5 by Peugeot Concept Unveiled Ahead : 2010 Geneva Auto Show

The diesel/electric hybrid 5 by Peugeot concept, which was teased on Monday ahead of its public debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, previews the upcoming Peugeot 508 sedan that is set to go on sale in 2011.

"The 5 by Peugeot concept car is another indication of the changing face of Peugeot and provides an insight into the marque's future ambitions in the large-luxury-vehicle segment," said Peugeot in a statement. It noted that the concept incorporates Peugeot's Hybrid 4 technology, which will be launched in 2011 in the Peugeot 3008. It is expected that the technology will also be used on the 508 sedan.

The 197-horsepower 5 by Peugeot gets a 2.0-liter HDi diesel engine coupled with an electric motor.

If the concept hints at Peugeot's future styling, it seems to emphasize jellybean-like lines. The grille is said to be influenced by the Peugeot SR1 concept car. The concept rides on 19-inch wheels.

Proton Hybrid Concept at 2010 Geneva Auto Show

Malaysian automaker Proton will unveil a hybrid concept vehicle at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show that was created in cooperation with its British subsidiary, Lotus Engineering, and Italdesign Giugiaro. The car will be displayed on the Italdesign stand.

Lotus is providing the hybrid drivetrain technology, while Giugiaro handled the styling on the four-passenger five-door hatchback, which aims to create the interior space of a large family sedan with the exterior dimensions of a city car.

The Lotus series hybrid system is built around the company's 1.2-liter three-cylinder "range extender" engine that was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show last fall. The engine does not drive the wheels but is used exclusively to recharge the battery and provide power for the electric drive motors.

Italdesign said the aim of its vehicle design was to "optimize the available onboard space and ergonomics."

Chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro said, "You could say that it is a brand-new type of car, a new automotive concept where looks are as important as function, ergonomics and comfort, not to mention environmental impact."

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG test on ice

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Picture

Driving a 563-horsepower supercar like the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in the ice and snow should be easy, don't you think? No one else up here under the Northern Lights seems to be having any problems. It won't be like driving that Ferrari F430 Spider across Italy like I did a few years ago, or even like whipping that Ferrari 612 Scaglietti across India (with a roll of toilet paper in hand almost all the way), but it should be doable, right?
Our 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS rolls out of the truck dressed in bright red. The Mercedes engineers brought it to Kiruna for a final cold-weather systems check before production begins in March and now they're done. I've been tasked with driving the car 250 miles south across the Arctic Circle to the town of Arvidsjaur, which, in terms of latitude, is on a par with northern Alaska.

When I first saw the SLS on its stand at the auto show, I wasn't sure about it. The macho nose looked slightly at odds with the curvaceous rump, which itself seemed an awkward pastiche of the iconic Mercedes-Benz SL300 of the 1950s. But here in the wild, smeared in ice and snow, the Gullwing looks much more effective. The SLS might not have the flamboyance of the cartoonlike Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren — a car I've driven many times — but it still has plenty of impact and those gullwing doors are pure theatre.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Turbo confirmed

The 2010 New York Auto Show is just around the corner and Korean automaker has something special planned for the Big Apple. Delivering the news through Twiter, Head of Product Planning Scott Margason said to look out for the “2011 Sonata Turbo and Hybrid at the 2010 New York Auto Show.”

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is currently on sale with prices starting at $19,195 for the base GLS model. Power for the 2011 Sonata GLS comes from a 2.4L direct-injected 4-cylinder making 198-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE starts at $22,595 and is powered by a 2.4L 4-cylinder uprated to 200-hp.

2011 Toyota Sienna

2011 Toyota Sienna – First Drive

Unique to the 2011 Toyota Sienna SE are a mesh grille, 19-inch Super Chrome wheels, aggressive front and rear fascias, lower side skirting, smoked taillights and lower-than-normal ride height.

2011 Toyota Sienna – First Drive

Can a minivan be cool? Toyota seems to think so. By adding a sporty SE trim with unique interior and exterior design cues to the 2011 Sienna lineup, Toyota believes it can raise the minivan's admittedly geeky profile to something more hip.

Along the way, Toyota is also making the van more frugal, with an optional 4-cylinder engine, and more luxurious, with reclining second-row seats in the top version.

Now in its third generation, the new Sienna is certainly comfortable and convenient, but cool? That's in the eye of the beholder.

Model Lineup
For 2011 the Toyota Sienna will come in five trims: base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is available with the V6 engine on LE, XLE and Limited. Standard equipment on the base and LE grades includes tri-zone air conditioning, a 4-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, an auxiliary input jack and 17-inch alloy wheels.

2011 Porsche Cayenne teased in Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid picture

At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche will show the new 2010 911 GT3 R Hybrid. Joining the new hybrid Porsche racer will be the 2011 Cayenne SUV, which is being teased through this new image of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.

We’ve adjusted the picture’s contrast level so you can get a better look. Click on the thumbnail below to check it out.

2011 BMW 5 Series Diesel First Drive

2011 BMW 530d Picture

2011 BMW 530d Picture

BMW hybrid boosts performance

BMW's second gasoline-electric vehicle line, the 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 sedans, will go on sale this spring with starting prices of $103,125 (including freight) for the regular-length 7 model, and $107,025 for the long-wheelbase version, the 7L, the German luxury automaker says.

As with the $100,000-plus Lexus LS 600h, against which the ActiveHybrid 7 models will compete, the hybrid system in the BMW models is designed to enhance performance more than to boost fuel economy.

These sedans follow the introduction in December of BMW's first hybrid, the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6. It's a version of BMW's X6 “sports activity coupe,” which actually is a five-door sport utility vehicle with the low profile of a coupe.

The ActiveHybrid X6, which begins at $89,725 (with freight), features a 4.4-liter, 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8 gasoline engine and a pair of electric motors, giving it a combined 480 horsepower rating. It comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission. BMW bills it as the most powerful hybrid vehicle on the market.

ActiveHybrid 7 sedans come with an upgraded version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, rated at 440 horsepower by itself. It's combined with a single electric motor that boosts total horsepower to 455. An eight-speed automatic transmission is used in the sedans.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/topdown/detail?entry_id=57201#ixzz0faPw3xtm

Toyota Prius Review

Two more weeks and the Toyota Prius long-term loan goes back home and already there is a sense of sadness building up. I’ve always been under the impression that in order to love a car, it must have a soul, character, flare and make you feel alive. Frankly, it doesn’t.

I’ve spent the last two weeks driving the Prius to and from Brisbane CBD morning and afternoon and I think I’ve finally realised that perhaps, I am actually attached to this car on more levels than one.

When I drove a Bentley Supersports a few weeks ago, I had that immediate sense of falling madly in love with a machine that made me feel like I was 12 again. It was a treat, everyone needs to feel like that every once in a while. Then I came back to Brisbane and jumped back in the Prius and to my surprise there wasn’t that sense of disappointment.

It’s a bit like this, you know how women say there are two types of men, the one type which is like a caveman, big, built and generally mostly used for a short romantic encounter, then there are the humble family men, you know the type, practical, loving, caring, etc etc. I think cars such as the Bentley fulfil the first criteria, they are Sunday cars, only because you love them more that way. The Prius, on the other hand, is the epitome of an everyday car. You can’t fault the bloody thing.

If I had all the money in the world I can assure you there would be a Prius i-Tech sitting in my garage (along side other cars such a Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin V12 Vantage and an ABT tuned Audi R8).

So far the only things that have annoyed me with the Prius are the somewhat limited rear-vision due to the cars oddly shaped backside, the lack of native iPod support and the resulting distortion experienced through the auxiliary port and most importantly, the high pitch beeping noise it makes when you’re reversing (I know I am reversing, there is no need to remind me every half a second).

All minor issues to say the least. On the other hand, it’s one of the most comfortable cars I’ve travelled long distances in, it’s incredibly quite to the point that pedestrians don’t hear you behind them when you want to get past. It’s packed full technology that you absolutely cannot find in any car for a similar price.

I think Toyota should attempt to market the Prius to the gadget lovers as well as the environmentally conscious as it has enormous appeal from a technological point of view. You can read more about its technological features in my previous updates.

Toyota Prius Stained with Brake Problems Too

Toyota admitted design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius, adding to the catalog of woes for the world's No. 1 automaker still reeling from a massive U.S. recall involving faulty gas pedals.

Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said Thursday that Toyota discovered there were design problems with the antilock brake system and corrected them for Prius models sold since late January, including those being shipped overseas, The Associated Press reports.

According MarketWatch, Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it was aware of concerns about the safety of its Prius hybrid and that it has modified the braking system to address the issue, according to reports.

The statement was made by quality general manager, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, following the release of Toyota's fiscal third-quarter earnings, which showed an above-forecast return to profit against the year earlier period.

Dow Jones Newswires cited the executive as saying Toyota first heard about complaints involving Prius brakes from dealers last autumn. He said the braking system was revamped in January and denied the company had tried to cover up the problem, according to the Dow Jones report.

Japanese stocks fell, led by record- high trading in Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s biggest carmaker faces its worst recall crisis.

Toyota, Japan’s largest company by market value, lost 3.5 percent with 56.5 million shares changing hands, five times the daily average of the past year. After the market closed, the company raised its profit forecast. Honda Motor Co., Toyota’s nearest domestic rival, rose 2.6 percent after boosting its forecast. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan’s largest listed bank, sank 2.7 percent after saying bad-debt charges rose, Bloomberg reports.

2010 Toyota Prius Best Hibrid Car

2010 Toyota Prius Hibrid Car Show

2010 Toyota Prius Best Hibrid Car

2010 Toyota Prius Concept

Alfa Romeo Pininfarina Spider Concept

A 2-seater spider on Alfa Romeo basis, which will be unveiled on March 2nd at the Pininfarina stand, thus starting the celebrations for the 80th anniversary

Pininfarina discloses the first official image of its new concept car, world debut on March 2nd at the Geneva Motor Show.

2011 BMW M3 Competition

The M3 Coupe, Sedan, and Convertible models become 2011 models this spring . BMW ups the ante on the M3 Coupe and Sedan by offering a new "Competition Package" for MY2011. The package further enhances the highly responsive chassis by installing a 10mm lower suspension and 19" wheels with greater offset for a wider track. Combined with remapped Electronic Damping Control and Dynamic Stability Control systems, the M3 with Competition Package is the best handling production M car ever built.

The MSRP of MY2011 M3 Sedan, Coupe, and Convertible remain unchanged at $56,275, $59,275, and $67,925, respectively. All prices include $875 Destination & Handling. The Competition Package is available on the Coupe and Sedan models for $2,500.

BMW Sauber unveil C29

The BMW Sauber team unveiled their new C29 chassis at Valencia on Sunday ahead of Formula One's first pre-season test.

Having taken back control of the team following BMW's withdrawal and yet, for now, retaining the German manufacturer's name, founder Peter Sauber was on hand as the Ferrari-powered car was launched.

"The last few months have been very intense for us," said Sauber. "First we had to battle to secure the survival of the team and then we focused on putting a strong set-up in place for the future.

"The technical preparation of the 2010 car has continued uninterrupted and according to plan since the spring of 2009, despite all the turmoil."

Owing to the ban on refuelling, the new car features a bigger fuel tank than before and also incorporates a 'double-decker' diffuser, which is set to become standard for F1 cars this season.

Like McLaren's new MP4-25, it sports a dorsal fin engine cover and is liveried in white and dark blue - albeit without major sponsor logos.

Chevy Volt to hit the roads

The Chevy Volt on display at the Washington Auto Show. Chevy says it is gearing up to begin production this spring with mass production by November.
The company began manufacturing battery packs to go into the cars in recent weeks. The rest of the manufacturing supply chain is coming together so the factory will start assembling cars within a few months, he said. It will begin slowly, making preproduction models that will be evaluated for their quality and provided as test models for journalists and fleet customers through the Summer and Fall.

By November, GM will be ready to switch to high gear and begin mass production of cars for retail sale to regular consumers. Those early cars will be offered only in limited markets which the company feels are prepared to support the special requirements of an electric car, Posawatz said.

So far, California, Michigan and the Washington D.C., area are the only announced markets where the car will be sold, but Volt sales will open up to the rest of the country next year.