hybrid LMP1 Car
Audi is out to steal Toyota‘s thunder in the World Endurance Championship this year. The German automaker announced today that it will run two hybrid LMP1 cars for the first time in their team of four during the 24 hours of Le Mans. Details were scarce in the release, but we know that the cars…
Honda Loses in Small Claims Court Gas Mileage Suit
Given her background, Peters chose to take the case to Small Claims Court, knowing full well that under California law, Honda would be unable to bring in a team of highly paid lawyers to defend its position.
Infiniti Emerg-E Plug-in Hybrid Sports Car to Get Mid-Engine Layout
Infiniti has announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car concept will be called the Emerge-E. Using a gasoline range-extended to add power and range to an electric powertrain, this will be the first such system used in an Infiniti product. The “advanced sports car concept” will also be the first Infiniti to use a…
Toyota Prius c Now Reaches 120,000 Orders in Japan
We might become cautiously optimistic about Toyota if these reported order numbers continue to grow exponentially. It was just the end of December that we got reports that the Toyota Prius c in Japan (known as the Toyota Aqua) had reached 60,000 orders; and now just a little over a month later, they have reached 120,000…
Suzuki Announces 2012 Geneva Auto Show Display
Suzuki is starting to promote its display at next month’s Geneva Auto Show, which will feature two new cars aimed at reducing their owner’s carbon footprint. While both vehicles are designed for efficiency, they use different means to achieve that end. The Swift Range Extender goes about this with a strategy similar to the Chevy Volt…
Prius Plug-in Hybrid Gets Improved 95 MPGe Rating
Toyota is updating its figures for the Prius Plug-in Hybrid model ahead of the car’s launch, with improved numbers for both the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating and the remaining hybrid drive mpg rating. Previously Toyota had claimed the plug-in Prius would achieve 87 mpge using the electric mode and a 49 mpg once…
Toyota Prius c Pricing Starts at $18,950
At its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota promised that the new Prius c would be priced below the $19,000 mark. Full pricing info has yet to be released but a Toyota representative speaking at the car’s launch in San Diego this week has informed us that the sub-compact hybrid will come with a…
Acura Super Bowl Ad Pits Jerry Seinfeld Against Jay Leno for the First NSX [Video]
As though the reveal of the NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show didn’t garner enough buzz, Acura is looking to reach an even wider audience by showcasing the new hybrid sports car during this weekend’s Super Bowl. And to help out they’ve employed the help of two of the word’s best known comedians, both…
BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Pricing Starts at $61,845 [Huge Gallery]
BMW has announced the pricing for its new ActiveHybrid 5, and fuel efficiency will come at a cost, with a starting MSRP of $61,845, which includes a $895 destination and handling fee. That price tag puts the ActiveHybrid 5 at $9,435 more expensive than the standard 535i, but with it you’ll get “not just highly…
California Rules 15% of Car Sales Must be Zero-Emissions by 2025
Just when CAFE loosened standards and lowered from 56.5 MPG to 54 MPG by 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided to propose new and more stringent conditions for automakers that sell cars in California. The California Air Resources Board will not only enforce CAFE, but will also require at least 15.4 percent of…
Lawsuit Demands NHTSA Disclose Records From Toyota Investigation
After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation. According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway…
2013 Audi Q5 Getting Not-So-Efficient Diesel
Efficiency is important these days. The government is cracking down on gas guzzlers and imposing strict regulations that force automakers into saving more fuel than ever before. That’s why it might come as a surprise that Audi of America is opting not to offer their most efficient diesel engine in the upcoming 2013 Q5. That’s…
Toyota Sells 400,000th Hybrid In Europe
Toyota has delivered its 400,000th hybrid in Europe, marking a huge milestone for the Japanese automaker. Their entrance into the European hybrid market began back in 2000, and since then there has been three generations of their popular Prius and more recently, the Auris Hybrid in 2010. The 400,000th hybrid delivered in Europe was an…
Lexus LF-LC Concept In-Depth Video Released [Video]
Lexus debuted its LF-LC concept at this year’s Detroit International Auto Show and in doing so snagged the spotlight and our attention. We got our first look at it there and were impressed to say the least. The LF-LC concept introduces bold styling choices that force the car apart from the crowd both inside and…
BMW i5 Midsized MPV Due Out in 2015
We’ve seen plenty of the i3 and i8 concepts from BMW, and now reports are coming in that BMW is developing an i5 to fill the gap between the two upcoming models. Autobild is reporting that the i5 will be a midsized MPV and looks to target the Toyota Prius V market, but we’re thinking…
Toyota TS030 Hybrid Launch Footage [Video]
You might be familiar with the sound a Le Mans car makes while whipping around the track, but this year Toyota is going to change all that. For the first time in more than a decade, the Japanese giant is entering in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, set to start this June. Yesterday…
Acura ILX, RDX Production Models Heading To Chicago Auto Show
Acura will reportedly unveil the production versions of the new ILX sedan and RDX crossover at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show starting on February 8th. Both vehicles were displayed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in concept form but we don’t expect the production models to stray much from the concepts we saw. It’s…
Toyota TS030 Hybrid Powertrain Details Released
Toyota spilled more details on Tuesday of its plan to run a hybrid at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Last week we reported that the Japanese automaker would be entering such a vehicle, but there were no details on the powertrain or the plan surrounding the car itself. That changed when…
Electric Vehicles Outselling Hybrids in China
Last year some 2,713 Hybrids were sold in China, out of a total of some 14.5 million cars and trucks. Yet EV sales were around double the Hybrid total; 5,655 units to be exact.
