More than 10,000 Canadians have picked the award-winning Toyota Prius - the world’s best-selling gasoline-electric hybrid
vehicle - as their environmentally responsible choice for personal transportation. Those Canadians join many other environmentally conscious drivers world wide, pushing global Prius sales to more than one million vehicles since Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) introduced the model in 1997.

We are pleased that so many Canadians have joined others worldwide to make the first mass produced hybrid vehicle
successful, and a global icon for environmentally responsible personal mobility,” said Yoichi Tomihara, President and CEO of Toyota Canada Inc. “The commercial and critical success of the Prius has paved the way for TMC to further develop other hybrid models such as the popular Toyota Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid, as well as hybrid editions of a number of Lexus vehicles.” » Read the rest of the entry..

Hybrid engines use a regular petrol engine mated to an electric motor and can reduce fuel consumption by up to 50 per cent. The world’s most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, just notched up its one millionth sale and has helped cement Toyota as a leader in environmentally friendly motoring. » Read the rest of the entry..

Of the International Engine of the Year awards, a worldwide coming together of 65 card-carrying, pocket protector-wearing autoscribes from 32 different countries who try to determine which company’s engines can internally combust gasoline most elegantly. And, while it may not be a total surprise that BMW’s sophisticated 3.0-litre, twin-turbo in-line six has garnered its second consecutive International Engine of the Year award, the domination of turbo-and supercharged engines does raise a few eyebrows. » Read the rest of the entry..

A new fitness bike in the corner of a Crunch Fitness gym, Steve Wallace is pushed to pick up the pace.

Whenever Wallace loafs during his 30-minute workout along rugged coastal terrain, a yellow-jerseyed cyclist speeds ahead on the 17-inch LCD screen attached to the bike. Hard numbers of the 6 a.m. sweatfest stare him in the face — 10 miles logged, a 2:45 pace, fluctuating heart rate and calories crunched. » Read the rest of the entry..

The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid car. by online.wsj.com

Super green cars got a serious cash boost from the UK government . A total of 16 projects researching lower carbon vehicles are to receive a total of £23m from the government-funded Technology Strategy Board. Plus a further £70m has been earmarked for a new Low Carbon Vehicles Integrated Delivery Programme starting this autumn. Which, frankly, all sounds very dull — until you find out how cool the projects are. » Read the rest of the entry..

The new Tata Nano by driving.timesonline.co.uk

The Tata Nano heralds a new era of car production that could affect the automotive market as profoundly as Henry Ford’s Model T did almost a hundred years ago. Tata Motors’ new “People’s car”, costs less than half the price of Chery Automobiles’ QQ3 and the Meruti 800, previously the two cheapest cars in the world.

The international automotive industry is now attempting to meet the challenge posed by Tata Motors by producing smaller, low cost cars of their own. » Read the rest of the entry..

Suzuki Swift by driving.timesonline.co.uk

The Suzuki Swift comes with a choice of two petrol engines: the 1.3 litre produces 92bhp; the 1.5 litre 102bhp. Both are 16-valve units, and with just 10bhp to separate them, it is hardly surprising that performance and economy are very similar – the 0-60mph dash is accomplished in 11 and 10sec respectively, and the combined economy figures are 46.3mpg and 43.5mpg.
» Read the rest of the entry..

The diesel-powered Accord returned a remarkable 53 miles a gallon on the highway, 34 in the city and 44 in combined driving. by nytimes.com, By LAWRENCE ULRICH

HONDA has spent decades establishing a reputation for fuel efficiency.

Minus its diesel powertrain, the European-market 2007 Accord is nearly identical to the car that Honda had been selling in the United States as the Acura TSX. That Accord should give a solid indication of the mileage and performance American consumers can expect when Honda offers a diesel option for the redesigned 2009 TSX.
» Read the rest of the entry..

A new model Prius could be out next year.
Photograph by : Handout photo, by canada.com

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said on Thursday that cumulative sales of its Prius hybrid car had topped 1 million units worldwide since its launch just over a decade ago.

The Prius, the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000. Toyota remains the leader in hybrid sales, with Honda Motor Co. a distant second with its Civic model.
» Read the rest of the entry..

Lamborghini by product-reviews.net

Weight reduction seems to be the key focus for this new vehicle. Lamborghini is said to have dispensed with the all-wheel-drive system in favour of a lighter rear-wheel-drive set up. Dropping the automated rear wing for a fixed spoiler, the use of carbon fibre for the interior on everything from door skins to seat shells and swapping the stock wheels with lightweight forged units all contribute to the goal of this vehicle shedding 100 kg.
» Read the rest of the entry..