Toyota considers using American base for exporting to Middle East and Asia

Increasingly sluggish SUV sales, rising material costs and the strengthening Yen are all reasons for why Toyota plans to begin shipping automobiles manufactured in the United States to the Middle East. The credit crunch coupled with increasing oil prices has forced many Americans to move away from giant, gas-guzzling SUVs into more energy efficient sedans. Today oil reached a new high of over $129 a barrel with no immediate slowdown in sight.

Currently, the Avalon is being exported to the Middle East and Toyota plans to begin shipping Sequoias to an area where demand for family vehicles has steadily increased. In the United States, Toyota’s sales for the Sequoia fell 30%, which is a strong statement to be made about the dynamic US automotive market. Sequoias should begin to ship this year and there is the possibility that Sienna minivans could begin exporting to China as early as 2010.

What does this mean for the consumer who still needs a large family SUV and can foot the cost of increasing gas prices? Prices for large SUVs should begin to dramatically decrease as inventories pile up and dealers scramble to get their vehicles off their lots. Check out AutoBrag.com’s New Car Price Search Engine to find an incredible deal on Toyota Sequoias in your area.

VW plans to release super-efficient vehicle in 2010

That’s right - 2010. Motor Authority reported late last year that Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn confirmed that the VW L1 could potentially hit the market in 2010. Fuel consumption is reported to be around 1L/100km, which translates into 235 miles per gallon. 

The 0.3L one-cylinder engine would reach a top speed of 75 mph according to EcoGeek. A highway vehicle that gets over 200 mpg? This sounds too good to be true.The obvious drawback to this vehicle is styling. Another interesting thing to note: this two-seater is different than most because the passenger sits behind the driver.

Are you willing to sacrifice styling for fuel efficiency? The savings can be tremendous as you could already imagine. Suppose your current vehicle gets 26 mpg highway and you drive an average of 12,000 miles per year. Let’s also say gas will remain at $4.00 throughout the year. You will spend approximately $1848 on gas per year, but if you drive the VW L1 you only spend $208 per year - that’s a savings of $1600!

2010 is still a couple years away so you have some time to think about your next vehicle purchase.

Ford to Reveal Global Car

Ford is set to debut their global small car at the Geneva Auto Show. The joint development of the Fiesta by Ford’s European, African, Asian, American and Australian divisions marks the Fiesta as the first car to come from Ford’s global product development process. This means that there will specific models for the different markets. Sales will begin this fall in Europe, with 5 different engine options available, 3 gas and 2 diesel. The Fiesta will arrive in North America as a 2010 model, as a five door model, with the 3 door still being a possibility.

French Car Maker to Run Diesel in Le Mans

For their first North American race, Peugeot has decided to run their diesel powered car in the American Le Mans Series’ 12 Hours of Sebring. They will attempt to join Audi as the only other manufacturer to win with a diesel car in the event. Audi won with their TDI powered R10. During testing in January, Peugeot’s car posted up the fastest lap time on the course.

One of the Most Technologically Dense Cars: Lexus LS 600h L

The Lexus LS 600h L is the world’s first vehicle of any type to be powered by a “full hybrid” V8 powertrain. Full hybrid means the car can be powered by the gas engine only, the electric motor only, or both at the same time. Unlike its gasoline-only cousins, the LS 460 and LS 460 L(a beautiful car), both of which are rear-wheel-driven, the new hybrid limousine is an all-wheel-drive configuration. During normal driving conditions, power is split 40 percent front/60 percent rear. If the road becomes dicey, it is capable of a near 50/50 split.

An all-new dual-stage continuously variable transmission (CVT) with a sequential shift mode allows manual selection of eight different stages of acceleration response. It also features the selectable modes of the company’s conventional models: “power” and “snow” in addition to a “hybrid” mode.

When it rolls into showrooms, the LS 600h L will be one of the most technologically dense cars you can buy. There’s a power rear-ceiling-mounted 3.0 VGA 9-inch entertainment screen. Occupants’ body heat is measured with infrared sensors to adjust the cabin temperature while ceiling climate diffusers gently distributes air movement. The amply sized LS 600h L—provided it has the right options—parks itself. Pull up to a space, select reverse and the car steers automatically into the gap, using sensors and a rear-view camera. All the driver needs to do is modulate the brakes. And if all that isn’t enough for your luxury needs, this hybrid pleasure cruiser also includes a stunning 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, voice-activated hard disk drive (HDD) satellite navigation.  Very nice.

China Has The Worst Marketing. UFO, CEO? Are Those Supposed To Sound Cool?

The history of consumer items originated in the West, but copied and perfected in Asia is long. Will cars now be added to that list? Yes, according to DaimlerChrysler, which claims that a Chinese auto manufacturer is blatantly cloning one of its designs. Shuanghuan has denied that Noble is a copy of Smart Fortwo, or its CEO of BMW’s X5. Take a look at these copycat pictures, you’ll be amazed by the similarities. Would someone please send them some designers and marketing professionals. Please!

Toyota’s production increase threatens GM’s reign as the world’s largest automaker

Toyota Motor Corp. is poised to top General Motors Corp. in global production this year after the U.S. automaker reduced its output plan because of slumping demand for trucks and sport-utility vehicles in the U.S. GM estimates it will build 9.285 million vehicles worldwide in 2007, according to the company’s annual plan announced Tuesday. That compares with Toyota’s plan of 9.42 million vehicles, including those by its Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. subsidiaries.

GM and Ford are cutting jobs and closing factories as demand for sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks falls amid higher fuel costs. Toyota is now 6,698 sales ahead of Ford through August after trailing by 330,911 after eight months a year earlier. Ford has been No. 2 in the U.S. behind GM since 1931.

Aquada’s First Amphibious Vehicle

While the technical hurdles in designing a competent amphibious vehicle are formidable, the real challenge for the U.K.-based Gibbs Technologies is defining a market for a car that exceeds 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water. What makes the Gibbs vehicles interesting is their systems approach; Gibbs didn’t set out to make a swimming car, but rather integrate land and marine technology to form a unique classification, the amphibian. Gibbs has sunk, so to speak, more than $100 million into the program, with over 60 patents pending in nearly every aspect of the vehicle design. Militarily, Gibbs has teamed with Lockheed Martin on several concept vehicles. The company is certainly thinking big.

The body shape is both aero- and hydrodynamic, drag reduction in water has been hugely decreased via retracting wheels and an efficient combination of piston power and water jet propulsion. The Aquada was originally tabbed at $285,000 but not even Sir Richard Branson bit at that price, which was lowered to $142,000 where it still hasn’t lit the world on fire. Click here for slideshow of Aquada’s models. These will be a blast!

Small-car sales are expected to set a new record this year

U.S. sales of subcompacts such as the Honda Fit and compacts such as the Honda Civic reached a record 2.7 million in 2006. Small-car sales are expected to set a new record this year despite an overall weakening in the U.S. auto market.The things that have fueled the growth of these (small) cars are really not going away: Gas prices, the housing market, the fashion aspect of these cars.

The boom has left some automakers scrambling. Foreign automakers control 76% of the U.S. small-car market. The Toyota Yaris was the best-selling subcompact in the first seven months of this year, while the Toyota Corolla was the most popular compact car. Chrysler LLC recently announced it will develop a small car with China’s biggest automaker, Chery, that will be exported to North America in 2010. Uh oh… two crappy companies! Ford, which sells subcompacts outside the United States, will unveil a concept car next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show that likely will be the basis for a global subcompact that will come to the U.S. market by 2010. General Motors Corp. plans to bring a redesigned Aveo hatchback to North America in June.

High fuel prices have prompted much of the shift to small cars, but they now are safer and have far more style than in the past. Now competitors have upgraded small-car interiors and safety systems, and U.S. buyers are responding because the cars are far safer than their predecessors.

In Order To Avoid Tariffs

Chery Automobile Co, the biggest Chinese passenger car brand by unit sales, will build more plants abroad as part of its overseas sales strategy. Why? Producing cars abroad will enable Chery to avoid foreign nations’ tariffs on its built cars shipped from China and will allow it to source spare parts in these countries. The new partner of Chrysler and Fiat plans to have 14 overseas factories by 2010 to assemble its own-brand cars. Chery now has seven plants in six foreign countries - Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, Egypt and Uruguay. The top Chinese car exporter is planning new plants in other countries like India and Argentina.