The year 2009 is coming to an end and it is the time again for magazines and websites to come up with their lists of the best and worst of 2009.  Time Magazine is not lagging behind and has recently released its annual list of 50 Best Inventions of 2009.  This year green energy innovations have prominently featured in the top inventions of 2009.

Nissan Leaf is among Time’s list of 50 best inventions of 2009.  The Japanese automaker Nissan unveiled Nissan Leaf in August 2009 as the first new dedicated electric vehicle.  It may not be the world’s first electric car, but the Nissan Leaf is the first fully electric, zero emission vehicle built for mass production for the global market at an affordable price.  Nissan Leaf would not be available in the market until the fall of 2010, but that didn’t stop Time Magazine from calling it one of the best inventions of 2009.

Key characteristics of the Nisan Leaf include:

1. Zero-emission electric power train
2. Real-world range autonomy – 160km (100 miles)
3. Distinctive design
4. Affordable pricing
5. Connected Mobility: Advanced intelligent transportation (IT) system

Nissan LEAF electric car is not a hybrid – it’s a zero-emission electric vehicle that is powered by a reusable lithium-ion battery.  It is no longer a concept car or test model – it is meant for mass production.  It is a 5 passenger electric car, with all the features you can expect from a standard family sedan.  It is a 100% electric car that uses no gasoline, and produces virtually no noise and emission.  No transmission, no engine oil, no timing belts to change and no emission. Nissan Leaf, makes a futuristic sound like that of flying cars in Blade Runner, when it is moving.  Nissan plans to produce 50,000 Leafs every year at its Oppama plant at Yokohama, Japan starting in the fall of 2010.

Nissan Leaf is designed with the common man in mind and not just celebrities.  The Leaf is expected to sell for between $35,000 and $45,000. The Nissan LEAF will shift the way we drive, power and think about cars..

Nissan LEAF has a top speed of up to 145 km/hr (90 mph) and it accelerates just like a normal V6 car. The LEAF can run for about 160 km (100 miles) per charge under normal driving conditions.  The lithium-ion battery that powers the LEAF has a lifespan of about 5 years.  You can charge battery on a 220V home charging unit in 4 to 8 hours.  And, it will take just about 26 minutes for charging it to 80% of its capacity at quick-charge stations.

Electric cars have been there for a long time, but Nissan is the first company which has come up with a production model of an electric vehicle.  Nissan therefore deserves the title of ‘inventor of electric cars’ if they can keep their promise of building and selling a million electric vehicles in the next.  Nissan Leaf has certainly made the future of green transportation looking brighter.

Technorati Tags: 50 best inventions of 2009, Japan, Electric cars, electric vehicle, Nissan Leaf

Earlier this December Toyota Motor Corp made official announcement about producing a test fleet of plug-in hybrid car Prius which uses lithium-on battery packs.  Now, the Japanese automaker Toyota has officially showcased the plug-in version of the latest Toyota Prius electric-gasoline hybrid vehicle along with its extended range of completely electric vehicle.

Plug-in technology facilitates charging of batteries in the hybrid from the mains in a fashion similar to the straight electric cars.  The major advantage of plug-in hybrid when compared with a standard hybrid is that it can it run in the electric-only mode for a longer time, and produces much lower tail-pipe emissions.

The Japanese car makerToyota plans to sell the plug-in hybrid Prius in Japan and other countries within 2 years.  Toyota Motor Corp has now officially started a program to manufacture and sell 650 plug-in hybrid Prius vehicles globally.  Japanese automaker will lease out 230 of its vehicles to government bodies like power companies and other government industries in Japan.  Out of Remaining stock, 150 units will be leased out to government agencies, research agencies, corporations and universities of America.  200 vehicles will go to Europe while France will receive 100 units especially for the City of Strasbourg.  Toyota is also considering other countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia and few European countries to try out its test units.

The 5 seater Toyota Prius is available with lithium-ion battery packs replacing the usual nickel-metal hydride batteries which can help electric-motor vehicles to gain more mileage than usual thirteen miles.  One can easily charge batteries of plug-in Prius by connecting it to household electricity.

The fuel efficiency of Prius is 57 km/liter and plug-in hybrid Prius gives the range of about 24 km/liter using only electricity. To fully charge lithium-on batteries of Prius it takes about 1&1/2 hours using 200 volt socket whereas with 100 volt batteries it takes about 3 hours.

According to Toyota, this program is their 1st step i introducing plug-in hybrid concept to society at large.  This program allows Toyota with this unique opportunity to educate, inform, and also prepare their customers for the introduction of plug-in hybrid technology.  When vehicles built with this technology come to the market, customers would understand what to expect and whether this new technology would suit them.

Technorati Tags: Toyota, hybrid car, Japanese, electric vehicle, Japanese car, Toyota Prius

Honda is a popular and reliable name in automobile industry. Honda is well known worldwide for its extremely trendy and designer cars and motorcycles. ThisJapanese car maker beat ‘Nissan’ to become the second-largest Japanese car manufacturer since 2001.

Honda Accord and Honda Civic are tremendously popular among teens. These cars are economical, have stylish looks and designed with various safety features. They have trendy looks which attract young drivers. These dashing cars by Honda provide driving comfort which and are affordable by teens. Nowadays, youngsters are very sharp and knowledgeable and they are well aware of what to buy and where to buy it from. Teenagers try to select the combination of stylish look and lots safety features, when it comes to buying cars. They also choose the vehicles on the basis of its performance, size, reliability, economy and cost. They prefer the cars which are easy to drive with tough engine and miraculous mileage and yet have stylish looks and also stunning interiors and exteriors. Cars with wide-opening doors for entry and exit are highly appreciated by teens. And, Honda cars meet the specifications of demanding young drivers.

When it comes to buying a car of stylish looks with all modern amenities, youngsters prefer Honda as they offers luxury with high performance and great safety. Honda offers other features such as low insurance rate, fuel-efficiency, reliability, performance and safety features. Apart from their stylish looks, Honda cars work well in adverse weather conditions like rain or storm. And, Honda cars certainly add value to your status and style.

According to Auto Week magazine, Honda Civic is among the Top Ten cars which is a great value for money and safety. As per review by Edmunds.com, Honda Civic is a great teen car that has legendary reputation for drivetrain reliability with strong crash-test scores. This is the reason, why Honda Civic rules over the heart of teenaged motorists. If you are a responsible parent, please guide your teenaged children about the important safety features in Honda cars and educate them about safe driving habits for teens.

Technorati Tags: Honda, Japanese car, safety features, Honda Civic

Tenth generation of Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corolla – the world’s most admired car from Japanese car Maker Toyota, has entered in to its tenth generation with the latest version, Toyota Corolla 2009. In 140 countries or even more, around thirty million of its cars have been sold. Toyota Corolla is a practical and economical sedan that could be used for almost any application. It is a fuel efficient car that offers good maneuverability, and could be driven in urban traffic as well as on highways. It is a car for wise buyers who do not go for emotional purchases. Since its first model in early 1966, Toyota Corolla has proved that economical cars can also be good. Toyota Corolla has different models but one thing is for sure, whichever model you select Toyota Corolla is ‘hop in and go’ type of car.

In this review of Toyota Corolla 2009 from Japan, we cover overall design, interior, engine performance and safety features.

Corolla 2009 Walkthrough

To start with, Toyota Corolla 2009 is bigger than most of the normal passenger car. It is a complete Family car, designed with bigger space considering comfort and need of all its customers. Toyota has kept the upgraded version of Corolla conservative, so it combines styling legacy with all the modern amenities such as more power availability and additional standard safety features to come up with better version of Corolla than the previous one.

The Toyota Corolla 2009 has 5 trim levels namely, standard – LE and XLE, followed by sporty S and XRS models which have “ground effects” trim beside the rocker panels & under the rear bumper, in addition to “sideburn” also known as spoilers on front corners.

Like its previous models, Toyota Corolla 2009 also has controls which are straightforward, and standard safety features which are easy to learn and master. Overall finishing of car is good and seems to be of higher quality than what actually it costs.

Interior

Pattern and material used to make up the interior of the Toyota Corolla 2009 is quiet simple, yet the texture and design make it look fancy. All the basic requirements such as comfort level and safety features are appropriately included though it may vary according to the different trim levels. In XLE model of Corolla, the wood grain trim helps to add warmth to the car, which is not seen often in any of the family cars.

Corolla’s front seats are mixture of comfort as well ease of entry and exit. The rear seat of the car is regarding the class followed by the floor which is mainly flat but has a small inclination towards the back of the console; to carry long objects the split fold comes handy which puts the narrow section behind the driver. Storage capacity of the Toyota Corolla 2009 is well planned by giving importance to even the minute details such as cord slot and not disturbing your personal electronic settings.

Performance & Safety Features

Toyota Corolla 2009 features 2 engines as well as various transmissions which help to deliver excellent driving performance and good fuel efficiency. Toyota Corolla’s 1.8 litre 4-cylinder engine has 132 horsepower which is more than normal 126 horsepower in the previous Corolla models. Toyota Corolla delivers reputable acceleration in normal traffic situation, according to most of the Car Reviews. Fuel economy graph suggests Corolla delivers 35 mpg highway and 27 mpg city.

Safety features are just like all the previous Corolla models and it includes ABS, side curtain airbags, front side-impact, antiskid system and traction control

Overall, Toyota Corolla 2009 is an excellent family car which provides controlled and comfortable ride, with a reasonable fuel economy.

Technorati Tags: Japanese car, Toyota Corolla 2009, review of Toyota Corolla 2009

With muffler exchange and remodelling of the japanese car, make big noise and uncomfortable to the people. These also a social problems. To solve these problems, The National Traffic Ministry and The Environmental Ministry make some reformation in the regulations.

This time the Ministry make an enforcement regulation on the car’s muffler. For the new regulations, vehicle that want to install the muffler have to get a certificate and need to display the certification number as necessary. In addition, at the time of type acquisition try to be adapted the standard of the same level as the standard which is applied in the non certification car and the muffler exchange car which do not acquire type. An application document of new inspection concerning the vehicle which does not acquire type is requested.

The fact that this revised law will be effective 2007 July, acquires type after the 2008 application is consecutively started from the automobile and the like which January. After manufacturer sells muffler is becoming matter. Everything JASMA (Japanese Automobile Muffler Association) the origin of recognition it is sold in regard to the vehicle inspection adaptation muffler.
After this method amending the present JASMA recognition muffler continuously is produced and sell. However, it do not applied to the car which production vehicle that has ended. In addition, depending upon the time of the next minor change and full model change are outside adaptation there are also some which even by the current car.

Technorati Tags: muffler, japanese car, car’s muffler, vehicle, automobile, JASMA

The Toyota Research and Development (R&D) with the Moto [High Class Hatch-Back for the Witty Adult] to explode the New Toyota Blade. The New Toyota Blade with the suitable body size for comfortable driving style and the high technology design almost same with the first class sedan vehicle. The New Toyota Blade has safety and stylish interior design and best performance that been created by the vehicle which make the driver and the passenger pride and happy with it.

Exterior of the New Toyota Blade with Sporty style and its own personality. For the interior of the new car, special material and the finishing make the Toyota Blade more comfortable. It has 2.4L Engine and a newly designed suspension to match with the performance of the New Toyota Blade. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) & TRC, SRS Side and Guard Air-Bag makes the vehicle safety to all passengers.

The price of the New Toyota Blade is from 2,247,000YEN to 2,772,000YEN

Technorati Tags: Toyota, Research and Development, Hatch-Back, new car, Vehicle Stability Control

Panasonic Toyota Racing Team (Japanese F1 Racing team)launched TF107 as their New F1 Machine for the 2007 F1 Championship Season. The 2007 F1 Championship will be start on 18th March 2007 in Australia.

Among of the 11 teams in F1 Racing Teams, Toyota is the team that has the same engine maker and the same tyre partnership. Besides that, their Race Driver also the same as last season. This make it the unique team that can make the team learned the weak point from passed season and make the Panasonic Toyota Racing Team to has good result in this new season.

Techical Specifications for TF107 as below:
It has moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb construction for its monocoque construction. Front suspension is Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with carbon fibre trackrod and pushrod. Rear suspension is Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with carbon fibre toe link and pushrod. For the dampers, it use Penske and wheels is from BBS forged magnesium. Tyres is Bridgestone Potenza. Brake calipers and Brembo Brake master cylinders is from Brembo. Braking material is Hitco (carbon/carbon) Steering is Toyota power-assisted steering and Steering wheel is Toyota carbon fibre wheel with Toyota / Magneti Marelli instrument. Driver seat is make from Carbon fibre, moulded to driver’s shape. Driver restraints is Takata and Driver HANS device is designed from Toyota. Electronic systems Toyota / Magneti Marelli, Transmission is 7-speed unit plus reverse. Beside that , the race engine is RVX-07 that has 8 cylinder with approximately 740bhp.
For the acceleration system, it use Pneumatic Valve actuation and hydraulic throttle actuation.

For year 2007, Toyota aim is to win the race.

Technorati Tags: Panasonic Toyota Racing Team, Japanese, 2007 F1 Championship Season, Australia, Toyota, Bridgestone

The Ministry of National Traffic Japan has set a new require for the frontal entering prevention device of the large-sized Japanese freight truck or Cargo truck. As an object device of the rule which is based on the type recognition mutual approval agreement of the United Nations vehicle and the like other than frontal entering prevention, the large-sized rear reflector, adopting the agreement rule for the crew-member protection in the time of front collision.

Safety standards and device model designation rule of road haulage vehicle method and the notification etc which decides the detail of safety standards were amended attendant upon this. From April 1st, installing the frontal entering prevention device is an enforcement applied to all the large-sized freight Truck of production after September 2011.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Japanese, freight truck, Cargo truck, Safety, model, vehicle