Here’s something you probably never thought about. The new hybrid electric cars are not only cutting down on air pollution but also noise pollution. That’s good right?  Well, it is, but then there is another problem.   Silent electric cars are some what of a problem for the blind.  Congress is considering federal regulations for electric cars.  I can see their point. Yes, the driver of a vehicle should take responsibility and not hit somebody, but that doesn’t always happen, and a blind pedestrian has no chance if there can’t hear the vehicle.  So, Fisker and other automakers as well as toying with different ideas to decide how to have the electric cars alittle noiser.   Fisker will emit a sound from speakers that are in the bumpers.  BMW was thinking of allowing the customer to choose their own sound for their vehicle.  Some are thinking maybe a ringtone that you could manually push on your steering wheel. Whichever way the automaker chooses, it sounds like electric cars will be getting louder.  I guess a quiet car cannot completely happen after all.

The Tokyo Motor Show began today (press only-open to public starting 10/23-11/4) and of course there were many new concept cars unveiled.  Many automakers had decided not to participate in this show due financial difficulties but those that have exhibits there are trying to make the most of the situation.  Lexus is showing off the LF-A super car with a 500 horsepower engine.  I was reading alittle about the LF-A at topspeed.com and people aren’t saying nice things. They don’t like the look of it and aren’t buying the super car advertising of it as well.

Another concept car unveiled at this show is the Toyota FT-86.  This is a compact, rear-wheel drive sports car that supposedly provides “driving joy and excitement.  Also the Toyota FT-EV II was introduced which is a compact electric vehicle designed for short distances. 

Mazda also are showing off a new concept as well as a new engine and transmission at the Tokyo Motor Show.  The Mazda Kiyora has a Mazda Sky-G engine and Sky-Drive transmission, which are both being debuted at the Tokyo show as well.  The Sky-G engine has greatly improved fuel economy due to thermal efficiency. 

I’m sure there will be more talk of the Tokyo Motor Show as the week goes on, but I thought this was some good information about some new concepts.  The thing is that I feel like most of these concepts have the same ideas. They are smaller, with more power and better gas mileage.  I guess that’s what people want. 

www.ap.org

Toyota is launching a new larger hybrid-only sedan that will be for sale in Japan - the Sai.  The Sai is “Prius’ new little brother that is actually bigger” according to The Associated Press.  Sai means talent and color in Japanese and will be sold in Japan starting December 7.  Currently, Toyota has not decided on global sales of the Sai.  Hybrids get better gas mileage because they switch between an electric motor and the gas engine.  The Sai will get 23 kilometers per liter, which equates to about 54 miles per gallon.  The Sai’s big brother, Prius, get 38 kilometers per liter, or about 90 miles per gallon according to the Japanese mileage test conditions. Toyota is promising that the new Prius will get 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway in the U.S.  The Sai comes with a bigger engine 2.4 liter engine with the Prius getting a 1.8 liter engine, and supposedly the Sai is fancier and more roomy than its’ big brother.  It’s more expensive too. When the Sai goes on sale in December, it will cost about $37,500, which is 3.38 million yen compared to the Prius which costs $22,000 or alittle over 2 million yen.  So, I guess I thought I would just let you know about the new hybrid even though we cannot and may never be able to purchase it here in the U.S.  I would suspect that if the Sai is a success in Japan that eventually we will see it for sale here. Toyota would be crazy not too, especially because the Prius is the only model that is making any money for them as the company loses money like the rest of the automotive companies. 

As the fuel economy rules become stricter in the next few years, many automakers will be offering 4 cylinder engines in their vehicles to meet these rules.  BMW will be adding these four cylinder vehicles by 2012 in the 3 series.  Several others models by BMW are being considered for four cylinder engines.  The four cylinder engines with be equipped with twin-turbo diesel engines.  Someone made a really good point about these engines. People buy BMWs for performance and power and if you make a expensive, fast 4 cylinder engine then it won’t get the gas mileage that they need to get. Therefore the power that is needed for customers to want to buy the BMWs is going to have a hard time working in a 4 cylinder.  It’ll definitely have to be something new, because the current 4 cylinders are not powerful enough for the price tag of a BMW (in my opinion of course!)  Mercedes-Benz is also considering these engines, and again may have the same problems as BMW.  Well, the good news for these and other automakers is that they have time. It will be interesting to see how most of the automotive companies make out by 2016 when the mpg average needs to be 35.5.  Most have some work to do, others have ALOT of work to do.

Toyota has a couple of nice green vehicles in the works right now.  Unless you live in a cave (and therefore probably wouldn’t have the internet,) you know about the Toyota Prius.  Well, the Toyota Prius is not going to come in a plug-in version.  The plug-in version will be available for sale in the U.S. within three years.  Originally, Toyota was going to bring some plug-in versions of the Prius at the end of this year, but now they won’t be available for a few years.  I’m still not sold on the plug-ins, but some people must like them or these automakers wouldn’t be spending the money to make them. 

Also, Toyota will be launching another hybrid-only model car, the Sai sedan.  The Sai is based on the Lexus HS 250h hybrid and will go on sale in Japan on the 20thof this month.  There has been no mention of whether the Sai will be sold in the U.S. Geez, why not?  The Prius is doing great!  

Toyota just keeps on trucking through the auto industry downslide and all. Sure they have probably been hurt alittle, but doesn’t seem to be much.  Toyota is a good company with quality products. 

There are some crazy new/old concepts that are popping up these days that are worth noting. 

First, there is the Toyota FT-EV II:

 www.dailytorque.com

This is an all-electric concept that will be making its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.  Supposedly you can fit 4 people in this car (where I’m not sure.)  This is a city-use vehicle because it’s range is only about 56 miles with top speed of 62 mph.  It has some neat features, but not sure when the vehicle, if ever, it will be available.

Another concept that is old (2000) but coming back is the BMW C1.

  www.connect.in.com

This scooter concept originally went on sale in Europe in 2000, but there were quality problems and the sales weren’t good, so BMWpulled it.  Now it’s back (well sortof.)  It’s not for sale in its current form, but possibly will become available in the future.  The BMW C1 concept has a 27-horsepower electric motor that uses energy by a plug-in 125-volt lithium-ion battery. It can reach 50 mph in less than 7 seconds and has a top speed of 62 mph.  You will get about 55 miles between rechargings.  Definitely another city-use vehicle.  It has a steel frame and seat belt, so you don’t have to wear a helmet. 

Small is in for concept or not.  Everyone seems to want and produce small.  I guess I should start looking beyond the exterior. I just can’t stand the look of these small cars.

There is a guy named Ron Amadon that writes an article called Financially Fit-A Guide to Saving Smart and Living Well.  A recent article he wrote was the 5 best low-cost, high mileage cars out there in his opinion. Amadon says that he constantly hears the question: “What car would you buy that is well made, gets good gas mileage, and doesn’t cost much?”  So here is Amadon’s top 5 cars with these criteria. 

1.  Volkswagen Jetta Diesel - base price $23,169 and gas mileage between 30 and 41 mpg.

2.  Toyota Prius- the Prius has been updated substantially for 2010, especially on the inside that in my opinion desperately needed it.  The gas mileage is fantastic - 51 mpg in the city and 48on the highway.  The Prius starts at $21,000.

3.  Ford Escape Hybrid - Base price is $20,515 but you definitely will probably spend close to $30,000 at least once you get a few options.  The gas mileage is 31 mpg on the highway and 34 in the city.

4.  Kia Soul - The Soul is cheap!  The base price is just under $14,000. The gas mileage is 24 city and 30 on the highway.  It was named the top-safety pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and there is a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.  Sounds pretty good to me. 

Rounding out the top 5:

5.  Honda Insight- The Insight gets 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway.  Amadon tested the top-of-the-line EX with a navigation system and is was only $23,770!  Base price is $19,800.  A sister/brother of the Insight is the Honda Fit, which starts at $14,900.

I am a big fan of the bigger cars. I don’t know if I will EVER be interested in these smaller vehicles.  I know that the gas mileage and price are good, but I can’t really get past the look. I just don’t like the look.  Maybe they will grow on me, who knows.

www.autoblog.com

Nissan has unveiled a all-electric vehicle, which is a four-door hatchback called the Leaf.  It will be going on sale in Japan, Europe, and the United States next year.  This is a midsize car that can “comfortably seat five adults.”  The Nissan Leaf will be able to go 100 miles between chargings, and take about 8 hours to fully charge at home, and just a half hour at a special charging facility.  Nissan has not announced the price yet, but according to the CEO it will be “affordable and not priced out of reach of most consumers.”  The Leaf will also be about to qualify for the special tax breaks and incentives for zero-emission vehicles. 

The Leaf has an 80-kilowatt electric motor, which gets its power from a lithium-ion battery pack.  There is no tailpipe or gas tank, which makes it a zero-emission vehicle.  My only problem with the electric vehicle is that the automakers HAVE to figure out a way to get the Leaf and other electric cars to last longer than 100 miles. That just isn’t long enough between chargings, especially since there are limited charging facilities currently in the U.S., so most people that would own these cars will need to charge them at home for 8 hours. 100 miles is not a lot of miles whether you are driving around your town let alone travelling.  Just my thought….

www.green.autoblog.com

The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car is currently on display at the Frankfurt Auto Show.  This car is being described by BMW as “BMW’s most innovative concept car ever.”  Supposedly this car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and it received a score of 62.6 miles per gallon on the EU combined test cycle according to autobloggreen.com.  The concept had a 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine but rumor has it that BMW may go with a smaller engine than this.  The doors to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics car (that’s a long name!) flip up like a Back to the Future vehicle. I think thats cool, but something even cooler is that this car is green. It is a plug-in hybrid. It can go approximately 31 miles in all-electric mode and an additional 400 miles if you use the diesel engine as well.  Charging with a regular 220 volt outlet takes about 2 1/2 hours.  BMW has not said that it will make these vehicles, but hints state that there will be a car similar, if not the same, as the concept car available in the future.

www.ridelust.com

One of the hottest Cash for Clunkers cars has been the Honda Civic Hybrid.  It actually ranks third behind the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla, but it’s the only hybrid.  The base price of the Civic Hybrid sedan starts at $23,650.  Several Honda dealerships actually sold out of the Civic hybrids, and then those customers started buying the regular Civic instead.  Before the Cash for Clunkers program, dealers had said that the hybrid was down more than 70% in July.  It has a lot of safety features with a great deal of air bags and anti-lock braking system that is good.  The gas mileage is exceptional getting 40 city, 45 highway miles per gallon.  I guess that even though the Cash for Clunkers program is just about over, you may want to check out the Civic hybrid. I think the price is definitely right!