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philmcneal
Simcoe Ontario
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I'm still waiting for the IS300H to come to america... RWD hybrid still dreaming besides the big boaty gs450h
EPA mileage estimates mark Lexus ES 300h the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle without a plug
The 2019 Lexus ES 300h’s US EPA mileage estimates of 43 mpg city, 45 mpg highway and 44 mpg (5.47 l/100 km) combined make it the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle without a plug. The ES 300h uses a new, fourth-generation Hybrid Drive System. In addition to delivering stronger performance a...
if the rear seats don't fold flat this time oh Ford...
Next-Gen Ford Fiesta St with new 200 PS 3-cylinder, 1.5L Ecoboost with 3 drive modes; cylinder deactivation
Ford Performance unveiled the next generation Ford Fiesta ST, powered by an all-new three-cylinder, 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine. Shown for the first time ahead of its global public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the next generation Fiesta ST will deliver 200 PS, 290 N·m of torque, and...
Yeah Canada can use a dollar boost, buy from us!
The Oil War Is Only Just Getting Started
The Oil War Is Only Just Getting Started by Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com It’s been a month now that investors and analysts have been closely watching two main drivers for oil prices: how OPEC is doing with the supply-cut deal, and how US shale is responding to fifty-plus-dollar oil with ...
If this isn't cheaper than a prius why is Nissan wasting their time?
Report: Nissan to unveil new e-Power Juke concept at Tokyo show; 2nd application of new series-hybrid powertrain
Car and Driver reports that Nissan will unveil a Juke e-Power concept at the Tokyo auto show this fall. In November 2016, Nissan introduced the new series-hybrid e-Power drive system in the Note. Although e-Power borrows technology from the LEAF, unlike the all-battery-electric powertrain of th...
^^ haha
although I will admit, finding these 1.0 ecoboosts on the used market sounds like a real gem... people will go crazy for the RS, but there will be a 1.0 liter always in my heart. Although digging my GD3 manual honda fit though :) but craving that tesla...
Ford to offer cylinder deactivation for 1.0L EcoBoost in 2018; 6% fuel economy boost; global first for a 3-cylinder
Ford will offer the multi-award-winning 1.0‑liter EcoBoost gasoline engine with innovative cylinder deactivation technology for further reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel efficiency by up to 6%. Ford had been investigating different cylinder deactivation approaches for the 1.0L EcoBoost ...
I'm shocked that BMW managed to sell so many ugly I3
BMW has sold more than 100,000 EVs and PHEVs worldwide over three years
The BMW Group has now delivered more than 100,000 purely electric-powered cars and plug-in hybrids to customers worldwide since the launch of BMW i in November 2013. The BMW i3 alone has reached a figure of more than 60,000 units, making it the most successful electric vehicle in the premium com...
anyone know what a prius retails for in Japan? at 16k USD this could be the cheapest hybrid ever, go Nissan!
Nissan introduces series-hybrid powertrain with Note e-POWER in Japan; small pack, small engine, LEAF motor, low price
In Japan, Nissan Motor introduced its new series-hybrid drive system called e-POWER along with its application in the Note. This marks the first availability of e-POWER technology for consumers, marking a milestone in the electrification strategy under Nissan Intelligent Mobility. e-POWER bor...
Wonder how I can take advantage of the buy back program in Canada
Volkswagen & Audi to pay >$14.7B in US to settle 2.0L diesel emissions case; $2B of that to promote ZEVs
Under a class action settlement agreement filed today (earlier post), Volkswagen and Audi in the US will pay more than $14.7 billion to settle complaints arising from its cheating on emissions from its 2.0-liter diesel engines. The class settlement creates a funding pool of up to $10.033 billion...
I'm curious to see how reliable these units are as I know vehicles like the Prius has been proven robust in severe taxi environments.
New BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo improves fuel economy by up to 14%
BMW will launch the latest BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo in time for the start of summer. Combining the style of a coupé, the passenger spaciousness of a luxury sedan and the trunk capacity of a station wagon, the 3 Series Gran Turismo has developed into a firm fixture of the mid-size class over the...
Man curious how the engine will turn out as that is one complex modern turbocharging unit! Although those are some nice stats for the diesel as it wouldn't surprise me if you could get 40 mpg by babying it. But when you are driving this kind of car you are probably going to get less than that ;)
BMW introducing new quad-turbo 6-cylinder diesel in 7 Series; engine output up 5%, average fuel consumption down 11%
BMW is introducing its new quad-turbo, six-cylinder diesel, described several weeks ago at the Vienna Motor Symposium, in the BMW 750d xDrive and BMW 750Ld xDrive. The new diesel—billed by BMW as the world’s most powerful six cylinder diesel, generates maximum output of 294 kW/400 hp and peak t...
that's the dream, to save enough to lease the tesla model 3 on my business haha. Great article!
Report: Ontario targeting 5% EV share of all new vehicles sold by 2020, 12% by 2025 as part of C$7B climate plan
Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that as part of a more C$7-billion (US$5.4-billion), 4-year climate change plan, the Ontario government will invest C$285 million (US$221 million) in electric vehicle incentives; implement lower carbon fuel standards; and invest C$280 million (US$217 million) to ...
wow thanks for the review! The all in price for the new spark is only 9999 cad, so that's really a good price for the base model. Curious what the 5spd gearing is at but it can't be no worse than my 5spd 2007 honda fit.
Chevrolet introduces 2016 Spark; new 1.4L engine with 16% more power and 40 mpg highway
At the New York International Auto Show, Chevrolet introduced the all-new 2016 Spark—a completely redesigned and more sophisticated execution of the brand’s global minicar. It offers greater efficiency and refinement, along with new, available safety and connectivity features. As one of Chevrole...
yeah not that much better than the ford escape hybrid but 8 second run should be happy for most people in desire for a vehicle like this.
Toyota announces expected fuel economy and pricing for RAV4 Hybrid: 33 mpg combined, entry at $28,370
Toyota anticipates that the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid—unveiled earlier this year at the New York International Auto Show (earlier post) and the eighth hybrid in Toyota’s line-up—will receive EPA ratings of 34 mpg city / 31 mpg highway / 33 mpg combined (6.9, 7.6 and 7.1 l/100 km, respectively) for both ...
Love the tech involved, now the price against comparable supercars :)
Acura provides more technical detail on NSX sports hybrid AWD powertrain, body
Acura unveiled the production model of the next-generation NSX at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this past January (earlier post), and now has provided more technical detail on the high-performance hybrid sports car and its new Sport Hybrid-AWD power unit. At the core of thi...
man and i was hoping the AWD TDI would be available but next year i guess
First drive: Volkswagen 2015 Golf SportWagen
2015 Golf SportWagen. Click to enlarge. With the entry of the new 2015 Golf SportWagen, Volkswagen of America is bringing some dynamic and reasonably priced fuel-efficient verve to the non-luxury wagon segment in the US. The Golf SportWagen replaces the Jetta SportWagen with a slightly large...
we need more choices than just the mitsubishi mirage!!!
Toyota introducing new series of gasoline engines with gain of at least 10% fuel efficiency; up to 38% maximum thermal efficiency
New 1.3L Atkinson cycle engine can reach a thermal efficiency of 38%. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a new series of fuel-efficient gasoline engines that achieve improved thermal efficiency. The new engines leverage combustion and loss-reduction technologies Toyota...
if it is as wide as a 4 person car then what's the point? the savings from 50 mpg to 84 mpg is not that crazy to begin with (as opposed to 10 to 30 mpg that's huge!)
Looks like a used mitsubishi mirage looks like a better bet
Elio Motors unveils engine prototype for 84 mpg highway 3-wheeler
Elio Motors, the start-up developing a $6,800, 84-mpg- (2.8l/100 km) three-wheeled vehicle with a target date of 2016, unveiled its engine prototype: a 0.9-liter, 3-cylinder unit developed by IAV. To provide its customers with high fuel efficiency and still provide the performance consistent wi...
this is the new benchmark for the small car! all manufacturers I hope will follow suit!
World premiere of new smart fortwo and forfour
The new smart fortwo: Body panels in white, tridion safety cell in lava orange (metallic). The new smart forfour: Body in white, tridion safety cell in black. Click to enlarge. In a world premiere staged in Berlin, Daimler brand smart unveiled the new versions of its iconic smart fortwo and...
considering the smart for two sold in decent amounts, these new improvements should make the car more desirable than ever!
New generation smart fortwo and forfour offer new drive systems, suspension
The new generation smart forfour and fortwo. Click to enlarge. The new generation smart fortwo and forfour city cars (earlier post), developed in cooperation with Renault, offer a new range of drive systems: three three-cylinder engines rated at 45 kW/60 hp, 52 kW/71 hp and 66 kW/90 hp, coup...
yeah with my 2009 TDI, this new electric biturbo should eliminate all jerkiness or lag when needing passing power as the DSG needs to upshift one gear before providing me the OMPH I need to pass someone.
although pure electric vehicles don't have this problem :)
Two Audi TDI technology studies with electric biturbo, 48V electrical systems; both technologies to go into series production
V6 TDI bi-turbo with electric compressor. Click to enlarge. Audi has built two technology studies with the “electric biturbo” technology it is developing (earlier post): the Audi A6 TDI concept is equipped with a new 3.0 TDI monoturbo (i.e., a single turbo with supplementary electric compres...
once again these are powertrains that will never see the light of day in the North American market...
although that yaris hybrid, does it have the same powertrain as the prius C here in NA?
Refreshed 2014 Toyota Yaris features revamped 1.0L engine with switching between Atkinson and Otto cycles; new hybrid
2014 Yaris Hybrid. Click to enlarge. Toyota’s refreshed 2014 Yaris for Europe offers a choice of four powertrains, including a thoroughly reworked 3-cylinder 1.0 gasoline unit that is the first member of a new family of 14 highly efficient engines to be launched by 2015. With a thermal effic...
it would be interesting to have a supercap, since my current generation prius (NHW20) I find it is very easy to overheat the battery even in sub zero degree C weather! Then again this is like driving in pure stop and go traffic for over an hour! When hypermiling its actually tough to overheat the damn thing, but when driving to keep up with traffic and such the regen capability increases to warm up battery temperature, then once its reach it begins to decrease as it heats up past its optimal.
In the summer the effect is greatly compounded, but keeping the vents and blowing the A/C helps a lot! But not enough to maintain full regeneration capacity 100% of a long say 3 hour city driving trip.
Can't wait for that nano phosphate though! I will put it to the test! Then again my prius battery has 320k so it could be showing its age?
New Toyota TS040 racing hybrid features new V8 all-wheel drive hybrid system with supercap energy storage
Since 2012, Toyota has been racing its TS030 Hybrid, equipped with a full racing hybrid system, in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). (Earlier post.) Participating in all eight races and with two wins last year, Toyota plans to enter all races this year with two new TS040 vehicles from...
more competition is good so that the bmw 328d does not own the US market.
Mercedes-Benz 2014 E250 BlueTEC sedan estimated EPA rated at 45 mpg highway, 28 mpg city
The Mercedes-Benz 2014 E250 BlueTEC sedan, the first diesel E-Class to be available with 4MATIC, achieves an estimated EPA rating of 45 mpgUS (5.2 l/100 km) on the highway and 28 mpg (8.4 l/100 km) in the city. When equipped with optional 4MATIC all-wheel drive, its fuel mileage numbers are 42 ...
yeah an entry level RWD hybrid would be very nice right now! the gs450h is too expensive for the average consumer.
Then again the is300h had mediocre reviews on its performance, its cheesy racing emulated sounds just shows how much of a joke it is.
Second hybrid in the Lexus GS lineup to be launched at the end of 2013
At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Lexus introduced the fourth model—and the second hybrid—in the GS range, the GS 300h hybrid, which will be launched at the end of 2013. The fourth generation Lexus GS first went on sale in Europe in 2012 as a three model range comprising the GS 250, GS 350 AWD and t...
forgot to add which is why i like my prius, it can be a hauler when it needs to be
Honda introduces Accord hybrid and plug-in in Japan; hybrid in US in October
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has introduced the new Accord Hybrid in Japan. Featuring the new Sport Hybrid i-MMD (intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) powertrain, the Accord Hybrid offers fuel economy of 30.0 km/L (70.6 mpg US, 3.33 L/100 km) on the JC08 cycle. The company also introduced the Accord Plug-in H...
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