Daily Archives: September 14, 2017
Toyota C-HR Hy-Power Concept Is The Ideal Car For Millennials
Since it was launched in 2016, the Toyota C-HR became one of the company’s most popular crossover because of its affordability, its size, and its fuel-efficient engines. It doesn’t have a cult following like Honda’s CRV, but C-HR continues to stand out because of its stylish and youthful design.
Now, a team of designers from ED2, Toyota’s European design studio, came up with the Hy-Power Concept that added features both inside and out and updated the hybrid to a more powerful drivetrain.
The Toyota C-HR Hy-Power Concept was unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The moment you set eyes on it, you’ll know why it is a big deal if it sees production. Basically, the concept is like a personalized C-HR and the design is actually doable and possible and not at all out of this world compared to other concepts.
Exterior
The first thing the design team did is to fit the C-HR with a new paint called Dark Carbon. The purpose of this is to enhance the interplay between the muscular surfaces and the sharp lines. Dark Carbon is essentially a silver hue in a matte finish. It is then paired with a gloss black front lip spoiler, nose grille, and wheel arch trim, all of which contribute to a more aggressive appearance.
More, the concept features dark chrome in the headlamps, 20-inch alloy wheels, and Burning Orange highlights in the lower grille, side mirror caps, A-pillars, and roof.
Interior
The C-HR HyPower concept is definitely sportier inside compared to the current generation. There’s a dark versus orange theme going on in the cabin that features black seats with orange headrests and bolsters. The seats have an asymmetrical quilting pattern on the seatbacks, cushions, and door panels in bright Burning Orange yarn.
Drivetrain
All details are still under wraps for the new drivetrain under this concept’s hood. What we know now is that the concept will be equipped with a hybrid powertrain that can produce 122 horsepower .
Thunder Power Unwraps Electric SUV at Frankfurt Motor Show
Hong Kong-based electric car company Thunder Power came to the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show not only to update us about its Zagato-designed sedan EV, but also to unveil a new one—an electric SUV.
Willem Sham, the CEO of Thunder Power, revealed the Thunder Power SUV, which was designed in-house in Milan, Italy and uses the brand’s modular platform. It has an electric powertrain fitted, so the car can maximize its interior space and still maintain a low center of gravity.
To reduce drag time, the automaker said it tweaked the car’s aerodynamics. The company, however, is still tight-lipped about what the electric SUV has in store for us once it reached production.
On the outside, the electric SUV is attractive enough, minus the grille’s design. The interior is comfortable and there’s ample space on the cargo area, thanks to rear doors that open rearward. It also has a panoramic roof and a large digital screen that stretches across the dashboard.
But before the unveiling of the electric SUV, Thunder Power updated its audience that the designing and the possible production of the sedan is going well. In fact, a production-spec prototype was onstage with camouflage that resembles a topographic map. The sedan is reportedly undergoing testing for battery performance.
Sham revealed that the sedan EV will have a driving range of up to 650 kilometers on the NEDC cycle. He also announced a Launch Edition Coupe with only 488 examples available. The coupe will produce 654 horsepower on its electric powertrain. It will be paired with a four-wheel-drive system and uses a torque vectoring system.
The overall design of the Launch Edition Coupe will depend on the customer’s taste, but it will have an engraved plaque of the car’s serial number. The coupe will enter production soon, but deliveries will begin on the second quarter of 2019.
There’s A Next-Gen Nissan Frontier Pickup Coming Up
The long wait for an official word from Nissan is over. The Japanese automaker finally confirmed that a midsize Nissan Frontier pickup truck is being readied for a next-generation release. How many years has it been since we last saw an updated Frontier? The current generation dated back to the 2005 model year, which means there’s more than a decade between then and now.
The new Frontier will be built alongside the full-sized Titan pickup and several other models at Nissan’s factory in Canton, Mississippi. Though this is the kind of news we have been waiting for years, Nissan remains mum on what a new Frontier has in store for us.
All we have now are speculations, and pretty blown-up speculations at that. There were rumors in the past that the Frontier is going to be aligned with the Navara, Nissan’s global midsize pickup. Unlike the Frontier, the Navara has just been redesigned and deployed to various other markets globally. So popular are Nissan’s pickup trucks that the Navara spawned variants under different badges such as a Renault and a Mercedes-Benz.
According to what we’re hearing from the production side, the new Frontier pickup will look like a “heavy refresh” of the existing model. Well, if there was nothing wrong with the Frontier, why change it, right? What the next-generation Frontier is going to have is a new body, updated interior, and new engines to replace the 2.5-liter four-cylinder and 4.0-liter V-6 engines fitted in the current models.
Although Nissan is still unclear on what it wants to do in this segment, there’s plenty of breathing space for the Japanese automaker seeing as it is one of the most favorite brands to produce midsize pickup trucks. Even the current Frontier, which was last tweaked in 2005, is still selling well despite competitions from Toyota, Ford, Honda, and General Motors.
3 Key Features of the 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which is a midsize member in the Land Cruiser range, just got updated. It’s a far cry from the massive Toyota Land Cruiser that is being sold in other markets. For this year, as shown Tuesday during the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Land Cruiser Prado is made more refined.
Promising to bring safer tech features, the Land Cruiser Prado that made its debut at Frankfurt also received a modernized exterior and cabin.
1. Exterior
For a sharper and more modern look, the Land Cruiser Prado’s grille and headlights have been revised with the headlights’ main beams being repositioned to avoid damage from obstacles presented by off-road driving conditions. The hood and front fenders also received some treatment as they have been reprofiled to aid visibility.
The lower corners of the front and rear bumpers are now angled upwards to improve off-road maneuverability. The redesigned rear also has new lamp clusters.
2. Interior
The cabin of the Land Cruiser Prado is definitely more refined and upscale than previous generations of the Land Cruiser, thanks to the upgrade on the instrument cluster, the switchgear, and the center stack. The seats are covered in a luxurious cream-colored leather that goes well with the steering wheel wrapped in black and tan. The interior definitely spells luxury and comfort.
3. Drivetrain
The powertrains available for the Land Cruiser Prado will depend on the market you are coming from. It will be offered in either turbocharged inline-4 or V-6 engines. The inline-4 can be paired together with gasoline or diesel while the V-6 engines will be matched with gasoline only. Buyers can choose between a manual or an automatic transmission.
The safety features are the ones the Land Cruiser Prado is boasting about. The technology includes autonomous features (depending on the market), collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitor.
Expect the 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado to start its deliveries this November.
