Wednesday | August 20, 2008

ktm xbow



KTM- Second largest motorcycle producer in Europe, created a concept car based on there motorcycle engines. The body is made of carbon fiber monocoque, on e of the lightest material and strongest ever made.With its Spectacular design, it can cut of air turbulence on high speed.The engine is a Four-cylinder TFSI from Audi  with a displacement of 1984 producing Kw(HP) 177(240) at 6000rpm, torque Nm 310 at 2000-5500rpm with 6 speed transmition. It can reach from 0-160km/h at 8.51sec. with a top speed of Km/h/mp/h 220/136.


The X-Bow isn’t just a racing machine, even if it is going to accomplish spectacular performance feats on racing circuits. With its modern technologies and exceptional solutions, it’s much more oriented towards sporty drivers who seek a purist’s driving experience. By foregoing electronic assistants and today’s standard comfort features, the X-Bow offers an unfiltered adventure – aided by its standalone wheels in the style of monoposto racing cars, transparent technology and the car’s reduced concept, i.e. no roof, doors or windscreen.


On the production side the X-Bow will be ready for its first 100 units last 2007. The first 10 buyers was very whelm and shock ont he new beast, they say its like riding a sports bike with for wheels but with the respones like a real supercar.

Autopartswarehouse, one of the leading on line car parts shopping, reviewed and announced the the Xbow , is one of the greatest concept car every made by a motorcycle company.


source: The Ktm x-box
Posted by autopartswarehouse at 14:59:13 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday | April 01, 2008

Toyota’s Research Institute for North America

Toyota Motor Corporation is so keen about producing vehicles that promote its sustainable mobility ideals that the Japanese automaker pushed to establish its Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRI-NA) in Michigan this month.

According to an official statement of the Toyota Technical Center (TTC), the company will shell out as much as $100 million for the next four years to fund the advanced research, studies, and experiments of the new facility, which will be housed at the company’s technical center in Ann Arbor.

“Creating the Toyota Research Institute is the next step to strengthen Toyota's advanced research function throughout North America and to discover cutting-edge technologies for sustainable mobility,” said Dr. Noboru Kikuchi, who is a professor and a director at the University of Michigan’s Mechanical Engineering Department and Japan-based Toyota Central Research and Development, respectively.

For years, the leading Japanese carmaker has constantly pursued incorporating sustainable mobility qualities in its cars, vans, and trucks. Sustainable mobility focuses on areas about advanced automobile technologies that do not aggravate the environment. Aside from vehicles being eco-friendly and efficient, these wheeled machines have to offer utmost safety and convenience to its users.

Japanese engineers and specialists will make the upper board of the TRI-NA. Dr. Kikuchi. As a start, TRI-NA will house 35 researchers and admin staff. Midway this year, 10 more researchers will be employed and another 20 in two years.

For the past years, Michigan has been the home of numerous automobile plants and facilities, wherein the Toyota Research is its latest ‘recruit’.

“Toyota's decision to establish the Toyota Research Institute in Ann Arbor to direct advanced research activities for North America is another piece of good news for Michigan,” said Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. “Toyota's decision demonstrates that Michigan is a leading state for research and offers an attractive business climate for companies to grow.”

To date, Toyota is the second-largest automaker worldwide, behind American automaker General Motors, in terms of volume sales.

Source: Toyota via Autoblog.
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Wednesday | March 26, 2008

Toyota’s first mall hopes to improve sales in Japan

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Company recently opened its very first shopping mall in Yokohama. This unusual venture for the automaker is seen as an avenue to improve its car sales in its homeland.

Like any other regular mall, the Toyota’s Tressa, which is slated to open this week, houses numerous shops and restaurants. It has a total of 220 establishments, which includes a gym, in all that is solely run by the Japanese automaker. What sets this mall apart for the regular ones is that it the models of the company, like the Toyota Camry, are the mall’s main attraction. Aside from the relatively large showrooms, the mall has car-shaped shopping carts, which is among the many automobile-inspired features of Tressa. Toyota hopes that its unusual project will work its wonder to entice drivers in Japan to patronize its products.

In Japan, younger motorists are no longer interested in cars and in turn affect the sales of Toyota. Customers are no longer satisfied with the usual showrooms and print and television advertisements to promote the vehicle models. Moreover, a huge chunk of the younger drivers tend to shell out money in other things like laptops and mobile phones, which are way cheaper, than spend big money on a cars, according to an official from Toyota.

Aside from the faux pas marketing of cars, there are several other factors that affect the resident drivers of Japan from purchasing vehicles. For starters, Japan has among the best public transportations in the world. It takes pride in its efficient trains and subways, among others. Furthermore, costly parking fees and congested streets also affect the preference of motorists.

In order to influence Japan’s motorists to want cars again, the Tressa mall, which partially opened three months ago, will serve as an avenue where people are constantly in close contact with vehicles. With the constant exposure to the models of Toyota, the leading Japanese automaker hopes that drivers would be interested in cars again.

"We need to provide opportunities for people to come in contact with cars,” Yoichiro Ichimaru, who is the senior managing director of Toyota in Japan, told the Associated Press.

Toyota’s sales in Japan for 2007 went down to 0.6 percent or 5.3 million units lower compared to the sales in 2006. Last year, the automaker posted only 2.26 million units in Japan. It is a different picture overseas, however, as Toyota’s sales rose to 7.1 million more models or 10 percent.

Source: Associated Press.
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Friday | March 14, 2008

Toyota president: Fuel cell-powered cars not any time soon

Automobile companies are in constant pursuit to manufacture greener cars. As a member of the Autopartswarehouse club, continuously believe so. One of the most promising technologies these automakers like, Toyota Motor Company, are working on is fuel cell. With this kind of system, cars will only rely on the chemical reaction between Hydrogen and Oxygen to go about its operation. Such technology is very promising but it seeing fuel cell-powered cars in dealerships will not happen any time soon, according to president of Toyota.

Katsuaki Watanabe, who is the head of the leading Japanese car maker, told French new agency Agence France-Presse yesterday that perfecting such technology will still take more time. For years, Toyota, along with other Japanese automobile companies, has been trying to craft a car that will possibly run on fuel cell alone. Toyota has encountered difficulties in trying to integrate the fuel cell system in a car but what is more difficult is that it will definitely cost too much for motorists to afford. With such technology, the vehicle is definitely emission free as its sole by-product is water.

“When we first started the research and development of fuel-cell cars, some people predicted that they may be commercialized by around 2010. But that's difficult," said Watanabe. “The technological advances are significant. The only problem is the cost.”

Aside from the probable top-of-the-ceiling cost of the fuel cell car, owners will need hydrogen filling stations to keep the green vehicles running. Toyota has yet to find ways on how to store Hydrogen efficiently as well as look where to get Hydrogen. "One great step for a cleaner environment.", my friends in Autopartswarehouse says.

“It will probably be a long way ahead until we can start mass production, considering problems linked to difficulties in how to stock hydrogen and where to draw hydrogen from," said Watanabe. “It'll take long time to solve these problems, but we will definitely commercialize it as I believe it is a promising power source.”

Last year, Toyota announced its successful test drive of its fuel cell model currently dubbed as Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV). With its full tank, the FCHV ran for 560 kilometers (or 350 miles) with a full tank. About 30 percent of hydrogen was still left after the drive test.

Despite the foreseen difficulties, Toyota is still determined to work on the fuel cell technology. With this promising system, automobiles will no longer pollute the air but instead clean it. The longer time a fuel cell-powered car is on the roar, air becomes cleaner.

Source: Agence France-Presse.
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Friday | March 07, 2008

Geneva: Small cars aimed for greater heights

This year, the Geneva Auto Show highlights relatively small concept cars and upcoming models that are meant for jam-packed urban streets, small families, expensive fuel cost, and the polluted environment.

According to some news from my colleagues in Autopartswarehouse, these small vehicles, which were unveiled to the public yesterday, are seen as the answers for the growing problems that concern the user and the environment. Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Company introduced the Toyota iQ that is the so-called smallest passenger car that can accommodate at a maximum of three adults passengers and a child. According to the company, the Toyota iQ car promises better engine output minus the noxious Carbon dioxide emissions. About only 99 grams per kilometer of CO2 output is expected from this vehicle, thus help minimize pollution. In addition to that, its size is seen as very appropriate for small families and for congested streets of the city. With these benefits, small cars can be perceived as something efficient and cool.

According to Thomas Scneider, who is the marketing director of Fiat in Switzerland, that there is indeed a market for small green cars as more motorists noticed the scarcity of parking spaces. At the same time, car owners tend to become conscious in the large chunk of pollution coming from vehicles.

Smaller cars, however, are said to bring in lesser sales compared to the bigger or regular sized vehicles, according to Peter Schaer, who is the Peugeot Switzerland’s public relations director. For that reason, automakers tend to produce high-end or luxury small cars for more decent sales. Toyota, for example, priced the iQ concept at 11,000 euros and targeted a sale of 100,000 units by next year.

Despite that thinking that small cars are pricey, Indian automaker Tata Motors was able to come up with the Nano model, which is the world’s cheapest car at $2, 500 (or 1, 600 euros). Hopefully, Autopartswarehouse will be stacking new parts to make up for the newest cars in town.

Source: Agence France-Presse.
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Wednesday | March 05, 2008

Compact car from Toyota at Geneva show

Leading Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Company showed its concern for the environment as well as its users as it came out with yet another green car christened as the Toyota iQ at the opening of the Geneva Motor Show yesterday.

According to Andrea Formica, who is the senior vice-president of Toyota for Europe, the Toyota iQ is the smallest passenger car that can accommodate a total of four passengers. Despite its size, this compact green car can set three adults and a child. Toyota is positive that such small car will entice motorists living in congested cities.

In addition to its small features, the Toyota iQ is big on the green technology aspect as this concept car is said to achieve only 99 grams per kilometer of noxious Carbon dioxide emissions. With such capability, the iQ concept is seen as Toyota’s answer to slash a big chunk in the Japanese company’s average CO2 emissions.
Toyota iQ concept

“We view this car as a major milestone in Toyota's vehicle development,” said Formica. “(iQ) will have a big impact on the market yet a small impact on the environment…(and) will be on the roads of Paris, Rome, Berlin, Madrid by the end of the year.”

Aside from the iQ concept car, Toyota also displayed its 1/X model. This “plug-in” vehicle can run for 100 kilometers (or 62 miles) with just a two-liter filled engine, according to the company.

Meanwhile, Toyota remains positive that the company can get up to a five percent increase in its sales in the US market this year despite the visible industry condition of America. Toyota went down to a good 6.6-percent last month. The Japanese company is currently back to rank three overall in the US market, after conceding in sales against Ford Motor Company.

Source: Agence France-Presse.
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