Archive for December, 2009
Toyota teases compact car concept ahead of New Delhi debut
Toyota recently revealed that it will showcase a new compact sedan concept at the upcoming motor show in New Delhi, India which runs from January 5th till 11th. The new concept is expected to go into production and the final product is expected to be a low-cost compact sedan for the emerging Indian market first and will other markets will get it later. It is also safe to say that the compact vehicle will be powered by small displacement engines.
The Indian press is also reporting that the car would be called the Etios with a market introduction expected to take place towards the end of 2010. With slightly less than a week to go for the event the automaker released a 34 second-long teaser of the concept. Judging from what we can see in the video, the concept looks almost production ready, indicating that it will almost certainly go into production.
Masterplan unveiled: Volkswagen-Suzuki to produce EVs and hybrids in India
When Volkswagen bought a stake in Suzuki earlier this month, the German carmaker mentioned “growing emerging markets” and “innovative and environmentally friendly compact cars” and how Suzuki fit its plans. Well, it becomes clearer now as both VW and Suzuki have revealed that they will be working jointly on hybrid and electric car projects in India, accoding to a report by carazoo.com.
What can both sides bring to the table? Wolfsburg is quite advanced in its quest for a super green car – the Up! Lite Concept for instance consumes just 2.44 litres of diesel per 100km while putting out just 65 g/km of CO2. This is achieved by combining an 800cc TDI engine, electric motor, 7-speed DSG gearbox, slippery aerodynamics and a 695kg weight. Suzuki on the other hand have a range of small cars and is active in fuel-cell electric car development. It’s also the market leader in India with a wide support network and established manufacturing facilities.
The two companies are looking at establishing a development base in India and it’s rumoured that they plan to build it at Suzuki’s R&D centre.
India is fast becoming the centre of the small car universe and carmakers are falling over themselves to get a piece of the action. Honda and Toyota will each launch a compact car concept at the upcoming India Auto Expo to tap this rapidly booming market. But while the others are planning basic small cars (which Suzuki and Hyundai currently dominate) VW and Suzuki are already aiming for the next level – small green cars.
Lexus plays down rumors of GS getting LFA’s V10 powerplant
The automotive press have been talking about Lexus dumping in the monstrous V10 engine found in the LFA super car into a high performance variant of the Lexus GS mid-sized sedan which is expected to be called the GS F. In response to the rumors, Lexus Europe release the following on its Twitter profile: “Many rumours flying on Lexus GS F V10. Not going to comment on those. Only that LFA V10 is bespoke to LFA.”
Many are talking about Lexus prepping an M5 fighter with its next GS model and the V10 that is good for 553hp at 8,700 revs and 480Nm of torque at 6,800 revs looks the part for the job, but it seems that the pairing of the GS and the LFA’s V10 will remain just as a rumor. At the same time, the company did not brush off talks concerning the introduction of a GS F in the first place.
Daimler to link up with new compact car partner in mid-2010
It has been revealed that Daimler is looking to link itself up with a new partner for its compact car business and that the German auto giant will decide who it will be sometime next year. Rumors have been circulating that Daimler will tie up with Renault which is planning to set up a line of affordable compact cars and compact electric vehicles, but both parties have yet to make any official announcements.
Daimler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche said that company will announce its new partner by the mid of 2010. Apparently Daimler is paying more attention to the development of compact cars, with its Smart brand as well as with its A and B-Class models from the company’s Mercedes-Benz operation.
Volvo reveals more of the 2011 S60 with a new video
Following the release of two official images of the brand new S60, Volvo has just unveiled a video of it that gives us better angles including shots of the rear. Unfortunately the company is still being tight-lipped about the vehicle’s interior. The S60 will make its world debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show happening in March and will be offered with features like that Pedestrian Detection which can detect pedestrians in front of the car and brake automatically if the driver does not react in time.
The new S60, which is pretty good looking if you ask me is expected to go into production in early summer at the company’s plant in Ghent, Belgium. Its current owner Ford has also announced that the Swedish company will be sold to China’s Geely. Geely’s boss also assured that Volvo will be managed independently. Meanwhile continue reading to catch the 1 minute 4 second-long video. Read the rest of this entry.
GM extends December 31st deadline for bids on Saab, Production to restart
A published report by news agency Reuters indicated that General Motors has extended the December 31st deadline for the sale of Saab to January 7th. It was also revealed that Saab will restart its production lines in January for the 9-5 since the company has received orders. It will also output the Saab 9-3 model.
Spyker has been heavily linked with the sale of Saab and the company’s chief executive Victor Muller also said that he believes that there are now multiple bidders for the Swedish brand but did not disclose who there are.
If the deal between Spyker and Saab (General Motors) goes through, Spyker would benefit from Saab’s technical resources and its distribution network, while Spyker would bring entrepreneurial expertise to Saab, according to Muller. He also said that both Spyker and Saab would operate as sister companies.
The report also stated that the Swedish government is willing to allocate US$ 75 million (542 million Swedish crowns) to help cope with the thousands of jobs that are expected to be lost if General Motors decides to shut down the 60 year-old brand, and we are talking about 3,400 jobs in Sweden.
The brand also has 1,100 dealers. At least the good news is that the deadline has been extended and the production lines will restart January.
Nothing is too sacred: Tommy Kaira tunes the Toyota Prius!
This is proof that tuners will modify anything that they can get their hands on. Anything, including cars that are meant to save the earth such as the Toyota Prius! Japanese tuning house Tommy Kaira, known by many through the Gran Turismo game series, has come up with an aero and performance package for the latest Prius hybrid.
New alloys of up to 18 inches are available. The aggresive bodykit includes a front spoiler, grille trim, decorative trim for the front bumper, side skirts, roof spoiler and a rear apron with an integrated diffuser that houses four tail pipes. These can be painted in body colour or matte black.
Performance mods are limited to a new brake system, sports suspension that lowers the Prius and a sports exhaust system. Other optional items include illuminated Toyota logos, a sports steering wheel, special floor mats and HID/LED lights.
We have to admit that it doesn’t look half bad, but won’t these alterations affect the Prius’s perfectly optimised aerodynamics?
More pictures after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Nothing will change in Volvo – Geely chairman assures
Here is some good news for Volvo enthusiasts out there. According to the Xinhua news agency, Geely’s founder and chairman Li Shufu assured that nothing will change in Volvo if the Chinese company successfully takes over the Swedish brand from Ford.
The big boss revealed that both Geely and Volvo will be independently managed and insisted that nothing will change in regards to Volvo’s production, research and development facilities.
He also said that Geely could help Volvo reduce its production costs, indicating a possible production switch to China. Lets hope that Shufu keeps his word as we don’t need to see a butchered brand. What Volkswagen is doing with other brands under its umbrella should be used as an example.
Ford recently confirmed that it will sell the Volvo brand to China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and that it plans for the deal to be signed in the first quarter of 2010 and a full completion is expected to occur by the second quarter of the year. The deal is rumored to be worth US$1.8 billion, much lower compared to the US$6.45 billion price tag Ford paid for in 1999.
