Toyota has exposed a new idea SUV at the new York motor show called the FT-4X – standing for “Future-Toyota-Four-Wheel Drive Crossover”. It’s a boxy looking crossover idea developed with young, metropolitan motorists in mind, while its aesthetics hint any type of production version being a prospective successor to the now retired FJ Cruiser – a cool Toyota SUV we never got officially in Britain.
Advertisement – short article continues below
The idea was produced by Toyota’s Calty style research study team in California as well as Toyota is extremely keen to tension the FT-4X’s street cred as much more of an metropolitan run-around than a few of its much more tough off-roaders like the Land Cruiser. Toyota believes it has produced a crossover in tune with the millennial generation, putting emphasis on the easy-going character it envisions within the FT-4X.
• Best SUVs on sale 2017
Some of the style highlights packed into the boxy shape include a GoPro video camera developed into the side of the drivers’ wing mirror, while the hatch at the rear can open two ways. Called Mutli-Hatch, it can slide horizontally like a van side door for packing in metropolitan environments, while it’s likewise hinged from the top, which Toyota states produces an “impromptu shelter from the elements”. elements of the bodywork itself are produced from changeable panels too.
3
Based on Toyota’s worldwide C-Platform as well as boasting four-wheel-drive, the FT-4X is similar to the variety Rover Evoque in terms of size, being a bit shorter, at 4,249mm long, as well as 1,623mm tall. though the idea is engineless, Toyota hints that a small-displacement four-cylinder engine wouldn’t look out of location under the bonnet. hybrid innovation isn’t mentioned, however Toyota’s existence in the hybrid market as well as the FT-4X’s metropolitan picture implies it’s not difficult to envision a part-electrified drivetrain either.
Should the FT-4X equate into a production car to replace the FJ Cruiser, a market release in the UK seems unlikely.
What do you make of the Toyota FT-4X concept? let us understand in the comments!
The Jaguar XKR-S GT has been unveiled on the eve of the new York motor Show. currently restricted to just 30 cars for the North American market (although a right-hand drive version might be made if demand in the UK is sufficient), the XKR-S GT has been designed as the ultimate road-going version of the XK Coupe.
Advertisement – article continues below
Taking the XKR-S as a base, the present 542bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine as well as six-speed automatic gearbox are carried over unchanged. However, Jaguar has added a especially striking bodykit to set the XKR-S GT apart.
There’s a carbon fibre front splitter than juts out 60mm in front of the uprated front bumper, plus little carbon fibre winglets as well as wheelarch extensions designed to enhance the effectiveness of the flow of air around the car, as well as into the engine as well as brakes for additional cooling.
There are likewise additional vents in the bonnet, a carbon fibre rear diffuser as well as a significant rear wing, which Jaguar claims produces 145kg of downforce when the cars and truck is travelling at its 186mph restricted top speed. The top speed is the exact same as the routine XKR-S, however the 0-60mph time drops from 4.2 to 3.9 seconds. Jaguar claims its capable of a sub 7 minutes 40 seconds lap of the Nurburgring aing as well as might hit over 200mph with the limiter removed.
together with its new Citroen DS3 Cabriolet as well as facelifted C3 Picasso, Citroen will show off an all-electric version of its DS3 at the Paris motor Show.
Called the Citroen DS3 Electrum, Citroen declares that the electric vehicle “ensures performance consistent with the present DS3 together with zero emissions.”
The electric DS3 is driven by two 87bhp electric motors, which power the front wheels. A 17.5kWh lithium-ion battery provides a variety of as much as 75 miles.
Advertisement – short article continues below
The DS3 Electrum’s battery can be recharged from empty to 80 per cent full in 30 minutes, when plugged into a quick charging station.
Citroen declares that the electric DS3’s drivetrain is compact sufficient not to jeopardize the DS3’s cabin or boot space. This advancement enables the firm to offer electric-powered versions of other existing designs in the future.
Jaguar Land Rover boss Ralf Speth has said that he wants the brand’s future range of electric cars to be manufactured in the UK. It’s a relocation that could create up to 10,000 new jobs at the company, a report in the financial Times has suggested.
In a speech dealt with to automotive leaders and politicians, Speth said his ambition was to double JLR’s production to around 1million cars by the end of the decade. However, this would only be possible if JLR was able to conquer ‘infrastructure and capacity issues’.
Advertisement – short article continues below
• new Jaguar I-Pace to get SVR treatment
In the same time frame, JLR has also said that it wants at least half of its car to be made available with the option of some sort of electrification.
JLR demonstrated its push towards electric cars with the I-Pace concept at the recent Los Angeles motor Show. The production version will arrive in 2018 but will be built in Graz, Austria. Beating the electric SUV into showrooms, though, will be plug-in hybrid versions of the range Rover and range Rover Sport.
The news comes as a even more increase the UK automotive manufacturing industry and follows on from Nissan’s decision to expand production at its UK facility in Sunderland despite Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
What do you think of the news? let us know below…
It has been six months because this concerned resident formally provided his hand-crafted parchment to the UK government at the greatest (Cabinet) level. Respectfully, I reminded the young boys as well as women (allegedly) in fee of a few pro-car facts they didn’t know, had really forgotten about, or selected to disregard thanks to their new ‘bash the motorist/bludgeon the conventional household motor’ rhetoric.
Advertisement – short article continues below
By far the most important, potentially life-saving reality I passed on to our elected leaders last may went like this: when travelling in a pandemic-ravaged UK, the best, many accountable method for people to socially distance and, in turn, battle the risk of Covid-19 is to utilize private, simple-to-sanitise household cars, which the large majority of adults already own or lease.
‘Cars as well as their chauffeurs are being disgracefully discriminated against’
But another, similarly important, potentially life-taking reality I reminded the government of was this: when people are required to capture in to, then sit or stand aboard undoubtedly cramped, relatively unclean public transport, the danger of infection is far greater. put one more way, those happy, distanced souls in their locked, sealed, personal cars and trucks capable of travelling door to door are far less likely to ended up being Covid-19 victims than the bad sods at stations as well as on trains, at airports as well as in planes, at terminals as well as in coaches, at bus stops as well as having a hard time with buses.
Ford has broadened the Puma’s line-up, adding a new automatic gearbox as well as a highly-specced ST-Line X Vignale trim level.
The Puma’s 123bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine is offered with a seven-speed automatic transmission – with costs starting from £22,945. The gearbox lowers the crossover’s declared WLTP fuel economic climate as well as emissions figures to 45.6mpg as well as 138g/km – compared to the manual-equipped model’s 49.6mpg as well as 127g/km.
Advertisement – article continues below
• finest crossovers on sale now
Ford’s new, highly-specced ST-Line X Vignale trim level is priced from £25,240. Upgrades over the ST-Line X design include 18-inch alloy wheels, a satin-finish aluminium grille as well as a body-coloured rear bumper. purchasers likewise get LED headlamps, leather upholstery, heated front seats, keyless entry as well as a heated steering wheel.
Later this year, the Puma line-up will broaden once again with a flagship ST model. It’ll utilize the exact same 197bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine as the Fiesta ST as well as function a hold of chassis as well as styling upgrades including larger brakes, stiffer springs, lowered suspension, an aggressive body-kit as well as a option of lairy paint finishes.
What does the updated Ford Puma have to beat? checked out our listing of the very best crossovers on sale in the UK now…
just £12million of the £300m set aside by the government for electric vehicle grants has been utilized since the plan came
into impact in January 2011.
A overall of 2,311 declares have been produced electric vehicles – according to latest department for transfer (DfT) stats – as well as 140 declares for vans.
This works out at £11.5m in grants for vehicles – for which purchasers get a 25 per cent discount rate as much as £5,000 – as well as £1.27m for vans, which draw in a saving of £8,000.
Advertisement – article continues below
But even though £287m of money is lying unused, transfer priest Norman Baker stays optimistic about the grant. “A quarter of all vehicles benefiting from the plug in vehicle grant were ordered in the last three months, as well as new designs are being added to the listing of eligible vehicles,” he said.
He likewise declared he’s “relaxed” about the present uptake, adding that it was in line with what was expected for new technology.
A Nissan spokesperson declared the grant plan is generous enough, however had concerns about its future. “People requirement to understand exactly how long it’ll be offered for. We understood it would be a sluggish burner, so taking it away as people get utilized to it will strangle it,” he warned.
When the reward launched, the government stated it would be offered up until 2015. There’s been no word on this being extended.
The preliminary £300m was sufficient to fund 15,000 electric vehicle sales a year – a far cry from the 2,400 really registered since January 2011 (although not all have utilized the grant).
Nissan’s concerns were echoed by the society of motor manufacturers as well as Traders, with a spokesperson arguing the grant should “deliver stability as well as certainty to motorists by committing to incentivise plug-in vehicles
well beyond 2015”.
The DfT
confirmed the discount rate would run up until the end of the present Parliament, however refused to
say whether it would
continue after this.
Nissan is planning a wave of new models from its Nismo performance arm, including a range of extreme RS versions, car express has learned.
First to arrive will be the UK-built Juke Nismo early next year. but that’s only the beginning according to Nissan’s executive vice president, product planning, Andy Palmer.
Advertisement – short article continues below
“Try to think of the Nismo brand as an affordable alternative to Mercedes’ AMG division,” Palmer exclusively told us. “Normal Nismo versions will get a power hike of around 15 per cent, but the focus will be much more on distinctive styling with the red highlights. We’ll also tune the suspension and steering, so customers can get much more out of the power they have.”
The Juke Nismo follows this formula with its striking bodykit, 18-inch wheels and red wing mirrors. Power has yet to be confirmed, but going by Palmer’s tip-off, we can expect the 187bhp 1.6 DiG-T engine to be tuned to around 215bhp.
Next in line for the Nismo treatment is the electric leaf – which Palmer confirmed would make production. The leaf Nismo Concept, seen at the 2011 Tokyo motor Show, previewed how that car could look, using blue instead of red accents. expect the production version to offer around 125bhp and 320Nm of torque.
Also due in late 2013 are hot Nismo versions of the 370Z – which is already sold in the us – and GT-R.
A range of Nismo RS models will be aimed at those who crave even much more extreme performance. “The RS cars will be much much more track-focused. You’ve seen the Juke R, so maybe that would be a good place to start,” Palmer said.
While Nissan will offer a very limited number of GT-R-powered Juke Rs for a six-figure sum, a mainstream Juke Nismo RS is much more likely to be lighter and get a highly tuned 1.6-litre turbo with 270bhp. This ought to guarantee sports car-rivalling performance.
Palmer also hinted that the GT-R and 370Z would get the RS treatment, but we’d have to wait until the next-generation 370Z appears in 2014 for that.
The 10 finalists for the world cars and truck of the Year 2013 award have been announced.
An worldwide jury of 66 motoring journalists, including car reveal editor-in-chief, Steve Fowler, as well as special contributor, Mike Rutherford, chosen the 10 finalists.
The 2013 world cars and truck of the Year finalists are:
Audi A3 Range Rover Mazda 6 Mazda CX-5 Mercedes A-Class Peugeot 208 Porsche Boxster/Cayman Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86 Volkswagen Golf Volvo V40
Advertisement – short article continues below
In addition to the world cars and truck of the Year list, the jurors have likewise voted on their preferred performance cars and trucks for the 2013 world performance cars and truck Award.
The 2013 world performance cars and truck of the Year finalists are:
Aston Martin Vanquish Audi RS5 BMW M6 Coupe/Convertible BMW M135i Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Mercedes SL63 AMG Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster Porsche Boxster/Cayman Renaultsport Clio 200 EDC Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86
Each juror will now test each cars and truck again, ahead of a even more round of voting in February. The results of this vote will be totted up by KPMG as well as the top three cars and trucks in each classification will be revealed at the Geneva motor Show, with the winners revealed at a press seminar at the new York motor show on 28 March.
The world cars and truck of the Year award is now in its ninth year. The last three WCotY winners were the Volkswagen Up! in 2012, the Nissan Leaf in 2011, as well as the Volkswagen Polo in 2010.
In addition to the world cars and truck of the Year as well as performance cars and truck of the Year, there is likewise a five-car shortlist for the 2013 world eco-friendly Car, which has been created by five market experts.
2013 world eco-friendly cars and truck award finalists:
Renault Zoe Smart electric Drive Tesla design S Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid
Finally, a six-car listing of finalists for the 2013 world cars and truck style of the Year award has been announced. It was likewise created by cars and truck style specialists.
2013 world cars and truck style of the Year award finalists:
Aston Martin Vanquish Renault Clio Jaguar F-Type Range Rover Mazda 6 Volkswagen Golf
Aston Martin has issued its monetary statement for the very first half of 2020, with the British supercar brand publishing a £230 million loss for the period, some 67 per cent down on June of last year.
The business primarily characteristics its monetary downturn to the market difficulties triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Aston Martin’s sales were down 41 per cent as a direct result of the pandemic as well as lockdown, because of the extensive closure of its dealerships as well as factories.
New Aston Martin DBX prototype review
In response, Aston Martin has organized a series of cuts, decreasing its operating costs as well as streamlining manufacturing, which ought to curb the company’s costs by 2021 – saving an estimated £28 million.
Advertisement – short article continues below
Slow sales implies a surplus of existing cars. So, Aston Martin will work to decrease its dealership stock by 869 units between now as well as 2021. The stock reduction represents the three months-worth of sales the brand lost during the lockdown as well as closure of dealers.
Elsewhere, Aston has seen the begin of a healing in its Chinese business, with sales climbing 11 per cent over June 2019.
Following the visit of Lawrence stroll as the new Aston Martin CEO, the firm increased £688 million as part of a new rights issue. The relocation has offered the business with sufficient funding to push the DBX SUV with into production.
Stroll said: “Obviously, it has been a difficult period with our dealers as well as factories closed because of Covid-19. We have been completely participated in executing the preliminary reset in purchase to accomplish our ambition to develop Aston Martin into one of the fantastic worldwide high-end vehicle brands.
“The new DBX is crucial to our successful future as well as I am pleased that, after much more than a month of closure, production restarted as well as preliminary deliveries have now been made. likewise crucial to our future is the capability to market as well as engage with our customers.
“From next year, we will have the fantastic benefit of a extremely competitive Aston Martin branded formula One team providing us a considerable worldwide advertising platform to even more enhance our brand as well as engage with our clients as well as partners across the world.”
Hungry for much more Aston Martin news? now checked out all the most recent on the DBX SUV…