Hino Trucks Rank Highest in Medium Duty Trucks

Medium duty Hino trucks topped in J.D. Power and Associates ratings based on consumer satisfaction in their Medium Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study of 2010.  Based on the research conducted, Hino Trucks positions top in consumer satisfaction with its range of standard medium-duty engines (4 years successively) and in addition ranks top in consumer satisfaction amongst standard medium duty trucks for 2 years running.  Reliability and quality are definitely the most crucial elements of total satisfaction of truck owners.

Currently the truck engine study is in the fourth year, assessed customer views of 2010 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 trucks designed with both diesel and gasoline engines by considering eight distinctive aspects: engine dependability/reliability; easy access for maintenance or service; acceleration when vehicle is fully loaded, maintenance of speed on grades; vibration at idle, control module (ECM); average fuel economy and engine warranty.

Hino Trucks Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction Study which is currently in the nineteenth year, evaluates customer views of 2010 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 standard commercial trucks.  Six aspects in the product index are employed to figure out overall satisfaction: warranty, engine; cost of operation; ride/handling/braking, cab and body; and transmission.  The analysis even gauges satisfaction with services obtained from a certified truck dealer.  Six factors are measured to arrive at the customer satisfaction index: service quality, service facility; service initiation, service advisor; service price and service delivery. Hino trucks scored the highest in all these factors. Read more »

Toyota Prius – Japan’s Top Selling Car for the Third Year

Toyota Prius hybrid car was Japan’s top selling car of 2011 for the third consecutive year showing that government’s efforts and encouragement might now be bearing fruit.  Despite a sluggish auto market, sales of ecological car models went up remarkably last year.

In the year 2011, the sales of Toyota Motor Corp’s Toyota Prius totaled to 252,528 cars as revealed by Japan Automobile Dealers Association.  The Japanese rival Honda Motor Co’s Fit Subcompact Cars, which are also hybrid cars, ranked second in sales. The tax breaks and government backed incentives could be responsible for the increased sales of these hybrid car models.

Toyota Prius Popularity:

The Toyota Prius basically comes in two unique versions: Toyota Hybrid and Toyota Plug-in Hybrid.  The Toyota Prius Hybrid is sold in four different trim levels: Two, Three, Four and Five.  The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid comes in two unique trims: Toyota Prius Plug-in Standard and Toyota Prius Plug-in Advanced.  Though a few entertainment features have altered for the new model, the Prius didn’t undergo any drastic changes.

Toyota Prius Fuel Economy and Performance:

Toyota Prius offers a great fuel economy.  If you really wish to conserve fuel, you will be happy to know that the Toyota Prius is among the best fuel efficient cars. You will enjoy the comfortable ride offered by Toyota Prius.  The mushy brakes and soft suspension may however displease you.  The  Prius Plug-in is very similar to the original Prius.

Both models of Toyota Prius produce 98 horsepower and come with a 1.8 liter four cylinder engine. Both the models are equipped with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).  The front wheel drive Prius saves fuel by shutting off engine when you stop the vehicle.

Toyota Prius Features:

The Toyota Prius is easily recognizable from far as it has an iconic look.  The two models of Toyota Prius are full of amazing high-tech features which includes a USB Port and Bluetooth. Read more »

Tips for changing your car battery

In today’s life, cars have become prime necessities.  Every day life greatly relies on the cars to journey everywhere.  The cars need to be serviced properly to provide us an exceptional performance.  The Car battery needs to be charged on a timely basis so that it stays in good condition.  There are numerous methods to charge the battery of your car.  You should know the various ways to get the battery of your car charged.

Here are the four common ways to charge a car battery:

1. Regular use of your Car

You may be surprised to know that your car usually charges its battery when it is running. All cars have an alternator which produces electricity every time the automobile is on the move as a belt links a pulley on the flywheel to a pulley on the alternator.  In case your car battery perishes when you are driving along then the alternator might not be generating electric power to charge the battery of your car. In case you have an automobile which has a manual transmission, you might be able to push start the vehicle to have it running.  Driving a car about half an hour ought to charge the car’s battery enough to get it back to normal.  So as to preserve electricity, attempt to switch off any electrical devices that you don’t need, like lights and radios. It will help to direct as much power into the car battery as possible.

2. Automotive Battery Charger

Battery chargers connect into a standard 110 volt domestic electric outlet, and then they charge your car battery when it is not linked to your car.  Read more »

EMIRAI : Futuristic Car Interface from Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi exhibited their brand new concept, the EMIRAI at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show that ended recently. Smart Cars and Concept Automobiles have been around since quite some time.  When you think of Concept Automobiles, vehicles that are equipped with every little thing like air conditioners using solar power as well as many LED Displays and devices may come to your mind.  However, Mitsubishi’s Car Interface EMIRAI has gone a step ahead.  It has brought to life an all new Dashboard using its brand new concept and smart engineering.

Till now, we have only come across tiny displays embedded in the dashboard in style of LCD panels.  But the EMIRAI shows what you can expect from a car in ten years time.  Mitsubishi’s EMIRAI comes with a dashboard along with curved display employing the rear projection technology.  Actually the most exciting and fascinating part of this vehicle is the fact that the display dashboard which offers rear projection sustains touch inputs pertaining to its several operations.

Amazing features of Mitsubishi EMIRAI

Mitsubishi’s EMIRAI boasts of many amazing features that make it stand out among the futuristic smart cars.  The vehicle is based on the concept of biometric interface. This advanced concept may turn out to be one of the most appealing features of next generation of concept automobiles in the next decade.  The car’s steering wheel possesses an innovative interface equipped with buttons that change form and which are designed to be elevated making just the necessary control buttons functional whilst keeping the remaining buttons retracted.  A few controls for the display may also be controlled by simply sliding fingertips above the elevated switches rendering it easier for use because they can be handled while not actually looking at them. Read more »

Hino Truck Engines receive J.D. Power Honors for 2011

The 2011 U.S. Medium-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study carried out by the US-based J.D. Power and Associates has once again honored Hino Trucks engines with the Number 1 ranking.  Hino Trucks USA has got the highest ranking for four years in a row scoring 794 on a 1000-point scale. The result was based on the responses received from 1,037 people who were primary maintainers of conventional cab medium-duty trucks that were one year old. The survey was carried out between the months of June and August this year. Cummins Inc. with 763 points was ranked second, followed by Paccar which scored 747 points and Navistar which obtained 742 points.

Reliability and Performance of Hino Truck Engines

According to the senior manager of the commercial vehicle practice at J.D. Power, Brent Gruber, the study gauged customer perceptions of 2010 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 trucks with diesel and gasoline engines. It gave manufacturers a thorough and objective estimation of customer satisfaction regarding products and other related dealer services.

To get an idea of the overall engine satisfaction, eight different factors were considered: engine reliability/dependability; maintaining speed on grades; ease of access for maintenance or service; control module (ECM); acceleration when fully loaded; average fuel economy, vibration at idle; and engine warranty. Read more »

Nissan PIVO EV concept at Tokyo Motor Show

Nissan will be unveiling two concept cars – the PIVO 3 Electric Vehicle and the NV35O light commercial van – and its smart house technology at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show, 2011.  Besides these it will also have on display concept cars that were unveiled at previous motor shows.

The Nissan PIVO 3 Electric Vehicle

This concept car is a three-seater electric vehicle designed for urban commuters.  Nissan said the vehicle will be best suited to big city commuters driving on crowded roads.  The other electric vehicles will be the ESFLOW electric sports car which was unveiled in March at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and the TOWNPOD crossover EV which had been unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in September 2010.

The PIVO 3 is the third model of PIVO electric concept cars developed by Nissan, the original PIVO being a star exhibit of the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, while the PIVO 2 had been unveiled in 2007. The fully rotating cabin design that did away with reversing was the unique feature of the first two PIVO vehicles. However, the PIVO 3 does not feature this distinctive design but has a slightly more conventional arrangement. In the PIVO 3 the driver’s seat is located centrally in front of the two passenger seats at the back thus featuring a 1+2 layout. Its body is barely three meters in length partly due to the in-wheel motors used for propelling the car.

Despite not having a rotating cabin, the PIVO 3 will do away with reversing due to its zero turn gap capabilities and its wide steering angle that enables the car to do a U-turn on roads that are only four meters wide.

But this concept car’s most futuristic design feature is the Automated Valet Parking that allows the PIVO 3 to drive automatically, find a parking space and then park without the need for any driver. The vehicle has the ability to charge itself and can be summoned by the driver by smartphone.

The NV350 Light Commercial Van

This concept vehicle which will also be unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show is a light commercial van that is going to be launched in the summer of 2012 in Japan followed by other markets, and comes in above the NV200. The van has keyless push button ignition, which according to Nissan is a world first for any commercial vehicle, a dash-mounted shift lever, and a foot-operated parking brake. It also has a multi-function display that is positioned in the center stack. A reversing camera will be made available optionally as an extra.

The NV350 has a cargo area that is up to three meters long. It has 50:50 split fold-forward rear seats as well as embedded mounting nuts in the interior side panels to make it possible for the cargo area to be customized using shelving fixtures and hooks. Nissan claims that the NV350 also has improved fuel economy

Nissan’s third display will be its Smart House “NSH-2012″ technology, which through a combination of fuel cells, solar panels, and power stored in a Nissan LEAF’s batteries will be able to provide a home with a steady power supply independent of power outage or weather conditions.

The 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from December 3 to December 11.

Suzuki Concepts at Tokyo Motor Show 2011

At the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show which will be held at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center from 2 to 11 December 2011, the Suzuki booth will feature the company’s new automobile concepts which have been designed with a focus on meeting the needs of contemporary customers and offering them new kinds of value.

In tune with Suzuki’s expertise in small cars, the exhibits at the company’s booth will have “small cars for a big future” as the theme.  Suzuki cars for today and the future will emphasize the user-friendliness, fuel economy, innovation, superior performance, and the exciting styling that will be possible within more compact and smaller dimensions.

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki will be unveiling three exciting new concepts.

The Regina: The first one, the Regina is a compact car and is Suzuki’s idea of a next generation, super efficient global compact car. It is a lightweight car that weighs just 730kg and has a drag coefficient that is at least 10% lower than that of other contemporary models. Its fuel economy will be at least 32km/L and it has CO2 emissions that are as low as 70g/km.

The Regina is 11.6 feet in length, 5.3 feet in width, and has an overall height of only 4.7 feet. It has a normal gasoline engine and can seat four passengers.

The Q Concept: This is an interesting, highly stylized two-seat microcar with an overall length of 2.5 meters and two seats in a tandem configuration, making it perfect for daily driving within a radius of around 10km and short journeys in crowded towns and cities. It is an electric car that is midway between a motorcycle and a small car. In fact, it is the closest a car could get to a motorcycle. The Q Concept has the same maneuverability as a motorcycle, but has a proper cabin and has four wheels. It is best suited for those people for whom schools, offices, hospitals, shopping malls and other facilities are close to their house. And not only is it more maneuverable than most other small cars, it also needs much less parking space. Read more »

Conversion Kits to Electrify your Truck

With the rising fuel costs many of us are opting for electric and hybrid vehicles.  We can see many electric cars in the market, however the technology is little lagging for electric trucks.  There are various reasons why you’d go for electrifying trucks and commercial vehicles – for example, the trucks can be used as a widespread power network in emergencies. Now the good news is that you can electrify your existing conventional truck, using a conversion kit that would be made available soon in Japan by Tokyo R&D and Itochu Corporation.