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Hatchbacks Straightline Archives

Inside Line Dyno Tests the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6

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At first blush, the idea of running a hybrid on a chassis dyno is silly. A dyno is all about power and performance, and a hybrid, well, isn't.

That is, unless the hybrid is the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, of which its creators reckon is the most powerful in the world. Have a look at its stats as claimed by BMW -- 480 horsepower and a staggering 575 lb-ft of torque.

This prodigious output comes by way of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and a two-mode hybrid system. The product of the now-defunct collaboration between GM, DaimlerChrysler and BMW, this hybrid system is fundamentally similar to that of the Chevy Silverado Hybrid and Tahoe Hybrid. Pairing these two power generators together is like dashing creatine powder onto a medium-rare strip steak.

This ActiveHybrid X6, then, is a hybrid with a chip on its shoulder, just begging to have its claims put to the test. And test it we did, strapping it down to a chassis dyno and making it sing. Er, whir and hum quietly.

Dyno charts and photos after the jump.

 

Continue reading Inside Line Dyno Tests the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6.

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Tata Nano Now a Status Symbol in India

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Yes, a car that retails for the equivalent of around $2,000 is the hottest car in India. Strangely enough, this applies to rich and poor alike according to a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor.

It quotes a rural farmer named Satish Kumar who says he doesn't really need a car. "I'm mainly concentrating on using it socially - taking my whole family to weddings and other family functions," he says.

The flip side of the situation is those who already have cars said a local Tata dealer. "We were expecting people to come who were ... on two-wheelers, or in lower-model cars. It was a total surprise - people were coming ... who have two or three cars, but wanted the Nano just for the sake of having it."

Tata says it wants to sell the Nano in the U.S. after some extensive modifications. Somehow we don't see it getting quite the same reception here.

Christian Science Monitor

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GM Receives Claims of Sticking Pedals in Pontiac Vibe -- After the Recall

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GM has released a statement regarding the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe that was recalled along with a whole bunch of Toyotas last week. GM says that based on its experience, "the Vibe is safe to drive," and it received no complaints of unintended acceleration prior to the recall.

Notably, GM says that after the recall it received several complains about sticking throttle pedals from customers. None of the claimed incidents caused any accidents.

Think people might be watching the news just a little too much?

GM

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Nissan Closes on $1.4B DOT Loan for Electric Vehicle Production

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The papers are signed and the agreement is done. Nissan has sealed the deal on a Department of Transportation loan that will be used to modify Nissan's Smyrna, TN plant for production of the Leaf electric car and the lithium-ion batteries that will power it.

According to the press release, the plant will be capable of producing 150,000 Leafs a year and 200,000 batteries a year when fully operational.

Hope it works. That's a pretty big chunk of change to hand over for a completely unproven product. Then again, both Fisker and Tesla got half a billion each for cars that don't exist yet, so we'll see who pulls through first.

Revealed: Nissan Leaf Electric Car

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Video: Ride In, On and Under the STI as Pastrana Makes New Year's Jump

We hope you haven't tired of seeing video of Travis Pastrana's heroically insane jump from the Long Beach Pier, because this latest video from Red Bull is easily the best yet. You get to watch the jump from three different POV cameras:

(1) One is mounted atop Pastrana's Subaru WRX STI and pointed behind it. You'll watch the jump ramp and water fall away as Pastrana takes the car airborne.

(2) Another is mounted in the undercarriage of the STI.

(3) And, best of all is the one mounted in the hatch and aimed at the cockpit. Here you see how utterly relaxed Pastrana is as he yanks the handbrake in midair and slides the car to a hard stop after landing.

"Woo-hoo. That was sick!" Yep, you'll hear that three times as well.

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Japanese Mag Takes Honda CR-Z For a Drive; Says It's Slow, But Handles Well

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The production version of the 2011 Honda CR-Z was just introduced at the 2010 Detroit Auto show, but a magazine in Japan has already taken a test drive on a closed course. Here's a translated version of their thoughts on the car.

"The production version of the car looks sharp sitting on the track thanks to well balanced proportions. The character line that runs down the side of the car looks more pronounced on the silver paint than it does on a red or blue color. The tires and wheels are noticeably less spectacular then the ones from the show car as the wheels are only 16-inches in diameter with 195/55R16 tires. That said, the wheels look of high quality and don't make the car look cheap.

Now we climb into the cabin. The tachometer sits at the center of the instrument cluster with a digital speedometer readout located immediately beneath it. The entire dashboard layout has a distinct sporty look and feel to it, leaving no doubt in the driver's mind that he's sitting in a performance-oriented car. Despite the car being labeled a 4-seater, the rear seats are quite cramped and look just large enough to fit two children.

The shift knob of the 6-speed manual transmission slides into each gear with a resounding click. We throw the lever into 1st gear and launch. The car leaves the line spritely, but accelerates in a milder way than anticipated. You can feel the presence of the electric motor, but it's quite subtle almost transparent. Continued after the jump.

2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Honda CR-Z


Continue reading Japanese Mag Takes Honda CR-Z For a Drive; Says It's Slow, But Handles Well.

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Video: Honda Engineer Says CR-Z Benchmarked off Mini Cooper

We hope we don't have to file this one under "Engineers Writing Checks the Production Car Can't Cash." In this subtitled video, Honda engineers in Japan talk about the development of the 2011 Honda CR-Z, noting that they benchmarked its handling off the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Scirocco.

Sounds great, but remember that the 122-hp Honda CR-Z is saddled with a bunch of nickel-metal hydride batteries and a torsion-beam rear suspension.

The engineers also let it slip that they had a Lotus Elise on hand "for inspiration."

2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Honda CR-Z

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Spy Photos: 2012 Chevrolet Aveo Spotted During Cold Weather Testing

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The exterior design of the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo is no big secret. It won't be as aggressive as the Aveo RS concept shown in Detroit last week, but it'll be close. The real question was whether or not GM could figure out a way to make the production interior look as good as the concept.

Our spy photographers recently caught up with this test mule in the Arctic Circle and managed to snag a shot of the uncovered interior. There are a few wires in the way, but most of the cabin is relatively clean.

Looks like Chevrolet will keep the odd looking instrument panel, but will replace the concept center stack with a corporate GM head unit. No big surprise there. The seats in this test car appear to be cloth and we can't see enough of the seat to know if it will have any kind of reasonable support. Oh well, that steering wheel looks pretty good.


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Audi A1 Wins Magazine Award, Still Has Not Been Shown to the Public

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Audi's marketing machine is clearly firing on all cylinders these days. The latest evidence? A reader's choice award from U.K. magazine What Car? for the Audi A1 subcompact hatchback.

You see, the Audi A1 has yet to be shown in production form, so all those kooky Brits voted the Audi A1 the "most exciting car of 2010" before they've even seen the vehicle. According to the editor of What Car?, "Although we haven't seen the finished car yet, a new, small car with an Audi badge on the nose can't fail to succeed."

So there you have it, Audi hatchbacks are now the big banks of the automotive world -- they cannot fail.

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Official Pictures of the Mini Countryman Revealed by UK Mag

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According to UK magazine AutoExpress, these are official pictures of the Mini Countryman or Crossman, whatever. It's scheduled for an official debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in early March, but these pics reveal pretty much all you need to know.

All the drivetrain hardware will carryover form the current Mini range except for the all-wheel drive system. As you can see, it's not a true off-roader, more like an all-season compact utility vehicle.

AutoExpress 

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Production Lexus LF-Ch Headed to Geneva?

lexuscrop-250.jpg Lexus has been hinting for months that the LF-Ch concept shown in Frankfurt last year could make it to production. Now a loyal Autoblog reader has caught was appears to be a very production looking version of the LF-Ch. Sure, it has two different covers on it, but that rear-end treatment is pretty easy to spot through the sheets. Expect to see the rest of the car at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in early March.

Autoblog

Lexus LF-Ch Concept

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Video: Deleted Scenes from Pastrana's New Year's Eve Jump

Red Bull edited together a compilation video of Travis Pastrana's New Year's Eve jump (and the days leading up to it) in his Subaru WRX STI rally car and released it while were all busy with the Detroit Auto Show.

It's worth a watch for two reasons:

(1) The "crash" during practice looks pretty authentic -- whether it was planned or not.

(2) There's on-board footage from Pastrana's sideways, slide-into-the-wall landing on the barge.

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Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept: Photos, GT5 Trailer from 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon

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Of all the cars at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon (Japan's equivalent of the SEMA show), the Toyota FT-86 G Sports is surely getting the most attention. It's just another FT-86 concept, but this time it's turbocharged. Plus, it just looks cool with its white paint, carbon fiber hood and red detailing.

toyota_ft-86g_front.jpg This won't be the last you see of the FT-86 G Sports, either, as Toyota has a co-branding arrangement with Sony, which conveniently released a trailer of the car in Gran Turismo 5 last night. We know you're sick of hearing about terminally delayed GT5, but you're going to want to watch the animated FT-86 sliding around the track nonetheless. That video is after the jump, along with more photos.

Specifications on the Toyota FT-86 G Sports are vague, but the show cars isn't a real car in the driving sense anyway. Here's what we know: It has a turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter boxer-4 engine and a six-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels.

We don't know the specification on the turbocharger (nor the intercooler visible through the front fascia), but it should give the little car a shot at getting out of the hole with its enormous tires -- Bridgestone Potenza RE050s, size 245/40R19 in front and 275/35R19 in back.

And if you could see into the cockpit, you'd spot Recaro seats for the driver and front passenger.

Photos by Christopher Jue

Toyota, GT Planet

IL News: 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon: Toyota FT-86 G Sports

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota FT-86

 

Continue reading Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept: Photos, GT5 Trailer from 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon.

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2011 Mini Cooper S to Get Valvetronic, 12 More HP

2011_mini_coopers.jpg BMW will add Valvetronic to the turbocharged and direct-injected 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine in the 2011 Mini Cooper S and Cooper S Clubman. The result is 12 more horsepower for a total of 184 at 5,500 rpm. Torque holds steady at 177 pound-feet.

Valvetronic is of course BMW's electric-motor-driven variable valve lift system. The other main benefits are reduced fuel consumption and emissions. BMW claims this update saves almost half a liter of gasoline per 100 km on the European test cycle.

The company has not yet made any predictions on U.S. EPA ratings, but the engine change should go through sometime this spring.

The normally aspirated 1.6-liter engine in the base Mini Cooper and Clubman does not get Valvertronic, but minor changes (which BMW has not specified) will provide a slight increase in horsepower (from 118 to 122) and torque (from 114 lb-ft to 118) for the 2011 model year.

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IL Track Tested: 2010 Mitsubishi i MiEV vs. Mitsubishi i

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Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year, but not every vehicle gets a full write-up. The numbers still tell a story, though, so we present "IL Track Tested." It's a quick rundown of all the data we collected at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.

Mitsubishi's i car is part of the kei car class in Japan. Basically, this is the smallest type of car you can buy there, and the Japanese government subsidizes them (in the form of tax breaks and insurance savings) to encourage people to buy them. The dimensions of the cars are limited to 3.3 meters long by 1.4 meters wide; there's no height limit. The maximum engine displacement is 660cc.

The Mitsubishi i car was somewhat revolutionary when it entered this segment because of its rear-midship engine layout and rear-drive architecture. By locating the engine in the back, Mitsubishi opened up more space in the cabin and improved ride and handling dynamics (generally not a strong point of these ungainly little cars).

So there's the Mitsubishi i, which has a 660cc three-cylinder gasoline engine. There's also the i MiEV, which is an i car that swaps out that gas engine for a rear-drive electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The i MiEV is Mitsubishi's first electric car. It's already being sold to commercial fleets in Japan, and Mitsu has said it will start selling it to Japanese consumers in April. Eventually, the plan is to bring the i MiEV to North America.

We tested the i and the i MiEV on the same day. The numbers are definitely not the stuff of champions, but this is the first time we've ever had an electric car outperform its gasoline counterpart -- and with a 300-pound weight disadvantage to boot.

Continue reading IL Track Tested: 2010 Mitsubishi i MiEV vs. Mitsubishi i.

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