Toyota

It's been about two years since Tesla and Toyota announced a partnership, and we're about to see the fruit of their labor. The RAV4 Electric, the modern market's first all-electric SUV, will hit the market in the coming months. Toyota used the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles to launch the model. Read More

One of the nice things about motorsport is its ability to put excellence in perspective. It hence reflects well on Audi that in debuting two race cars in the Spa Six Hour race yesterday, it achieved a rare perfect result. In fielding two each of the new Audi R18 ultra and R18 e-tron (hybrid) quattro cars, the marque finished with a stunning 1-2-3-4. In the end, it was the diesel-only R18 ultra which prevailed over the R18 e-tron quattro diesel-electric hybrid by 46 seconds. All cars ran strongly, and the hybrids in particular will benefit from the outing, as the balance of the car with its electrically-driven front wheels is still far from optimal. Read More

Auto China is probably the most influential automobile show in the world at present. China now produces and consumes more cars than any other nation, so its needs will heavily influence personal transport globally in coming decades. Some early trends are emerging as to what we'll see, and as congestion in China increases and parking centrally becomes prohibitively expensive, a car will increasingly only get you part of the way to your destination. Geely and BMW both showed cars with inclusive last-mile transport at Auto China, but the number of last mile Transportation Appliance options under development by auto manufacturers is growing rapidly. Read More

The strength of the world's emerging economies was on display at the opening of the Thai Motor Show today. For the next 10 days, 170,000 people a day will visit the show, and despite the country having been largely under water for much of 2011, the Thai motor industry looks more buoyant than ever. Almost every major manufacturer had something on show we haven't seen before. Great picture gallery. Read More

More than six years ago, Subaru and Toyota entered into a cooperative agreement. In 2009, that relationship bore its first concept - the Toyota FT-86. Both automakers showed the production versions of their respective sports coupes last year, and Subaru has officially kicked off production on the models. In about two more months, car buyers will be able to get their hands on them. Read More

The Yikebike is a miniature, electric penny farthing made of carbon fiber capable of 25 km/h (15 mph) with a range of 10 km (6.2 miles), or 20 km (12.4 miles) if you carry a spare battery. Read More

Audi's newly revealed R18 e-tron quattro race car is designed to win the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hour Race. Whatsmore, the turbodiesel, electric flywheel hybrid, all-wheel drive prototype will ensure the 2012 race will be a battle of the hybrids (against Toyota's new TS030 ultracapacitor hybrid race car), and a fascinating study of new technologies under race conditions. The car uses electric motors to add 75 kW (102 bhp) of power to each front wheel, and a 375 kW (510 bhp) V6 TDI engine powers the rear wheels. The Williams Hybrid Power electric flywheel hybrid captures energy similarly to the unit Porsche used to such great effect in its GT3 R Hybrid last year with the rear axle powered conventionally, and the front wheels by electric motors. Audi calls it "the electrification of the drive" and it will be a story worth following as battle begins on the racetrack. Read More

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

There are those who have said it's an unforgivable and monstrous way to treat an iconic sports car. For solar transport enthusiasts looking for a beautiful alternative to the three-wheeled flat top designs though, it's just what the doctor ordered. The object at the center of this controversy is a classic Toyota 2000GT that's undergone a complete solar conversion at the hands of Japan's Crazy Car Project. Read More