Author: tsport100

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Bugatti Veyron Hybrid in the works? “Maybe”

Despite rumours of faster, more-powerful and even 4 door version of the Bugatti Veyron, company boss Dr Wolfgang Schreiber has exclusively revealed to Top Gear none of the above will become reality.

With McLaren's P1, Porsche 918 and LaFerrari hypercars all sporting battery powered assistance, what's the brief for the next Veyron? Will the Veyron, like it's rivals utilise hybrid power in pursuit of ultimate speed?

"Maybe," smiles Dr Schreiber. "But it's too early to open the door and show you what we have planned".

We'll take that as a "Yes".

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Tesla Model S to launch in Australia by June 2014

Tesla Motors have confirmed the company will return to Australia by June to launch the RHD Model S and its own network of Apple-style stores.

Having wound back its Australian operations following the end of its Roadster the US brand will begin deliveries of the Model S in the second quarter of 2014.

Speaking at the 2014 Detroit motor show, a spokesperson for the automaker said orders had already been taken.

They also confirmed plans are underway to establish a network of Tesla-owned stores in Australia, rather than traditional car dealerships. The Tesla store concept has been developed by the same man behind the Apple Store, George Blankenship.

The stores are usually based in shopping districts rather than traditional automotive areas and are owned by Tesla rather than being franchised to dealers.

The company’s next car, the Model X SUV, won’t arrive in Australia until 2015 at the earliest. Tesla declined to comment on price but it is expected the Model S may be priced around AUD$200,000.

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Fully Charged – Electric Land Rover Defender [VIDEO]

The Electric Defender has all the qualities and performance you'd expect, full all-terrain capability, permanent 4WD and a top speed of 70mph.

However, it has been engineered in-house by Land Rover to test out the latest sustainable technologies. The vehicle's Hill Descent Control is linked to a regenerative braking function, and overall up to 80 per cent of the car's kinetic energy can be recovered. Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system has been adapted for electric drive, offering a 50-mile range with a reserve of a further 12.5 miles.

The result is a zero tailpipe emissions vehicle like no other; eight hours of low-speed off-road use is achievable, and it takes 10 hours for the advanced lithium-ion batteries to be fully charged. 'Fast-charge' technology reducing that to just fours is also possible.

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Worldwide Sales of Toyota Hybrids Top 6 Million Units

Toyota today announces that cumulative global sales of its hybrid vehicles topped the 6 million unit mark as of December 31, 2013, reaching 6.072 million units. The latest million-unit milestone was achieved in the fastest time yet for Toyota, taking just nine months.

Helping mitigate the environmental effects of vehicles is a priority at Toyota. Based on its belief that environment-friendly vehicles can only truly have a positive impact if they are widely used, Toyota has endeavored to encourage the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles.

As of this month, Toyota sells 24 hybrid passenger car models and one plug-in hybrid model in approximately 80 countries and regions around the world. Furthermore, within the next two years, Toyota will launch a total of 15 new hybrid vehicles worldwide, including the new "Harrier Hybrid" in Japan on January 15 and the new "Highlander Hybrid" in the United States in the near future. Toyota will continue augmenting its product lineup even further and increasing the number of countries and regions where it sells hybrid vehicles.

Toyota calculates that as of December 31, 2013, Toyota hybrid vehicles have resulted in approximately 41 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions—believed to be a cause of global warming—than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance. Toyota also estimates that its hybrid vehicles have saved approximately 15 million kilolitres of gasoline compared to the amount used by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size.

In August 1997 in Japan, Toyota launched the "Coaster Hybrid EV" and launched the "Prius"—the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle—in December. Since then, Toyota hybrid vehicles have received tremendous support from consumers around the world.

Toyota has positioned hybrid technologies that enable the use of different fuel combinations, including the component technologies necessary for development of various environment-friendly cars, as core environmental technologies for the twenty-first century. Toyota therefore plans to continue working to raise performance, reduce costs, and expand its product lineup—including that of non-hybrid environment-friendly vehicles—to create vehicles that are popular with consumers.

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Nissan lifts Leaf output as US sales rise

Nissan has lifted U.S. production of its all-electric Leaf by about 50 percent to 3,000 units a month to meet growing demand for the car.

The Leaf logged record sales of 2,500 units in December and was now the best-selling car in some dealerships in Atlanta, where the government is helping promote the technology, outpacing the Altima sedan.

The pickup in sales was driven in large part by Nissan's decision to cut its price by more than $6,000 to $29,650 at the beginning of last year after a shift in production of the model to the United States allowed it to lower manufacturing costs.

While volumes are still at relatively low levels for a production car, sales more than doubled last year to above 22,000 in the U.S. market, momentum is building.

One factor is the increase in charging stations in Atlanta and cities such as Seattle and San Francisco on the West Coast. There are currently 554 quick-charging stations, and more than 15,000 slower "level 2" public charging stations across the U.S., Nissan estimates.

The Leaf's customer base is also evolving. While at first most Leaf buyers were green enthusiasts, increasingly customers focused on the potential cost benefits of owning an electric car are showing up at its dealerships. As a result, it has recently increased prices on some versions of the Leaf. Nissan produces the Leaf at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant.

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Tesla Sales & Share Price up 20 Percent

Tesla Motors said Tuesday it sold 6,900 Model S electric cars in the last three months of 2013 — 20 percent above the previous forecast.

On news that the company delivered 6,900 Model S cars in the fourth quarter, Tesla’s shares spiked 15.74 % in regular trading, and another 3.56 % in after-hours trading.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla had forecast just under 6,000 Model S sales in the fourth quarter. Tesla delivered about 22,400 Model S vehicles for all of 2013.

Diarmuid O'Connell, vice president of development for Tesla, said demand remains strong for the vehicle, but the company continues to wage battles with franchised auto dealers in different states. Tesla sells its vehicles directly to consumers, not using franchised dealers, which has drawn attacks from many of the dealer groups around the country.

Mr. O'Connell said Tesla is now fighting new political battles in Ohio and New Jersey, and expects a battle in Georgia. Last year, Tesla waged fights in Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and New York.

"We have had some success when we have been able to shed some light on the issue," he said. "But dealers in some states have not changed their point of view" on Tesla's sales system.

Tesla said it is still on target to deliver the first Model X sport-utility vehicle by the end of the year, but the company didn't give any other updates on the vehicle. Currently, the Model S is its only model.

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CHRIS HARRIS – 2014 Chevrolet Volt Review [VIDEO]

YouTube's DRIVE channel test specialist Chris Harris reviews the 2014 Chevrolet Volt.

The Volt electric car has a backup engine to extend its typical 80 km electric range. It is quick, quiet, and responsive, with a taut ride. Once the lithium-ion battery is depleted, the 1.4-liter engine acts as a generator to extend the range by 500 km with Volt drivers averaging 1500 km between fill-ups. Recharging take 4 hours using a 240-volt supply and 10 hours with 120 volts. Lease deals start from $269 / month.

Overall the Volt is a brilliantly executed example of automotive innovation that makes any ICE only car seem primitive by comparison. It combines the benefits of a full EV powertrain with a part-time duty-cycle ICE to provide 600 km of combined range. Where the Toyota Prius is an ICE powered car with electric assistance, the Holden Volt is a plug-in electric car with ICE assistance.

The Volt fills the gap between the 500 km all electric range Tesla Model S, which due to it's 85 kWh battery can costs up to $100k, and the more affordable but shorter range battery only cars like the Mitsubishi iMiEV and the Nissan Leaf.

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Toyota Prius: Top-selling car in California Again!

The Toyota Prius isn’t just the best-selling hybrid in the US, it is the best-selling car in California according to the California New Car Dealers Association for the second year running.

YTD November 2013, the state received 54,063 new Toyota Prius registrations, not including fleet sales, commercial customers, the government and rental car companies. The Prius edged out the Honda Civic, which reported 50,580 new car registrations up to Q3 last year.

Toyota vehicles actually secured three of the top 5 spots in 2013:

  • Toyota Prius – 54,063
  • Honda Civic -50.580
  • Honda Accord – 48,071
  • Toyota Camry – 43,855
  • Toyota Corolla – 40,941
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    Audi e-tron Allroad 400 HP plug-in hybrid concept officially revealed

    The Audi Allroad Shooting Brake has been revealed ahead of its motor show debut in Detroit.

    The show car’s engine is a 2.0-litre petrol with 288bhp and 280lb ft of torque, which drives the front axle. This is supplemented by a 54bhp electric motor that’s integrated within the six-speed automatic gearbox.

    The second motor is mounted to the rear axle, and produces 114bhp and 199lb ft of torque. It can either power the car on its own – in rear-wheel-drive pure electric mode – or combine with the powertrain over the front axle to turn the Allroad Shooting Brake into a four-wheel-drive hybrid.

    In pure electric drive mode, the rear motor can propel the car up to 80mph, while the battery can power the car for 31 miles. A hybrid mode lets the engine and motors work together as efficiently as possible, permitting the front motor to top up the lithium-ion battery when required.

    This generator function means that the pure electric range can be replenished, which would allow for multiple stints of all-electric driving on a long enough journey. The car has a range of 510 miles using the most efficient settings. Average fuel economy is a claimed 148.7mpg, while CO2 emissions are just 45g/km.

    There are ‘Hold’ and ‘Charge’ settings within Audi’s redesigned MMI infotainment system that allows the driver to choose how the battery’s charge is managed. Hold mode will keep the battery at its current state of charge, while Charge mode will replenish it until it is full.

    The final drive mode is Sport, which combines the petrol engine and both motors to give a total power output of 402bhp with 479lb ft of torque. In this set-up, the car has a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds, and a limited top speed of 155mph.