Advertisement

Lexus gives its CT 200h hybrid the F Sport treatment

October 19, 2010 at 8:27 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Lexus

lexus ct 200 h f sport a

Lexus has given its CT 200h hybrid a bit of a bells and whistles upgrade with the introduction of the F Sport version of the vehicle. The model, which made its global debut at the Australian International Motor Show, gets a number of visual and performance enhancements in keeping with the F Sport flavour.

Exterior enhancements include front and rear styling cues as well as alloy wheels and badging, and the car is available in Lexus’ unique Flame Blue exterior shade.

lexus ct 200 h f sport b

Inside, this particular CT 200h features an optional unique interior trim, a F Sport steering wheel, sports pedals, scuff plates, instrument panel and privacy glass.

Mechanically, there are no changes to the powertrain over the standard CT 200h – the F Sport utilises the same 1.8 litre VVT-i four-cylinder petrol block and rear-mounted electric-drive motor/generator system, with an electronically-controlled CVT driving the front wheels.

lexus ct 200 h f sport c

The F Sport does however get Lexus’ unique body performance damper, designed to improve ride and handling. These contribute to increased torsional rigidity and the suppression of vibrations while contributing to added ride comfort, without any added weight penalty.

The lateral dampers, used in both front and rear, are elements in a system of additional performance measures that also includes strategic strengthening and carefully-gauged welding throughout the vehicle.

Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

43 Comments      

Toyota to assemble Prius in Thailand for Asian markets

October 19, 2010 at 1:06 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Malaysia Budget 2011, Toyota

Toyota Prius

The recent hybrid-related announcement in Budget 2011 may have been cheery news for potential hybrid adopters, but here’s where it gets even better, especially for those looking closely at the Toyota Prius.

Toyota Motor Thailand is to begin production of the third-generation Prius hybrid, with the vehicle set for its soft launch on October 21 and its Thai market debut next month. The batteries and engine will be shipped in from Japan for Thai production.

Following the Camry hybrid, the ZVW30 will be TMT’s second locally-assembled hybrid. Thailand is the third country to build the Prius after Japan and China, and the vehicle will be exported to other Asian markets to meet rising demands – the assumption is of course that when Thai exports begin, Malaysia will be taking the Prius from here instead of from Japan.

Potentially, dependent on the Thai-made vehicle’s pricing, this would mean an even cheaper Prius in Malaysia. UMW Toyota is currently in the midst of carrying out a revision on the price of the Prius following the full exemption of the import/excise duty for hybrids. How much the Thai-made vehicle will figure towards the final revised price remains to be seen – we’ll just have to wait and see what the final numbers are.

174 Comments      


Honda Malaysia to review Honda Civic Hybrid pricetag

October 15, 2010 at 7:19 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Malaysia Budget 2011

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd has just issued a statement – they are quite pleased with the government’s decision to extend import duty and excise duty exemption for hybrid vehicles until 31st December 2011 with excise duty to be given full exemption. An internal review will be done and a new revised price structure for the Honda Civic Hybrid will be announced when the internal review has been completed.

Interestingly, Honda Malaysia also said that it is also looking to extending its hybrid vehicle line-up. Other than the Civic Hybrid, Honda also has the Honda Insight, Honda CR-Z, and the Honda Jazz Hybrid in its stables. Which would you rather see launched in Malaysia?
[Read more...]

98 Comments      

Hybrid car tax exemption to be extended to end of 2011

October 15, 2010 at 4:41 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Malaysia Budget 2011

Civic Integrated Motor AssistIn today’s Budget 2011 announcement, the PM has announced that import duty and excise duty is now FULLY exempted for hybrid and electric cars and motorcycles until the end of the year 2011.

  • The duty exemption has been extended until the 31st of December 2011, it was supposed to expire by the end of this year.
  • The duties for hybrid cars are even lower now. Previously the government offered 100% import duty exemption and 50% excise duty exemption, now it’s 100% exemption for both import duty and excise duty! This should mean the price of the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid should be even lower now.
  • Exemptions have now been extended to electric cars, hybrid motorcycles as well as electric motorcycles.
  • The rest of the details are status quo, for example the exemptions still only apply to internal combustion engines with capacities of lower than 2.0 litres, so there’s still no way for the Toyota Camry Hybrid to be brought in with these tax benefits.

Let’s look at how much that additional reduction in excise duty means for hybrid cars. This is just a possible guesstimate, feel free to correct us in the comments. We are calculating the new Peninsular Malaysia price based on the Langkawi pricing (which gives us an indication of how much a truly tax free price would be, including whatever profit margin the local distributor wants to take) with an additional 10% added for sales tax. All prices are for private registration.

  Honda Civic Hybrid Toyota Prius
Current Peninsular Price RM129,980.00 RM175,000.00
Current Langkawi Price RM100,980.00 RM127,408.45
Possible New Price RM111,078.00 RM140,149.30
Possible Savings of Excise Duty RM18,902.00 RM34,850.70

The budget text appendix also says that the new duty range is for applications beginning from January 2011 to the end of 2011 so we’re probably only going to see any drop in prices next year.

165 Comments      

AVL presents its Fuel Cell Commuter EV at Expo Shanghai

October 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

avl logoIt seems that Austrian-based automotive consulting firm Anstalt für Verbrennungskraftmaschinen List (AVL) is showcasing its new AVL Fuel Cell Commuter electric vehicle at this week’s Austria Tec Week in Expo Shanghai 2010.

No photos or details about the fuel cell range extender system, which was developed through a research project in conjunction with Tongji University in China, or for that matter the EV vehicle from the news picked up on it, but at the heart of it should lie the usual lithium-ion and electric motor system working together with a small hydrogen fuel cell range extender.

AVL does say that the substantial advantage of its FCC is its continuous availability due to the significantly reduced charging time, since refueling with hydrogen only takes a few minutes compared to the few hours needed to charge a battery. Of course, this increased range does also mean that the vehicle needs to carry the necessary hydrogen tank for the autonomous auxiliary power unit.

1 Comment      

Think rolls out 2,500th City EV and readies for US entry

October 12, 2010 at 5:32 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

think city

Scandinavian electric vehicle manufacturer Think, which just rolled out its 2,500th City pure electric vehicle from Valmet Automotive’s plant in Finland, is gearing up for its arrival on American shores at the end of the year.

The company has started preparations to build the sturdy and reliable two-seat commuter – with a top speed of 112 kph and an operating range of 160 km on a single charge – at a plant in Elkhart, Indiana and plans to launch fleet and retail sales in the US in December.

Currently, the Think City is in its second production version guise, but a third version is scheduled to be produced in the US and enter the market in late 2012.

12 Comments      

Paris 2010: Nissan Townpod – Tokyo refugee found in Paris

October 11, 2010 at 6:21 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Paris Motor Show, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Nissan

Looking more like a soft toy than a car, the Nissan Townpod looked like a refugee from the Tokyo Motor Show showing up in Paris. The rationale behind this creation is as amusing as the looks – Nissan says that the Townpod is for a new breed of entrepreneur, one whose business and social lives are blurred. This car is as multifaceted as the young people it’s targeting, with comfort and style of a passenger car and the utility of a commercial vehicle, they say.

Easy access is provided by Rolls-Royce style rear hinged doors with no B-pillars, while access to the load area is via barn style split doors that slide out sideways instead of opening outwards like on the Mini Clubman. Another trick is the ultra slim “disappearing rear seats” that can “merge” with the front units when slid forward. A hatch-like sun roof directly above the cargo area allows the Townpod to carry taller objects.

Underneath the skin, the Townpod is similar to the Nissan Leaf electric car, which will go on sale this December in the US.
[Read more...]

8 Comments      

Kia POP Concept ‘could only have come from us’

October 11, 2010 at 3:34 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Paris Motor Show, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Kia, Koreans

Kia Europe Chief Designer Gregory Guillaume is in an enviable position, admits the man himself, and the Kia POP concept is a typically wacky design that few of his counterparts have the freedom to explore. “Designers from other companies regularly approach me at motor shows and say ‘I would never even be allowed to try and carry that one off’ and it’s great to be in a position to operate with such freedom,” he said.

“A concept car like the POP could only have come from us,” said the Frenchman, who is based in Frankfurt. “The POP fits in perfectly with our ‘challenger brand’ ethos. We’re trying to stir things up in the automotive world, to surprise people even more. We wanted this car to act as a loose nucleus, a wild atom.

“Many of the things that influenced this design were non-automotive,” Guillaume explains. “We were looking at lightweight, aerodynamic things, such as gliders and high-speed bicycles. We realised that the automotive world wasn’t inspiring us to achieve what we wanted to achieve. The seats are designed to be non-automotive. They’re very pure, very simple, almost furniture-like,” he adds.

Not meant to preview any upcoming car, the POP is an EV with a 68 PS/190 Nm motor and a single-charge range of 160 km. It’s powered by compact lithium polymer gel batteries by LG Chem that’s fully rechargeable in six hours. Lithium polymer gel batteries offers the same performance as a typical Li-ion battery, but with 20% reduction in size and reduced manufacturing complexity.

Live gallery and studio shots are after the jump.
[Read more...]

6 Comments      

Paris 2010: Peugeot HR1 Concept – Little urban crossover

October 11, 2010 at 2:26 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Paris Motor Show, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Peugeot

If you have no idea what this is, don’t worry because its creators aren’t too sure either! Peugeot describes its HR1 Concept as a car that has genes from the city car, coupé and SUV. In combining all of the above, the HR1 “is creating its own identity and new and original benefits”.

It is compact at just 3.67m long, and has two electric “scissor” doors for easy access in tight areas such as in a small garage or parking in a narrow lane, for instance. The high riding HR1 has its wheels at the edges, good ground clearance and comes with SUV levels of visibility and manoeuvrability. In two-seat form, the HR1 has a massive load area of 734 litres, but put up the “stowaway seats” and it can carry up to four occupants plus 180 litres of cargo.

This urban concept sports Peugeot’s new design language seen on the SR1 and raised sections above the rear windscreen that recalls the double bubble roof design of the RCZ. Autocar UK says that the face you see here will be used for the next generation 208 supermini due in 2012.

The concept is powered by Peugeot’s HYbrid 4 system as per the 3008 you read about earlier (37 bhp/200 Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels), but here it’s paired to a new three-cylinder 1.2-litre THP petrol engine with 110 bhp and 195 Nm. Claimed fuel economy is 28.7 km/l.

Live shots from Paris and official pics are after the jump.
[Read more...]

4 Comments      

Paris 2010: Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4, world’s first diesel hybrid

October 11, 2010 at 12:11 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under 2010 Paris Motor Show, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Peugeot

The 2010 Paris Motor Show is still open for the public as we type, and this website will continue to “bring to you the show floor” by reporting on the many new cars and concepts that made their debut at the Paris Expo – while Lotus stole the show with their five car blast, there are plenty more to excite the car nut.

Touted as the world’s first production diesel full hybrid vehicle, the 3008 HYbrid 4 was one of the stars of the vast Peugeot stand. The logic is simple: modern diesels are more economical (by up to 30%, Peugeot says) and powerful than their petrol equivalents, so a diesel hybrid should outperform a petrol one. With an electric motor helping out, the HYbrid 4 offers performance of a much larger diesel car, but with low CO2 emissions, which is crucial in Europe.

Here, a 2.0-litre 163 bhp HDi oil burner (with Stop Start) works together with a 37 bhp electric motor – the former powers the front wheels while the latter powers the rears. Max combined torque is 500 Nm, 40% of that contributed by the electric motor.

There are no mechanical links between both powerplants – it’s all “by wire”. All the hybrid components including the Nickel Metal Hydride battery are located in the rear; Peugeot says there were no need for any redesign from the standard 3008, and weight distribution has improved with the added load in the rear.

No CVT here, as the 3008 HYbrid 4 uses an electronically-controlled 6-speed manual gearbox, which we presume works like an AMT. There are four drive modes: ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle), Four-wheel drive, Auto and Sport. The headline figures are 26.3 km/l combined consumption and low CO2 emissions of 99 g/km.

The 3008 HYbrid 4 will go on sale early next year in Europe. Gallery after the jump.
[Read more...]

18 Comments