Posted by admin on October 22, 2008 under Auto News | 
The crew from CAR laid out what the future holds for Mercedes’ two-door offerings and now its tapped Larson to render what the forthcoming E-class coupe will look like ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next year.
Taking cues from the Fascination concept unveiled in Paris, the sporty E-class features a pair of drawn and halved headlamps that nix the oval units fitted to Mercs in the last decade, along with a pair of highly stylized rear fenders sporting a two-tiered blister that flows into the reworked rear end.
Engine choices will range from 184 hp four-cylinders (E200k) to an E63 AMG variant putting down 481 hp, while a 525 hp Black Series version will be offered further down the line. Seven-speed automatics will proliferate throughout the range, along with direct injection on all gasoline-powered models.
Having learned from past mistakes, Mercedes-Benz will throttle back some of its high-tech features, nixing the brake-by-wire system, along with the air suspension and active body control. But all won’t be lost. When the convertible version arrives six months after the coupe, Mercedes will offer it with a heated fabric roof to keep occupants warm in the winter, while infra-red night vision, hard-drive navigation and front seats that tilt and slide to ease ingress and egress will keep Mercedes’ owners in their element.
The 2009 E-class coupe (code-named C206) should arrive in June, while the drop-top variant (A206) will follow later next year.
[Source: CAR]
Posted by admin on October 17, 2008 under Auto News |
A frequently voiced concern about hybrids centers around the high cost of replacement batteries, which have ranged up to about $3,000. Now some relief may be on the way. Toyota announced last month that it has reduced the price of replacement batteries for the current (2002-2009) Prius by $686, to $2,299. Batteries for the first-generation Prius dropped $397 to $2,588.
That still seems like a lot of money. But overall, we have found hybrids to be very reliable and relatively inexpensive to own. Automakers are required to warranty batteries for 8 years and 80,000 miles nationwide or 10 years and 150,000 miles in states that follow California emissions regulations. Relatively few hybrids have exceeded that mileage yet.
Given the length of the battery warranty, even if a hybrid owner does have to replace the battery pack after 80,000 or 150,000 miles, the cost is comparable to the cost of a transmission, which would likely have failed in other cars before that point. And hybrids have fewer other issues, which more makes up for any added battery cost.
Toyota says it has been able reduce costs in part by building its own batteries through its joint venture with Panasonic, through Panasonic EV Battery Corp., thereby reducing the impact from the battery middleman. And the company says it expects battery price drops to continue.
The nickel-metal hydride batteries in the all of the current hybrid vehicles are also recyclable which may help with price reductions.
Cheaper batteries are good news for more than owners of hybrids today. Electric cars, and hybrids that plug in for extra power are the most promising near-term alternative to oil consumption. And those cars will require bigger and better batteries to meet consumer demands for performance and range.
The next generation of advanced batteries are called lithium-ion batteries, like the one we had installed in the plug-in Prius we are testing. Lithium Ion batteries are smaller and lighter for the same energy storage capacity and so lend themselves better to full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. However, they cost even more than nickel-metal hydride batteries. And expensive lithium-ion batteries are the biggest stumbling block to building more electric cars. So the race is on to lower the price of batteries across the board.
Toyota will start building lithium-ion batteries in 2009 and mass-producing them in 2010, the company says. But Toyota’s National Manager of Advance Technology Vehicles Bill Reinert says the company is already looking beyond lithium ion for future energy storage.
