Automotive

The littlest Toyota, the Yaris, is about to become hybridized too, and the engineering job to reduce the size of its Hybrid Synergy Drive system for the diminutive car is worth a look. The system uses a new 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine that weighs 16.5kg less and is 10 per cent more compact than the 1.8-litre unit used in the Prius and Auris. Likewise, other major components such as the electric motor, power control unit and transaxle were also made lighter and smaller, but the power has remained robust at 99 bhp (74 kW) - most importantly, the hybrid Yaris will go on sale mid-year with very low fuel consumption, emissions, and ownership costs. Read More

Mercedes-Benz is to launch a new urban delivery van later this year named the Citan (“city” and “titan”) - the little brother to the Sprinter and Vito. The Citan will be first seen at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover in September. The new van will be available with petrol, diesel and electric drivetrains, and with panelvan, crewbus and mixed use bodies, and in a variety of lengths and weights. My bet is that there's an ideal base for a small campervan there too. Read More

The Fiat 500 dynasty is expanding once more. Recent additions include the Abarth and Cabrio versions, and now the 500L (the L stands for Large) is something completely different again. It's a compact five-seat people carrier, combining the passenger space of an MPV with the feel of a small SUV on the road and the restrained dimensions and efficiency of a B segment car. The 500L will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will hit European markets in late 2012, with a choice of two petrol engines and the 1.3 liter MultiJet II turbodiesel engine. Read More

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team combines the strong driver pairing of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton for the third year running in 2012, along with a substantially revised car to meet the FIA's rule changes. The most noticeable change between last year and the new MP4-27 is at the rear, where tighter rear carbon-fiber composite body shaping has been designed to meet the new-for-2012 exhaust rules, whilst smoothing airflow to and from the coolant and oil radiators. Read More

Hey, you like really big engines? Well, here’s one that’s not going to fit under the hood of your F-150. This 30-ton (27-tonne) Type 9 V.O.S. engine is one of just three built by the French company Duvant in 1962. It’s over 18 feet (5.5 meters) long, 11 feet (3.4 m) tall, and gulps down 350 liters (92.5 US gallons) of diesel fuel per hour. With its four valves per cylinder and turbocompressor, it is capable of producing 1600 horsepower. Best of all, should you happen to be in Paris this week, you can see the thing running. Read More

When the likes of Jaguar, Porsche, Ford, GM, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Renault and Chrysler introduce a new model series, it is equally or more reliable than the model it replaces. Right? Wrong! New information has been released this week which indicates all of the above companies have replaced major models with less reliable models in the last decade - the worst three examples were 60%, 54% and 40% more likely to break down than their predecessor. Read More

Following hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s announcement of a five-door version of its up! subcompact vehicle, the Czech Republic-based Volkswagen subsidiary Skoda has announced that a five door version of its Citigo subcompact will make its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. The three-door Citigo was introduced in Skoda’s home market late last year, marking the company’s first entry into the growing subcompact segment. The five-door model will be successively launched alongside the three-door model in European markets from mid-May. Read More

Last October, the SolarWorld GT solar-powered car set out from Darwin, Australia on a drive around the world. It has since driven 3,001 kilometers (1,865 miles) across Australia, logged 1,947 km (1,210 miles) crossing New Zealand, and been shipped across the Pacific Ocean. This Friday, it will embark on the U.S. leg of its journey, as it sets out across America from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Read More

If you need to transport things like building materials, boats or construction equipment, then having a ladder rack over the bed of your pick-up truck can prove invaluable. Such racks also add to your vehicle’s aerodynamic drag, however, plus they can get in the way when loading certain cargo items, and they make your truck look like ... well, like a work truck. That’s why Donny McCall invented the Invis-A-Rack. It’s an aluminum ladder rack that can reportedly support up to 500 pounds (227 kg) when in use, but that folds away in seconds when not needed. Read More