Audi A3 TDI Is Bound for US
Audi announced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show that its 2010 A3 2.0 TDI will be coming to the US early next year. The diesel hatchback, which participated in the Audi Mileage Marathon last fall, averaged more than 45 miles per gallon over the course of the 4,000-mile journey. The A3 is considered one of Europe’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient passenger cars. The 2010 A3 is not expected to bring big changes from the 2009 model. It will continue to draw power from the same advanced clean diesel powertrain as last year’s model. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will yield 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Expect superb off-the-line performance and acceleration from the engine—which is mated with a six-speed automatic transmission. Fighting Words Audi considers the A3 a hybrid-fighter, specifically putting the Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight in its sights. The car is perhaps better compared with the Mini Cooper and Volvo C30 in the sport compact luxury segment. The price of diesel, which remains higher than premium unleaded gasoline, may be a potential downside for consumers. But that deterrent is counter-balanced by great fuel economy, strong performance, a plush ride, and a cabin with loads of high-end upgrades and amenities. Pricing for the 2010 A3 will be announced later this year. read more
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Audi A3 TDI Is Bound for US
Lexus HS250h
Detroit —Never again let it be said that high-mileage hybrids are grim, joyless, or Spartan. With the launch of the new Lexus HS250h, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system shows up in a midsize sedan that is both economical and unquestionably luxurious. As Lexus pointed out at the introduction, more than 60 percent of luxury-car buyers would consider a hybrid if one were available. Now, those buyers have a new option. The HS250h goes on sale in Spring 2009. The HS250h is the Lexus brand’s first dedicated hybrid, just as the Toyota Prius is for Lexus’s parent brand. Previous Lexus hybrids were adaptations of existing vehicles, including the popular RX400h crossover—to be replaced for 2010 by the RX450h —the GS450h sports sedan, and the full-size luxury barge LS600h . While the new Lexus was launched a day before the new 2010 Prius , it’s more closely related to that car than many Lexus buyers may realize. The two cars have different bodies, different engine sizes, and certainly different personas, but you can view the HS250h as a new Prius with a trunk, a bunch of luxury accoutrements, and a different tradeoff between fuel economy and features. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld might say. read more
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Lexus HS250h
2010 Toyota Prius Breaks 50 MPG
Fact: More than 1,000 new patent applications were filed for the 2010 Toyota Prius. The 2010 Toyota Prius, officially unveiled this morning at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, will break the 50-mpg mark. The third-generation Prius is bigger and more powerful than the previous version—but will become the only vehicle in the United States that offers combined mileage greater than 50 miles per gallon. The first-generation Prius, which was rated 41 EPA combined mpg, was replaced by the current model, which is EPA rated at 46 mpg, combined city/highway. Using a combination of technologies, fuel efficiency was increased to an estimated 50 miles per gallon for the new Prius. First Official Photos of 2010 Toyota Prius The engine has grown from 1.5 liters to 1.8 liters—giving a boost in horsepower from 110 to 160—and the body is be three to four inches longer and about an inch wider. Toyota engineers were also able to reduce the Prius’s wind resistance—coefficient of drag is 0.25, compared to 0.26 for the previous model. Engineers made changes to the shape of the fender liner, front surface of the underfloor, and added a fin at the rear floor cover to increase linear stability. Our coverage from the Detroit Auto Show of the 2010 Toyota Prius will continue with more details, and interviews with Toyota executives. Stay tuned. read more
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2010 Toyota Prius Breaks 50 MPG
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Leave a commentDetroit Auto Show: Honda’s New Insight
Detroit —The goal of the 2009 Honda Insight, based on information Honda released today at the Detroit Auto Show, is to make the best use of the most cost-effective hybrid technology. And that may be a smart strategy from what some analysts consider to be the smartest car company in the world. When members of the media troop past the new Insight today, they’ll see Honda’s take on a shape that’s coming to define hybrid and electric vehicles: a five-door hatchback with a smooth front and a high, abrupt tail. You can add the Insight to a list of similarly shaped cars that begins with the Toyota Prius and includes the Chevrolet Volt as well. In this case, Honda leans heavily on styling cues from its much-publicized FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle . Under the Insight’s hood is a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 98 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque—obviously tiny for what Honda claims is a five-passenger subcompact. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which provides infinite ratios to keep the engine operating within its most efficient range. On the upscale LX model, Honda offers paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel that give the driver the experience of a seven-speed gearbox. A CVT doesn’t actually have gears, so the system uses electronics to direct the transmission to up- or downshift in specific ways when a driver hits the paddle. The hybrid heart of the system is the fifth generation of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. The lightweight, ultra-thin electric motor between the engine and transmission puts out 10 kilowatts (13 horsepower). It is powered by a flat nickel-metal-hydride battery pack that sits under the rear deck, just behind the gas tank under the rear seat. The battery holds 0.58 kilowatt-hour of energy—just slightly more than half the 1 kilowatt-hours of the current Toyota Prius pack. The Insight battery is recharged with both spare engine power and regenerative braking, and its accelerator connects to an electronic sensor rather than a cable, also known as “drive-by-wire.” read more
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Detroit Auto Show: Honda’s New Insight
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