Toyota Prius MPV Will be Sold The Next July

Toyota Prius MPV Will be Sold The Next July

American Toyota launched Prius MPV which also called by Gen-5 in North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2011, Detroit, United States. As you know that the launching of this Prius has been waiting for a long time.

This fifth generation of Prius is planned to be sold in July 2011 and it will complete the old model, Gen-3, and another version, plug-in (PHV). The President of TMC Akio Toyoda who also opened the Toyota booth stated that Prius had been developed to be the fourth pillar of Toyota in United States, joining Corolla, Camry, and other pick-up models.

Toyota claim that Prius Gen-5 offers 50% bigger room than its previous model, especially in the bagagge. This 5-door, 7 seat MPV was developed using the same platform used by the third generation Prius, including 1.8 litter machine and electric motor.

For the safety feature, this hybird MPV is completed by Toyota’s Star Safety System package, consists of vehicle stability control, traction control, ABS, EBD, and brake assist. There is also Toyota Entune multimedia package contains more than 750 radio stations and lets you playing MP3 and iPod.

Actually, there is no statement tells about the price. But it’s predicted that the price will be higher than the previous generation, it’s bigger!

Toyota Prius MPV Will be Sold The Next July is a post from: Automotive News and Review

Chrysler 300 and 2011 Dodge Charger Earns Top Safety Pick Awards

It is not a secret that 2011 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 are someway more attractive and are substantially more refined that the previous models that they replace. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, these new LX platform twins are also incredibly safe so that they are earning the company’s prestigious Top Safety Pick designation for the first time.

You must remember that the last generation of Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 were earned the second lowest rating available for the side impact protection, even when it was equipped with side curtain airbags. On the other hand, the 2011 Dodge Charger withstood a force that equal to 5.37 times the car’s weight on the roof strength test for rollover protection. The current federal standard for this test is only 1.5 times the car’s weight.

Chrysler has finally earned seven Top Safety Pick ratings for their latest crop of 2011 vehicles. Beside only achieving second lowest rating available, the previous cars were also rated marginal for its rear impact protection. In addition to good crash test ratings, the winners must have electronic stability control (ESC). It is an important crash avoidance feature which is standard for the Charger and 300.

Chrysler 300 and 2011 Dodge Charger Earns Top Safety Pick Awards is a post from: Automotive News and Review

2012 Fiat 500 Fuel Economy Number Fall To 40mpg

2012 will marks the official return of Fiat into the United States with their adorable little Fiat 500 that will hit the dealership in the coming weeks. With the Fiat’s MultiAir 1.4 liter engine under its hood, you can expect to get the top notch fuel economy numbers. While the EPA ratings for the 500′s reach 30 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on highway aren’t bad, but it is not what exactly people hoping for.

To compare, you can pick the much larger C-segment entries such as the Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze, or Ford Focus that are capable to achieve 40mpg or higher. Moreover, the 30/38 mpg EPA rating for the Fiat 500 is only for its five speed manual transmission, while cars with six speed manual transmission might achieve 27/34 mpg.

However, with the prices starting from $ 15,995 for the entry level Pop model, I think Fiat won’t have too much trouble for moving their Fiat 500s out of their showrooms and dealerships. Beside that, most of the people who purchase the Fiat 500 will be doing so because of the style more than the frugality.

2012 Fiat 500 Fuel Economy Number Fall To 40mpg is a post from: Automotive News and Review

Mazda Will Supply Nissan With Mazda5

Mazda has officially revealed that they will supply their 2012 Mazda5 minivan to Nissan starting on May of this year. Unfortunately if you are from United States, don’t dreaming of a Nissan micro minivan there, as this will be a Japan only affair. When I write this post, there is still no word on what will the Nissan-badged Mazzda be called in this automaker’s home market. This Mazda5 or known in Japan as the Premacy will enrich Nissan’s minivan lineup in the Japanese market.

 

Japan is a promising market for minivan, as this is the place where small MPV are sold in a great volume. For your information, this is not the first collaboration of Mazda and Nissan in Japan. Previously, Mazda provides their Bongo Van/Truck for Nissan under the name Vanette, and it is still goes right now. Beside that, Nissan also supplies their AD/AD Expert to Mazda which is sold under the name Familia Van.

 

Nissan on the press release said that their OEM business involves a large number of automakers in the world, with all schemes will ensure a win-win relationship that would benefit the OEM suppliers and recipients. In addition for enriching Nissan’s minivan, this aggreement will also contribute to Nissan’s global investment efficiency.

Mazda Will Supply Nissan With Mazda5 is a post from: Automotive News and Review

Lexus LFA Tuning Program Announced From CEC

CEC, the Los Angeles based tuner, has announced their new partnership with Lexus North America to create the tuning program for Lexus LFA. The unique supercars which was limited to only three vehicles will feature various enhancements which were created specifically for each customers. Sherif Yassa, Vice President of the CEC said, “We believe that these three CEC Tuner Edition LFA will be the most expensive and raraest compared to any LFA supercars that Lexus will create and sell worldwinde.”

With all the technical innovation that are user to create the LFA, the upgrades from CEC will be limited to aesthetics. Claus Ettensberger, the founder of CEC said, “We looked at LFA and what Lexus’ engineers had done, and it will be crazy if you try to improve it either from a performance or engineering side.” However, the tuner has managed to give an extra 10 horsepower from the V10 4.8 liter and trim the shift times to .15 of a second.

Unfortunately we don’t have the complete picture of the trio custom LFA supercars quite yet, but CEC did have the LFA on display that featuring the lightweight forged wheels like in the picture above.

Lexus LFA Tuning Program Announced From CEC is a post from: Automotive News and Review