Toyota recalls Lexus HS 250h hybrid, halts sales

After government tests show the hybrid could leak fuel in a rear-end collision, Toyota stops all sales and recalls 17,000 sedans, including 4,000 at dealerships.

Toyota Motor Corp. has stopped all sales of its 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid after government tests showed it could leak fuel in a rear-end collision.

The Japanese automaker said it was also recalling roughly 13,000 HS sedans that have already been sold and 4,000 that are still on dealership lots.

A remedy for the problem has not yet been determined, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in a recall filing Friday, said that the defect "could result in a fire." A similar problem in the Ford Pinto that has been blamed on 27 deaths led to one of the most publicized recalls of all time, in 1979.

Why buy a hybrid?

Turns out, I was the fool.

Nevertheless, the hybrid market is what is it is – less than 3 percent of overall vehicle sales today – and the lack of hybrid incentives now available certainly isn’t going to help increase those numbers.

So, will EV incentives last forever?

Back in 2005 Anthony Pratt, then senior manager of global powertrain forecasting at J.D. Power, stated that by 2010 hybrid cars would top out at 3 percent of the market. I thought he was nuts, believing interest and concern in foreign oil dependence would swell into more intelligent American auto consumerism.

Instead, today, with most tax credits for hybrid vehicles are all but expired, is 3 % market share really that surprising, especially considering that, according to a search today, very few hybrid incentives are even available? The best deals I could find in my zip code – 90042 – were $1000 off a Chevy Silverado hybrid, or 0 % financing on a Nissan Altima hybrid. Of course, both those deals probably require Tier 1 Credit, and how many American consumers qualify for such deals at that standard? Moreover, incentives on non-hybrid versions provide much more cash back.

Consequently, seriously, is there any wonder why there hasn’t been a hybrid in the Top 10 best sellers for many months, and only one hybrid that is, or has ever been, in the top-selling ballpark?

Similarly, in yesterday’s Battery-only cars face avalanche of negatives, Neil Winton discusses the more significant struggle that EVs face. And, I’d argue that compared to hybrids, EV’s do face a much tougher sell to American consumers, except for the huge tax incentives that Congress is providing “for rich people who already have $30,000 to buy a second car,” as Winton calls them.

Nevertheless, even with those massive tax incentives – as much as $11,500 ($7500 feds + $4000 CA) – most powertrain analysts expect that after a decade – just as with hybrids – penetration will still be just a few percent. Unless, as Winton might reply, the government has unlimited EV tax money to spend on “rich people”.

GT1 battle to end in 2010

The ACO has announced that the 2010 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours will be the final race to feature the GT1class, with a revised structure being put in place for 2011.

The class has already struggled for numbers in the Le Mans Series this season, although a number of cars are competing at La Sarthe this weekend – including three of the new generation Ford GTs as raced in the FIA GT1 World Championship.

However, the ACO has now revealed that it plans to run a single GT class from 2011-13 under the GT Endurance banner, with the regulations being based on the 2009 GT2 regulations, with a number of minor modifications.

The decision to drop GT1 has been taken for a number of reasons, including clashes on the respective race calendars and the fact that the new generation of GT1 machinery is designed for shorter sprint events.

GT Endurance will feature two classes within the class, one being a 'Pro' class which is open to all cars and drivers and an 'Am' class for cars over one year and with a minimum if two silver or bronze category drivers.

There will also be changes within the prototype classes, with the possibility of teams running hybrid cars at La Sarthe in future.

Despite the advent of new regulations, the current LMP1 and LMP2 cars will still be eligible which will allow teams to keep running their current cars for another year.

LMP2 will become a low cost formula powered by production series engines running to GT2 regulations. The costs of the category will be capped to keep costs down while the life of an engine will be extended.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota Camry Performance & Efficiency Standard Features

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2,362 cc 2.4 liters in-line 4 front engine with 88.5 mm bore, 96.5 mm stroke, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder 2AZ-FXE

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Electric fuel with additional unleaded 87

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Fuel economy EPA highway (mpg): 38 and EPA city (mpg): 40

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Multi-point injection fuel system

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17.2 gallon main unleaded fuel tank

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Power: 140 kW , 187 HP SAE

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Secondary power: maximum power (kw): 110, maximum power (hp): 147, maximum torque (ft lb): 138 and maximum torque (nm): 187

BMW ActiveHybrid 7

BMW ActiveHybrid 7
BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Performance & Efficiency Standard Features

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Turbo compressor

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Engine: 4.4L V 8 double overhead cam with VVT ( 10.0 :1 compression ratio ; four valves per cylinder)

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Fuel: electric and/or premium unleaded

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Gasoline direct injection fuel system

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21.7 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank 18.1

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Power: 455 HP ( 339 kW) @ 5,500 rpm; 515 ft lb of torque ( 698 Nm) @ 2,000 rpm

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Secondary power: maximum power (kw): 328, maximum power (hp): 440, maximum torque (ft lb): 480 and maximum torque (nm): 651

Mercedes S-Class Plug-in Hybrid Could Achieve 81 mpg

Gone are the days when environmentalists shouted themselves hoarse demanding small and mid-sized cars that could give better mileage than luxury sedans. A recent report says that the new Mercedes S-Class Plug-in Hybrid could achieve a mind blowing mileage of 81 miles per gallon in the European hybrid cycle.

Mercedes S-Class Plug-in Hybrid

Mercedes development director Dr. Thomas Weber, in an interview with Car and Driver, has said, “Three years ago, everyone thought that there would only be small cars and that there would be no more large cars. But our plug-in concept demonstrated that an S-class could make 78 mpg (3.0 L/100km), so those questions stopped. With the next generation of S-class we are talking 81 mpg (2.9 L/100km), using a new-generation 3.0-liter V-6 gasoline engine-direct injection and piezo injectors-integrated with a 60-hp (44 kW) electric motor. In pure-electric mode, the car would have a range of just over 20 miles (32.2 km) at speeds of up to 68 mph (109 km/h). It is clear that we will have a plug-in hybrid in the next-generation S-class.”

Porche 918 Spyder concept

Porche 918 Spyder concept at the Geneva Auto Show last week, the automaker undoubtedly bear hopes of a positive response, leading to a potential production car. And that's exactly what seems to have happened.

"Frankly, we were pleased that we were able to keep it quiet, and a lot went into that," said Dave Engelman, a Porsche spokesman.

Mr. Engelman posted that his boss, Bernd Harling, Publicity Chief for Porsche in the United States, had undergo a nondisclosure waiver before having a glance at the 918.

Toyota will announce recall of 300,000 Prius hybrids in U.S., Japan due to faulty brake system

Tsuno/Getty

Japanese newspapers reported that Toyota is expected to announce the recall of 300,000 Prius hybrids in the U.S. and Japan.

Toyota will announce recalls for 300,000 of its prized Prius hybrids in the U.S. and Japan, the company's home turf, Japanese newspapers reported Sunday.

The latest embarrassment for the world's largest carmaker was triggered by complaints about a faulty brake system.

A voluntary or mandatory recall hasn't been formally announced, but sources said it could come as early as today.

Residents were reeling in Toyota, Japan - a city of 400,000 that's home to Toyota's corporate headquarters. "You can't really separate the town from the company," said Hideki Nagata, who works in auto repair.

The new Toyota snafu follows its recent recall of 8 million cars around the world because of sticky accelerator pedals.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/02/08/2010-02-08_300000_prius_recalls_in_works.html#ixzz0ewjxHDrk

on sale in the summer

Honda will launch a new six-speed manual CR-Z hybrid coupe across Europe this summer and it will get its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The Japanese manufacturer is trying to hit that balance between high fuel economy, low emissions and driving enjoyment.

Honda hasn’t revealed details about the 2+2 CR-Z’s sporting credentials like 0-62mph time but carbon dioxide emissions are at 117g/km and it will manage 56.4mpg.
The new model is fitted with a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine coupled to a Honda IMA hybrid system.