Archive for July, 2011
Report: Scion Pickup Coming in 2014 Based on Toyota A-BAT Concept
Posted on 31. Jul, 2011 by admin.
It's not official, but signs continue to point in the right direction that we'll see Toyota return to its small-truck roots with an all-new compact pickup sold by Scion for the 2014 model year, according to Automotive News.
Scion's smaller hauler would be similar in design and purpose to the 2008 Toyota Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck concept pickup. That's not surprising, since the A-BAT was originally intended as a Scion vehicle, according to its designer, Matt Sperling.
We originally heard about a Scion pickup from our sources in 2007.
In addition to its tiny footprint, the car-based A-BAT featured a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, pass-through storage from the cargo box into the cabin like the Chevy Avalanche, and room for up to four people.
In 2009, Toyota shelved the A-BAT due to market uncertainties, as the housing market and economy tanked, but the project showed signs of life earlier this year.
In January, Jack Hollis, Scion's vice president, held out hope for a compact crossover pickup under Toyota's youth brand.
“Scion is about innovation and doing things differently, Hollis said. “That’s why if we were ever to do something crazy, it would likely be more like a ‘Surprise Utility Vehicle’ rather than a basic pickup truck.”
Like other Scion vehicles, an A-BAT pickup would be powered by a conventional gasoline engine, but Toyota could also receive a version with a gas-electric hybrid powertrain to sell under its Prius line of vehicles.
One thing we do know is that we're strongly in favor of a frugal bantam runabout with fuel economy north of 35 mpg. Toyota could once again tap an unmet need in the U.S. for such a truck, as it did in the 1960s with Nissan when the Toyota Stout and Datsun 520 saw sales success. Bloated midsize pickups with neglected powertrains are not the answer.
[Source: Automotive News]
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2011 Land Rover Range Rover
Posted on 30. Jul, 2011 by admin.
The 2011 Land Rover Range Rover may not be as roomy or powerful as some of its rivals, but the big Brit remains the progenitor of the luxury SUV and the model every other automaker in this segment tries to emulate. The Land Rover brand has had a turbulent recent past, switching ownership from BMW to Ford and now Tata, but the influences of its…
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2011 Porsche Cayman
Posted on 30. Jul, 2011 by admin.
If you’ve always wanted a ballistic Porsche sports car, but thought the 911 was too expensive and the Boxster compromised by its roadster design, then the 2011 Porsche Cayman is definitely the car for you. It is essentially a hard-top Boxster and thanks to its mid-engine configuration it remains one of the best handling models in…
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2011 MINI Cooper Convertible
Posted on 30. Jul, 2011 by admin.
If the 2011 MINI Cooper feels too claustrophobic for you, or the 2011 MINI Cooper Clubman just isn’t your style, then the 2011 MINI Cooper Convertible could just be the modern-day MINI for you. Like the aforementioned Cooper and Clubman, the Convertible gets three different trim levels including the high-performance John Cooper Works spec…
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2011 Maserati Quattroporte
Posted on 30. Jul, 2011 by admin.
The current Maserati Quattroporte, the fifth generation of Maserati’s big four-door sedan, has been around for a while now, first coming onto the market back in 2004. Most of its rivals have been updated or completely redesigned since then, but so has the Quattroporte. It underwent a significant facelift for the 2009 model year so for 2011…
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2011 Maserati GranTurismo And GranTurismo Convertible
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.
If you’re in the market for a big Italian GT, it’s hard to find better than the 2011 Maserati GranTurismo and its equally gorgeous GranTurismo Convertible sibling. Penned by the legendary designers at Pininfarina, the GranTurismo has Italian flare and panache that its British and German rivals just can’t match and the only other…
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2012 Bentley Continental V-8 Coming To 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.
We’ve known for a year that Audi and Bentley will soon be sharing a new turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, and we’ve known as well that it will be coming to the Continental GT first unveiled for the 2011 model year as well. Today, we get confirmation that the V-8 version will make its official debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Previous time lines had…
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McRae Electric Dakar Buggy In The Rain: Video
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.
McRae Buggy and Tim Coronel are working on the first electric buggy for the 2012 Dakar Rally, and it finally got the chance to test in some real race conditions at the 2011 Spanish Baja, running as the opening car for the Super Special stage. With a base weight of just 1,440 pounds for the McRae 4×2 buggy it’s based on, the electric is designed to…
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BMW Introduces i3, i8 Range With Official Video
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.
With its introduction of the concepts for the BMW i3 and i8 this morning, BMW has launched in earnest its attempts to define a new brand, centered around themes that sound a bit like double-speak, but which really boil down to efficient driving with a bit of style. Terms like “sustainability,” “personal mobility,” “visionary,” and “inspiring,”…
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54.5 MPG CAFE Agreement Reached for 2025
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by admin.
Today, President Barack Obama, flanked by automotive executives in front of a backdrop of efficient cars, announced that a new corporate average fuel economy standard had been reached. By 2025, cars and light trucks would achieve a 54.5 mpg fleet average compared to the current 27.5 mpg.
CAFE figures use a complex calculation and also include different credits so every car wouldn’t necessarily get an EPA rating of 54.5 mpg. According to the Natural Resource Defense Council, the 54.5 mpg figure would translate to a still respectable 50 mpg after certain credits are taken into account.
The agreement was reached between automakers, environmentalists, the state of California and the White House. California agreed not to challenge the national average with a higher rate of its own.
A final document detailing the plan has not been released. The above graphic shows the plan’s impact and was released by the White House today.
