Toyota Hybrid Cars

Toyota believes that in order to have a positive environmental impact, a large number of consumers must embrace the technology. Toyota remains committed to developing an "Eco Vehicle," one that will have a minimal impact on the environment. Toyota was the first company to introduce a hybrid vehicle to the mass market in 1997. Toyota has sold more than 600,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, and 300,000 Prius hybrids in the United States. Toyota is battling with General Motors to be the world's top-selling carmaker.

Toyota

Well equipped with standard features like Push Button Start, cruise control, keyless entry, power door locks and windows, and a liquid crystal multi-information display, the 2007 Toyota Prius offers great value for a great price. So for good training, great colleagues and a company that really acts like an employer of choice, make Toyota your first stop. High fuel prices have boosted sales of Toyota's small cars and hybrid vehicles which run on petrol and electricity. Today Toyota joined almost every other major car company who had already unveiled plans for producing cars that run on energy supplied by the electric grid. Announcing the official plug-in Prius based on the most popular hybrid vehicle to date, Toyota said it would test the fuel-saving vehicle on public roads. Today's Toyota Plug-in HV runs on the same nickel metal hydride battery as the Prius and has a cruising range of 8 miles on electricity. "It's difficult to say when plug-in hybrids could be commercialized, since it would depend largely on advances in battery technology," said Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto, in charge of Toyota's power train technology, told a news conference. Why can't Toyota just make a plug-in option for the current Prius with the current nickel metal hydride batteries?

Prius

Toyota has sold more than 600,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, and 300,000 Prius hybrids in the United States. The Prius is a feat of modern technology. Announcing the official plug-in Prius based on the most popular hybrid vehicle to date, Toyota said it would test the fuel-saving vehicle on public roads. Today's Toyota Plug-in HV runs on the same nickel metal hydride battery as the Prius and has a cruising range of 8 miles on electricity. Toyota remains cautious about assigning a date for production of a plug-in Prius. The car could hit showrooms by late 2009, roughly the time that Toyota hopes to have its next-generation Prius ready to go. The Prius has won numerous awards from automotive, consumer, and environmental groups. Also Prius's that people have moded also do 40mpg on batteries alone.

TOYOTA Universal Design Showcase gives everyone a chance to find out how interesting and widespread Universal Design is. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) works side-by-side with hundreds of North American suppliers to build our top quality vehicles. Toyota's purchasing principles, supplier development efforts, and desired products.

The Benefits Of Contract Hire And Leasing Vehicles

A great advantage of car leasing is the potential to enable people to drive the cars they want, but can't necessarily afford to buy outright. This alone makes it a very attractive purchasing method for many individuals and start-up businesses wanting to make a positive, professional impression by driving an executive vehicle. Contract hiring also allows people to easily change their cars more frequently than through traditional buying and selling. This means that as well as being able to upgrade as your circumstances or preferences change, it's also possible to never drive a car that's more than 3 years old so you can benefit from having the manufacturers warranty to cover maintenance costs and never have the inconvenience or expense of needing to take the car for an MOT.

Off Balance Sheet Funding Under contract hire, your vehicles do not appear on your company's balance sheet as they are owned by the contract hire company. The removal of capital assets from your balance sheet can enhance a company's gearing (borrowing) ratio. Simultaneously, your business image can benefit from employee use of a high specification vehicle. If your business is in a strong financial position at the end of the lease period, you can choose to make the final payment for the outstanding amount of the guaranteed minimum future value determined at the start of the contract and add the vehicle to your assets at that time. If your company will be of more benefit without the ownership of the vehicle, you can return the vehicle and start a new contract on a replacement model of your choosing.

Fixed Monthly Cost A fixed monthly payment is charged over the life of the contract and the initial up front payment is normally just three month's rental. This payment is calculated by considering the cost of the vehicle, the anticipated mileage and it's future value at the end of the hire period. Fixed monthly costs for the period of the contract makes budgeting much easier and you do not have the added worry of unexpected high payment demands. Additionally, more accurate budgeting improves your company's cash flow allowing flexibility in other margins. Any extra mileage is paid at the conclusion of the lease period, rather than in additional monthly charges. By ensuring employees keep to the agreed mileage limit, there will be no top up fee needed at the end of the contract.

VAT Benefits Contract hire has many VAT benefits that can be passed on directly to customers. As contract hire companies are able to claim back the VAT on the purchase price of any new car, once the vehicle is on the road, they can make a claim back of one hundred percent of the VAT on the servicing aspect of the rental price and fifty percent of the finance rental cost. This is a real bonus to businesses, in comparison to vehicles owned directly by the company, which are deemed assets.

Reducing Your Financial Risks It is essential to manage the risks involved in running a vehicle fleet and by opting for contract hire you are able to do precisely that. Contract Hire enables you to simply pay the monthly fixed rental price and insure and fuel the vehicles. At the end of the lease period, a further lease can be taken out on new, replacement vehicles, reducing the likelihood of any being taken off the road for maintenance as would be ordinarily expected as they age and preventing the need to make good any wear and tear that would be expected with increased age and mileage of a vehicle. This ensures your fleet is always made up of top specification, high performing and excellent condition vehicles.

Contract Hire can be a sound financial decision for a business that requires use of a car or van and the flexibility to regularly change the motor vehicles in use, ensuring a professional image with high quality vehicles always representing the company. Contract Hire is the leasing of a vehicle to a business (usually VAT registered), for a fixed period of time with a pre-defined mileage at a fixed monthly rental. The price is based on the agreement length, estimated mileage and the value of the vehicle once the contract has been completed. Maintenance packages are sometimes included, however suitability will depend on your mileage and general usage of the vehicle.

Tips For Buying A New Car

Before you rush out and buy that new car, it's a wise idea to think about what you really need in a car.

People's needs change, so what was suitable when you bought your present car may not be the right criteria for now - or the future. For instance, if you are a young married and plan on having a family over the next few years, you'll need to consider whether there will be enough space in your chosen car.

A car should last at least ten years and things can certainly change in that time.

You might intend to only have one child, but what about school friends or car-pooling? There will need to be enough space for these possibilities. A sporty two-seater will be impossible to fit two or three kids in along with Mum and Dad.

On the other hand, that six-seater you bought several years ago could be far too big if your children have all recently left home. Yet again, you might decide that now is the time to take that long trip you've planned for years and you'll need a larger vehicle to tow the caravan. Another thing to consider is what you will be using the vehicle for most. Do you take off-road holidays, or do you prefer to keep to the main roads? Will the car need to double as a work vehicle? Maybe it will be needed for work, family and shopping.

If you will be using it for work as well as family, will it hold the things you need for your work? Not many bags of horse feed will fit in a sedan. On the other hand if the car is to be used as a run-about for the shopping and children, a sedan would be fine. Counting costs may also need to come into the equation. These days when the cost of fuel has risen considerably, it makes sense to buy the car that takes the least amount of fuel to run - so long as it still meets your other needs.

These are some important things to think about before making that final decision.

Before you go out to buy that car, it might pay to do some research on it. There are many websites that allow you to type in make and model of a car and get details of what it is worth.

Ideally, you should make a folder especially for all the information you will get from various sources. It's easy to forget or confuse one set of information with another. Trading magazines will give you a good idea of what a particular make and model of car is selling for, and you can watch the ads in the newspaper and at used car lots.

Be sure to save all the data and put it into your folder. But price is not the only thing you want to find out. New car pricing info can be had from FightingChance.com, Autoweb, Autos.com, Invoice Dealers and others. They will give you prices on new and used cars and also the dealer invoice price for new cars.

It's much easier to do this research online rather than drive all over town hunting down prices. Always get at least three quotes for a new car. They will all vary. The way to get the best price on your chosen vehicles is with competing quotes. You should never go to a car yard without your quotes to compare with their prices.

Volvo S80 Tops IIHS Crash Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has recognized the safety features of Volvo's S80 luxury sedan. The vehicle earned top ratings from IIHS's front, rear, and side impact protection. This also allows the Volvo S80 to earn the 2007 "Top Safety Pick" award in the luxury sedan segment. The Volvo S80 joined the Kia Amanti and Acura RL in the top performers list during the test.

According to Anne Belec, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, "Volvo safety has been over 80 years in the making. Our cars are born from a culture that believes in protecting those in and around everything we make. Safety is a matter of cultural pride. Safety is not added on; it comes with the first kernel of thought when designing a new Volvo."

"These changes are attributable to two effects. There have been significant improvements in frontal crash protection -- standard airbags, improved structural designs, and increased use of safety belts, for example. At the same time, growing sales of SUVs and pickups have exacerbated height mismatches among passenger vehicles, thereby increasing the risks to occupants of many vehicles struck in the side. The Amanti shows that you don't have to buy an expensive car to get good protection in crashes with SUVs and pickup trucks." said IIHS President Adrian Lund.

IIHS evaluates the side impact protection based on the vehicle's performance in a crash test, that includes striking the vehicle with a barrier moving at 31 mph. Ratings are calculated based on the injuries inflicted on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies. The Volvo S80 performed well in the crash test with only minor intrusions and injuries to the dummies.

The Volvo S80 luxury sedan was able to earn the 2007 "Top Safety Pick" award because of the vehicle's host of passive and active safety equipments. These include the protective exterior safety that absorbs the incoming impact reducing injuries and damage to the vehicle.

The Volvo S80 also comes with a new type of side-impact airbag called the SIPS (Side Impact Protection System). According to Volvo, this type of airbag system "feature two separate inflation chambers - one at hip height and one at chest height". In addition, SIPS interact with the inflatable curtains (IC) and the body's network of beams to reduce the occupants' acceleration loads.

Another new Volvo safety system is the WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System). This system is one of most in demand safety feature in the market. WHIPS allows the front seat backrest and head restraint to move together in case of rear impact occurs.

Other safety features of the Volvo S80 include three-piece steering column designed to pivot up and collapse away from the driver; five seats equipped with three-point inertia-reel safety belts, belt pre-tensioners, and head restraints; Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Collision Warning with Brake Support (CW); Blind Spot Identification System (BLIS); Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS); Active Bi-Xenon Light; and Personal Car Communicator (PCC). The S80 really offers a bunch of safety features unlike GMC models with GMC floor liner.

BMW Reveals Hydrogen Seven

BMW has finally launched the much awaited Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program today. The new car is the automaker's very first hydrogen-propped car under the luxury sedan line-up for BMW. The German car maker gave the Hollywood actor Will Ferrell the first key of the BMW Hydrogen 7 and this will serve as his personal car.

After several speculations about Brad Pitt driving the first hydrogen car, it is finally official that the first celebrity to drive the car is Will Ferrell. According to BMW, this car will also be driven by other prominent figures in the business, politics and entertainment industry.

BMW also pointed out that the Hydrogen 7 is not a concept car but only 100 cars will be produced to compensate with the stricter emission standards set by the US government. Among these 100 cars, 25 of it will be submitted for an evaluation in the US. The Hydrogen car is using only hydrogen fuel to produce minimum amount of CO2 during emission.

The company also mentioned that this new car is not for sale. However they are also open for the possibility to make it as a production car in the future, as well as make the Hydrogen 7 pave the way to make hydrogen technology available on their future cars.

Building Hydrogen 7 will also educate the people to understand the importance of hydrogen technology and they also believe that this is a key to the future mobility.

The Hydrogen 7 obviously is not just like any other car equipped with with GMC fog light, and BMW, knowing its significance in the industry, chose a celebrity like Ferrell to drive the first Hydrogen 7 because they are trying to influence people on how important it is to save the environment through the support of these popular figures.

Ferrell is also the first American to drive the new hydrogen car.

Interestingly actor Brad Pitt was also reported to have driven the same car during the premiere of his movie "Ocean's 13". Other celebrities associated with the car include Peter Liguori, Richard Gere and Sharon Stone, Davis Guggenheim and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck for the US and Michael Glos, Gunter Verheugen and Anna Netrebko.

Audi Cars, First to wear LED lights

The Audi R8 will be the first car to wear LED headlights as an option, edmunds.com reports. The German automaker will be featuring the very first LED headlights on its new car, made in its assembly plant that also makes other quality auto parts like Audi Catalytic Converter. An LED is a semiconductor light source that emits cold light at low voltages.

Audi said, "A special permit from the EU has paved the way for incorporating front-lighting LED technology into series production ahead of schedule. This is because the corresponding EU regulation is not expected to come into force before 2008."

The low-beam headlamps which are implemented by semiconductors consist of two LED arrays of four active elements embossed on a free-from reflector. The optical lenses are also given additional two LED chips as well as three LED arrays. LED lights are also known because of its powerful lighting effect that controls both brightness and darkness when the car needs it most.

The high beam headlights were also given four LED arrays. The LED lights can also be used during daytime and the lower edge of the new car received 24 LED array to be used during the day. The PCBs are also handling the LED chips as well as the heat sink. To keep the normal temperature of these LED lights, the car also received blower to cool them down just in case it heats up. All in all, the R8 is set to feature 54 LED lights.

The German auto maker also revealed that in the future, they are planning to combine both LED technology and the innovative semiconductor-driven headlamp technologies to improve the lighting of their cars. They will also add the swiveling headlights to the cars they are making.

The R8 is set to hit showrooms this coming 2008.

LED lights are the latest and most innovative form of headlights these days. They are also known to produce the right amount of lighting using only a few voltages. This only means that you can save more energy if your car has it.

Lexus and Buick Top 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study

The recent 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) conducted by J.D. Power and Associates shows that Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus luxury division and General Motors' Buick brand ranked as the highest vehicle nameplates in terms of dependability. J.D. Power and Associates said that this is "the first time that another brand ties with Lexus for the highest-rank position."

So how does J.D. Power and Associates rank these vehicles? Well, J.D. Power staff based their rankings for the 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study by measuring the problems stated by vehicle owners in three years of ownership. J.D. Power calculates these problems with the unit called "problems per 100 vehicles" or PP100. J.D. Power and Associates conducted a survey from more than 50,000 owners and gathered the data from January to April 2007. Among the tested vehicle brands, Buick and Lexus scored a tie with only 145 PP100. This only shows that Lexus offers high quality auto parts like Lexus ball joints. Other brands like Cadillac, Mercury and Honda also performed well in the PP100 ranking.

"With three non-premium nameplates -- Buick, Honda and Mercury - ranking within the top five, and particularly with Buick tying with Lexus for the top rank, consumers seeking a vehicle with strong dependability have good choices at various price levels. Consumers don't necessarily need to pay premium prices to obtain high quality and dependability." said Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis for J.D. Power and Associates.

Oddes added: "Automakers may reap numerous benefits from producing dependable vehicles - not only in higher residual values, decreased warranty costs and opportunities for remarketing their vehicles, but also in higher customer satisfaction and increased likelihood of customers recommending or purchasing newer dependable models."This is why it is especially important for automakers to successfully launch new vehicle models with high initial quality and appeal -- models that perform well in these regards tend to exhibit particularly strong dependability later in their life cycle."

J.D. Power and Associates also ranked vehicle models for each segment. Toyota's Lexus brand dominated the list and earned five segment awards including the GS 300/GS430 (Midsize Premium Car), GX 470 (Midsize Premium MAV), LS 430 (Large Premium Car), LX 470, (Large Premium MAV) and the SC 430 for the Premium Sporty Car segment.

Toyota models also performed well in the segment awards. The Japanese automaker obtained four awards for the RAV 4 and Sequoia sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and Tacoma and Tundra pick up truck models. Other brands in the list that earned segment award include Ford, Honda Oldsmobile, Buick, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Mazda and Scion.

Oddes concluded: "As owners experience vehicle problems -- particularly ones that require components to be replaced -- they are less likely to repurchase or recommend their current model. Automakers can improve upon customer loyalty by working closely with their component suppliers to monitor quality, since failure of a component ultimately reflects upon the quality of the vehicle brand in the minds of consumers."