Category: News

Toyota early June confirmed its new “bZ” electric vehicle brand, for “Beyond Zero,” and the first model under it, the bZ4X Concept, will be hitting Canadian dealerships sooner than you might expect.

Jointly developed with Subaru, the new bZ4X will go on sale globally in mid-2022, riding on an all-new, dedicated electric vehicle (EV) platform. Toyota Canada said it will be roughly the same size as the RAV4, and all-wheel-drive.

Globally, Toyota plans to expand to some 70 electrified models by 2025, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids; and 15 of those will be new, battery-only EVs.

While very little information was given for the bZ4X, the company did say it rides on a battery platform known as e-TNGA, and will have a long wheelbase, short overhangs, an open-concept interior, and optimal interior space. It will initially be built in Japan, but the company will look at other assembly locations if there’s enough demand for it.

Toyota Canada also confirmed that the new, second-generation Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle will go on sale in Canada for the 2022 model year, after launching as a 2021 in the United States. The new model has a smaller and lighter fuel cell; it’s rear-wheel-drive, rather than front-wheel as on the previous one; it now holds five instead of four occupants; and it has a longer wheelbase and new styling.

We might have gotten it earlier, but hydrogen refuelling stations are few and far between in Canada. Toyota said it will sell “wherever there is hydrogen,” which right now is primarily British Columbia and Quebec, but “it will go to other provinces” when refuelling infrastructure is available.

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles use ambient air and onboard hydrogen to create electricity, which is used to power their electric motors for driving. They emit no emissions other than water vapour, but some hydrogen supplies can be “greener” than others, depending on how it’s made. Toyota said it takes about five minutes to refuel the Mirai with hydrogen.

Some hydrogen vehicles have been available only by lease, but Toyota Canada said the 2022 Mirai will likely be for sale as well. It will have at least two trim levels, including a top-line Limited, and will have new cabin styling from the last-generation model, an available panoramic sunroof, and a suite of driving safety assists.

The new Mirai has an improved fuel cell system and increased hydrogen storage, and has a projected 30-per-cent range increase over the last-generation model. Pricing and full specs will be announced closer to launch.

Full credits to : https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/toyotas-new-all-electric-bz4x-will-land-in-canadian-dealerships-mid-2022

First up there’s something you should know about the Kia Niro. It’s not new. At least, not globally. You see, the Niro has been around in other markets as long as its Hyundai Kona relation, dating way back to 2016, and even the electric version has been available in its Korean home market since 2018.

The car which arrives here is a 2020 facelift of a car which is now five years old, and there are areas in which you can tell. The most obvious giveaway is the lack of the new Kia badge on this car’s nose or steering wheel, but it’s reflected on the spec sheet in less than impressive areas.

Wearing an MSRP of a whopping $70,990, the Niro EV is by no means cheap either as a small SUV or as an electric car. Even the freshly facelifted Hyundai Kona Electric ($66,000) comes in nearly $5000 less in its most expensive form, and in this spec the Niro is even more expensive than its key Tesla Model 3 rival, which offers comparative range and amazing technology.

Frustratingly, the standard equipment is also lower than the Kona Electric, with the Niro lacking things like a wireless phone charger, holographic display, heated seats, or a fully customisable digital dash cluster.

This is important for an electric car, too, because heated seats are more than just a luxury; they are an energy efficient way of warming up the car’s occupants. The Kona Electric not only gets them for the front seat, but in the rear seats, too! To add insult to injury, the EV only gets single-zone climate control.

It’s not all bad news though, as elsewhere there’s some decent stuff. I like the fully integrated 10.25-inch multimedia screen, which comes complete with sat nav, digital radio, and the expected phone connectivity (even if it is wired instead of wireless), and while the digital dashboard isn’t as sleek and customisable as the Hyundai unit, it looks neat.

Elsewhere the Niro EV Sport scores an eight-speaker premium audio system, keyless entry and push-start ignition, 17-inch ‘aerodynamic’ alloy wheels clad in Michelin Primacy 3 tyres, synthetic leather interior trim, LED headlights with auto high beams, and an auto dimming rear vision mirror.

The safety suite is decent, too, and will be looked at later in this review. So, on the value front it’s not great. You get everything a modern car needs, but it’s puzzling there are some major omissions compared to the more affordable and longer-range Kona Electric.

to read more find out at : https://carsguide.com.au/ev/kia-niro-ev-sport-83942

all credits goes to : https://carsguide.com.au/ev/kia-niro-ev-sport-83942

The Audi Q4 E-Tron compact electric SUV first debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and… frankly, a whole lot has happened between now and then. Yet, despite all that, what we first saw in Switzerland doesn’t seem to have changed all that much between the concept and the production model, and new information from Audi shows just how clever this little EV will be, whether it involves the windshield or just some cup holders.

Audi on Tuesday unleashed a slew of information about the upcoming Q4 E-Tron, including its camouflaged production exterior. As was promised back at its concept debut, the version that will actually reach showrooms doesn’t look all that different from what was seen at the last Geneva show. Its compact proportions are a little on the stubby side, thanks to a wheelbase of about 9.1 feet, but all that space between the wheels means the interior is much larger — about that of an Audi Q7, and its cargo area offers as much space as the segment above this one. If you’re familiar with any of Audi’s other E-Tron models, the styling shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

The exterior teasers are just a small part of what Audi offered up. Most of the focus was placed on the Q4 E-Tron’s interior. Thanks to a flat load floor and by-wire controls for the transmission, the Q4 E-Tron’s center console is like nothing else Audi makes, with a higher protuberance containing the start button and transmission controls, leaving gobs of space underneath for wireless device charging, USB-C ports and a pair of cup holders, with a traditional under-armrest cubby hanging out between the seats, as well. Speaking of beverage storage, all four door panels have a unique high-mounted bottle holder just ahead of the window switches for easier access to drinks measuring up to 1 liter.

There’s a whole lot of new tech on the interestingly styled dashboard, too. The Q4 E-Tron’s touchscreen is the biggest the company has made thus far, measuring some 11.6 inches on the diagonal (in its optional form; the standard size is 10.1 inches). The steering wheel ditches physical switchgear in favor of touchpads on the left and right sides. So, instead of a thumb wheel, you merely slide your finger up and down the volume control to change speaker loudness. But some actual switches remain, many of which are relegated to the climate control functions just above the gear selector. Like just about every other Audi on sale today, Virtual Cockpit replaces the traditional gauge cluster with a configurable display that reduces distraction by placing pertinent information front and center.

If that’s not front-and-center enough for you, say hello to something properly new — an augmented-reality head-up display. While Mercedes-Benz figured out how to overlay turn-by-turn directions onto a dash-screen camera feed, Audi took it one step further and put that same kind of information on the windshield itself.

Credits to https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/audi-q4-e-tron-electric-suv-augmented-reality-hud/

” When it comes to audio systems for cars, Harman Kardon is one of the best names in the business. The company has supplied sound systems to vehicles like the Alfa Romero Giulia Veloce Visconti Edition, the all-electric BMW iX, and the latest Kia Stinger. Now it’s the Polestar 2’s turn, with the Swedish automaker announcing that Harman Kardon has created “a new soundscape for the car”, with warning, notification, and functional sounds carrying a “robotic, digital feel while remaining clean and clear.” These sounds have been created fresh and are unique to the Polestar brand. The company hopes this will add to the premium feel of its electric sedan. ”

Are you ready for the ultimate experience?

credits to : https://carbuzz.com/news/polestar-2-upgraded-with-stunning-new-sound-system

Almost five months after Subaru unveiled its all-new 2022 BRZ, Toyota has taken the wraps off its new GR 86 in Japan. The two companies have once again collaborated to take this RWD and relatively low-priced sports car into its next generation.

This time around, its name incorporates GR, for Toyota Gazoo Racing. It follows the company’s GR Supra and also the GR Yaris, a hot hatch that – unfortunately – isn’t scheduled to come to North America.

The 86 was initially sold here as the Scion FR-S when it launched for 2012. When the Scion sub-brand was discontinued, the car reverted to its global-market 86 name. The car was jointly developed by the two companies – Toyota owns a stake in Subaru – but it’s mostly Subaru under the skin.

This means a Subaru horizontally-opposed “boxer” four-cylinder engine, but this time it’s a 2.4L, rather than the current 2.0L. That engine makes 205 horsepower, while the 2.4L is rated at 232 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

Toyota claims the car’s zero-to-100 km/h acceleration has shaved to 6.3 seconds, down from 7.4 seconds, and engine response has been improved.

Those are the Japanese-market specifications, and we’ll likely get a slight modification when it arrives here. Subaru is advertising 228 horsepower in its U.S.-market 2022 BRZ.

to read full article link below

Credits to : https://driving.ca/toyota/86/auto-news/news/toyota-unveils-its-redesigned-2022-gr-86-sports-car

1. Oldsmobile Monte Carlo
   Just as gas prices started heading down, Chevrolet stuffed an Oldsmobile diesel into the Monte Carlo for the 1982 model year. This was the same unit that debuted in the 1979 model-year GM cars—the 5.7-liter LF9 V8 engine with 120 hp on tap. The LF7 4.3-liter V8 diesel was on the menu as well, producing 90 hp. 1984 would be the last year of the diesels for the Monte Carlo, with their share of the Monte Carlo sales dipping into mere hundreds of units. We can just picture one of these at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale in the year 2050, as the last remaining 1984 Monte Carlo diesel is started on the auction block to applause from the crowd.

2. Peugeot 604

Styled by Pininfarina, the Peugeot 604 was the marque’s counterpoint to Citroën’s futuristic CX sedan, and in terms of design and philosophy the two couldn’t be more different. The U.S. version, however, was primarily known for two things: first, for having positively gigantic DOT rubber bumpers (great for sitting on), and second, for making good use of the somewhat-maligned PRV V6 engine. The three dozen prospective stateside buyers also received the option of a turbocharged diesel version, in the form of the 2,304cc Indenor inline-four badged as the 604 GTD.

3. Volkswagen Dasher
The first-generation Volkswagen Passat was sold as the Dasher in the U.S. Neither the gasoline nor the diesel model was particularly dashing but rather soberly designed in that familiar German way. The good news was that the 1.5-liter inline-four appeared on the market in 1979, so at least it wasn’t terribly late to the party. The bad news was that it produced all of 47 hp. That meant a 0-to-60-mph jog of just under 20 seconds. This fact failed to dent Dasher sales, which remained steady during this period.

4. Chevrolet Caprice

It wasn’t just Oldsmobile and Cadillac that got diesel engines in the early 1980s (just as the business case for them was evaporating). GM spread the diesel love around, with woody-sided Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon receiving the massive 5,737 cc diesel V8 engine for 1980 through 1985. Early units churned out 120 hp, while later versions produced all of 105 hp. Needless to say, this was not an energy-efficient engine by any stretch. Sales by the end of the production run had tapered off for the diesel model, as gas was back in vogue.

5.Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham

The Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham, or “Bro” for short, was one of the first cars to receive the storied Olds diesel. Contrary to gearhead urban legend, the engine was not adapted from a gasoline version even if there are similarities in their construction and specs. Fraught with issues, the 4.3-liter LF7 V8 had trouble with water contamination because not enough thought was given to the fuel delivery system. The engines could also barely cope with the higher pressures inherent in diesel combustion. Head gasket failures at relatively low mileage intervals were common, but the only replacement parts were more of the same thing, so repairs only bought owners some time until a repeat of the same problems.

credits to : https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/g36106078/diesel-cars-time-forgot/