2010 Toyota Prius Walks The Walk With A Whopping 50mpg
Unless you've been living under a rock (and who could blame you these days?), you probably know that the 2010 Toyota Prius is on the way. Chances are also good that you've read Toyota's claims that the new Prius will kick some serious mileage butt.
Well, after talking the talk, Toyota is finally gearing up to walk the walk: today, the company announced that, indeed, the 2010 Prius will get "a combined EPA estimated fuel efficiency rating of 50 miles-per-gallon". So there.
We'll spare you the full release delivered on the Toyota jumpdrive--it does go on--but here are a couple of paragraphs to tide you over:
The third-generation Prius extends its record of continuous improvement in fuel economy. The first-generation Prius, which was rated 41 EPA combined mpg, was replaced by the current model, which is EPA rated at 46 miles per gallon (mpg), combined city/highway. Using a combination of technologies, fuel efficiency was increased to an EPA estimated city/highway mpg rating of 50 in the city, 49 on the highway and a combined 50 mpg for the new Prius.
A larger and more powerful 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle, four-cylinder engine will produce 98 horsepower at 5,200 rpm in the new Prius. Together with its electric motor the hybrid system in the new Prius will generate a combined net horsepower of 134, an improvement of 24 horsepower over the previous generation.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the larger engine actually helps improve highway mileage. By making more torque, the new engine can run at lower average rpm on the highway. When operating at lower rpm, the new engine uses less fuel. Mileage is especially improved in cold-start conditions and at higher speeds.
Use of an electric water pump and a new exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system also contribute to the engine's efficiency. The 1.8-liter Prius engine is the first Toyota power plant that requires no belts under the hood for better fuel economy and less potential maintenance.
We'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about America's favorite wedge after our official test drive on March 25--earlier if we run out of other stuff to talk about. Stay tuned.
[source: Toyota]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Toyota To Sell Old Prius Alongside 2010 Model In Japan
When the new, third-gen 2010 Toyota Prius goes on sale this summer, it will be offered alongside the current-gen Prius in Japan according to the business newspaper Nikkei. The point: create a reason for hybrid buyers to stay in the Toyota fold despite the arrival of the reportedly lower-priced 2010 Honda Insight.
The Honda Insight is rumored to retail below $2 million yen (roughly $22,222 as of this writing), a number that Edmunds claims is a significant psychological factor in Japanese car purchases. The current Prius starts out above $25,000; Toyota plans to "de-content" the current model's interior to bring its price closer to Insight levels for summer battle in the hybrid car segment.
Will Japanese buyers, reputedly unable to resist the latest and greatest, really spring for an old-gen Prius with a gutted interior when they could have Honda's 2010 Insight for the same or even less money? If buyers really want the best, they could step up to the third-gen 2010 Prius with its more powerful 1.8-liter, new styling inside and out, and infusion of the latest tech. But that model is likely to ring at prices higher than the outgoing Prius, which tops out at over $37,000 in Japan.
[source: Edmunds]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
DC’s Cycle World International Motorcycle Show
While most of America's gearheads have been tuned into Detroit, this weekend saw another major event for the mechanically inclined: the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Washington, D. C. There, in the Big 3's second-favorite city, exhibitors from around the globe showed off the latest and, occasionally, greatest in chopper tech.
Although I didn't get to go myself, plenty of folks did, and many of them have posted shots of the event to Flickr--notably, PlanetHiker, DWest, and UrsaMinorMD. Compared to the electrified, slightly depopulated North American International Auto Show, Cycle World looks considerably louder, and the booth babes...well, they look louder, too.
If you missed it, never fear: we've just entered Cycle World's spring circuit, so there are more expos afoot, including New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Greenville, S.C. (Hello, Greenville!) Send in some pics if you're lucky enough to go!
--Richard Read
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2009 Detroit Show: Chevy Spark, Orlando Coming to the U.S.
The Chevy lineup will expand over the next two years with the addition of the Spark subcompact and the Orlando MPV.
GM's press conference at the 2009 Detroit auto show revealed that both vehicles would be coming to North America--and Chevrolet's Ed Peper confirmed to TheCarConnection.com that both are destined for sale in the U.S.
While GM showed the concept version of the Spark--the Chevrolet Beat, part of a trio of concept cars from last year's show circuit--it did show a single photo of the five-door production car due late next year. The Orlando concept from the recent Paris auto show (as shown here) also rolled on stage, along with the 2010 Cadillac SRX, 2010 Buick LaCrosse, and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt--as well as the cool Cadillac Converj concept we brought you earlier today.
There's more news to come from GM--stay tuned as TheCarConnection.com reports live from the show floor at Detroit's Cobo Hall.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Link Love From The Car Connection: Friday Edition
Here are a few extra bits of auto-related goodness to get you through the weekend:
- Give 'em some love: Consumer Reports has revealed that the best-loved brands among car-buyers are Toyota, Honda, and Ford. At the bottom? Suzuki, Mazda, Saab, and Hummer. Maybe next year. [Autoweek]
- Outrageous roads: Believe it or not, the world boasts scarier roadways than those found in LA. Who knew? [DarkRoastedBlend]
- Cars by kids, not for kids: Remember when we told you about those high school kids in California developing a car powered in part by the wind? Well, there are more details circulating--including a drop date for the prototype. That's one reason to look forward to August. [WorldCarFans]
- Forward-looking car competition flooded: The current state of the auto industry may be a little bloodstained, but the glut of submissions to the "Design the Car of the Future" competition could mean a very rosy future. [PressPortal]
- Hyundai goes high-tech: Ford isn't the only automaker at CES. Hyundai is showing off loads of new toys, including gadgets that can find open parking spaces in crowded parking lots and receive mobile high-def video at 180 mph. Because you haven't really lived until you've watched Speed while hurtling down the autobahn. [Edmunds]
--Richard Read
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Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Toyota, Ford Duel Over MPG
So...remember when we said that the 2010 Ford Fusion (41 mpg city/36 mpg highway) would soon be the most efficient mid-size on the road? Yeah, well, Toyota wasn't too happy with that. They're now arguing that the Prius (at 48/45) is king of the efficiency heap.
The EPA categorizes cars based on combined passenger and cargo space. The Prius boasts 110.6 cubic feet, while the Fusion clocks in at 111.6, which puts both in the 110 - 119 range of mid-size vehicles. (NB: Freep seems to have misstated these stats.) The 2010 Prius won't be revealed until this weekend, and it's supposed to be a bit larger, but probably not large enough bump into full-size territory. In other words, the Prius probably still has bragging rights.
Now Ford seems to be back-tracking on its earlier claims, saying essentially, "Oh, no: we weren't including Toyota's Prius in our comparison, just the Camry hybrid." Which is a little like saying, "We're better than everyone! Except that guy!"
Still, given Ford's less-than-green image and its lagging hybrid sales, producing a runner-up to the 800-pound Prius gorilla ain't so bad.
--Richard Read
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Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Toyota Launches OnStar Competitor
Intrigued by the popularity of GM's OnStar, Toyota has announced that it will offer a built-in safety service in some Toyota and Lexus models as soon as summer 2009. The services will have different names--Safety Connect for Toyotas, Enform for the Lexus (presumably because "Safety Connect" sounds too lowbrow)--but the features will be similar.
Like OnStar, Safety Connect/Enform users will be able to press a button on the hardware interface to receive immediate assistance for flat tires, dead batteries, and the like. Operator contact will also be triggered in the event of airbag deployment. And both, of course, will require a subscription after the first year. The Enform system goes a bit further, providing a voice interface for making phone calls and getting directions. The potential downside? The company's "Lexus Insider" podcasts, which may be foisted upon you.
My question would be: which way is this technology going? Are all automakers moving toward in-dash setups, or are the Tom-Toms and Garmins of the world set to take over? In its press release, Toyota claims that built-in systems are safer and more reliable, but portable systems are, well, portable. What's your take?
--Richard Read
[via Autoweek]
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Aptera Puts On The Brakes
Bad news for fashion-forward greensters: outside-the-box startup Aptera (backed to the tune of $24 million from Google and others) has postponed the launch of its first vehicle: the all-electric, three-wheeled, spacepod known as the 2e. The company recently sent a letter to everyone who'd put down a $500 reserve deposit for the car, explaining that the January 16 launch was a bit premature and that October 2009 was a more realistic timeframe for a full drop. Cue the sad trombone.
Why the delay? Well, it looks like there were a variety of factors at work. The global economy isn't helping Aptera's jitters--though to be fair, the 2e is pretty reasonably priced at $20k - $40k, which doesn't seem high enough to scare off the car's potential buyers. No, it seems the biggest hurdle is in the marketing and customer satisfaction arena: not long ago, Aptera sent out a survey to that same list of depositors (something you'd normally do before you started designing), and they got back some surprising data. For example, buyers intend to use the 2e to do things like visit drive-throughs, which is not only weird (the same person who drives a 2e lunches on Big Macs?), but also inconvenient, since the 2e doesn't have roll-down windows. Ooops. Back to the drawing board....
--Richard Read
[via HybridCars]
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010 Pontiac G8 ST Is DOA
We predicted it a few weeks back--or at least suggested it would be a grand candidate for the scrap heap. Now GM's gone and cancelled the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST, according to our buddy Mike over at PickupTrucks.com.
The latter-day El Camino was to be spun from the Pontiac G8 sedan chassis. It was due to go on sale later this year, and was named in a Web-based contest that ended up with the unimaginative initials ST.
The dealers who sell Pontiacs were told of the decision this morning. GM has said it's trimming down the Pontiac lineup to no more than three vehicles, and with interesting stuff like the 2009 Solstice, G8 sedan and Fiero--wait, they don't sell a Fiero anymore?--the weird-idea ST will never launch.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
U.S. Auto Slump Felt in Japan
A historically weak auto market in the U.S. is causing strong ripple effects for Japanese automakers. Toyota is making the most dramatic layoffs, ridding itself of 6,000 contract workers in all. More than 6,000 additional jobs will be cut by Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Suzuki, and Honda, all of whom are scrambling to cut costs, according to Automotive News.
While this move is a bit dramatic, it's not drastic like the North American layoffs and plant closures employed by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler as those automakers fight for survival. A while back, changing legislation allowed Japanese automakers to begin hiring part-time, contract workers. This is serving to be quite a boon for them as they quickly adjust to a changing market without fees or retribution from unions or government.
Tatsuo Yoshida, an auto analyst at UBS in Tokyo, explained to Automotive News that the biggest reason for the adjustments at the Japanese firms is a drop in auto exports primarily to North America. He believes we will see further job cuts from Japanese automakers in 2009.--Colin Mathews
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
