Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept – Detroit preview for +400Hp Hybrid Supra

I know you want to go straight to point so we’ll cut the crap. This is a 2+2 rear-wheel drive sports car with a partially retractable roof powered by a 400-horsepower hybrid powertrain that consists of a 3.5 V6 petrol engine and an electric motor –most probably based on Lexus GS450h powertrain. And yes the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept could very well base the next gen Supra.

Don’t believe us? Listen to what Kevin Hunter, vice president of Toyota’s Calty Design Research had to say about it: "We feel there's a hole in our lineup. Toyota hasn't had a sports car since the Supra was dropped in 1997. We need some emotional punch in our lineup, a halo product." Hunter added that "It's a new kind of sports car for the 21st century. Eco and emotion in a sports car concept with a performance target of 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range."

So what do we think about a product version? In Europe, however good the Supra is, I highly doubt that it will convince consumers even if it’s priced much lower than a Porsche Cayman, but I think that it can serve Toyota as a “halo car”.

The US though is a different story. Even if some will be hasty to consider a V6 powered sports car not being up to standards, we remind you among others, that the highly respected Porsche 911 / 911 Turbo and the Nissan Skyline GT-R both carry 6cylinder motors. But the magic word here is “hybrid powerplant” which will translate to many as “I own an eco-friendly supercar”. In my opinion, even if that’s not 100% true, showing that you’re “politically correct” is reason enough for plenty of people to buy the car. Pics via: Jalopnik

Technorati: Toyota+Supra, Toyota++FT-HS+hybrid+Sports+Concept, Scoops, Autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, pictures, images, Detroit+Motor+Show, NAIAS

HuoYun Electromobile : Yes, it's a Chinese Smart Fortwo clone!

Stop rubbing your eyes and start cracking up a smile on your lips, cause this is no photoshop, it's a copyshop! Once again, the Chinese automakers are doing their best to amaze us with there ingenuity ! This time the victim is the Smart Fortwo and the victimizer is Shandong Huoyun, a subsidiary of the Qilu Petrochemical Corporation.

As Autobild reported, Smart boss Ulrich Walker was caught completely off guard when the magazine contacted him about the Chinese plagiarism. While the exterior looks of the car a complete knockoff, the interior and the mechanical parts are different -guess that makes it ok for the Chinese...

Anyway, instead of having a petrol motor, as its name implicates, the HuoYun Electromobile gets an electric motor that's good enough according to the Chinese to give it a max range of 120 km / 75 miles and a top speed of 50 km/h / 31 mph.

OFFICIAL SPECIFICATIONS

Passenger capacity : 2 people
Range (loaded) : 120 km
Max. speed : 55 km/h
Power : 6.5kw
Wheel base : 1.800 mm
Wheel track : 1235/1320 mm
Minimum turning radius : 4 m
Max. climbing ability (loaded) : 30%
Overall dimensions : 2.510 x 1.515 x 1.530 mm
Max. loading weight: 500 kg
No-load weight : 1.000 kg

Technorati: Smart+Fortwo, HuoYun, Electromobile, China, Germany, green+cars, ecology, electric+cars, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles

Citroen C-Metisse Concept Video

Check out Citroen's flamboyant C-Metisse Concept, a 4-seater 4-door hybrid coupe that revives the spirit of Grand Touring vehicles. Design aside, the most important feature of the C-Metisee is a diesel hybrid powertrain that could very well find its way into production in the near future.

It combines a diesel combustion engine, PSA Peugeot - Citroen's 208 Hp V6 HDi DPFS, mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox that drives the front wheels & two electric motors in the rear wheels, each developing torque of 400 Nm with output of 20 Hp. As a result, C-Metisse boasts a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint in 6,2 sec with a combined cycle consumption of just 6.5 litres/100 km

• Dimensions
• Length: 4,740 mm
• Width: 2,000 mm
• Height: 1,240 mm
• Wheelbase: 3,000 mm
• Gross vehicle weight (GVW): 1,400 kg (batteries included)

• Performance and fuel consumption
• 0 to 400 m: 14.2 seconds
• 0 to 1,000 m: 25.4 seconds
• 0 - 100 kph: 6.2 seconds
• 30 - 60 kph: 1.9 seconds
• 80 - 120 kph: 4.2 seconds
• Top speed: 250 kph
• Combined consumption: 6.5 l/100 km
• CO2 emissions: 174 g/km

• Diesel hybrid drivetrain
• V6 HDi diesel engine developing 150 kW (208 Hp) with a DPFS and 6-speed automatic transmission
• Two electric motors in the rear wheels:
• - each with torque of 400 Nm
• - and developing 15 kW (20 Hp)
• ZEV mode (range of 3 km at 30 kph)

Technorati Tags: Citroen+C-Metisse, , Paris+International+Motor+Show, video, concepts, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Mondial+de+l'Automobile, 2006