Tokyo (dpa) – Toyota has revealed a production-ready version of the Toyota RAV4 EV electric-powered sports utility vehicle (SUV) that is scheduled for launch on the US market later this year.
Initially the electric SUV will be available only in California with the 1.8-ton vehicle powered by a 115 kilowatts/156 horsepower power package from Tesla.
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Beijing (dpa) – Audi has unveiled its first luxury-class e-tron concept car, the A6 L e-tron, at the Beijing Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid allowing a range of 80 kilometres on pure electric drive and designed specifically for the Chinese market.
Based on the A6 L, Audi’s best-selling premium car in China, the plug-in combines a TFSI engine with an output of 155 kW/211 hp with an electric motor of 70 kW/95 hp.
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Ingolstadt, Germany (dpa) – Audi is giving the R8 a facelift with a new front and an e-tron version to be unveiled at this year’s Paris Motor Show.
The front features new LED headlights and more dynamic lines and redesigned air intakes for the front skirt. The tail-lights come in narrow LED lighting, replacing the larger lights of the current model.
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Stuttgart (dpa) – Mercedes-Benz’s new hybrid E Class will go on sale in Germany in both saloon and estate version from this autumn, marking a first for the Stuttgart-based manufacturer. The T-badged estate car will be the first diesel-electric shooting brake to debut at home and Mercedes-Benz is hailing both variants of the E300 BlueTech hybrid as the most economical luxury-class vehicles in the world.
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General Motors today said that thanks to strong public interest in the Chevrolet Volt, the 340-mile extended range electric vehicle, it will increase U.S. production capacity of the groundbreaking new car by 50 percent, from 30,000 units to 45,000 units, in 2012.
The announcement came as U.S. President Barack Obama toured the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, where the Volt is being produced now for sale later this year.
The Volt offers a total driving range of about 340 miles and is powered by electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the vehicle drives gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered, engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback that comfortably seats five adults and has a range of more than 160km (100 miles) to satisfy real-world consumer requirements.
Slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe, Nissan LEAF ushers in a new era of mobility – the zero-emission era. The car is the embodiment of Nissan’s radical, transformative vision for the future and the culmination of decades of investment and research.
Key characteristics of the LEAF include:
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