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The Hyundai Sonata midsized sedan will be powered by a variety of four-cylinder engines.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)Debuting at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is the first vehicle to feature Hyundai's "Fluidic Sculpture" design language--"Fluidic Sculpture" obviously being market-speak for bulbous and swoopy.
The Sonata will debut with a 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection engine and a pair of six-speed transmissions, one automatic and one manual. However by the end of 2010, a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and a Hybrid Blue Drive model are set to join the lineup. However, the Sonata will not get a V6. This is a four-banger only party. The 2.4-liter launch engine will output 198 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, while delivering 23 city/35 highway mpg. A performance oriented SE model boosts the horsepower to and even 200-ponies and adds uprated suspension components.
Cabin tech packages include a DVD/MP3-compatible Dimension audio premium audio system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen navigation system that is optional on the GLS and SE trims. Stepping up to the luxury-oriented Limited trim adds HD Radio and makes a navigation-free version of the Dimension audio system a standard feature, as well as opening up the option to choose a 400-watt Infinity audio system with touchscreen navigation. Regardless of trim, choosing the premium audio option also nets a touchscreen navigation system. The nav system's data is stored on 8GB of flash memory, so we expect that it's a similar system to the one found in the Genesis Coupe.
XM satellite radio is standard (with three months of service included), as well as access to XM NavTraffic and XM Data Services when equipped with navigation. Also standard are Bluetooth handsfree connectivity and iPod/USB connectivity.
If Hyundai's Elantra Touring and Genesis coupe and sedan are any indication of the direction the Korean automaker is heading, we may find the new Sonata stealing a few Camry and Accord sales when it debuts in 2010. However, until we can get some wheel time with the midsized sedan, you can check out our gallery of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata.
The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe debuts at the LA Auto Show.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
The CTS has proven to be one of Cadillac's most versatile cars, and a favorite of the company's designers. The CTS Sedan launched with an extreme example of Cadillac's modern Art and Science design language, giving it a very individual look. Since then, Cadillac has added a Sport Wagon version and the high performance CTS-V. Cadillac further modifies the body with the CTS Coupe, taking the design to even more extreme lengths.
At once shorter and flatter than the CTS Sedan, the Coupe looks almost like a hatchback with the high rise of the trunk lid. Inside seating is in a 2+2 arrangement. Although the front of the car is the same as the CTS Sedan, the sides and rear are new. Along with taking off the rear doors, Cadillac made other design changes, such as taking off the door handles, replacing them with electronic touchpads, and changing the configuration of the exhaust tips.
Inside, the Coupe has the same cabin tech as the Sedan, with hard drive-based navigation with live traffic, onboard music storage, iPod integration, Bose stereo system, and Bluetooth.
Half of a TDI engine plus an electric motor equals twice the fuel economy. That's our kind of math.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)Volkswagen unveiled one of the few new concepts at the 2009 LA auto show, a tiny hybrid concept called the Up Lite concept (or Up! Lite, if you have a penchant for gratuitous punctuation). This small turbo-diesel hybrid possesses a small physical footprint--being much smaller than the VW Golf--and a super small carbon footprint, reaching an astronomical 70 US mpg fuel economy on the EU testing cycle.
To create the power train for the Up Lite, VW took its 1.6-liter TDI engine, chopped it in half, and slapped an electric engine on the back. Of course, we're sure there's more that went into the development than that, but what you end up with is a two-cylinder 0.8-liter TDI engine mated to a 10kW electric motor that spins its flywheel to the tune of a maximum of 64 horsepower. However to attain the Up's insane 70 US mpg, the drive train must be placed in ECO mode, which limits output to 34 horsepower. Putting that power to the front tires is a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
The electric motor is a multitasker, performing as a motor, a regenerative brake, and as a starter for the diesel engine. Able to be operated in an all-electric mode, the Up Lite is a full-fledged hybrid. When in EV mode--for coasting, at low speeds, and when stopped--the small grill opening at the base of the front air dam slides shut to reduce aerodynamic drag. Like any good full hybrid, the electric motor can also work in tandem with the TDI engine when maximum acceleration is necessary.
The Up Lite is thrifty, but obviously not very powerful. However, thanks to the torquey nature of electric and diesel powerplants, the up is still able to hustle to 60 mph in just over 12 seconds before reaching a top speed of 100 mph.
While the Up Lite's hybrid power train is mostly responsible for the lofty fuel economy and low emissions, it does get a little help in the form of weight saving and aerodynamic measures. Besides just being physically small, the Up Lite keeps its mass down through extensive usage of aluminum. With the exception of its carbon fiber roof and plastic bumpers, all of the Up Lite's body panels are made of aluminum, as are parts of its underlying unibody.
To cut down on aerodynamic drag, the Up Lite utilizes a narrow and long body and the aforementioned opening and closing grill. In place of turbulence creating side mirrors, the Up Lite has a pair of cameras that work in tandem with the rearview camera to offer a blind-spot-free panoramic view of the road behind you. Expect practical mirrors to be back in placer before this puppy reaches production.
In addition to loads of green tech, the Up Lite concept features a good array of good ol' fashioned cabin tech.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)In addition to green technologies, the Up Lite will be equipped with a full array of safety features (airbags, stability control, etc.) and a cabin tech package that includes MP3 playback, hands-free calling, video playback, and a trick navigation system that utilizes traffic, time, and terrain data to find the most fuel efficient path from point A to B.
The Up Lite concept is the harbinger of Volkswagen's new small car platform that should bear fruit in the form of a production Up Lite as early as the second half of 2011.
(Credit:
Audi)
Audi's flagship A8 luxury sedan is the company's technological tour de force, and the company says its 2011 iteration will sport handwriting recognition among its many features.
The feature will be supported in the vehicle's Multi Media Interface, or MMI--effectively the navigation/media unit in the car's console. It allows the user to write the destination in freehand and then use the touch screen to manipulate the directions as necessary.
Read more of "2011 Audi A8 adds handwriting recognition to in-car UI" at ZDNet's The ToyBox.
This Mazda2 gets custom wheels and a roof rack to celebrate its U.S. debut.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)The Mazda Mazda2, 2008 World Car of the Year, finally gets its North American debut in U.S. production trim. However, while the diminutive B-segment hatch was certainly on display at the 2009 LA Auto Show, Mazda was surprisingly shy with the details. We weren't even allowed to take interior photos, which doesn't exactly bode well for a vehicle that's scheduled to launch as early as summer 2010.
What we do know is that the Mazda2 will feature a front MacPherson strut and rear torsion-beam axle setup that's similar to the European variant. The subcompact is designed with weight reduction and aerodynamics in mind, which--when combined with whatever small displacement engine finds its way under the Mazda2's hood--should equate to respectable fuel economy. However, Mazda is also being tight lipped about the fuel economy estimates as well.
Based on what we know about the Euro-variant, we expect the Mazda Mazda2 to be powered by a gasoline engine displacing somewhere between 1.3 and 1.5-liters and sipping fuel at a rate somewhere about 35 mpg. Final numbers remain to be seen, so stay tuned for more details as they emerge. In the meantime, check out our gallery of the 2011 Mazda Mazda2.
It won't ship until late 2010, but the 2011 Audi A8 looks really good. The all-new fourth-generation A8 full-size luxury sedan has a 372 hp 4.2-liter V-8 with eight-speed transmission under the hood, and all-wheel drive.
This 8-minute video includes driving scenes and exterior shots, plus close-up detail shots.
The $75,000 car will compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-class, Maserati Quattroporte, Lexus LS460, Jaguar XJ/XJL, BMW 7-series.
I finally made it out to the 52nd Annual International Auto Show at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco yesterday, and I'm sure glad that I made the trip. Today is the final day of the show that started over this last Thanksgiving weekend, and in case you can't or didn't make it out to the Moscone to see it all in person, here's an in depth highlight reel to show some of what you may have missed.
Yes, I know the soundtrack to this clip is kinda annoying, but this web video is quite comprehensive in covering many vehicles and manufacturers who participated in this year's show in San Francisco including the Porsche 911, Lamborghini Murcielago, Audi R8, BMW, a few Chryslers (for whatever that's worth), auto racing vehicles and more. This video includes a few of my faves from this year's event and it also leaves out several personal highlights that I will be spotlighting for the next few or more blogs, so get ready
Mazda, EnerDel, Think Global, and others are partnering on a test project that will pair all-electric cars with stationary storage units as charging stations, EnerDel and Mazda announced this past week.
Mazda plans to convert some of its Mazda2 vehicles (known as the Mazda Demios in Japan) to all-electric cars running a Think drivetrain with EnerDel lithium ion batteries.
The Mazda2 (called the Demios in Japan) is expected to become available in the United States in 2010.
(Credit: Mazda)The cars will be offered to Japanese customers through a rental car program, called the Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project, which should be up and running by March 2010 in Tsukuba City, Japan, near Tokyo, according to Mazda.
U.S. battery manufacturer EnerDel has described the test project as the Japanese equivalent to Zipcar in the States, a program in which customers join a car club that offers car rentals on an hourly or daily basis.
Instead of recharging stations tapping directly into a smart grid, those in the Tsukuba test project will use stationary grid storage units also developed by EnerDel. The stationary storage units will enable the rapid charging of the all-electric Mazda2 cars, while avoiding the possibility of having to tap into a smart grid during peak usage hours.
"The unique combination of on-site battery storage with rapid charging allows the use of direct current throughout the system, sharply reducing the amount of time needed to charge a vehicle," according to a statement from EnerDel.
The recharging stations, which will draw from solar panels as well as grid power, will be located at Family Mart convenience stores in the Tsukuba City area.
Itochu, a Japanese conglomerate that has partnered with EnerDel on energy projects since 2003, owns the Family Mart chain. It was through a partnership with Itochu that EnerDel and Think Global converted and tested a fleet of trucks to all-electric vehicles for the Japanese Postal Service.
California will be the "lead market" for the Chevy Volt when the electrically driven car is available at the end of next year, General Motors said Wednesday.
California was chosen because the state has the largest U.S. car market, and Californians are "known to be leaders in adopting groundbreaking new technologies," GM's vice president of global Chevrolet brand, Brent Deware, said in a statement pegged to this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show.
Production of the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010. GM has not announced pricing for the 2011 model, though newly dethroned CEO Fritz Henderson acknowledged earlier this fall that the price would be about $40,000. (GM's board on Tuesday asked Henderson to resign, effective immediately.)
California, here we come.
(Credit: General Motors)As part of the California rollout, GM plans to make 100 Volts available to three utilities for testing. The cars will be used as fleet vehicles, and performance data will be collected via GM's OnStar in-car communications for a Department of Energy-run research program.
Financially strapped GM has a lot riding on the Chevy Volt. The car is designed to run for 40 miles on its lithium ion batteries and then use an engine-generator combination for longer rides. GM expects that most customers will do the majority of their driving on electric charge only, making the cost per mile cheaper than gas-only cars.
Even with the public excitement over electric cars, automakers are still not totally sure how consumers will adjust to the new technology and how electric components will operate in real-world conditions.
GM, as well as other automakers, plans to offer electric vehicles in certain regions that will invest in the infrastructure to support them. The California research program calls for the installation of 500 charging stations at people's homes, at businesses, and in public places.
SAN DIEGO--Lexus has introduced its first sport package on the LS 460 to take aim at the Mercedes-Benz S class.
The flagship LS, redesigned for the 2007 model year, is getting long in the tooth. And Lexus wants younger BMW and Mercedes owners. The sport package, available only on the base rear-drive 2010 model, costs $71,755, including shipping, a $6,200 premium over the $65,555 base price.
The LS 460 will have paddle shifters, and other features include a heated leather steering wheel, 19-inch wheels and summer tires, front Brembo brakes, sport-tuned air suspension, a lower body kit with sport grille and sport seats.
The sport trim has the same 4.6-liter, 380-hp engine, but software on the eight-speed automatic has been tweaked to give it a throatier sound, like that of the IS-F sports sedan.
"We want to get some European conquests--particularly the S class," says Ben Mitchell, corporate product planning manager for Lexus.
He says the typical LS owner is near 60 years old. Lexus hopes the sport trim will attract those in the upper 40s to low 50s.
The Mercedes S550 has a 5.5-liter engine making 382 horsepower. It sells for $92,475, including shipping.
Through October, LS sales were down 53 percent to 8,192 units. S-class sales totaled 8,920, off 43 percent.
(Source: Automotive News)
