This may be the parking job ever.Found on Fixed Gears Bl...
Selasa, 27 April 2010
Toyota Wants Plug-in Prius in China
Toyota wants to start testing plug-in Prius in China as soon as possible (Source: Nikkei via GCC). And it's no wonder that Toyota would like to succeed in China, where it seems everyone is increasing the number of cars they are selling at incredible rates.But hybrids are not selling well, so it's a wonder that Toyota is pushing for plug-in hybrids in China. Maybe it's more of a political move, or maybe they are taking a long term approach. After all, the Prius wasn't what you would call an overnight success story here in the states. It took...
Initial Demand for Nissan Leaf is High
Nissan is pretty happy so far with the initial demand for their 100 mile range electric vehicle, the Leaf. According to reports, more than 6,000 pre-orders have been made in just the first three days.There were 117,000 people who registered on the Nissan website to be informed when the Leaf was ready to be ordered. Within the first three hours of opening up reservations, 2,700 of those followed up with a small down payment to pre-order their Leaf.Nissan has the capacity to build 50,000 Leafs in the first year. 3,700 people pre-ordered in Japan,...
Fisker Looks for More Millions to Upgrade Delaware Plant
Fisker is looking for more government money. After receiving almost $529 million from the federal loan program, they are looking for the state of Delaware to kick in another $9 million in a grant.The grant money will be used to offset utility costs while it upgrades the GM facility in Newport using another $12.5 million from a convertible loan.There's nothing really new about this sort of thing. The major automakers have relied on loans, grants, tax breaks and other money from the government for decades to build cars. The only difference here...
Senin, 26 April 2010
Fisker Gets $500 Million From the Government
Fisker has closed its loan with the federal government, giving it $528.7 million to help develop the Karma and NINA programs.The NINA program is its new development, a family sedan to be built in the old Delaware GM plant."The story of Fisker is a story of ingenuity of an American company, a commitment to innovation by the U.S. government and the perseverance of the American auto industry," said Vice President Joe Biden. "The Boxwood Plant is opening again, employing workers in Delaware, and is serving as a roadmap for all we can accomplish if...
Fusion and Milan Recall Notice
The 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan are included in a new recall by Ford. The recall affects the Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac, too.The front seat manual recliners fail to comply with federal standards. The gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement.In a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to...
Selasa, 20 April 2010
Prius MPV - Toyota Minivan for Next Year
Nikkei is reporting a Toyota minivan is in the works. The new minivan may, if the reports are correct, will come with a Prius badge. The report also has the new Prius MPV may be available as early as next year.And to top it off, it may come with a lithium-ion battery pack, which the Prius doesn't have.The report goes on to say the new larger hybrid will likely have three rows of seating for five to seven passengers and sliding doors.The new hybrid minivan will be 'competitively priced,' whatever that means. I'm guessing minivan owners will be...
Hybrids Need to Make Some Noise
David Strickland thinks hybrids may be too quiet for safety. "A quieter fleet could potentially put pedestrians at risk, especially blind pedestrians," Strickland said at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress.Which means hybrid owners may soon be looking at artificial noise makers installed onto their cars. Strickland, as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), will most likely back up any claims with requirements for all vehicles. Electric and hybrid cars, which run on electric power at low speeds, make...
Kamis, 15 April 2010
Alliance to Promote Natural Gas Hybrids
The American Public Gas Association (APGA), NGVAmerica, and Hybrid Kinetic Motors Corporation (HK Motors) formed an alliance to promote the mass production of natural gas powered hybrid cars. The alliance will promote the following ideals:Promoting consumer interest in natural gas hybridsEncouraging federal and state governments to extend the current range of incentives to encourage consumers, businesses, and governments to choose natural gas hybrid vehicles and the infrastructure necessary to sustain them. This would include advocating the passage...
Rabu, 14 April 2010
Russian Hybrid in the Works
Russia is investing in hybrid technology to the tune of $204 million. In a joint venture, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and Russian truck maker Yarovit, will create three electric car prototypes in December (Source: Bloomberg).Production will begin in January of 2011, and will 'break-even' by mid-2012.That's quite a feat. Toyota, Honda and Ford took a lot longer to 'break even' on their initial investment into developing hybrid technology. Other automakers have yet to do so (it's hard to tell really. It's not like they come out and tell you).The...
Hourly Hybrids on Hawaii
Green Car Hawaii is ready to try something new. When you visit Hawaii, you may spend a lot of time in and around your hotel, which means you may not need a rental car for most of your stay. What if you had the option of renting a car by the hour? What if it was a hybrid?That's the idea behind Green Car Hawaii (found via Pacific Business). Owners Warren Doi and Justin MacNaughton. And it's all at an amazing rate of $15 an hour!In partnership with Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa, guests can rent one of four custom-made, family-friendly Ford...
Selasa, 13 April 2010
Toyota Plug-in Prius Just Like Every Other Car
According to Edmunds Senior Editor, John O'Dell:They seem to do everyting Toyota has said it's PHEV will do, ncluding powering down the freeway at a steady 60 miles an hour in all-electric drive for a bitBut absent some heart-wrenching flaw that wasn't apparent in my limited time behind the wheel, the most I can say about Toyota's PHEV Prius is that driving it is pretty much just like driving a standard Prius, but with a bit less engine noise.But isn't that what you want from a car? No matter what's in the engine compartment, you still want it...
Minggu, 04 April 2010
First Drive: 2010 Audi TTS Coupe
Finally, Speed Matches Style By Nate Martinez In the decade or so it's been on the market, the Audi TT has become world renowned for its avant garde style, but it's never ranked high as a true sports car. That perception changed recently thanks in large part to quattro GmbH -- the performance division responsible...
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