Automobile hibride - concurenta pentru Insight

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

2010 Toyota Prius

What is it?
2010 Toyota Prius

What's special about it?
We've imagined the 2010 Toyota Prius with cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries and plug-in capability, and now the real thing is here at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. And although the production version of the 2010 Toyota Prius isn't radically different from the second-generation Prius, it should bring some significant upgrades when it goes on sale in late spring 2009.

The most obvious of these is the adoption of a larger-displacement, 1.8-liter inline-4 engine with variable valve timing (intake valves only). Running on the Atkinson cycle, the engine makes 98 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 105 pound-feet of torque — a big increase from the 76 hp and 82 lb-ft supplied by the second-generation car's 1.5-liter engine. The 1.8-liter uses cooled exhaust gas recirculation to enhance fuel economy (reintroducing cooled gas back into the intake manifold reduces pumping losses), and an electrically driven water pump eliminates the need for a power-robbing serpentine belt.

Toyota says total system power for the 2010 Toyota Prius is 134 hp, meaning that an additional 36 hp is coming from the car's nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The 2009 Prius had a battery pack rated for 28 hp.

The front transaxle that houses the car's electric motors and planetary continuously variable transmission is lighter this year, and Toyota says this reduces torque losses by up to 20 percent. An improved cooling system for the inverter allowed Toyota's engineers to make it smaller and lighter, too.

The upshot of all this is that the 2010 Toyota Prius will now hit 60 mph in 9.8 seconds, according to Toyota. That's a half-second quicker than the 2009 Prius and a full second quicker than the 2009 Honda Insight. The third-generation Prius is also more fuel-efficient, as Toyota predicts a 50-mpg combined EPA rating, versus the 2009 model's 46-mpg combined rating. By comparison, the 2009 Insight has a 41-mpg combined rating. Power, Eco and EV driving modes will let 2010 Prius owners prioritize getting to work on time or saving the planet by driving 5 mph under the speed limit.

Just as significant to us is the all-new chassis underneath the 2010 Toyota Prius. The wheelbase isn't any longer, but we suspect the track is a bit wider, given that the hybrid is 0.8 inch wider across the shoulders. Toyota says its engineers added caster and revised the front antiroll bar and bushings to improve straight-line stability — never a strong point for the second-gen car.

Fifteen-inch wheels remains standard, but the tires are wider — P195/65R15 instead of P185/65R15. Optional 17-inch wheels and P215/45R17 tires are likely an appearance upgrade rather than a dynamic one. Braking should be improved with either tire package, as every 2010 Toyota Prius gets four-wheel disc brakes. There's also a new regenerative braking system, which provides even more regeneration than before, says Toyota.

Toyota has not disclosed curb weight, but the company notes that aluminum is used for the hood, rear hatch, front suspension arms and brake calipers, while the rocker panels, center pillar and roof reinforcement are made of high-tensile steel. Those measures should help keep weight in check, but bear in mind that there's also more sound insulation to reduce road noise.

There's a bit more space in the cabin of the 2010 Toyota Prius, which is 0.6 inch longer than its predecessor. A slimmer front-seat design provides more rear legroom, though Toyota has not disclosed how much. Also, a revised battery pack layout has resulted in a cargo area that's 2.2 inches wider and 0.4 inch longer.

As expected, the 2010 Toyota Prius is available with all sorts of technological gadgets that your typical systems analyst won't be able to resist. For starters, there's the Touch Tracer system, which uses touch sensors on the steering wheel controls to bring up corresponding images on the instrument panel and ultimately minimize the amount of time you spend looking away from the road.

Toyota is also promising a simplified version of the self-parking system already seen in the Lexus LS 460 and on European- and Japanese-spec versions of the second-generation Prius.

There's also an optional moonroof with solar panels that power a separate ventilation system. The all-electric system maintains a steady cabin temperature while your Prius is parked in the sun to minimize the use of air-conditioning when you return to the car.

Other new options include a radar-based dynamic cruise control system with an integrated lane departure warning system, the Pre-Collision system from the Lexus line, and Safety Connect, the new Toyota equivalent of OnStar. Dual knee airbags for front-seat passengers are new to the standard equipment list for 2010.

Sursa & video: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/au...yotaprius.html



Toyota to lower Prius price, other cars join bargain binToyota to lower Prius price, other cars join bargain bin



Dismal sales figures have led Toyota to take desperate measures. With a 36% drop in December 2008 sales Toyota is hoping cash incentives for customers and dealers will help improve sales. Jalopnik reports Toyota is dropping prices on the popular Camry and Corolla. It will also offer cash incentives on the Prius for the first time.

The savings?

* Toyota Prius: $750 in dealer cash
* Toyota Camry: $1,000 in customer rebates and $500 in dealer cash.
* Toyota Corolla: $1,250 to $1,500 depending on the trim level.
* …
* Toyota Tundra: $4,000 customer cash for a 2008. $2,000 for a 2009.

With the 2010 Toyota Prius just around the corner a report by Bloomberg.com makes me wonder how cheap the current Prius will go.

Sursa: http://japancarblog.com/toyota-lower...-lowers-price/

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Fuelish Behavior
The numbers most relevant to these dromedaries relate, of course, to their frugality with fuel. To that end our two drivers hashed out a driving loop of nearly 100 miles, consisting of a mix of city and freeway driving conditions. They topped off the fuel tank of each car at the same fuel pump and drove the loop. Then they switched cars and drove the loop again. They then refilled them at the same fuel pump and recorded the dosage.

To make a long, boring story short, the Prius netted 54.4 mpg to the Insight's 51.5 mpg during our driving loops. These results are considerably better than the EPA estimates for each car since our driving style was conservative to minimize variables in performance and to ensure the cars remained nose-to-tail for the entire drive. Hard-core hypermiling wonks will undoubtedly top even these results.

Perhaps the most loudly voiced objection from both drivers is that the Insight's cruise control consistently undershot the target speed when in Eco-Assist mode. Like a nun armed with a switch, this mode modifies the Insight's behavior to favor fuel-efficiency over drivability and comfort. The Prius, which needs no such supplemental mode to achieve its stellar fuel economy, exhibited no such untoward tendencies.

When Being Green Reduces Your Green
Some of us will make a choice between these two cars based solely on superior fuel economy. But if you're really interested only in the contents of your wallet, some careful assessment of the cost/benefit equation will be illuminating.

It turns out the additional $5,473 required for the privilege of owning a Prius instead of an Insight can buy a lot of fuel. At today's fuel prices, the actual monetary savings earned by the Prius' edge in fuel economy is miniscule, working out to a paltry $70 per year. Paying off the Prius' extra tariff in sticker price with the savings in fuel purchases would require more than 75 years.

Even if fuel prices were to leap to $5 per gallon, a Prius owner would have to drive his car for nearly 413,000 miles just to break even. These calculations use the EPA combined fuel economy numbers — plug in the higher fuel-economy results we measured and the payoff period is measured in lifetimes.

This simple math exercise demonstrates how deceptive a 5-mpg difference can be. Among fuel-sippers like these, this is one occasion where it doesn't pay to be green. It turns out that the 2010 Honda Insight's emphasis on affordability as well as fuel economy puts more dollars in your pocket than the 2009 Toyota Prius.

There's a certain irony in the Insight's victory. In its desire to create a car that wears its hybrid-ness on its sleeve, Honda examined its rival to such a degree that the Insight and the Prius are nearly indistinguishable at a glance. Yet Honda's final product is no Prius clone, and its lack of hybrid-style compromises in the way it drives works to its advantage in this comparison.

Consider the Prius outsmarted. For now.

Sursa & video: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=139686

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

REPORT: Audi hooked on "E" as part of new green initiative



Every automaker is incorporating eco-friendly technologies into their production plans and Audi is no different. According to a report from CAR, the German automaker will use the "E" designation for its environmentally friendly products, apparently believing that the letter "A" isn't green enough. Included in the outlook is the E1, which is expected to be a small, all-electric city car based on the underpinnings of the Volkswagen up! concept. Next in the lineup ladder is the E2, a small sportscar featuring both gas and diesel engines with three-cylinders and 75 hp that will share a chassis with the Volkswagen Concept Bluesport from the Detroit Auto Show. An E3 is also in the works and will reportedly be based on the aluminum-intensive architecture of the upcoming 2011 A3, and this same chassis could also spawn a hybrid MPV called the E4. Lastly, an E5 is possible and would combine all of Audi's fuel-saving technologies into one sportscar platform for 2014.

Sursa: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/19/r...dis-eco-plans/

[hondatu Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close hondatu]

Automobile hibride - concurenta pentru Insight

Fiindca moda e pe val si de acum incolo se vor lansa tot mai multe automobile de gen dar fiindca nici nu vrem sa umplem topicul dedicat Insight-ului cu alte masini decat in cazul in care e vorba de un test comparativ, propun sa se posteze aici tot ce inseamna acest gen de masini.
Inceputul l-a facut Achim, posturi care vor fi aduse aici, in rest sa-i lasam Insight-ului ce-i al lui.

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

Toyota To Sell Old Prius Alongside 2010 Model In Japan !

http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/ma...model-in-japan



2010 Toyota Prius






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.

2009 Toyota Prius Touring
Enlarge Photo

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.

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Hybrid sales slide 9.9% in 2008



Despite all the clamor about how hybrids are going to save the planet, cure cancer, facilitate the second coming, etc., sales of battery-pack-mobiles are down nearly ten percent for 2008. At the beginning of 2008, it looked like hybrids were going to have their best year ever, driven by high fuel prices and a recessive economy. That recession, however,has caused consumers to cut way back, leading to dramatic drop in fuel prices, killing much of the argument for a hybrid's price premium. Consumers shy away from hybrids when fuel dips below $3.50 per gallon, and the incessant clang of news stories about expensive fuel also dries up, causing the issue of fuel efficiency to fall from consciousness.

Toyota is still the hybrid sales king, with 241,000 units shifted in 2008. Honda managed to ring up 31,000 sales, and Ford came in third with nearly 20,000 vehicles sold. While nearly every automaker offering hybrids is down (Nissan actually saw a 5 percent increase, and General Motors garnered a whopping 179 percent jump thanks to its 2008 introductions), Ford was hardest hit, with a 22 percent drop. Some might say "we told you so" about the way things have played out - by the time everyone got on board with more efficient offerings, the bottom has fallen out of the price of fuel - and others might use the sales figures to agitate for a gas tax to stimulate the purchase of fuel efficient vehicles.

Sursa: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/25/h...e-9-9-in-2008/

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Sport Air Concept Heading To Geneva



The Geneva Motor Show will see the debut of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV Sport Air Concept, building on the i-MiEV electric platform with a sexier profile. Well, sexier for an electric car.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV Sport Air Concept is designed to make the idea of EV's, and particularly affordable EV's, a bit more palatable. It takes a styling page from the Mitsubishi i MiEV Electric Concept but brings things a bit closer to reality and works to communicates Mitsubishi's rather stealthy but substantial battery development program. It also pushes the idea of, get this, fun, given the inherent torquiness of electric motors. This might be the first time a normal EV gets pitched to normal people with stuff like performance instead of getting wrapped in a leafy green PR pitch of environmental responsibility, which bores us to death.

TOKYO, Japan - January 26, 2009: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is to give the i MiEV SPORT AIR concept model its global debut at the 79th Geneva International Motor Show which runs from March 3 through March 15 at the Geneva Palexpo exhibition and conference complex (opening to the general public on March 5).

The i MiEV SPORT AIR explores the future possibilities for zero-emission vehicles, placing a greater bias on exhilarating driving pleasure. The concept model exemplifies the balance between environmental and dynamic performance implied in the tagline Drive@earth, and highlights the benefits of the Mitsubishi electric vehicle drivetrain:

* Powerful, instant torque from a beefed-up electric motor
* Stable driving and handling and a low center of gravity, due to the in-floor lithium-ion battery
* Zero on-road CO2 emissions


Together, these features along with the car's "clear cutaway" top allow the driver to enjoy the exhilaration of fresh-air motoring while also highlighting its eco-friendly qualities.

[bertro Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bertro]

1,8 litri?? shit. indeea la masini eco e sa micsorezi cilindreea nu s-o maresti.
oricum, vad ca toyotei ii trebuie jumate de litru in plus ca sa obtina o putere doar cu 8 HP mai mare decat cea a unui civic de 1.3L. cam jenant

PS: ultima moda in industria de hibride e sa regenerezi electricitate din energia cinetica a suspensiilor. am vazut un reportaj la TV in care se zicea ca toyota are planuri din astea pt un Lexus. le zice "suspensii active". Astept cu interes hibrida cu acoperis din panouri solare si cu un sistem de generare a electricitatii din caldura pierduta de motor.

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

GS450h - 3.5 litrii ~320 cp 0-100 ~5.5s, consum extraurban 7.5 - 8.5 consum urban 12.5 - 14 ... V6 cu putere de V8 si emisii de 4 in linie. la autovehiculele "eco" conteaza emisiile

Priusul vechi are 125 cp din 1.5 adik 15 cp peste Civic hybrid si cel nou are 134 cp ... socoteala e simpla au pus 1.8 mai decomprimat decat 1.5 tocmai pentru a-l decomprima si mai mult -> consum mai mic
Priusul "vechi" ... urban 5.2 - 6.0 si extraurban 4.8 - 5.2

De LS600h nu pot vbi ca nu am experienta in ceea ce il priveste dar sunt sigur ca e destul de satisfacator din mai multe puncte de vedere

[dics Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dics]

oricum, vad ca toyotei ii trebuie jumate de litru in plus ca sa obtina o putere doar cu 8 HP mai mare decat cea a unui civic de 1.3L. cam jenant

Si motoarele coreene au 105 cai din 1.4, nu e ceva spectaculos si nu inseamna ca toyota nu poate. E vorba de alte lucruri, probabil fiabilitate, consum, emisii samd

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Not DOA: Audi Q5 hybrid coming in 2010

Last year, Audi announced it was killing off plans to offer a hybrid Q7 in the U.S. and several months later the automaker exacted the same fate on its little brother the Q5. Now, word comes from Wolfgan Hatz, head of powertrain development for the Volkswagen Group, that Audi will begin offering a hybrid version of the Q5 in the States late next year.

Hatz makes it clear in his interview with Automotive News that the Audi Q5 hybrid aims to compete with the Lexus RX450h and the forthcoming BMW X6 hybrid, but it's not part of a full-scale assault on the luxury gas-electric CUV set. According to Hatz, diesel technology makes more fiscal sense due to the costs associated with developing a hybrid system -- somewhere between three to four times more -- when compared to adapting a standard drivetrain to accommodate a diesel. Naturally, Hatz hopes that once development of the hybrid setup is complete it can proliferate throughout the Audi lineup. The 2011 Q5 will initially be launched in the U.S. and if it proves to be a success, hybrid Q5s could be sold in Europe.

Sursa: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/n...oming-in-2010/

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Aussie Toyota Prius Owner Pays $1,500 For "12VOLT" License Plate



A loyal reader down under spotted something amusing pulling into his service bay, a Prius wearing a "12 VOLT" license plate. Just as amusing is the owner's "other" car.

We received the following photos along with an e-mail from Aussie reader TheDanMan:

Hey Jalopniks,

Love your work and your recent articles on Prius, Personalised plates, and Australia have been, well, awesome.

Thought these photos of a customer’s car getting serviced at our dealership recently perfectly captured the zeitgeist. As a Toyota salesperson (I know, I know) we are used to having a wide variety of customers from every socio-economic background, but the Prius customers are really special.

This plate cost the customer $2395.00. Convert that to American!

His other vehicle is a 4.7v8 Land cruiser GXL.

Regards

TheDanMan

We'd like to point out $2395.00 AUD converts to roughly $1540.84 USD at current exchange rates. Fuel prices down under at the moment are hovering around $1.10 AUD a liter (about $2.61 a gallon US), which means if this thrifty Prius owner had forgone the plate in favor of gas, he'd have gotten 590 gallons of gasoline and driven 26,550 miles.

Or maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe the owner specifically went out and lightened his wallet so he couldn't drive all those miles, burning all that fuel, and emitting all that pollution. Ah, that sounds more like it, he's not facetious, he's green! Brush aside the fact that the only place 12 volts exists on the Prius is in the drivers mind (and the cigarette lighter).

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

China: Grants Going to Consumers Who Buy Hybrid or Energy-Miser Cars

SHANGHAI, China — The Chinese government has asked the local governments of 13 of China's cities to offer subsidies to new-car buyers if they choose hybrid or low-energy-consumption vehicles. The program would be another prong in the central government's major green-vehicle promotion campaign.

The Chinese Ministry of Finance made the announcement on its Web site, saying the subsidies would be a one-time offer. No additional details were offered about the amount or type of subsidy the buyers might expect.

China's public-service sector, including transport, taxi, postal and urban environmental sanitation, will be asked to use fuel-efficient and alternative vehicles, the statement added.

In addition to Shanghai and Beijing, cities to be included are Chongqing, Changchun, Dalian, Hangzhou, Jinan, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Hefei, Changsha, Kunming and Nanchang.

China's government has been strongly encouraging the use and manufacture of alternative-energy vehicles because its fast-growing vehicle population is putting pressure on the government's environmental protection and energy-saving targets. The central government has pledged to spend the equivalent of $1.5 billion in the next three years to help automakers upgrade their technology and develop alternative-energy vehicles.

Overseas carmakers, including Toyota and General Motors, and domestic players such as Chang'an Motor and BYD Automobile, have spent major money on R&D and have recently launched some of the types of fuel-saving vehicles the government has in mind. A total of seven China-made alt-fuel vehicles have been granted production permits, including Toyota's Prius hybrid, the Chang'an Jie Xun hybrid and BYD's F3DM electric hybrid.

But analysts said it will take time for sales of the vehicles to pick up in the current climate of high car prices.

Inside Line says: China's government goes with a new stimulus package, another road to getting buyers into green cars. — Vivian Jin, Correspondent

Sursa: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=141208

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Mitsubishi focuses development on 'green' cars, plug-in hybrid coming in 2013

When the average enthusiast thinks of Mitsubishi, the first thing that jumps to mind is likely the Evolution, but the Japanese automaker's bread is buttered by the sales of large SUVs. This means that profits are pretty tough to come by these days as anything that guzzles gas has rapidly seen itself falling out of favor. In light of this fact, Mitsubishi now says that it has halted development of everything that isn't eco-friendly. SUVs and large cars are out; electric cars, plug-in hybrids and small cars are in. What does this mean for future developments for the Evo platform? We don't know, but it doesn't sound promising.

According to CEO Osamu Masuko, the automaker can't abandon its SUV roots entirely, so the future strategy will be two-fold: continue to offer larger cars like the Lancer and Galant and four-wheel drive SUVs in hybrid form, while focusing on fully electric machines on the smaller end. The first fruits of Mitsubishi's new green plans may be production versions of the i MiEV electric car, but plug-in hybrid versions of its larger cars and SUVs are likely by 2013.

Sursa: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/m...g-in-hybrid-c/

[Achim Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Achim]

Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid with supercharged V6 joining BlueMotion offerings



Volkswagen is set to launch a Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid in 2010. The new machine will be the first real production hybrid from the German company and will join the automaker's expanding BlueMotionTechnologies lineup. In addition to the Touareg headliner, VW has announced a diesel-powered Passat BlueMotion, a Passat BlueTDI that's able to achieve 2014 Euro-6 emissions regulations today, and a natural gas-fueled Passat TSI EcoFuel.

The Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid will feature a supercharged 3.0L TSI V6 engine that's shared with the Audi S4 along with a new 8-speed automatic transmission. While many would likely be awfully pleased just to see that drivetrain in the Touareg, the big news is what's sandwiched between them, namely, a 38 kW electric motor that gets power from a 288-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack.

A similar hybrid system is expected to make an appearance in the upcoming Porsche Panamera and offers up 374 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels in this application. That's enough to push the bricklike Touareg to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 6.8 seconds and, perhaps more importantly, deliver a European combined rating of 26.1 mpg (U.S.). That's an improvement of 25% over the normal Touareg, though it will surely come with a price tag to match. See all the details after the break.





Galerie foto: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/volks...ybrid/1329749/