Archive for September, 2009

Ultra-limited 911 Sport Classic heading to NZ

Porsche will pull the covers off a limited edition 911 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Only 250 of the 911 Sport Classic will be made, and some will find their way to New Zealand.

Designed by Porsche’s specialist arm, the $430,000-ish supercar caters for true 911 enthusiasts.

The Sport Classic, which is based on the Carrera 2S, features a unique double-domed roof and is staunched up with a 44mm wider rear.

It is powered by a tweaked version Porsche’s 3.8 litre six cylinder boxer engine, which packs a newly-developed resonance intake manifold with six vacuum-controlled throttle blades. No flappy-paddle transmissions either, the Sport Classic only ships with a six speed gearbox.

Other standard goodies include Porsche’s big-money ceramic composite brakes, PASM sports suspension, which lowers the car by 20mm, a limited slip rear axle and custom 19-inch rims.

The interior features woven leather made up of smooth leather strips and woven yarn on the new adaptive sports seats, and the dashboard has a wide range of inserts and add-on components and is finished in Espresso natural leather.

Well-heeled 911 fans can try and get their hands on the rare machine when it arrives here early next year.

Sourced via nzherald.co.nz

Toyota to partner with Google in South Africa

Toyota SA today handed over a fleet of Prius hybrid vehicles to Google for imagery collection in South Africa for the Street View feature in its Google Maps application. 

The Prius with its Hybrid Synergy Drive technology was chosen by Google as the vehicle of choice for this project. In the coming weeks the  branded Google Prius vehicles will be driving around the country taking photographs of locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.   Street View, a hugely popular feature of Google Maps, is already available in more than 100 metropolitan areas around the world. It allows users to virtually explore and navigate a neighbourhood through panoramic street-level images. It is also available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Google and supplying our fuel efficient and environmentally friendly Prius for this groundbreaking project in South Africa,” says Andrew Kirby, Toyota’s Senior Vice-President: Sales and Marketing, adding that the choice of Toyota as company and the Prius as preferred vehicle for this project underlines Google’s commitment as an environmentally conscious company. “With its consumption figure of 4.3 litres per 100 km in urban driving conditions and CO2 emission figure of only 104 g/km the Prius is perfectly suitable for the Street View project as it can operate on battery power only at speeds of up to 30 km/h for limited periods,” explained Kirby. 

The Prius CVT has proven popular world wide and global sales as at end of June totaled more than 1.9 million with nearly 45% of those sales recorded in 2007 and 2008. “Since launch in 2005 in South Africa Prius sales have surpassed 800 in total which provides a solid base for us to grow our hybrid market with the recent introduction of the new third generation model. “We wish the Google team all the best with the Street View project in the knowledge that their Prius vehicles, apart from their environmental credentials, have been proven to be one the most reliable vehicles in South Africa,” concluded Kirby.

Stephen Newton, Country Manager for Google South Africa, thanked Toyota for its involvement in this groundbreaking project in South Africa. “We are excited to partner with a company renowned for its reliability and quality, but also for its innovative and cutting-edge technology as seen  in the Toyota Prius.”

LEXUS AT THE 2009 FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW

- World  debut of LF-Ch,  the new full hybrid premium compact concept
- World debut of the updated LS model range
- Model year updates for GS, IS and IS-F

The world debut of the LF-Ch full hybrid premium compact concept spearheads Lexus’ presence at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.  It is joined by the world debut of the updated LS model range and revised versions of GS, IS and IS F.
The LF-Ch concept reinforces Lexus’ position as the only manufacturer to offer a range of full-hybrid vehicles. The concept car combines stylish design and full hybrid technology in a practical five-door compact package to perfectly fulfil the needs of the most demanding premium compact segment customers. Benefiting from an electric-only driving capability, a key feature of Lexus Hybrid Drive, LF-Ch will allow for virtually silent urban driving with zero emissions.
Also making its world debut at the show is the comprehensively revised LS model range, incorporating updates to the exterior and interior designs, a redesigned seating configuration, significantly updated equipment and enhanced driving dynamics.
The world’s only full hybrid vehicle in the premium luxury sedan segment, the Lexus LS600h will be instantly identified as the high performance flagship of the LS model range through bespoke exterior and interior styling cues, improved packaging, and numerous enhancements to the vehicle’s Lexus Hybrid Drive system.
Subtle changes for the 2010 GS model range includes enhanced safety features and new exterior and interior colours, while the GS450h’s status as the model range flagship has now been further reinforced through several bespoke styling cues. GS450h remains the world’s only full hybrid model in the premium mid-size segment. The 2010 GS range also benefits of upgraded audio and navigation systems.
A refreshed IS model range incorporates navigation and audio system upgrades, a new F Sport trim package and a revised IS-F ultra-high performance sports sedan now available with a Limited Slip Differential.
Also on display on the Lexus stand will be the RX450h, freshly launched to the SA market. The ground-breaking full hybrid premium crossover with high performance and class-leading CO2 emissions completes Lexus’ comprehensive line-up of full hybrid vehicles available on showroom floors today.
The IS250C, the new Lexus coupe/convertible combines the sporting elegance of the IS sedan with superlative engineering ingenuity to create a unique fusion of driving pleasure and refined comfort with the roof either up or down.
Further information of the Lexus’ world premiers will be released during the official Lexus press conference on 15 September, hosted by Andy Pfeiffenberger, Vice President Lexus Europe.

Save Money as Petrol Prices Rise

Petrol prices are on the rise. Here are some tips to help you conserve gas and save money as we approach summer gas prices.

1. Keep your car tuned up. Cars in poor running condition use more petrol.

2. Plan trips well to avoid unnecessary driving.

3. When you run your air conditioner you get much worse mileage per litre of petrol. Use your air conditioner sparingly. If you have a lower setting, use it. Turn it on until the car gets cool, then turn it off and let the fan circulate the cool air. Never run your air conditioner with your windows open!

4. Keep your windows closed when traveling at high speeds. Open windows cause additional drag and lower your gas mileage. At high speeds, an open window can use more gas than many air conditioners (especially if they are on a low setting).

5. Check your tire pressure. Over-inflated tires can actually reduce your fuel efficiency, so don’t overfill.

6. If at all possible, change your work start time to avoid gridlock. Stop and go traffic hurts your gas mileage.

7. Take unneeded items out of the car. You don’t need to carry snow chains around with you in the summertime. Just make sure to put them back in when winter comes around.

8. Try not to idle your engine for long periods of time. If you are stuck in traffic and you don’t think you are going to go anywhere in the next five minutes, you may want to turn your car off.

9. You no longer need to warm your car up for long periods of time, especiall new cars. New cars are made to run when cold.

10. Don’t travel at fast speeds in low gears unless you need the compression to slow down.

11. Try to drive the speed limit.

12. Try to accelerate slowly when leaving the stop light. It’s not a competition with the driver in the lane next to you. The fastest person through the intersection just gets to spend more on gas.

14. Revving the engine needlessly wastes gas. There is no need to rev before you turn your vehicle off.

15. If at all possible, try to arrange car pools with co-workers to share the cost of commuting to work.

16. Walk, bike or run to your intended location whenever possible.

17. When the price is sky high, don’t fill up. Wait for the price to go down before you fill up your tank. Filling up your tank when the price is peaking lets gas companies know that you are willing to pay ridiculous prices for petrol.

Share your fuel saving tips with by commenting below.