Here is a link to the full list, very interesting;http://www.forbes.com/global2000/list/
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Toyota plans 4 door RWD sedan version of FT-86(GT-86) sport car
Um....looks nice but, why? Could you imagine a 4door Prelude?
There’re report that Toyota developing a sedan version of the Toyobaru,Toyota FT-86, since 2010.But now Autointrends got the latest rendering and we considers it the prettiest that Autointrends ever seen it the past few year!!.The picture is generated by Japanese Mag-X.
It seem that the sedan version will import front half styling of the FT-86 Or the GT-86 that they called in Europe (when it get European premiere in 2012 Geneva motorshow or Toyota 86 that they dubbed in Japan) Although the styling of the sedan version is not yet finalize but many source expect bumper,grille,bonnet and headlight is to be the same with the coupe version.While the rear styling from the rear door to rear bumper will be all new design which should be sedan with rear roof’s slope like the 4 door coupe car.
The car will get lengthen wheel base from 2,570 mm to 2,670 mm. and overall length is expect to increase from 4,240 mm to around 4300 mm to 4400 mm.
It will power by Subaru’s newly developed, horizontally opposed, 1,998cc, four-cylinder boxer engine, Toyota has added its D-4S technology. With separate twin injectors for both direct and port injection which carry from the original version.
The car will ready by 2014,Around a year delay from original planed.
Source;
http://autointrends.com/2012/04/19/toyota-plans-4-door-rwd-sedan-version-of-ft-86gt-86-sport-car-here-is-the-most-beautiful-rendering/
There’re report that Toyota developing a sedan version of the Toyobaru,Toyota FT-86, since 2010.But now Autointrends got the latest rendering and we considers it the prettiest that Autointrends ever seen it the past few year!!.The picture is generated by Japanese Mag-X.It seem that the sedan version will import front half styling of the FT-86 Or the GT-86 that they called in Europe (when it get European premiere in 2012 Geneva motorshow or Toyota 86 that they dubbed in Japan) Although the styling of the sedan version is not yet finalize but many source expect bumper,grille,bonnet and headlight is to be the same with the coupe version.While the rear styling from the rear door to rear bumper will be all new design which should be sedan with rear roof’s slope like the 4 door coupe car.
The car will get lengthen wheel base from 2,570 mm to 2,670 mm. and overall length is expect to increase from 4,240 mm to around 4300 mm to 4400 mm.
It will power by Subaru’s newly developed, horizontally opposed, 1,998cc, four-cylinder boxer engine, Toyota has added its D-4S technology. With separate twin injectors for both direct and port injection which carry from the original version.
The car will ready by 2014,Around a year delay from original planed.
Source;
http://autointrends.com/2012/04/19/toyota-plans-4-door-rwd-sedan-version-of-ft-86gt-86-sport-car-here-is-the-most-beautiful-rendering/
BMW i8 - Production Version Sneak Peek
This is an absolute thing of beauty....
BMW is still putting the finishing touches on the i8 hybrid sportscar which will be launched in 2014. The mule has been tested in Northern Sweden and combined with the images of the i8 Spyder concept it is possible to create a sneak peek of the final production version of the i8. The renderings show the i8 with a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length to reduce weight and to emphasise its sporting & sustainability credentials.
The kerb weight will supposedly come in at 1450 kg (3197 lbs) which represents a 30 kg weight loss from the original concept and suggests a performance boost when the i8 hits production form. The 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration figure is a respectable 4.9 seconds.The LifeDrive architecture is defined as a fusion of independent functional units: these include a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) Life module used for the passenger cell and the Drive modules – made primarily from aluminum components – that integrates the powertrain, chassis and safety structure.
Sustainability plays a paramount role in the BMW i concept. It is an issue that runs like a thread throughout the value chain – all the way from purchasing, through development and production to sales and marketing. And when it comes to the efficient manufacturing of its vehicles, BMW i goes a step further still.The Leipzig production plant will see an additional 70% reduction in water use and 50% drop in energy consumption per vehicle over the years ahead. And the energy that is used will be sourced 100% from renewable sources.
BMW is still putting the finishing touches on the i8 hybrid sportscar which will be launched in 2014. The mule has been tested in Northern Sweden and combined with the images of the i8 Spyder concept it is possible to create a sneak peek of the final production version of the i8. The renderings show the i8 with a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length to reduce weight and to emphasise its sporting & sustainability credentials.The power output of the production version will be around 399 PS (293kW). The plug-in hybrid powertrain features a gasoline combustion engine driving the rear wheels and a front electric motor fed by a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from any domestic power socket. The battery charge time is estimated at 1.45 hours.The electric motor will be responsible for 172 PS (127 kW) with the rest coming from the 1.5L turbocharged three-cylinder unit. The combined peak torque is rated at 550 Nm(406 lb-ft).The i8 will offer three driving modes: electric, petrol and a combination of the two. The powertrain will be paired with a four-speed transmission which has been designed to extend the performance range of the sports car. This enables it to drive on 3 liter per 100 km (78 MPG) with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
The kerb weight will supposedly come in at 1450 kg (3197 lbs) which represents a 30 kg weight loss from the original concept and suggests a performance boost when the i8 hits production form. The 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration figure is a respectable 4.9 seconds.The LifeDrive architecture is defined as a fusion of independent functional units: these include a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) Life module used for the passenger cell and the Drive modules – made primarily from aluminum components – that integrates the powertrain, chassis and safety structure.
Sustainability plays a paramount role in the BMW i concept. It is an issue that runs like a thread throughout the value chain – all the way from purchasing, through development and production to sales and marketing. And when it comes to the efficient manufacturing of its vehicles, BMW i goes a step further still.The Leipzig production plant will see an additional 70% reduction in water use and 50% drop in energy consumption per vehicle over the years ahead. And the energy that is used will be sourced 100% from renewable sources.
Source;
300 km/h motorcycle ride shocks Vancouver Island police
Police on Vancouver Island are trying to track down a motorcyclist who made a video recording of himself travelling at extremely high speeds on a busy highway outside Victoria.
In the video, the driver could be seen weaving between vehicles, sometimes passing them along the centre line on the road. At one point, the motorcycle speedometer hits a speed of close to 300 km/h.
The video, which was posted to YouTube a week ago under the account name Joe Blow, has shocked even veteran traffic officers, and investigators say it's lucky no one was killed.
Saanich police say they are now looking for the driver of the blue Yamaha bike and are prepared to recommend several charges. Anyone with information is asked to contact them.
Source;
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/16/bc-speeding-motorcycle-video.html
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Is the Fit EV for you? --Honda wants to know
This is an exciting time in the history of automobiles. From high-mileage hybrids to the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle, the technological advancements are amazing. And now, the opportunity to drive the 100% electric Fit EV has arrived. Fill out this brief EV Readiness Assessment to see if you’d be a good candidate to lease one. By filling out this form you will not only be given the opportunity to submit your name as a possible lessee but you will also help guide the direction of this very new technology.TAKE THE EV READINESS ASSESSMENT (click on the link below);
http://automobiles.honda.com/fit-ev/ev-readiness-assessment.aspx
2012 Honda Insight Preview
The 2012 Honda Insight gets a new look, some new features and (believe it or not!) even better fuel economy.
An increasingly crowded hybrid field now includes the Ford Fusion, the Kia Optima and, of course, the venerable Toyota Prius. All are pricier, except the new 2012 Toyota Prius c, which offers a nearly price-level competitor for the Insight. Honda's looking to at last gain some ground on the Prius in 2012 with numerous updates, most subtle on their own, but together adding up to a pretty comprehensive update.
Outside, a thin, blue accent bar has been introduced on the grille to denote its high-tech hybrid identity, while restyled bumpers contribute to a 2% increase in aerodynamics. New headlight and brake light internal reflectors, slightly wider tires and new 15-inch wheel covers round out exterior tweaks.
Inside, a reconfigured rear seat offers improved legroom and head room, and the gauge cluster gets a more technically sophisticated look. Cupholders are bigger, seat fabric is posher, and the cabin is quieter. A rearview camera is now available, packaged with an upgraded optional navigation system.
Honda's Integrated Motor Assist featuring a 1.3L i-VTEC 4-cylinder gas engine and 10-kW electric motor develops 98 combined hp at 5,800 rpm and 123 lb-ft of torque at 1,000-1,700 rpm; new friction-reducing measures and a CVT automatic transmission mean fuel economy improvements this year. Its Eco Assist System further enhances the efficiency of throttle control, CVT operation, idle-stop duration, air conditioning and cruise operation, and provides feedback on driving style via a 3D-ish background in the speedo: green for really efficient, blue for not-so-much.
Fuel economy is now rated at 4.7L/100km around town and 4.4L/100km on the highway.
One trim, the LX, is available starting at $21,990.
Source;
http://www.auto123.com/en/news/2012-honda-insight-preview-video?printable=1&artid=142452
Honda to Reuse Rare Earth Metals Contained in Used Parts
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and the Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd. today jointly announced the establishment of the world's first process to extract rare earth metals from various used parts in Honda products. This is an actual mass-production process at a recycling plant, not an experimental process. Honda will pursue the recycling of precious resources by utilising the newly established process for the recycling of rare earth metals.As part of this effort, before the end of this month, Honda and Japan Metals & Chemicals will begin extracting rare earth metals from used nickel-metal hydride batteries collected from Honda hybrid vehicles at Honda dealers inside and outside of Japan. The new operation will be the first in the world to extract rare earth metals as part of a mass-production process at a recycling plant.
Honda had been applying a heat treatment to used nickel-metal hydride batteries and recycling nickel-containing scrap as a raw material of stainless steel. However, the successful stabilisation of the extraction process at the plant of Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd. made possible the extraction of rare earth metals in a mass-production process with purity as high as that of newly mined and refined metals.
The newly established process enables the extraction of as much as above 80% of rare earth metals contained in used nickel-metal hydride batteries. Honda will strive to reuse extracted rare earth metals not only for nickel-metal hydride batteries, but also for a wide range of Honda products. Moreover, Honda will further expand the recycling of rare earth metals in the future as the newly established process enables the extraction of rare earth metals from a variety of used parts in addition to nickel-metal hydride batteries.
Giving consideration to the recycling of resources used for its products, Honda has long been committed to the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) approach. For instance, Honda was the first Japanese automaker to begin sales of recycled parts and to collect/recycle oil filters and replaced bumpers. Honda will continue strengthening its network which links to the reuse and recycling of resources.
Source;
Is Suzuki in enough trouble for a Swan Song?
Ouch, a bleak article on a brand that had potential....
Brand's presence shrinks in U.S.
by Ryan Beene of Automotive News
Insiders say the company is slashing marketing while sales and the dealer roster dwindle.
The many signs of trouble:
-- In a market up 13 percent through March, Suzuki was down 2 percent to just 6,561 sales.
-- The brand skipped the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows this year and suspended social media activity on Twitter and Facebook two months ago.
-- Steve Younan, the top U.S. product planning and marketing executive, left in January and will not be replaced. No national TV commercials have aired since 2009.
-- In January, Suzuki stopped getting customer satisfaction data from J.D. Power and Associates
-- The dealer body continues to shrink. The brand shed 32 franchises last year, nearly 12 percent of its total. The number of U.S. Suzuki franchises has dropped every year since 2005.
Nobody at American Suzuki wants to talk about the troubles and the strategy for battling them. But Suzuki's hard-pressed dealers are feeling the pain.
"At one point I really thought they were going to support it, but it was kind of like a downward spiral -- no sales, no money, no advertising," says former dealer Bill Kay, who dropped his Suzuki franchise last summer even though he had a vacant Chrysler dealership in suburban Chicago available for Suzuki.
Maruyama and Iwatsuki have been cutting costs wherever possible, sources say. And Suzuki's global parent is wrestling with falling sales in various key markets.
"They seem to be more interested in controlling expenses than increasing revenue," said a second source, who also asked not to be identified.
The casualties in the United States have been many tools that most automakers use to promote their brand and products.
The last Facebook and Twitter presence was Feb. 6. After skipping auto shows in Los Angeles in November and Detroit in January, Suzuki displayed vehicles this year at the Chicago and New York shows, but freshened versions of the SX4 subcompact and Grand Vitara SUV, expected to arrive this year, were not among them.
The changes to the vehicles are the first cosmetic updates to Suzuki's meager four-vehicle lineup in more than two years.
Suzuki's newest vehicle, the Kizashi mid-sized sedan, went on sale in late 2009. Its SX4 subcompact has been on the market since 2007 with few updates. The current-generation Grand Vitara SUV has been around since the 2006 model year, and the Equator pickup, essentially a rebadged Nissan Frontier, arrived in November 2008.
In 2007, Suzuki's U.S. sales reached 101,884. But last year they dropped to just 26,618.
"A lot of fundamental things that car companies need to track when they're operating, they were just jettisoning for the sake of saving costs," the first source says.
Some marketing efforts have continued. Suzuki produced a regional TV commercial for the 2012 Super Bowl to promote the Kizashi that ran in about 20 markets. And a few regional TV spots have followed.
Few sales, 'terrible' margin
Suzuki's troubles and its lack of marketing have led many dealers to call it quits. Former dealer Kay in suburban Chicago says his store sold fewer than 10 new Suzukis in an average month before he bailed out last summer. The few vehicles he did sell had "terrible" profit margins, he says, and the dealership had little service work.
Kay, who owns Ford, Chevrolet, Buick-GMC, Honda and Nissan dealerships in Chicago's western suburbs, says poor consumer awareness in his market hindered sales at his dealership.
Low-volume Suzuki dealerships such as Kay's accounted for most of the Suzuki dealers that closed in 2011, says James Morrell, owner of Advantage Suzuki in Albany, N.Y., and chairman of the Suzuki Dealer Advisory Board.
He says about 150 of Suzuki's remaining 246 dealers still sell five or fewer new cars per month, despite recent efforts to weed out poorly performing dealers.
But with more than half of its dealers selling five or fewer vehicles in an average month, Suzuki still has many dealers unwilling to focus on Suzuki and adequately promote the brand in their local markets, Morrell says.
Many Suzuki dealers use their franchised-dealer status for easier access to financing to support big used-car operations, Morrell says.
Indeed, Chicago dealer Kay says used-car sales were the primary focus of his Suzuki store. "It didn't seem like there was any possibility of ever increasing the volume enough to support a stand-alone dealership," Kay says.
Sloan expects new and updated products within a few years. He says that many of the failed dealers were not committed to the Suzuki brand.
Sloan advertises heavily in his local market, something most of the smaller-volume dealers failed to do, he says.
"I think that some weak dealers have been weeded out, and I think that there are some dealers that lacked focus in retailing Suzukis by the wayside and we're left with guys who are really focused," Sloan says. "There's nowhere to go but up."
Brand's presence shrinks in U.S.by Ryan Beene of Automotive News
Struggling Suzuki is shrinking in many ways.
Insiders say the company is slashing marketing while sales and the dealer roster dwindle.
The many signs of trouble:
-- In a market up 13 percent through March, Suzuki was down 2 percent to just 6,561 sales.
-- The brand skipped the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows this year and suspended social media activity on Twitter and Facebook two months ago.
-- Steve Younan, the top U.S. product planning and marketing executive, left in January and will not be replaced. No national TV commercials have aired since 2009.
-- In January, Suzuki stopped getting customer satisfaction data from J.D. Power and Associates
-- data that help track dealer performance. A memo obtained by Automotive News says another vendor will replace Power, but sources say no successor has surfaced.
-- The dealer body continues to shrink. The brand shed 32 franchises last year, nearly 12 percent of its total. The number of U.S. Suzuki franchises has dropped every year since 2005.
The company's strategy has become "very much focused on short-term profitability," says one source familiar with the company's recent cost-cutting moves who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They're limiting their future in the U.S."
Nobody at American Suzuki wants to talk about the troubles and the strategy for battling them. But Suzuki's hard-pressed dealers are feeling the pain.
"At one point I really thought they were going to support it, but it was kind of like a downward spiral -- no sales, no money, no advertising," says former dealer Bill Kay, who dropped his Suzuki franchise last summer even though he had a vacant Chrysler dealership in suburban Chicago available for Suzuki.
Bare Minimum
Seiichi Maruyama, former president of Suzuki Canada, was named president of American Suzuki last April. Takashi Iwatsuki, chairman of American Suzuki, arrived in California at the same time to help steer the company after being previously based in Japan.
Maruyama and Iwatsuki have been cutting costs wherever possible, sources say. And Suzuki's global parent is wrestling with falling sales in various key markets.
"They seem to be more interested in controlling expenses than increasing revenue," said a second source, who also asked not to be identified.
The casualties in the United States have been many tools that most automakers use to promote their brand and products.
The last Facebook and Twitter presence was Feb. 6. After skipping auto shows in Los Angeles in November and Detroit in January, Suzuki displayed vehicles this year at the Chicago and New York shows, but freshened versions of the SX4 subcompact and Grand Vitara SUV, expected to arrive this year, were not among them.
The changes to the vehicles are the first cosmetic updates to Suzuki's meager four-vehicle lineup in more than two years.
"The strange thing to me is, even at this bare minimum, when the opportunity is presented to make some news and provide something positive for customers and the dealers, they avoid it," the first source says.
Suzuki's newest vehicle, the Kizashi mid-sized sedan, went on sale in late 2009. Its SX4 subcompact has been on the market since 2007 with few updates. The current-generation Grand Vitara SUV has been around since the 2006 model year, and the Equator pickup, essentially a rebadged Nissan Frontier, arrived in November 2008.
In 2007, Suzuki's U.S. sales reached 101,884. But last year they dropped to just 26,618.
No CSI SSI
In the memo announcing the termination of the J.D. Power customer satisfaction data, Chris White, Suzuki's sales director, told dealers that Suzuki planned to sign a different vendor within four to six months to provide the scores. But no sign of a successor has surfaced.
"A lot of fundamental things that car companies need to track when they're operating, they were just jettisoning for the sake of saving costs," the first source says.
Some marketing efforts have continued. Suzuki produced a regional TV commercial for the 2012 Super Bowl to promote the Kizashi that ran in about 20 markets. And a few regional TV spots have followed.
Few sales, 'terrible' margin
Suzuki's troubles and its lack of marketing have led many dealers to call it quits. Former dealer Kay in suburban Chicago says his store sold fewer than 10 new Suzukis in an average month before he bailed out last summer. The few vehicles he did sell had "terrible" profit margins, he says, and the dealership had little service work.
Kay, who owns Ford, Chevrolet, Buick-GMC, Honda and Nissan dealerships in Chicago's western suburbs, says poor consumer awareness in his market hindered sales at his dealership.
"The problem is that, while it's not a bad product, it's not on anybody's radar to look at," Kay says.
Low-volume Suzuki dealerships such as Kay's accounted for most of the Suzuki dealers that closed in 2011, says James Morrell, owner of Advantage Suzuki in Albany, N.Y., and chairman of the Suzuki Dealer Advisory Board.
"Suzuki didn't lose any volume because [those] dealers weren't selling any new cars," Morrell says.
He says about 150 of Suzuki's remaining 246 dealers still sell five or fewer new cars per month, despite recent efforts to weed out poorly performing dealers.
In 2010, for example, Suzuki offered 150 of its worst-performing dealers $50,000 to terminate their franchise. About 50 accepted the offer. Suzuki is not offering buyouts now.
But with more than half of its dealers selling five or fewer vehicles in an average month, Suzuki still has many dealers unwilling to focus on Suzuki and adequately promote the brand in their local markets, Morrell says.
Many Suzuki dealers use their franchised-dealer status for easier access to financing to support big used-car operations, Morrell says.
Indeed, Chicago dealer Kay says used-car sales were the primary focus of his Suzuki store. "It didn't seem like there was any possibility of ever increasing the volume enough to support a stand-alone dealership," Kay says.
Still positive
Despite the struggles of many Suzuki dealers, some have found success with stand-alone Suzuki stores.
Despite the struggles of many Suzuki dealers, some have found success with stand-alone Suzuki stores.
Greg Sloan, president of Five Star Suzuki in Altoona, Pa., says he has a "very positive" outlook on Suzuki's future U.S. prospects. His dealership, which sells about 60 new vehicles a month, is one of Suzuki's highest-volume U.S. stores.
Sloan expects new and updated products within a few years. He says that many of the failed dealers were not committed to the Suzuki brand.
Sloan advertises heavily in his local market, something most of the smaller-volume dealers failed to do, he says.
"I think that some weak dealers have been weeded out, and I think that there are some dealers that lacked focus in retailing Suzukis by the wayside and we're left with guys who are really focused," Sloan says. "There's nowhere to go but up."
Source;
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)