July 27, 2010

Toyota Expects Next Prius Model to be Built in U.S.
Toyota will likely be able to build the popular Prius hybrid car in the United States when it is remodeled next, a top executive said on Tuesday. According to Automotive News, Toyota had been planning to produce the world's best-selling gasoline-electric car at its new Mississippi plant, but instead decided to build the Corolla sedan after local production of that model ended with the closure of a California factory formerly co-owned with General Motors. "The main components for the Prius - such as the motor and battery - are not mature enough for local production," Executive Vice President Atsushi Niimi said. "We expect that they'll be ready with the next remodeling." Niimi, who oversees production as well as regional operations in North America and China for Toyota, said the company would decide in due course where in the United States it would make the fourth-generation Prius, expected around 2016. A more near-term concern was the pace of recovery in the U.S. market, which he said would likely be slow, indicating he did not share views that the U.S. market could recover to above 12 million units next year, or to 14-15 million in 2012. Click here for the latest on Toyota's plans for its next generation of best-selling Prius hybrid cars.

10 Coolest Cars Under $18,000
Even when the economy is in the doldrums the ever-present beat of inflation seems to tick-tick-tick in the background, so each year the Coolest Cars under $18,000 threshold becomes harder to meet. This time around one of Kelley Blue Book's (KBB) staff members suggested they raise the limit to $20,000, and there was some validity to that request. However, the publication decided to see what $18K would buy in the current economy and came to the conclusion that there are still some very cool rides to be had for less than $18,000. Click here to see the list KBB came up with. Certainly, there are many good cars available for less than $18,000 that will get you from point A to point Z with a minimum of fuss. But many of them will also do it with a minimum of fun, and that's something the folks at KBB feel is just plain wrong for its coolest cars list. While it uses the same set of criteria that consumers use in examining vehicles they might purchase - safety, fuel economy, interior size, comfort, and technology - it also factors in that certain something extra that separates the dullards from the brilliant. Click here for more from KBB on the coolest cars to be had without breaking the bank.

Rent-a-Leaf: Enterprise Buys a Fleet
Enterprise Rent-A-Car will announce today that it is buying 500 electric cars from Nissan Motor Co., beginning in January when they become widely available. According to the Wall Street Journal, Enterprise Holdings Inc., which owns the Enterprise, Alamo, and National brands, will put the vehicles in its rental fleets in eight cities: Seattle, Portland, Ore., Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz., and Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn. It will also add vehicle charging stations to some of its locations in 30 U.S. cities, beginning this autumn, and pledged to buy electric vehicles from other manufacturers as they become available. The rental company, which is based in St. Louis, wants to be the place renters first experience electric driving, said Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. "There's quite a bit of buzz about electric cars and customers already are asking us when we're going to get them," he said. Enterprise said it will buy standard Nissan Leaf cars that will have computer systems able to help drivers find charging points and reserve a charging time. Click here for more on Enterprise's plan to start offering Leaf EVs to its customers.

First Look: 2011 Audi A7
The Audi A7 Sportback combines the upscale appeal of the A8 sedan with the style of the A5 Sportback to create one incredibly desirable car, according to Motor Trend. And without the similarly styled A5 Sportback in the way at U.S. dealerships, the A7 actually has a chance to succeed. Inside and out, the A7 features design details that reward the driver before the engine has ever been turned on. Click here for a photo gallery. The A7 faithfully follows the design of the Sportback concept from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, aside from the concept's oversized 21-inch wheels. The large glass roof enhancing the design of the concept is also gone on the production model, which retains the show car's frameless windows. In the U.S., count on the supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 making 300 horsepower to serve as the main engine. Accelerating from 0-to-62 mph will take 5.6 seconds, Audi says. On the more fuel-efficient side, some markets will get a 3.0-liter diesel that will achieve the U.S. equivalent of about 44 mpg by European standards. All A7s get a stop-start system to save fuel. The body is composed of a steel and aluminum mix, and the car is about 15 percent lighter than it would have been were the A7 made completely from steel, according to Audi. Click here for Motor Trend's first look at the 2011 Audi A7.

Hybrid Car Sales Fueled by Affordability
According to the Detroit Free Press, buyers of hybrids and first-generation plug-in electric cars are driven more by affordability and reducing gasoline consumption than recapturing the performance of a traditional gas-only car, said a California expert on future trends in transportation. "People are remarkably willing to change if they see some value in doing so," said Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. He indicated that people who will buy the alternative fuel vehicles are motivated by social values such as reducing gas consumption, not supporting foreign countries that supply most of our oil and might be associated with terrorists, or having a modest effect in containing climate change. Sperling said one group of his students has studied about 100 people in southern California who have driven early versions of BMW's Mini E. Among their findings, one-third say being able to drive 100 miles without recharging is good enough. One-half say the 100-mile range meets more than 90 percent of their driving needs, and when it doesn't, they are willing to adjust. Click here to read more on what consumers are truly looking for in hybrid and electric vehicles.

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Around the Web
China Buys More Porsche Cayennes than Any Other Country [The Truth About Cars]
Latest Nissan Safety Gear Will Detect Moving Objects Around Your Car [TheCarConnection]
Watch: The World's Tightest Parallel Park [Gawker]
2011 Hyundai Equus First Drive [MotorAuthority]