Japan Tech Motors

The fate of the Toyota FT-86 Sports Car hangs in the balance as Toyota has decided to postpone the production and launch of the vehicle for another two years. The exact reason is not yet known but the speculation is that Toyota is not happy with the concept designs.

Also, if Toyota goes ahead with the production and unveils the car by next year, the financial scenario will not be ideal and hence it cold result in poor sales.

Toyota had plans to team up with Subaru a couple of years back but then again, the economic situations made Toyota put the project on hold. Toyota still went ahead with the production in 2009 and even unveiled a concept at the Toyota Motor Show in the same year. Now again, the design has been rejected and the hopefuls will probably have to hang around for a couple of years.

We want Toyota .. we want!

Source: Alex Ion

There is good news for the lovers of the benchmark MINI as there is further scope for the expansion of the lineage as the Beachcomber concept that was showcased at the 2010 North American International Auto Show might be headed to the production facility. For the records, the concept was a preview of the Countryman Crossover and it featured removable doors and a canvas roof. While the production isn’t a 100% certainty at the moment, the enthusiast are still hopeful as MINI’s Global Brand Manager Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht has mentioned that they need to assess the business basis for this specific MINI model.

Source: Alex Ion

Nico Rosberg, the Mercedes F1 Driver, is one freak as he avoids staying at hotels in Turkey for the Istanbul GP edition by lodging in his motor home, but the F1 driver has decided it is his last stay at the motor home in Turkey.

Nico was noticeably frustrated by the Turkish traffic and the transporting charges which he thought were too high compared to the benefits he gained by brining in his personal commuter home to Turkey. Nico openly quipped that it is ‘definitely’ the last time he has endeavored to do it.

Considering his reasons, we believe he has taken the right decisions.

Source: Alex Ion

The next edition of the Range Rover SUV will feature an upgraded engine as per a letter received by some German dealerships. The current model lineage is powered by a 3.6-liter V8 variant, however the 2011 model will feature a more powerful 4.4-liter V8 turbodiesel option. The better engine incorporation will make the Range Rover a more expensive vehicle in 2011 as it will be priced at €88,900, €3,000 more than the current generation model. The official press release of the 2011 Range Rover will be held on June 17 this year while in July, Range Rover will be celebrating its 40 years of existence, following which the sales will begin in October this year.

Source: Alex Ion

Toyota hasn’t been able to heave a sigh of relief after a flaw was discovered in the acceleration pedals of a number of Toyota models. Toyota first staged a heavy recall to get rid of the sticky gas pedals and thought that it might satiate the complaining NHTSA.

Toyota even paid $16.4 million fine for this mistake of theirs, but despite the ‘corrections,’ matters are only getting worse for the Japanese giant. NHTSA that reported 52 casualties because of the sticky gas pedals is now investigating 71 more crashes that led to fatalities. NHTSA has been notified of a total of 6,200 cases with 2,600 reports filed since March this year.

Out of these 2,600 cases, 100 consumers reported the problem after Toyota claimed to have rectified it.

Source: Alex Ion

BMW is thinking more seriously about the safety of its cars and the passengers in cases of a collision, hence why they have resorted to anticipatory assistance systems.

Once such technology is preventive brake intervention and the German premium automobile manufacturer has successfully crash tested this system on the new 5 series (530d) model in collaboration with DEKRA. The intervention of this technology helps a 64km/h impact reduce to 40km/h as the automobile senses danger and applies automatic brakes not waiting for the driver to respond in such cases. The car’s advanced sensors first sense a probable collision and issue a warning to the driver and then the automatic brakes kick in. This may impress NCAP but what is ironical is that NCAP crash tests cars without applying the brakes.

Source: Alex Ion

There is absolutely no surety whether Fiat will ever go ahead with the production of Lancia Coupe but some mysterious images found on the official site are now hinting at a different probability. Indeed, there wasn’t a single image but a number of images showcasing different designs of the Lancia vehicles. Some familiar designs included the Fulvia and GT Stilnovo, while a couple of designs were seen for the first time. The Ypsilon which is slated for a replacement was also included in the mysterious set of images. It seems that Fiat is in the mood to surprise us in the near future.

Source: Alex Ion

It’s a fact that every automaker is keen to jump on the green bandwagon these days. Same goes for Jaguar who have decided to render some hybrid commuters by 2013 or 2014.

There are no precise details available about the hybrid Jag, but experts believe that this Jaguar hybrid will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine and a 35kW electric motor, both mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. From what we’re hearing, the Jaguar XJ will be the one that will break cover with this touted green set-up — and if Jaguar insiders are right, in the future this green set-up could find a place under every Jaguar’s hood minus the X-type.

[via carmagazine]

Source: Alex Ion

Ford dreamed of it for long and finally the blue oval has managed to get an amazing EPA rating of 40mpg on the highway. The car that did the trick for Ford is the 2011 Fiesta and the latest EPS numbers suggest that it gets 29mpg in the city as well. Compare those numbers with the Toyota Yaris (4mpg lesser) and the Honda Fit (5mpg lesser) and we easily have a class leading commuter in the Ford Fiesta 2011. The US version of the Fiesta is powered by a 120hp1.6-liter Duratec four-cylinder engine and it comes with either a manual five-speed or a six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission, the latter option being the one to fetch those EPA numbers. Expected to arrive at dealerships this summer, the 2011 Ford Fiesta will bear a price tag of $13,995.

Source: Alex Ion

Nissan’s all-electric commuter LEAF is eagerly awaited around the globe and the big news is that its pricing has been officially announced. Slated to compete against the likes of the Chevy Volt, this green commuter will start selling in the Europe by the end of this year. The Netherlands pricing has been fixed at €32,839 (including sales taxes) while the Portuguese and the Irish will pay €29,955 for it. The English will pay even lesser for this affordable electric automobile at £23,350. As per Nissan, the LEAF may look like some simple family car but it will be a surprise package once people start getting behind its wheel.

Source: Alex Ion