Mitsubishi to Launch Electric Light Truck and Plug-in Hybrid Outlander in 2013

According to a report from Japan's Nikkei business daily, Mitsubishi is developing a pure-electric light truck that will be launched onto the market in the second quarter of 2013. Mitsubishi has been one of the first carmakers to enter the EV market with its iMieV, an all-electric city car that like the Outlander SUV has also spawned PSA Peugeot Citroen variants.
Speaking of the Outlander, the report states that a plug-in hybrid version of Mitsubishi’s crossover will also hit the market at the same time as the electric truck.
The PX-MiEV II concept that was unveiled less than a month ago at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show may give us some clues to the Outlander’s replacement as well as its powertrain setup.
The plug-in hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter MIVEC gasoline engine with an output of 94HP, and sports two 60kW (80HP) electric motors, one at the front and the other at the rear. Power is transferred to all four wheels via the acclaimed Lancer Evolution X’s Super-All Wheel Drive that is mated to a new twin-motor AWD system.
The Japanese carmaker has an ambitious plan to launch eight electric or plug-in hybrids and become a global EV leader by 2016.
The i-MieV will go on sale in the States next month as the “i”, while the 2013 hybrid crossover will be a global product. It is still unclear, however, whether the electric light truck, which as Nikkei says will be priced at around 1.5 million yen (US$19,200) after government subsidies, will be available outside Japan.

Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV

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Toyota Says it Received 60,000 Orders for New Aqua Hybrid in Japan Before Launch

The new Aqua is off to an excellent start in Japan as Toyota revealed that it had already received pre-orders for 60,000 cars ahead of the sub-compact hybrid hatchback's launch on Monday, December 26. That's five times the company's monthly sales target of 12,000 cars in Japan. "It will take about four months to receive the car once an order is placed," Toyota managing officer Koei Saga told reporters during a media briefing earlier this week.
The Aqua, which will be marketed around the world as the new Prius C, made its world premiere at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in the beginning of December.
Roughly the same size as the latest Yaris hatchback, the Aqua pairs a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with 74PS at 4,800 rpm and 111Nm (81.9 lb-ft) to an electric motor producing up to 45kW (61PS) and 169Nm (125 lb-ft), for combined output of 100PS (73kW or 98HP).
The CVT-equipped hybrid model can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 10.7 seconds while completing the 40 km/h to 70 km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds.
Toyota says that in Japan, the Aqua returns a fuel efficiency of 35.4 km/L (equal to 83.3 mpg US or 2.8lt/100km) under the JC08 test cycle and 40 km/L (94 mpg US or 2.5lt/100 km) under the 10-15 driving cycle.
Pricing for the new Aqua in Japan starts from 1.69 million yen (US$21,770 at today's exchange rates) for the base "L" model and rises to 1.85 million yen (US$23,830) for the range-topping "G" trim level.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Volkswagen to Reach Goal of World’s Largest Automaker Ahead of Schedule

 
The Volkswagen Group, which consists of Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche brands in America, are looking to become the number one seller of vehicles in the world by 2018. That’s a bold proclamation as they’re currently sitting in the number three position behind Toyota and General Motors.

As of last year, the VW Group was at 7.14-million vehicles sold while Toyota was at 8.42-million and GM was at 8.39-million. They’re currently aiming to be moving 10-million vehicles a year by 2018 and CEO Martin Winterkorn anticipates it’ll even happen before then.

Their plan will be to target the global market obviously, having already secured the European market. Their new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee currently has the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles a year, but VW is working on expanding it to 500,000, the majority of which will remain within the US market.

Even though VW has taken over European automotive sales with 2.9 vehicles sold in 2010, they still look to increase their market share with their new Up! model. But key to VW becoming the global leader in sales will be how they perform in other markets including Brazil, Russia, India and most importantly, China.

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Chris-Craft Builds An Infiniti V8 Powered Mahogany Speedboat

 
Infiniti‘s brawny 5.6 liter V8 proves to not only motivate land yachts but actual maritime yachts as well. Students at the Tennessee Technical Center-Nashville and Nashville State Community College have removed the titanic power plant from a donor Infiniti QX56 to ready it for maritime duty in an iconic 1962 Chris-Craft “Holiday” mahogany speedboat.

The 400-hp engine has been sent to Westbrook, Maine, where the engine bell housing was modified to be compatible with a ZF/Hurth marine transmission. Next, a shop in Alabama puts the Infiniti engine through a program called “marination, ” involving custom water-cooled exhaust manifolds and the adaptation of a closed cooling system. Then, the big V8 will be taken back to the Infiniti engine facility in Decherd, Tennessee so it could get tested on a dynamometer to assure that its performance numbers are still up to factory specifications. Finally, the engine will await for its final installation into the Chris-Craft’s hull.

In the past, Chris-Craft boats adopted engines including a 431-cubic inch Lincoln marine engine and a pair of 440-cubic inch Chrysler Hemi marine V8s. However, George “Dodo” Brockman, owner of Freeport Boat Outlet, and the director of the Infiniti boat project says, “The use of the powerful Infiniti QX56 V8 is fitting with the history of the particular craft. The Infiniti V8 is actually lighter than all of the previous powerplants and won’t require any special bracing or hull modifications to fit into the original engine bay.”

In line with it’s handcrafted heritage, the 1962 Chris-Craft “Holiday” is currently lying upside down in Freeport Maine ready to undergo a painstaking restoration process involving more than 600 board feet of high grade sustainably harvest mahogany to cover the framework, hull, transom, and deck. 15 coats of special marine varnish will be applied to the craft over a period of a month.

Brockman continued, “Before the future Infiniti lake cruiser can return to the water, we’ve had to tear it down to virtually nothing and start building it back up with fresh wood… Ultimately, it looks like we’ll have to replace nearly 85 percent of the original wood, one piece at a time, due to age and rot.” Brockman adds, “When the 20-foot Chris-Craft Holiday model was introduced in 1962, it was said to be one of the best performing Chris-Craft hulls ever produced. It cornered well, was easy to come on plane and was often used in nationally sanctioned water skiing events for just those reasons. We can’t wait to see how this classic design performs with the new engine.”

When the mahogany speedboat is complete, a custom boat trailer to match a 2012 Infiniti QX56 will also be built.

GALLERY: Infiniti Chris Craft

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