Car buzz.....

[Macky]

Read from a reliable mag that the 2006 RAV4 will be bigger (still no 3rd row seats though) and will have an optional V6 engine!!! Toyota is also considering to produce an exotic car with a Lexus badge to take on Ferrari head on.

The Honda team isn't resting after introducing the 3rd gen Odyssey last year. Rumors has it that they are considering a hybrid version on the 4th gen Ody

Mitsu, long forgotten as a SUV/truck player, is going to introduce a version of the Dodge Dakota pickup. They are also introducing the next gen Eclipse with a more powerful V6 engine.

[cyberdoc95]

Read from a reliable mag that the 2006 RAV4 will be bigger (still no 3rd row seats though) and will have an optional V6 engine!!! Toyota is also considering to produce an exotic car with a Lexus badge to take on Ferrari head on.

The Honda team isn't resting after introducing the 3rd gen Odyssey last year. Rumors has it that they are considering a hybrid version on the 4th gen Ody

Mitsu, long forgotten as a SUV/truck player, is going to introduce a version of the Dodge Dakota pickup. They are also introducing the next gen Eclipse with a more powerful V6 engine.

[SIZE=3]
Do you mean this?[/SIZE]

[mazdamazda]

[SIZE=3]
Do you mean this?[/SIZE]

cyberdoc.... that's a photochop of the chevy s3x.

[cyberdoc95]

cyberdoc.... that's a photochop of the chevy s3x.

Kaya pala it looks familiar! I knew I've seen that design somewhere before and it wasn't a RAV4!! HE he he!!

[Macky]

Another one from Toyota:





We first got a gander at this truck two years ago in Detroit. Back then it was the FJ Cruiser concept. Now it’s just the FJ Cruiser, headed for production. Built on a modified version of the 4Runner’s body-on-frame platform, the FJ Cruiser dwells conceptually somewhere between the Nissan Xterra and Honda Element—off-road capable and rugged like an Xterra but cute, strange, and useful like an Element. Or as Toyota senior vice president and general manager Don Esmond puts it, “The FJ Cruiser effectively fills a gap in the Toyota lineup that was once our core heritage—affordable and durable vehicles that are youthful, fun to drive, aggressive, and tough.” Exterior styling borrows heavily from the concept that itself had many cues from the original FJ40 Land Cruiser. A narrow grille with two round headlights, pronounced front fenders, an upright windshield, and wraparound rear glass combine with chiseled flanks to create a familiar yet original design. Available only as a two-and-two-half door with small, rear-hinged access doors (like the Element’s), the 177.6-inch-long FJ has room for five. Fold down the rear seat, and there’s enough room for a couple of mountain bikes. The Chicago show car lacked a finished interior, although with Toyota promising a feeling of “toollike simplicity.” The only engine available will be the 4Runner’s 4.0-liter V-6, making 245 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. Four-wheel drive will be optional, with rear drive standard. A five-speed automatic and a six-speed manual will be offered. Stability control, ABS, a limited-slip rear differential, and a 5000-pound towing capacity will be standard when the FJ goes on sale early next year. Although Toyota has not announced pricing, we expect the base FJ Cruiser to start just below $20,000.

[Macky]

Eto daw ang papalit sa RAV4 pero I guess they decided to just redesign the RAV and include this retro-looking truck to its line-up.

[cyberdoc95]

[20vanda01]

Parang VW Toureg sa sideview.

[pajerokid]

Potek!!! Ganda nung FJ Cruiser na pinost ni Macky!

[RafRaf]

ok yung grill nung hyundai... hmmm, sana pwede magpalit ng grill dito sa pinas, ala cellphone casing, parang kanya-kanyang style/personalized... OT na.

[BlueBimmer]

improving na talaga hyundai hehe

[cyberdoc95]

[SIZE=3]Hybrids try to muscle in on European diesels[/SIZE]
Source: CLICK HERE!!

GENEVA - Diesel is still sweeping Europe. Hybrids are catching on in North America and Japan. But these trends are only short-term, as the industry prepares for the day the world’s fuel reserves dry up, some auto engineers said at the 75th International Motor Show in Geneva.

Nearly every automaker is here showing off its latest hybrid cars, fuel cell models or electric prototypes, along with the latest diesel options.

“Diesel is popular in Europe, clearly, but it’s a short-term trend,” said Laurent Aebi, a product specialist at Honda Motor Co., which was displaying its new FCX fuel cell car, powered by an electric motor that uses hydrogen as its energy source. “I give it another 10 years maximum. After that it will be the hybrid car. But both the diesel car and hybrid car are a transition as we head to fuel cell cars or pure electric cars.”

Yoshio Ishizaka, an executive vice president at Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s second-biggest carmaker, went further. “Hybrid is really not an intermediate technology," he said, predicting it would even power sports cars some day. "We think hybrid is the technology we have to see for the future.”

Toyota is exhibiting its successful Prius gas-electric hybrid, while Volkswagen is featuring its new Golf Bifuel, which runs on gasoline or natural gas. GM is displaying its concept Sequel car with hydrogen technology, and Honda’s FCX is being shown off on a giant podium complete with glittering water pool.

Lexus is unveiling its 270-horsepower luxury RX400h, the first performance SUV hybrid — which can go from 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds. This SUV, with a 3.3-liter gasoline engine combined with hybrid synergy drive, goes on sale in the United States in April.

The long-term energy picture
Currently, gasoline accounts for 98 percent of energy used in transport. The world consumes about 80 million barrels of oil a day, a number that continues to increase. American consumption alone is expected to grow nearly 50 percent over the next 20 years.


New & upcoming hybrids

DaimlerChrysler
Late 2004: diesel-electric Dodge Ram pickup with 15 percent mileage boost.

Ford
September 2004: Escape SUV, front-wheel-drive version doubles mileage to 35-40 mpg in city driving.
October 2005: Mercury Mariner SUV, 33 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway.
2007: Mazda Tribute SUV, no mileage data yet.
2008: Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, no mileage data yet.

General Motors
Summer 2004: GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups increase fuel economy 10-12 percent.
2006: Saturn Vue SUV, with 15 percent mpg increase.
2007: Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, up to 35 percent mpg boost. Chevrolet Malibu, 15 percent increase.
2008: Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups that get up to 35 percent mpg increase.

Honda
December 2004: Accord Hybrid rated at 37 mpg on the highway, 30 mpg in the city.


Toyota
April 2005: Lexus RX 400h SUV, nearly double mileage of comparable RX 330.

Summer 2005: Highlander SUV, no mpg estimate but Toyota says it will travel 600 miles on tank of gas.

Estimates vary on when production will begin to decline. Some believe it is imminent, saying discoveries of oil have slowed and little is left to be found. Others believe oil will remain abundant for at least several decades and new extraction technologies will ensure plentiful supplies for a long time.

“War in Iraq, no war in Iraq. We are still looking at long-term solutions,” said Yves Dubreil, vice president-deputy director of vehicle engineering at Renault.

“We the manufacturers need to be ready and find a solution for any political, economical or ecological crisis,” Dubreil added. “The world’s reserves are running out, there is no getting around that. Maybe in 100 years but probably a lot less.”

Hybrid cars draw power from at least two energy sources, typically a gas or diesel engine combined with an electric motor. Surplus engine power and energy produced by braking are used to continually recharge the vehicle’s battery.

Automakers are trying to convince consumers that hybrids can be just as powerful as traditional vehicles, but Dubreil says unless they save consumers money, they are unlikely to catch on.

Honda says that because of the relatively new technology, its hybrid Civic, for example, costs about $2,000 to $3,000 more than a comparable non-hybrid Civic.

“The performance today of hybrids is not better than diesel in terms of economy, speed and power,” Dubreil said. “And our problem is that we cannot change the behavior of people on our own. We can only offer them hybrid cars. But the hybrid is just getting started. Does it have a future? For that we need a crystal ball.”

The diesel debate
While carmakers work on more economical hybrids, European companies say diesel remains the cleanest, most economical option.

“We are convinced that the future of diesel is just beginning,” declared Eckhard Cordes, head of DaimlerChrysler’s premium Mercedes Car Group.

He outlined ambitious plans to expand Mercedes-Benz’ diesel lineup 70 years after it became the first carmaker to offer diesels as standard equipment.

“There is a clear trend towards the clean, economical and sporty diesel engine,” he said. “Over the past few months registrations of diesel-powered passengers cars across Europe as a whole outstripped petrol vehicles for the first time ever.”

Indeed, in Europe diesel accounts for more than 50 percent of new cars sold.

“There has been very rapid growth in the last 10 years,” said Adriane Brown, president and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems, a $4.3 billion business that produces turbochargers for both diesel and gas-powered engines. “We expect that to reach 56 percent by 2010.”

Even Toyota is hedging its bets. It is working hard to boost the percentage of diesel-powered cars it sells in Europe, which currently accounts for around 36 percent of its sales. It is also rolling out a new 2.2-litre diesel motor it makes in Poland.

A contrarian view came from General Motors Europe President Carl-Peter Forster, who said European sales of vehicles with gasoline engines could rebound due to climbing costs of building diesel engines to meet new emissions standards.

“Diesels will be very expensive engines,” he said. “I think we should expect the gasoline engine, to a certain extent, to bounce back.”

The popularity of diesels in the U.S. market remains constrained by environmental standards, access to fuel and many customers’ perception that they belong in trucks, not cars.

“In the United States, there has been a visceral rejection of diesel by baby boomers who were turned off by the bad performance of the first diesel cars,” Dubreil said. “The high-tech X and Y generations will get attached to the hybrid idea, skipping the diesel phase.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

[cyberdoc95]

NEW TOYOTA VITZ REPLACES COROLLA AS TOP DOG IN FEB CAR SALES
Publish Date : 3/8/2005 4:15:00 PM Source : Moneyplans.net Staff

Toyota Motor Corp.'s (TSE:7203) fully redesigned Vitz subcompact seized the No. 1 spot from the automaker's own Corolla in new-car sales this February, according to figures released Friday by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

Sales of the Vitz, which was remodeled last month, surged 190% on the year to about 15,000 units. The car came out on top for the first time in four and a half years.


With the Vitz's strong performance, the Corolla slipped to second place with sales of about 13,800 units. Toyotas were five of the top 10 best-selling new cars.


Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) vehicles occupied four places among the top 10 for the first time since July 1985.

Nissan has released six new models since September 2004. The Note, which debuted this January, came in third with about 12,700 units. And the Tiida, released last September, was ranked fifth with about 10,900 units.

Honda Motor Co. (TSE:7267), with its fourth-ranked Fit, was the only other automaker in the top 10. And for the first time since October, no cars from the ailing Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TSE:7211) made the top 30.

The figures exclude sales of minicars, defined as cars with engine capacities of up to 660cc.

[marv0083]

yung concept ng hyundai hindi kaya mahina siya sa side impact kasi walang pillar????

baka naman safety of the vehicle would be compromised

[empy]

wow....if that FJ cruiser is truly under $20k, with a V6 and decent hauling capacity...i might just abandon my SUV plans for this year and wait till it comes out. looks awesome!!

i guess it would also be smart to see what the new hummer H3 looks like/costs as well

[Macky]

Son of Supra



Looking for a high-profile sports car to polish its image, Toyota is finishing up development of a Supra successor, code-named project 395.

base engine: 3.5L V6 w/ 300hp * $30K
optional engine: 4.3L V8 w/ 350hp * low $40K
ETA: 2007