Lexus HS 250h luxury hybrid (first drive)

"When we first saw Lexus' new luxury hybrid, it was being revealed at the 2009 Detroit auto show. Recently we were given an opportunity to preview the new Lexus HS 250h, a vehicle that the automaker is calling the world's first luxury dedicated hybrid. It also calls the HS an economy luxury car, which to us seems like a bit of an oxymoron.

As I approached the vehicle, my first thought was, "Oh my, they've Lexusified and hybridized a Corolla! This is going to be a disaster." I couldn't have been more wrong.

True, the HS 250h looks like your run-of-the-mill, boring Toyota/Lexus econobox, but under the rather plain skin is a rather exceptional vehicle, particularly when it comes to cabin tech.

The HS 250h's dash is an ergonomic dream. Its floating center console lifts the climate and audio controls up to where they can be accessed without reaching. The flip-up navigation screen is moved up to the top of the dash, where it can be viewed in our periphery without taking our eyes off of the road.

At the bottom of the console, Lexus' new remote-touch controller falls naturally into the drivers' hand. A sort of joystick/trackball hybrid, the remote-touch controller uses a control stick that is moved with your fingertip to select options from the HS' icon-based interface. Movements are 1:1 with where the pointer is on the screen, so there's never any issue with losing the cursor. Haptic-force feedback notifies you through touch when an option has been selected, which assists in navigation without you having to take eyes off of the road for too long.

We thought the system would be terribly distracting on the road, but once again we were mistaken. We were able to quickly fly through the menus to select audio sources and choose destinations. Some users will miss the touch-screen controls, but we think the haptic feedback of the remote-touch controller is a much better substitute.

We've heard the Mark Levinson stereo system previously in other Lexus vehicles, so we weren't surprised by the fantastic audio quality from our USB-connected iPod or A2DP-connected Bluetooth phone.

The Lexus HS 250h's power delivery didn't impress us as much as the level of cabin tech. The HS features four drive modes: a normal mode that accelerates with about the same gusto as a Toyota Prius, an ECO mode that decreases throttle inputs and climate control systems for more thrifty driving, a Power mode that is the opposite of ECO mode, and an EV mode that moves the vehicle under purely electric power up to 20 mph.

The Toyota-sourced Hybrid Synergy Drive is at its smoothest under the hood of the HS 250h. A 2.4-liter gasoline engine is paired with an electric engine to make a combined 187 horsepower. Fuel economy is an estimated 35 miles per gallon city and 34 mpg highway; we're assuming that's in ECO mode. Transition between electric and gasoline power trains is almost imperceptible thanks to the HS' quiet cabin keeping engine noise out.

An exhaust heat recovery system recaptures wasted heat from the combustion to reduce warm-up time and allow the engine to be shut off sooner and more often.

We didn't expect that a car with a mode that dumbs down the throttle response would place a high premium on handling and we were right. However, the HS is a capable vehicle; its road manners are predictable, safe, and controllable. Push it into a turn and the HS will deliver easily correctable understeer all day long. We have reason to believe that's just the kind of handling the HS' target audience wants.

While we can forgive the lackluster handing, the regenerative brakes had us clenching at each stop. It's difficult to tell when the regeneration/friction switch is going to occur, which made modulating the brakes difficult. Our vehicle was a preproduction model, so perhaps the gremlins will be worked out before the HS hits dealers this fall.

Lexus has also endowed the HS with numerous safety systems, such as radar-guided, active, cruise control and various levels of stability and traction control. At any given time, up to five cameras are working to keep the driver safe.

Lane Keep Assist (LKA) uses a camera to detect lane markers and a second camera to detect the driver's head movements. If the HS drifts out of its lane without using a turn signal and the system determines that the driver is distracted, LKA will nudge the steering wheel to correct the vehicle's course. Drivers can easily push through the LKA's inputs if, in fact, the lane change is intentional. We tested the system on a clear highway and, as promised, the HS will keep itself in its lane if allowed to drift. The feedback is gentle, but noticeable, and definitely got our attention, which we think is the point.

LKA only works when the HS is under active cruise control, when the driver's hand is on the steering wheel, and when the driver is not looking ahead. If these conditions aren't met, the system merely uses a lane-departure-warning steering-wheel buzz to alert the driver.

Intelligent High Beams (IHB) uses a camera to detect the headlamps and tail lights of oncoming vehicles and adjusts the high beams accordingly. While the wide-view front monitor uses a grill-mounted ultrawide-angle camera to peek around corners, the rear-view monitor is a wide-angle camera mounted on the trunk. The total camera count is five.

We're not sure if entry-level luxury buyers will respond to the HS' drab economy-car exterior, but a short stint in the driver's seat should win over at least the technophiles, as the HS 250h is packed to the gills with cutting-edge entertainment, convenience, and safety tech, as well as an advanced hybrid drivetrain."

Source: The Car Tech blog

Nissan will steer clear of hybrid look for first EV

Nissan Motors wants a bold design for its upcoming electric vehicle--one that doesn't make it look like a hybrid.

The goal is a look that screams green but stands apart from the wedge-shaped silhouette that has come to signify environmentally friendly driving in the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids.

"We need some kind of difference so that when people see our car, they will realize this is an EV, not a hybrid," Nissan chief designer Shiro Nakamura told Automotive News.

Nissan has not released pictures of the car, which is scheduled to go on sale next year. But its new styling cues include:

• No grille, to underscore the electric drivetrain

• A low hood enabled by the lack of an engine

• A visible recharging plug at the nose of the car

• A profile that is flowing, instead of triangular

A concept version of the EV will be unveiled in August and will be a front-wheel-drive, five-seat hatchback, Nakamura said.

The working design has a drag coefficient of 0.30, he said. The third-generation Prius has 0.25 and the Insight 0.28. Nakamura expects to eke out further improvements in drag by tweaking the design and adding underbody fittings to smooth air flow.

In pursuing a design that stands out, Nakamura is taking a page from Toyota--which gambled on the Prius' wedge shape and scored a hit when the car became the benchmark for green styling.

Because EVs lack a bulky engine and gasoline tank, they open up new design possibilities. Nakamura said he couldn't maximize such flexibility because the EV uses an existing platform. He wouldn't be specific about the platform, but said the car will be comparable in size to the Cube or Versa.

"It is not designed completely from scratch," Nakamura said. "We will go step by step. Later on we will bring more advanced, tires-extreme designs. We want to be economical."

Source: Car Tech

Toyota GB reveals prices for new Toyota Prius

KEY POINTS

• Toyota carries over current on-the-road prices for new Prius T₃ and T Spirit models
• Additional specification and modest increase in price for T₄ version
• Strategy represents exceptional customer value, with new Prius offering significantly stronger performance, lower emissions, improved fuel economy and substantially higher standard equipment levels.
• Competitive pricing adds to new Prius’s Total Economy ownership benefits
• On sale from August, prices from £18,370 on-the-road

It’s said that you get what you pay for, but where Toyota’s new full hybrid Prius is concerned, customers enjoy great deal more for the just the same price they would pay for the current model.

Pricing for the all-new third-generation Prius has been carried over unchanged from the current model for the T₃ and T Spirit versions, while the cost of the T₄ model has risen by just £835.

Much more equipment, much the same price

New Prius equipment specifications have been substantially increased across the board.

For example, the entry-level T₃ grade gains: -

• A new head-up display, projecting key vehicle data on to the windscreen in the driver’s eyeline
• Toyota’s new Touch Tracer multi-function control on the steering wheel
• Smart Entry & Start (driver’s door unlocking)
• Driver’s knee airbag
• Heated door mirrors
• Front fog lamps.

Features new to T₄ grade models, in addition to the extra T₃ specification above, include: -

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Bluetooth
• Eight-speaker audio system
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Smart Entry & Start (all-door unlocking)

T Spirit owners will also get much more for their money, with the same additional features as T₄ models, plus:

• HDD (hard disk drive) navigation system and music library facility
• Improved Intelligent Park Assist with rear parking camera

Advances in Powertrain, Technology and Packaging

New Prius’s advances in powertrain performance, technology and packaging also put its headline pricing into perspective.

The latest development of Toyota’s multi-award-winning Hybrid Synergy Drive full hybrid system delivers 24 per cent more power, yet is more compact and lighter than before, making Prius fleeter by half a second in nought to 62mph acceleration. At the same time, CO2 emissions have been slashed to a market-best 89g/km and fuel consumption has improved by 10 per cent to 72.4mpg – better-than-A-segment figures from a full-sized family car.

New Prius is also the most technically advanced family car you can buy, not simply thanks to its full hybrid powertrain, but also for features such as the standard head-up display, Touch Tracer control, Eco Drive Monitor and LED lighting.

Furthermore, same or similar pricing also buys you more in terms of space, both in the cabin where, in particular, rear head and kneeroom and have been improved, and in the boot where a more compact hybrid battery unit has helped created useful extra load space.

New Prius Total Economy

The competitive pricing is another dimension of new Prius’s Total Economy profile, adding to the ownership benefits of its market-leading 89g/km CO2 emissions and 72.4mpg combined cycle fuel economy. Its impressive environmental performance yields more savings through a zero VED road fund licence charge; lowest-rate 10 per cent benefit-in-kind company car tax; 100 per cent first-year corporation tax write-down allowance; and exemption from the central London congestion charge.

New Toyota Prius prices

MODEL	OTR PRICE
Prius T3	£18,370
Prius T4	£19,990
Prius T Spirit	£21,210

Source: Toyota GB' Vehicle Media Site

Scoop: Toyota SAI

The SAI is supposed to be Toyota's version of the all-new Lexus HS 250h and is expected to be launched later this year. It is based on the new Prius featuring the same mechanical components.

Source: Vince Burlapp Car Page

High demand in Japan imperils U.S. Prius

Booming Japanese demand for the new-generation Prius could mean fewer U.S. deliveries of the popular hybrid vehicle when it goes on sale next month.

Toyota Motor Corp. booked 80,000 advance orders for the car in Japan before its Monday, May 18, sales debut. That nearly meets the local sales goal of 100,000 units for the year.

Incoming President Akio Toyoda said he wants to sell between 300,000 and 400,000 units worldwide by Jan. 1, about half to North America and roughly 17 percent to Europe.

But Yoshimasa Ishii, managing officer in charge of overseas marketing, said Toyota may have to reconsider planned shipments to North America so it can meet demand at home. Japanese customers placing an order today have to wait about four months for delivery.

"We have an initial allocation for the United States, according to the original annual plan. But because of the very strong demand from Japan, we may need to review this sales plan and reallocate the production plan," Ishii told Automotive News on the sidelines of the Prius launch here.

The key will be how fast Toyota can boost output at the two Japanese plants making the car.

Prius chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka said current capacity stands at more than 40,000 units a month. Toyota aims to lift output higher through overtime shifts, he said.

Toyota's companywide capacity for all hybrid vehicles is limited by battery availability to around 500,000 vehicles. But that will expand to 800,000 by year end, Otsuka said.

Toyota wants to sell between 500,000 and 600,000 Priuses globally in the car's first full 12 months on the market, he said. "We have to think about the appropriate ratio of allocating those vehicles," Otsuka said.

The first Prius shipment left for the United States in late April. They will go on sale as soon as they arrive at dealerships in late May or early June.

Further eating into Toyota's hybrid production capacity are plans to keep making the current-generation Prius as a fleet vehicle for sale only in Japan. That model will be rechristened the Prius EX and will have a monthly sales target of 2,000.

Source: The Car Tech blog

Mazda delivers first Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid to Iwatani Corporation (マツダ、『プレマシー ハイドロジェンRE ハイブリッド』第一号車を岩谷産業株式会社に納車)

Mazda Motor Corporation today delivered the first Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid (earlier post) to Iwatani Corporation, an energy development company based in Japan. The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is Mazda’s latest hydrogen rotary engine (RE) vehicle which uses hydrogen as a fuel and features a unique hybrid system.

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid can run on both hydrogen and gasoline thanks to a dual-fuel system that was developed for the current RX-8 Hydrogen RE. The addition of a new hybrid system significantly enhances the vehicle’s performance and contributes to its increased hydrogen fuel range of 200 kilometers; double that of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE.

The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is the second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to be leased to Iwatani Corporation, following an RX-8 Hydrogen RE that was delivered in March 2006. The new model will be used for business purposes at the company’s offices in Western Japan, before being located at the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project’s (JHFC) Kansai Airport Hydrogen Station, where it will be used at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka and for a variety of other purposes.

Akihiro Kashiwagi, Mazda’s program manager in charge of hydrogen RE development, said, “Mazda is delighted to deliver our newest hydrogen rotary engine vehicle to Iwatani, which has been engaged in advancing the further uses of hydrogen energy for many years. Mazda will use the feedback we receive from Iwatani to further improve the performance of hydrogen-fueled rotary engine vehicles as we wish to do our part to achieve a hydrogen energy society in the future.”

Based on its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan, Mazda is committed to pursuing harmony between driving pleasure and environmental and safety features. Mazda constantly strives to offer vehicles that “look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again.”

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Text in Japanese

　マツダ株式会社（以下、マツダ）は、ハイブリッドシステムを搭載し、水素を燃料として走行する新型水素ロータリーエンジン車『マツダ プレマシー ハイドロジェンRE ハイブリッド』を、エネルギー関連企業の岩谷産業株式会社にリース販売を行い、本日納車いたしました。

　 『マツダ プレマシー ハイドロジェンRE ハイブリッド』は、従来の『RX-8 ハイドロジェンRE』で開発した水素とガソリンの両方を燃料に使えるデュアルフューエルシステムに加え、新しくハイブリッドシステムを採用することにより 大幅に走行性能を向上させるとともに、水素での航続距離も2倍の200kmを実現しています。

　岩谷産業 株式会社への水素ロータリーエンジン車のリース販売は、2006年3月に納入した『RX-8 ハイドロジェンRE』に続いて2台目となります。今回納車された車両は、岩谷産業株式会社中国支社にて業務等に活用された後、JHFC関西空港水素ステー ションを中心として関西国際空港などで使用される予定です。

　開発担当主査の柏木 章宏（かしわぎ あきひろ）は、「長年にわたりクリーンな水素エネルギーの普及に取り組んでこられた岩谷産業株式会社殿に、新たな水素ロータリーエンジン車を納車できたこ とを大変嬉しく思います。お客様からのご意見を参考に、今後も水素ロータリーエンジン車のさらなる改善を進め、水素エネルギー社会の実現に貢献していきた いと思います」と語りました。

　マツダはこれからも『サステイナブル“Zoom-Zoom”宣言』に基づき、走る歓びと環境・安全性能が調和した、進化する“Zoom-Zoom”の世界を追求し、『見て乗りたくなる、乗って楽しくなる、そしてまた乗りたくなる』クルマづくりを目指していきます。

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Source: Mazda Global Web Site

Honda to roll out hybrid Fit in autumn 2010: report

Honda Motor Co plans to roll out a gas-electric hybrid version of its Fit subcompact in the autumn of 2010, about a year and half ahead of the original schedule, to tap growing demand for low-emission cars, Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

The automaker aims to sell the Fit hybrid for about 1.5 million yen ($15,800), below the price of 1.89 million yen for its Insight hybrid, and expects annual sales of over 50,000 vehicles, the paper said without citing sources.

Separately, public broadcaster NHK said on Wednesday that Toyota Motor Corp plans to resume overtime at its factory in Aichi, central Japan, next month in response to strong demand for its new Prius hybrid.

The company has received orders for more than 110,000 vehicles and plans to raise monthly output of the model by 20 percent from the original schedule to about 50,000 cars, NHK said.

Source: Nikkei via Reuters

Lithium Energy Japan building second Li-Ion plant for Mitsubishi i MiEV

Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture between GS Yuasa Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp., plans to construct a battery factory in response to Mitsubishi Motors’ plans to boost production of its i MiEV electric vehicle.

The joint venture will spend ¥2-3 billion (US$21-32 million) to build the lithium-ion battery factory in Kyoto. This facility will reportedly have sufficient capacity to produce battery packs for 15,000 vehicles a year starting in the autumn of 2010.

Lithium Energy Japan had initially intended to produce cells for packs for up to 2,000 vehicles a year at GS Yuasa’s main plant, in Kyoto, for a range of customers. In 2008, the company began construction on a factory in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, with eventual planned capacity for approximately 10,000 vehicles. At the time, the company said it was planning to add a second plant and double output by 2012.

With the rapid increase in demand for lower emitting vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors recently doubled its planned i MiEV production for fiscal 2011 to 20,000 following an agreement to supply the car to France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen Group.

In April, Blue Energy Co., Ltd., the new joint venture company between GS Yuasa and Honda for the manufacturing, sales and R&D of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles, held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of its Osadano Plant in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto.

Source: Green Car Congress

Toyota questions price, recharge time and battery durability of plug-in hybrids

Toyota Motor Corp., which recently posted its first financial loss in decades, said U.S. consumer demand for plug-in hybrids may be limited by the vehicles' price, recharge time and battery durability - nevermind their popularity with President Obama.

Toyota estimates sales of hybrids that can be recharged at household outlets may be 50,000 vehicles a year at most and could be as few as 3,500, Bill Reinert, the automaker's U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington, D.C., Monday.

Sales of Toyota's Prius - the best-selling gasoline-electric hybrid on the road, and a vehicle Reinert helped design - were almost 159,000 last year.

A market for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles "will emerge, but their success depends on advantages over existing hybrids," Reinert said. "There is a great deal of variation on how current PHEVs perform in real-world conditions."

Interest in plug-ins surged after gasoline prices reached record highs last year and Obama campaigned on a goal of getting 1 million such vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. The Energy Department has said it plans to begin awarding a portion of $25 billion in low-cost federal loans to companies that build plug-ins and other fuel-efficient vehicles at U.S. factories.

Toyota hasn't announced plans to sell plug-in hybrids to consumers. Honda Motor Co. said last month it's studying plug-ins, and as yet has no plan for consumer sales.

The companies estimate lithium-ion batteries needed for plug-ins may add at least $5,000 to $10,000 to the vehicle price.

Toyota also cited recent studies by Duke University and Carnegie Mellon University showing plug-ins may provide only limited reduction of greenhouse gases compared with current hybrids such as the Prius that don't need to be plugged in.

General Motors Corp., which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, has committed about $1 billion to
develop the rechargeable Chevrolet Volt hybrid. The Detroit automaker is banking on it to leapfrog the Prius despite the fact that it'll likely retail for $15,000 over the price of a Prius when it goes on sale late next year.

Source: Green Car Advisor

Fuji Heavy may sell hybrid car by 2012, Mori Says

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the maker of Subaru-brand cars, may introduce a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle by 2012, as the U.S., Japan and Europe tighten their emission rules.

The company plans to develop a new diesel engine that meets tougher environmental standards by 2011 or 2012 and “hopes to introduce a hybrid around the same time,” President Ikuo Mori told reporters today in Tokyo.

Fuji Heavy has said it plans to use a hybrid system developed by Toyota Motor Corp., its biggest shareholder. U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday announced the first national standard for greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles and tougher rules for fuel mileage.

Automakers must now meet average efficiency standards of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, four years sooner than previously planned. The new standards would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 900 million metric tons through 2016, according to the administration. Europe and Japan also plan to implement tougher regulations around the same time.

Separately, Mori said the company in the U.S. is encouraging dealers that operate showrooms both for bankrupt Chrysler LLC and Subaru to switch to Fuji Heavy’s finance company. There are about 20 dealers that handle both brands, Mori said.

Chrysler, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on May 14 asked court permission to cancel 789 car dealership agreements. U.S. dealers are struggling with a 37 percent sales decline this year through April that may force General Motors Corp., the country’s biggest automaker, to seek bankruptcy as well.

Source: Bloomberg

Modellista reveales full lineup of bodykits for new 2010 Toyota Prius

The 2010 Toyota Prius went on sale in Japan yesterday and the company’s in-house tuner, Modellista, is already offering body kits.

The Aero Tourer Kit is available in two different versions with upgrades including a new front bumper, grille, front and side skirts, a new rear bumper, a lip spoiler and set of new alloy wheels available in two different designs.

Ride height of the 2010 Toyota Prius with the Aero Tourer Kit has been reduced by 20mm.

Source: Modellista

Toyota launches 3G Prius sales in Japan and new 2G model; Combined target of 12,000 units per month (TOYOTA、２代目プリウスを刷新し、新グレード「EX」として発売)

Toyota began sales in Japan today of the third-generation Prius, with a monthly sales target for Japan of 10,000 units. The 2010 Prius starts at ¥2,050,000 (~US$21,400).

Toyota is also releasing a new grade of its second-generation Prius aimed mainly at fleet customers. The competitively priced EX Prius is to be sold through Toyota and Toyopet dealer channels, starting on June 8. The price is ¥1,890,000 (~US$19,749) and the total monthly sales target is 2,000 units.

Since its launch in 1997, the Prius has been sold in more than 40 countries and regions around the world, with cumulative sales having exceeded 1.25 million units as of March 31, 2009. The third-generation Prius will be released in stages in more than 80 countries and regions.

Source: Green Car Congress

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Text in Japanese

　TOYOTAは、2003年の発売以来ご好評をいただいている２代目プリウスのグレード体系を見直し、ビジネスユースを狙いとした新グレード「EX」のみの設定とし、全国のトヨタ店ならびにトヨペット店を通じて、６月８日より発売する。

　今回、新設定となる「EX」では、外板色をスーパーホワイトII、シルバーメタリック、ブラックの３色、内装色をグレーの１色設定としたほか、フロントグリルを外板色と同色としている。
　また、デュアルステージSRSエアバッグ(運転席・助手席)など安全装備をはじめとした基本性能や、湿度センサー付の電動インバーターエアコンなど快適装備はそのままに、フロントフォグランプやタイヤのホイールキャップを標準装備から販売店装着オプション設定とするなど、装備をビジネスユースに絞り込むことで、より求めやすい価格を実現している。

　なお、月販目標台数は、トヨタ店ならびにトヨペット店で各1,000台、合計2,000台を予定している。

【メーカー希望小売価格】 （北海道、沖縄のみ価格が異なる。単位：円）

	ハイブリッドシステム	駆 動	価 格＊ (消費税込み)
EX	THS II (トヨタハイブリッドシステム)	2WD(FF)	1,890,000

ソース: トヨタ自動車
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Jeremy Clarkson's Honda Insight review

Much has been written about the Insight, Honda’s new low-priced hybrid. We’ve been told how much carbon dioxide it produces, how its dashboard encourages frugal driving by glowing green when you’re easy on the throttle and how it is the dawn of all things. The beginning of days.

So far, though, you have not been told what it’s like as a car; as a tool for moving you, your friends and your things from place to place.

So here goes. It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more.

The biggest problem, and it’s taken me a while to work this out, because all the other problems are so vast and so cancerous, is the gearbox. For reasons known only to itself, Honda has fitted the Insight with something called constantly variable transmission (CVT).

It doesn’t work. Put your foot down in a normal car and the revs climb in tandem with the speed. In a CVT car, the revs spool up quickly and then the speed rises to match them. It feels like the clutch is slipping. It feels horrid.

And the sound is worse. The Honda’s petrol engine is a much-shaved, built-for-economy, low-friction 1.3 that, at full chat, makes a noise worse than someone else’s crying baby on an airliner. It’s worse than the sound of your parachute failing to open. Really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer.

So you’re sitting there with the engine screaming its head off, and your ears bleeding, and you’re doing only 23mph because that’s about the top speed, and you’re thinking things can’t get any worse, and then they do because you run over a small piece of grit.

Because the Honda has two motors, one that runs on petrol and one that runs on batteries, it is more expensive to make than a car that has one. But since the whole point of this car is that it could be sold for less than Toyota’s Smugmobile, the engineers have plainly peeled the suspension components to the bone. The result is a ride that beggars belief.

There’s more. Normally, Hondas feel as though they have been screwed together by eye surgeons. This one, however, feels as if it’s been made from steel so thin, you could read through it. And the seats, finished in pleblon, are designed specifically, it seems, to ruin your skeleton. This is hairy-shirted eco-ism at its very worst.

However, as a result of all this, prices start at £15,490 — that’s £3,000 or so less than the cost of the Prius. But at least with the Toyota there is no indication that you’re driving a car with two motors. In the Insight you are constantly reminded, not only by the idiotic dashboard, which shows leaves growing on a tree when you ease off the throttle (pass the sick bucket), but by the noise and the ride and the seats. And also by the hybrid system Honda has fitted.

In a Prius the electric motor can, though almost never does, power the car on its own. In the Honda the electric motor is designed to “assist” the petrol engine, providing more get-up-and-go when the need arises. The net result is this: in a Prius the transformation from electricity to petrol is subtle. In the Honda there are all sorts of jerks and clunks.

And for what? For sure, you could get 60 or more mpg if you were careful. And that’s not bad for a spacious five-door hatchback. But for the same money you could have a Golf diesel, which

will be even more economical. And hasn’t been built out of rice paper to keep costs down.

Of course, I am well aware that there are a great many people in the world who believe that the burning of fossil fuels will one day kill all the Dutch and that something must be done.

They will see the poor ride, the woeful performance, the awful noise and the spine-bending seats as a price worth paying. But what about the eco-cost of building the car in the first place?

Honda has produced a graph that seems to suggest that making the Insight is only marginally more energy-hungry than making a normal car. And that the slight difference is more than negated by the resultant fuel savings.

Hmmm. I would not accuse Honda of telling porkies. That would be foolish. But I cannot see how making a car with two motors costs the same in terms of resources as making a car with one.

The nickel for the battery has to come from somewhere. Canada, usually. It has to be shipped to Japan, not on a sailing boat, I presume. And then it must be converted, not in a tree house, into a battery, and then that battery must be transported, not on an ox cart, to the Insight production plant in Suzuka. And then the finished car has to be shipped, not by Thor Heyerdahl, to Britain, where it can be transported, not by wind, to the home of a man with a beard who thinks he’s doing the world a favour.

Why doesn’t he just buy a Range Rover, which is made from local components, just down the road? No, really — weird-beards buy locally produced meat and vegetables for eco-reasons. So why not apply the same logic to cars?

At this point you will probably dismiss what I’m saying as the rantings of a petrolhead, and think that I have my head in the sand.

That’s not true. While I have yet to be convinced that man’s 3% contribution to the planet’s greenhouse gases affects the climate, I do recognise that oil is a finite resource and that as it becomes more scarce, the political ramifications could well be dire. I therefore absolutely accept the urgent need for alternative fuels.

But let me be clear that hybrid cars are designed solely to milk the guilt genes of the smug and the foolish. And that pure electric cars, such as the G-Wiz and the Tesla, don’t work at all because they are just too inconvenient.

Since about 1917 the car industry has not had a technological revolution — unlike, say, the world of communications or film. There has never been a 3G moment at Peugeot nor a need to embrace DVD at Nissan. There has been no VHS/Betamax battle between Fiat and Renault.

Car makers, then, have had nearly a century to develop and hone the principles of suck, squeeze, bang, blow. And they have become very good at it.

But now comes the need to throw away the heart of the beast, the internal combustion engine, and start again. And, critically, the first of the new cars with their new power systems must be better than the last of the old ones. Or no one will buy them. That’s a tall order. That’s like dragging Didier Drogba onto a cricket pitch and expecting him to be better than Ian Botham.

And here’s the kicker. That’s exactly what Honda has done with its other eco-car, the Clarity. Instead of using a petrol engine to charge up the electric motor’s batteries, as happens on the Insight, the Clarity uses hydrogen: the most abundant gas in the universe.

The only waste product is water. The car feels like a car. And, best of all, the power it produces is so enormous, it can be used by day to get you to 120mph and by night to run all the electrical appliances in your house. This is not science fiction. There is a fleet of Claritys running around California right now.

There are problems to be overcome. Making hydrogen is a fuel-hungry process, and there is no infrastructure. But Alexander Fleming didn’t look at his mould and think, “Oh dear, no one will put that in their mouth”, and give up.

I would have hoped, therefore, that Honda had diverted every penny it had into making hydrogen work rather than stopping off on the way to make a half-arsed halfway house for fools and madmen.

The only hope I have is that there are enough fools and madmen out there who will buy an Insight to look sanctimonious outside the school gates. And that the cash this generates can be used to develop something a bit more constructive.

Source: Times Online

Toyota Prius orders mount; shake-up looms

Toyota Motor Corp, under pressure ahead of a scheduled management shake-up, has won 75,000 orders for its new Prius hybrid, the Nikkei business daily said, promising a fierce battle for Honda Motor Co's rival Insight hybrid.

Toyota, facing a potential $8.6 billion operating loss in the year to next March, has previously announced plans to appoint the founder's grandson to head the company in June and make many other management changes including a new head for its loss making U.S. operations.

The Financial Times highlighted an upcoming change in Toyota's management, noting that the personnel line-up announced last month replaced 40 percent of top managers.

Toyota's shares gained 2 percent, outperforming Honda's 1.3 percent rise and just ahead of the benchmark Nikkei share average's 1.7 percent.

Honda's new Insight hybrid, launched in early February in Japan, has outpaced the company's sales forecast with sales of nearly 20,000 units in the first three months.

A Toyota spokeswoman could not confirm the Nikkei report, saying the automaker had not compiled dealers' orders ahead of a scheduled launch on Monday.

Source: Reuters

Toyota to lease over 150 plug-in hybrid vehicles across Europe

Toyota will lease over 150 units of its next generation Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) to selected fleet customers across Europe as part of a three-year programme. Alongside France, Toyota is in discussion with three European countries, including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

The new PHV comes equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery, extending the vehicle’s range in electric vehicle mode for a silent, zero emissions drive. The first wave of new PHVs will be deployed to Strasbourg, France, in late 2009, with other markets following suit by mid-2010.

Tadashi Arashima, President and Chief Executive of Toyota Motor Europe, said, “The PHV is a natural extension of our full hybrid technology, which is designed to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for transport. The pan-European expansion of our limited lease programme will enable us to scrutinise PHV performance in a variety of markets with different infrastructure constraints, driving conditions and customer expectations. It represents a critical next step towards broader commercialisation of PHVs in the medium-term.”

Toyota’s PHV overcomes the obstacles historically associated with electric vehicles (e.g. high battery costs and limited cruising range) by building on the existing benefits of Toyota’s full hybrid technology, as used in Prius. A PHV can be driven as an electric vehicle for shorter journeys, while for high-speed, long-distance commutes it operates like a full hybrid, with its petrol engine serving as both a power source and battery generator.

A PHV can be charged during driving like a regular hybrid (through driving, deceleration or braking) or by attaching its plug to a standard electrical outlet either at home or at work. Compared to Toyota’s full hybrid Prius, a PHV is able to run more often in its petrol-free, electric-only mode, meaning lower running costs and less CO2, especially when renewable energy is used.

In partnership with EDF, Toyota has been road-testing its current generation PHV (equipped with a Nickel Metal Hydride battery) in Europe since 2007. Later this year, approximately 100 new generation PHVs will be leased to selected fleet customers and public bodies in Strasbourg, France, for a period of three years.

Part of the Strasbourg-based fleet will come equipped with an innovative charging system that ensures safe charging, communication between the plug and the vehicle, identification of the vehicle and automatic invoicing of electricity. A large number of charging points will also be established in users’ homes, the offices of business partners, in public parking lots and on public roads.

Toyota is preparing to deploy a total of over 500 new generation PHVs in Europe, Japan and the US by 2010.

Source: Toyota GB Media Website

Sanyo to build ¥30B plant for automotive Li-Ion batteries

Sanyo Electric Co. will spend about ¥30 billion (US$314 million) to build an automotive lithium-ion battery plant. The new factory is expected to come onstream by the end of fiscal 2010, with capacity to produce enough lithium-ion batteries for more than 100,000 standard hybrid vehicles in fiscal 2011.

With combined production at the new factory and another plant in Tokushima Prefecture that will begin operating as early as the end of the year, Sanyo plans to boost its overall output capacity of lithium ion batteries by over 500% for about 120,000 vehicles a year.

The company will also bolster output of nickel hydride batteries—its mainstay product—and invest several billion yen in the existing production line at a Sumoto factory, also in Hyogo Prefecture. The plan is to increase annual production by about 150% to 30 million units (150,000 cars) in fiscal 2009 from 12 million units (60,000 cars) in fiscal 2008. Sanyo’s nickel hydride battery is installed in the Insight hybrid of Honda Motor Co. (7267) and vehicles of Ford Motor Co.

In 2008, Volkswagen and Sanyo announced a partnership to work on next-generation high-performance automotive electric storage systems based on lithium-ion technology. The Volkswagen Group said that it hopes to be able to apply Li-ion technology in its first vehicles by 2010. (Earlier post.)

Sanyo has agreed to be acquired by Panasonic, which currently provides NiMH packs to Toyota and is developing Li-ion packs through its PEVE joint venture.

Source: Green Car Congress

Japan Better Place unveils first automated battery switch technology for electric vehicles, enabling convenient long-distance driving

Better Place achieved a milestone in accelerating the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles by demonstrating the world’s first battery switch technology along with electric car charging spots. This simple range extension technology delivers a cleaner, more convenient experience for drivers. Better Place was the only foreign company invited by the Japanese Ministry of Environment to demonstrate its switch technology, which provides a viable solution to make electric vehicles a reality by offering drivers virtually unlimited range.

Better Place showcased its battery switch platform today using a modified NISSAN electric crossover SUV to demonstrate how to switch a depleted battery for a fully charged one. The company also demonstrated its commitment to open network standards by charging a fixed battery, electric car, via one of four Better Place charge spots installed at the demonstration site. Recharging of the vehicle batteries is made possible by Sharp Corp. photovoltaic solar panels, creating a truly zero emission solution.

“Today marks a major milestone for the automotive industry as well as for Better Place,” said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Better Place. “For nearly a century, the automotive industry has been inextricably tied to oil. Today, we’re demonstrating a new path forward where the future of transportation and energy is driven by our desire for a clean planet and a robust economic recovery fueled by investments in clean technology, and one in which the well-being of the automotive industry is intrinsically coupled with the well-being of the environment.”

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is partnering with Better Place in Israel to enable zero-emissions mobility throughout the country by 2011. The realization of zero-emissions mobility in Israel will require the deployment of battery switch stations as well as a steady and reliable supply of vehicles adapted to accept the switchable-battery layout required by the Better Place business model. The project and the teams have been working closely together for the past two years and are excited about seeing the manifestation of their efforts in today's demonstration of the battery switch platform.

Better Place is committed to delivering a complete solution to drivers that includes in-car services, management systems and multiple ways for drivers to recharge their electric car including networks of charge spots and battery switch stations powered by renewable energy. The infrastructure offers drivers the same convenience to “top off” as they enjoy today with gasoline or petrol stations, with charge spots installed where you live, work, and shop, while battery switch stations are deployed for the exceptionally long drives.

“Japan has always been at the forefront of automotive engineering and design and maintains a strong sense of environmentalism,” said Kiyotaka Fujii, President of Better Place Japan and Head of Business Development for Asia Pacific. “The launch of Japan’s electric vehicle study is an important milestone in achieving a zero-emission transportation society, and our successful demonstration of charging vehicles with both fixed and switchable batteries is an important contribution towards moving the entire industry forward.”

The automated switch process, which takes about a minute, is faster than filling a tank with gasoline, providing a cleaner, more convenient experience for drivers. The technology safely and quickly removes a depleted battery and transfers a fully charged battery into the vehicle. The process is seamless and automated, and the driver remains in the vehicle the entire time.

The system works with two robotic battery shuttles on an automated track system. One battery shuttle holds the fully charged battery, which will be inserted into the vehicle, while the other shuttle simply removes the depleted battery from the vehicle. At the end of the process, the track system returns the removed battery to a storage bay for recharging and preparation for use in another electric vehicle. The battery shuttles are designed to work with a wide variety of battery enclosure sizes and shapes for universal application to a range of electric vehicles.

The switch technology featured in the Yokohama exhibit will be further developed into production for the commercial switch stations, which will be deployed in Better Place markets around the world.

Source: Better Place

Nissan to build EVs at Oppama plant from autumn 2010

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd today announced the company will produce electric vehicles (EV) at its Oppama Plant (Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa) from autumn 2010.

The Oppama Plant is a core base of Nissan’s manufacturing and will be positioned as the model plant for best practices in EV production. In the autumn of 2010, the plant will start EV production with capacity of 50,000 units a year, which will continuously increase for the start of EV mass-marketing in 2012. Motors and inverters, which are key components of EVs, will be built at the Yokohama Plant (Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa), and initially in the Zama Operations Center (Hironodai, Zama City, Kanagawa), respectively. In addition, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), one of Nissan’s affiliated companies based in Zama Operations Center, will produce laminated-type compact lithium-ion batteries for EVs.

Aiming to a be a global leader in zero-emission vehicles, Nissan will continuously seek overseas production opportunities for EVs and sourcing of components.

Source: Newspress

Insight becomes first hybrid vehicle to rank as best-selling vehicle in Japan (インサイトがハイブリッド車として初めて登録車販売台数の第1位を獲得)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that Insight ranked as the industry's best-selling car among new vehicle registrations* in Japan for the month of April 2009, with sales of 10,481 units (source: Japan Automobile Dealers Association). It is the first time in history for a hybrid model to be the industry's best selling vehicle in Japan for any monthly sales period.

Fit was the industry's best-selling car among new vehicle registrations in Japan for calendar year 2008 and the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. Fit was also the industry's best-selling car for the month of March 2009, for the fourth consecutive month since December 2008, until it was displaced by Insight to become the industry's second best-selling car in April 2009, with sales of 9,443 units. It is the first time Honda has occupied the industry's top two best-selling car positions.

Since its introduction on February 6, 2009, the all-new Insight has been very well received by a wide range of customers due to its excellent environmental performance, easy-to-use packaging, light and comfortable driving and affordable pricing.

* excluding mini-vehicles - under 660cc

Insight sales in Japan (source: Japan Automobile Dealers Association)
Sales of Insight was announced February 5, 2009, and began February 6, 2009

Sales Results (since sales start)		Monthly ranking among new vehicle registrations in Japan
February 2009 Sales Result	4,906 units	10th
March 2009 Sales Result	4,088 units	21st
April 2009 Sales Result	10,481 units	1st

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Text in Japanese

「インサイト」の2009年4月度の販売台数が10,481台（自販連調べ）となり、登録車販売において第1位となった。ハイブリッド車が登録車の月間販 売台数で第1位となったのは初めてである。また、インサイトは2009年1月〜4月の累計販売台数でもハイブリッド車として第1位となった。

　2008年、2008年度で登録車販売台数第1位を獲得し、2008年12月から2009年3月まで4ヵ月連続で登録車販売台数第1位を維持してきた「フィット」は、9,443台で第2位となった。Honda車が登録車販売台数の1位と2位を独占するのは初めてとなる。

　また、低燃費運転を楽しんでいただくことを目的として、全国を走るインサイトのカーナビで記録された情報をもとに1日ごとの平均燃費^※1を競う「インターナビ・プレミアムクラブ」の最高燃費ランキングの登録ユーザー^※2が1,000名を超えた。この最高燃費ランキングは、「インターナビ・プレミアムクラブ」の会員向けホームページで提供しており、Hondaのホームページ^※3上でも一般に公開している。

　2009年2月6日に発売した新型インサイトは、優れた環境性能、使い勝手の良いパッケージング、軽快で気持ちの良い走り、189万円^※4からというお求めやすい価格、低燃費運転を支援するエコアシスト（エコロジカル・ドライブ・アシスト・システム）などにより、幅広い層のお客様にご好評をいただいている。

※1		ドライブ単位の平均燃費をもとに計算している。1ドライブ単位の平均燃費は、エンジンを掛けてから切るまでとし、エンジンを切ったときにカーナビに自動的に登録される
※2		「インターナビ・プレミアムクラブ」会員で、任意で「ランキング」にエントリーしているインサイトユーザー
※3		http://www.honda.co.jp/INSIGHT/ranking/
※4		Gタイプ 全国メーカー希望小売価格（消費税込み）

◆インサイト販売台数の推移（国内・自販連調べ）
	2009年2月5日発表、6日発売 発売後の販売台数 登録車販売台数 月間ランキング 2月度販売台数 4,906台 10位 3月度販売台数 4,088台 21位 4月度販売台数 10,481台 1位

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Source: Honda Media Web

...Honda Insight in real life!

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to check out the new Insight. I was a bit skeptical due to the lack of power and interior quality. Well, in real life, interior looked nice and although hard plastics have been used, it felt better than Jazz. Test drive wasn't possible and thus I cannot make any comments regarding handling and performance.

Rear visibility is not good, but this is due to the aerodynamic shape. The big problem however is the available space for rear passengers. Although legroom is not so bad, I tried to get at the back and I just could not fit (I am 1.87m tall). I reckon that in the rear, only people up to 1.8m tall can actually fit.

The second issue was the fact that the car has the same width as the Jazz. The interior felt crowded with all the switches etc and in real life is what you see in the photos, but squeezed. The armrest is also tiny and looks funny.

Until my visit to the Honda dealer, I was certain that I would go for it, but now I think I'll wait to check out the new Prius as well. Insight is an affordable hybrid car, but the problem is that it also feels like one. Perhaps it worths spending a few grand more for the new Prius as it definately looks more robust, has more room and it has more power. Downside is the absence of paddle shifts though...

Lexus tackles the 1-series with hybrid model

Next year Lexus will have a crack at the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series. You’ll see a concept version of the car at this autumn’s Frankfurt show. The big news is that, like the new RX SUV, it’ll be hybrid-only. Hybrid is to Lexus what high-boost diesel is to the Germans. Big performance, low thirst.

After that Frankfurt show appearance, the real thing will go on sale in late 2010, at a price below the IS diesel. Think £20,000-odd.

If you’ve seen the photos of Lexus’s HS250h you’ll probably be panicking by now. The HS250h is a rebodied, higher-performance Prius. It’s made for the US market, and was introduced at the Detroit show in January. It is hideous in profile (right), as you can see from this shot. Luckily, we won’t be getting it.

The new compact Euro-Lexus won’t share any body panels with the HS250h, and it will be a bit smaller. And of course it’ll be a hatchback. It will be FWD and based on the versatile new Prius platform.

Lexus hybrids are different from Toyota hybrids. They show an opposite way to ‘spend’ the efficiency gain of the system. A Prius is designed to get small-car economy from a bigger car. But Lexus hybrids all have higher performance than their standard counterparts.

Lexus has decided that it has to change its hybrid policy. The GS and LS hybrids aren’t making much headway. Andy Pfeiffenberger, Lexus chief in Europe, told Foreman, ‘Our hybrid saloons are going up against the V8 diesels in Europe. In future we need to compete against the four-cylinder diesels. So we will enter new sectors with low-displacement hybrids. The C-premium [i.e. Audi A3] segment is the fastest growing segment and we must be in it.’

Source: Top Gear

Hybrid Z for 2011?

According to Japanese sources, Nissan is working on a Hybrid power system for larger high performance cars and will introduce it on the new Fuga Sedan (Infiniti M35/M45) which is due in the 2009 as a 2010 model. This hybrid system will be offered in the new Fuga one year after its launch as a 2011 model. Nissan is also planning to use this system for a hybrid version of the 370Z sports car a little later in 2011. This will make the 370Z the first high performance hybrid sports car on the market

The 370Z hybrid will be powered by a version of the VQ engine displacing 3.7 liters and an electric motor. A hybrid drive system will use two separate clutches, one between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor with another clutch between the electric motor and the drive wheels. This system will optimize performance and efficiency depending on operating conditions. The new hybrid system will also feature a full plug in EV mode for city type conditions where charging stations are available to maximize economy.

The Hybrid 370Z will run on a lithium ion battery pack built by a joint venture between Nissan and electronics giant NEC that has twice the energy density of conventional batteries such as the nickel metal hydride batteries found in most current hybrids.

The new hybrid 370Z sports car is projected to have remarkably high fuel economy; an average of 35 mpg in mixed cycle use vs. the current average of about 23 mpg. We eagerly await the Hybrid 370Z. This might be a vehicle where you can have your cake and eat it too: fast, green and economical.

Source: 370Z.com

Lexus RX450h (2009) CAR review

The new Lexus RX450h boasts some figures so staggering that even if you’re a diehard opponent of hybrids, crossovers, and particularly cars like this that combine the two, you’re going to have to take notice. Compared to the car it replaces, power is up 10% to 295bhp, but fuel economy improves by 23% to 44.8mpg and CO2 emissions fall from 198g/km to 148g/km. That’s Focus RS power, with better economy and emissions than a Focus 1.4. Is the Lexus RX450h too good to be true?

How does the new Lexus RX450h do it?

The 3.5-litre V6 makes 246bhp on its own and two electric motors add the rest. One is solely responsible for powering the rear axle, and together they can propel the RX silently and unaided for up to two miles with the batteries fully charged by the regenerative brakes.

You might not believe that hybrids can replicate their test figures in real use, but it’s inarguable that Lexus has cut consumption and emissions by a quarter on the same test. Adopting the Atkinson cycle is the main reason, but some other clever engine-management tricks to allow the RX to slip into full EV mode earlier.

Is the RX450h like a Focus RS to drive?

No. The integration of petrol and electric drive is utterly seamless, as you’d expect. Acceleration is impressive at 7.8sec for the 62mph dash, particularly when you learn of the RX450h's chubby 2205kg kerb weight, and there’s a sonorous if muted exhaust note. But there’s just no pleasure to be had from driving this car quickly.

The electric steering lacks any feel, the RX rolls heavily (that active rear anti-roll bar is an option) and you can feel the stability control working to contain the RX’s natural tendency to heavy understeer. Better to drive it as virtually all owners will; at a pace that won’t spill the Starbucks. Then it’s fine: great isolation from poor surfaces, but the usual Lexus tendency to stumble more over bigger intrusions.

Does the RX450h sport the usual luxurious Lexus cabin?

Yes – it’s magnificently made, if crazily arrayed. The big news is the arrival of the Remote Touch mouse-like controller for the main display screen, which fits your hand beautifully but works less impressively when you’re wobbling over bad surfaces.

Just about everything else is top of the class though; the sat-nav, the Mark Levinson audio, the storage provided and the materials used. And there’s an endless kit list, most of it standard, including a nearside camera, a head-up display and LED headlamps.

Not great to drive, some doubt the figures – should I buy a new RX?

If you’re a company car driver the figures – accurate or not – put the RX450h in the 14% tax bracket and will save you thousands each year in benefit-in-kind deductions over equivalent diesel SUVs. It will also be cheaper to tax and is congestion charge exempt, for now.

Whether you believe Lexus’s claims on the fuel saving all drivers will get – £3870 compared to a Merc ML320CDi over three years, they say – depends on your view on those figures. But for most buyers, the fact that the RX450h puts the usual Lexus qualities into an SUV-lite package with the immunity from public hatred that comes with that hybrid badge will be enough.

Source: Car magazine