The all new model is easily recognisable as a Kuga due to its similar swept-back headlamps, beautiful shoulder line and sharp C-pillar. The new model is 8 mm lower and 4 mm narrower than its predecessor. However, the new Kuga has additional 81 mm length for the storage of the luggage, making it bigger car than previous model. Now, the Kuga can carry luggage up to 481 litres with the rear seatbacks being set erect. This means the new Kuga can carry 71-litre more than its predecessor. On folding the rear seats, the total luggage carrying capacity of the car goes up to 1,653 litres.

In terms of looks, Kuga is elegant and sporty SUV featuring aggressive bumper, sharp cues and tall stance. The Kuga features optional auto tailgate, plenty of head and legroom, comfortable seats, beautiful upholstery, etc. The dashboard and the centre console are built using quality plastic that is soft to touch and good looking. The Kuga comes loaded with plenty of technological features like the Sync voice-activation system, auto map sensor, graphics between the dials showing engine feeding power to axle (on selecting four wheel drive system), climate control, part leather upholstery, etc.

Ford is offering power packed 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine as optional with the Kuga, albeit the buyers will most likely opt for the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine Kuga that comes as standard. This engine is mated to 6-speed manual gearbox and runs on 4-wheel drive system. This powerplant is capable of producing maximum output of 161 bhp and peak torque of 340 Nm. The engine is not quite and makes noise that sometimes filters in the cabin. Sometimes, there is noise coming from the A-pillar at 70 mph and at the low speed the revs keep building. The gear box is slick and really good enough to offer quick shift in gears.

The SUV offers decent fuel economy of 47.9 mpg. The car can sprint from 0 mph to 60 mph in less than 9.9 seconds. Kuga can achieve the top speed of 123 mph. With such impressive figures, the car manages to consume 154 gallons per km of CO2 emission.

Like the precious models, this Kuga also offers decent drivability. The previous model was praised for its ride quality and almost felt like the Focus, instead of riding like SUV. However, the new model is not as sharps the previous one. The car is equipped with power steering, which is light weight and responsive. The 18-inch rim on the highest variants gives an implanted ride. The suspensions are very effective and all you get is a firm ride from an SUV. This braking system is also extremely responsive.

All in all, the car is an amazing SUV ready for sale globally at the base price of £25,545.

This machine is powered by a 6.3-litre V12 engine, which is capable of producing peak output of 651 hp at 8,000 rpm. With this high quality V-12 auto engine, the FF can sprint from 0 mph to 60 mph within just 3.7 second. Also, it can achieve the top speed of 208 mph. The specifications of the FF are indeed impressive that can make any and every car enthusiast eager to get behind the wheel at least once.

On the handling end, the FF is incorporated with the magneto-rheological dampers that provide advanced adaptive control of the complete body motion. Although the FF car has the curb weight of 3,946 pounds, it can still surprise all by performing competently on the zigzag trails of roads. To stop its speedy ride, the FF has carbon ceramic brakes capable of offering fade-resistance stopping power.

The size of the Ferrari FF is an added advantage as compared to all the other alternatives or indirect rivals falling under the two door super touring segment. The FF has storage capacity of 15.9 cubic feet behind the seats and this space is expandable up to 28.2 cubic feet. Thus, Ferrari FF truly is the most practical car for the long tours with plenty of luggage space.

The first ever four-wheel drive car from the garage of Ferrari, FF offers an implanted ride. The FF engineers responsible for developing this machine have incorporated a separate 4-speed gearbox to control and drive the front wheels along with a 7-speed gearbox for controlling the rear wheels. Thus, the engineers didn’t use the age old transfer case solution for the driving system.

On the inside, the Ferrari FF boasts a plush and well built interior. The car has leather over most of surfaces. The car has Ferrari’s latest in-car entertainment and convenience features. There is plenty of space in the front for the two to comfortably sit on the heavily bolstered seats. However, not every one may find these heavily bolstered seats just right for them. The rear seats lack the headroom and legroom as well.

The Neiman Marcus Edition is the special edition model of the Ferrari FF. This car from Ferrari has been used as the launch vehicle for the new Tailor Made personalisation program of the auto maker. In addition to this, it has also been an official Ferrari winter driving school aid.

In short, the 2013 Ferrari FF is a distinctive car in its segment that offers plenty of power, style and luxury.

The shift in the preference of consumers in favour of cars over the SUVs has benefited the Nissan Altima, like other medium size cars. However, record sales alone won’t do much for Nissan to win the annual fight for the prestigious best-selling car title in U.S. as the sales figures seem to be like that of third position numbers.

The title is mostly expected to belong to the Toyota Camry as the sales figures of the car are leading the midsize sedan group as the year is about to end. Toyota Motor Corp. has sold 373,479 units of Camry at the end of November, whereas about 302,444 units of the constant runner-up Honda Accord were sold. The other two car brands chasing these top two are Altima and Ford Fusion. The Toyota Altima registered sales of 278,968 and the Ford Motor Co.’s Fusion has posted sales of 221,980 units.

In the previous years, the competition between the midsize sedans has been closer with Honda occasionally emerging as the winner of the competition. However, Toyota’s Camry has been dominating the car market for over a decade. Toyota’s Camry is about to take a big lead this year also and this may certainly reflect the rollout of the revamped models of the Honda, Ford and Nissan.

Although the demand for the new models usually grows strong, the shift from the old version to new one mostly disturbs production and slows the sales. This is because the customers prefer waiting for the new models instead of buying the existing ones.

The next year’s contest seems to be more promising and exciting as the new 2013 models from Nissan, Ford and Honda will get complete year of sales, whereas the current Camry may start looking outdated and its demand may decline.

]]> http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/body/sedan/toyota-camry-is-set-to-win-the-car-sales-competition/feed/ 0 http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/car-news/2013-toyota-avalon-first-car-to-offer-wireless-phone-charging/ http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/car-news/2013-toyota-avalon-first-car-to-offer-wireless-phone-charging/#comments Sat, 22 Dec 2012 05:05:12 +0000 admin http://www.ttcars.net/blog/?p=701 If the recent announcement made by the Toyota North America is to be believed, then the 2013 Toyota Avalon Limited will be first of its kind vehicle across the world to boast in-car wireless phone charging system.

The in-console Qi wireless phone charging capability system developed by Wireless Power Consortium is just fitted on a charging pad incorporated into the electronic bin of the car. It is to be noted that as the Qi is used as global standard technology for wireless power and charging, the other device enabled with Qi technology can get charged just by being placed on the simple pad irrespective of the brand badge it bears. With the help of the switch located inside the electronic bin (ebin), the charging pad can be easily switched on and off.

This trustworthy car charger manufacturer for wireless phones charging has designed the Qi capability system considering the global needs and standards for wireless charging of devices. Toyota has said that various mobile phones now come with the built-in Qi wireless charging system, making it easier to charge phones wirelessly on the go. In addition to this, the mobile devices that lack the Qi system can simply buy an aftermarket case or backing compatible with the system to charge the phones.

The new 2013 Toyota Avalon has stepped in the US showrooms earlier at the beginning of this month. So, the US car enthusiasts will get a great chance to check the car’s new charging system. However, the people in the Australia will not get to use the system too sooner as the Avalon won’t be sold there. In fact, it is replaced by the locally built Toyota Aurion for the Australian local auto market.

Here, it is Honda Civic Si. Well! Just for the introduction thing, let me tell you that this car is equipped with 1.8-litre L4 engine mated to an automatic transmission. This powertrain produces maximum output of 140 hp and peak torque of 128 lb-ft. It offers fuel economy of 28 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on highways. This 5-seater car is available for $15,755.

Now getting back to its problems, it is to be noted that the interior and performance of the Civic have many glitches. If you have a Civic Si, then you must have certainly used car maintenance products at least once. If not, then you are a lucky man.

Honda Civic Si lacks competitive performance. The other rival brands like Mazdaspeed3, Subaru WRX and the Ford Focus ST have advantage of 50-65 horsepower. However, the Civic Si is great on handling. It has strong chassis and the eagerness to throw itself forward even during tight bends. The car is faster in corners and is good enough on twisty road.

The interior of the car is very cheap. The material used on the inside is of cheap quality, albeit they are durable.  The driver’s floor mat is of bad quality and the dashboard is very hard to touch. In a recent post, the readers were asked, “What does the Civic need to regain a compact segment lead?” and various commentators mentioned that the car needs to get updated interior. The commentators also said that the deadening sound of the material should also be reduced. Some of the commentators also disliked the exterior, albeit it is clean, simple and sophisticated. This means that the commentators seriously want Honda to rework on its Civic Si. So, we can hope Honda brings in next generation of the Civic Si in a completely appealing avatar.

Going by the LMC Automotive estimates, the global sales for the year will be about 80 million units. The figure is remarkable and will happen for the first time in auto industry history. The LMC Automotive states that the excellent sales in US and Japan are the main reasons for such a growth in auto industry. Moreover, Toyota is also recovering from the adverse effects of tsunami in Japan regaining its biggest auto maker title. Despite the decline in sales in Europe, the auto industry is growing.

The light vehicle s market in US has contributed to the increase in the sales figure of all the tree auto companies from the last three years right after the collapse of industry in 2009. Adding to this, the vehicle sales in US are likely to grow more in the years to come.

LMC claimed that VW is looking forward to increase its production capacity to 600,000 vehicles next year, which would equal the combined capacity of GM and Toyota. VW is expected to grow as the global leader in vehicles sales by 2018.

According to Senior Vice President (forecasting) at Troy, LMC Mr. Jeff Schuster, the global market will have only three-horse race through 2009. So, the competition amongst the top vehicle makers is getting tighter.

According to automakers counting, the Toyota clearly leads the auto industry having sold 7.4 million units in the first three quarters, followed by GM selling 6.95 million vehicles and VW selling 6.9 million vehicles. It is to be noted that the VW sales also include the sales of its half owned Porsche AG.

The sales of Toyota rose by 31% in first 11 months through November in Japan recovering from the tsunami. Also, Toyota saw rise in sales by 29% in US through November and 41% in Japan during October.

On the other side, GM could manage to strengthen its strong hold on the US market by sufficient increase in sales. GM has registered 2.5% growth in sales of the vehicles this year as compared to last year. Also, its overall sales increased through November by 3.5% and above 10% in China. This growth balanced the decline in sales in European countries by 12.5%. On top of this, it is going to post the best year in sales across the world after the year 2007, when it sold 9.37 million vehicles.

VW also saw increase in its sales and could manage to surpass its 2011 record of selling 8.36 vehicles within the first 11 months of this year. It saw increase by 31% in US through November. Also, its sales increased by 20% in China through November and the company is expecting rise in sales in China even in years to come.

In addition to this, the two auto giants Toyota and VW are looking forward to touch the 10 million sales targets in the near future.

By this, it is clear that the auto industry is heading to become a great global market. One can also consider the transformation in the vehicles as a source of growth in auto industry. Now, the vehicles have turned into technologically advanced machines with Bluetooth handsfree car kit, navigation system, voice systems, etc. Thus, the auto industry has taken a great leap over the two decades and emerged as strong global market.

As per the President of Infiniti Johan de Nysschen, the company has renamed the cars because of the need of simplicity and consistency across its products range.  Infiniti will make use of the letter ‘Q’ on the nameplates of all the sedans, coupes and convertibles, whereas it will use ‘QX’ for the SUVs and crossovers. The company claims that the two digits suffix like ‘50’ in Q50 will determine the place of the vehicle in the product range. This means that the numbers will no longer describe the displacement of the vehicle’s engine like before. So, the 2014 Infiniti Q50 auto engine may not have the displacement ending with ‘50’ or something similar.

Vehicle will get their badges deployed the moment they get confirmed to join the 2014 Infiniti line-up. So, they will carry ‘Q’ and ‘QX’ badge after getting confirmed for 2014 line-up. The renamed line-up for 2014 will be:

• 2014 Infiniti Q50 instead of G sedan
• 2014 Infiniti Q60 instead of G coupe/convertible
• 2014 Infiniti Q70 instead of M sedan
• 2014 Infiniti QX50 replacing EX crossover
• 2014 Infiniti QX60 replacing JX crossover
• 2014 Infiniti QX70 replacing FX sport-ute
• 2014 Infiniti QX80 instead of QX sport-ute

This naming system has been adopted due to two reasons:

• Infiniti has many engines ranges to offer for global markets and these ranges aren’t being addressed as per current framework.
• This renaming will solve the marketing problems arising due to imminent downsizing of engines across the range.

However, many may be wondering why the company is using letter ‘Q’ only. On this, Mr. de Nysschen insisted that Infiniti owns Q. He said that ‘Q’ highlights performance of the Infiniti reminding the car enthusiasts about the first Infiniti – the Q45. This Q45 Infiniti was introduced in the year 1989. The Infiniti Q45 was highly appreciated piece of engineering and aesthetics in its time. However, it could not attract too many buyers.

Coming back to new Infiniti Q50, it will be interesting to see how it fairs in the market after its launch next year. Also, it will determine whether the renaming has actually favoured the Infiniti brand like it has for Cadillac or will it work against the brand.

]]> http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/car-news/infiniti-vehicles-to-bear-q-on-nameplates/feed/ 0 http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/car-news/toyota-to-lead-auto-industry-gm-versus-vw-for-second-position-in-2012/ http://www.ttcars.net/blog/2012/car-news/toyota-to-lead-auto-industry-gm-versus-vw-for-second-position-in-2012/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:50:19 +0000 admin http://www.ttcars.net/blog/?p=678 Toyota Motor Corp is all set to hold the title of world’s biggest auto maker for the 2012, while the other two auto giants Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. are having fist fight to conquer the second position.

According to the LMC Automotive estimates, the global sales for 2012 will touch the mark of 80 million cars and trucks for the first time in the history of the industry due to healthy vehicle sales in US and Japan balancing the decline in sales in European countries. Toyota is recovering from the 2011 tsunami in Japan to regain the title of being the biggest auto maker, while the GM and VW are close to end the year with the difference of less than 1% to finally stand second auto maker globally.

All the three auto giants received gains from the light vehicle market in US, which is heading to offer gains consecutively for three years followed by its collapse in 2009. On top of this, the vehicle sales in US are expected to rise again in the coming year.
LMC has forecasted that Volkswagen will increase its production capacity up to 600,000 units in 2013, which would be around the capacity of GM and Toyota combined. VW is also positive about the China market. The company aims at becoming the global leader in vehicle sales by 2018.

“We have a three-horse race for the rest of our forecast through 2019, with everyone kind of bouncing around and changing positions,” said Mr. Jeff Schuster, Senior Vice President of forecasting at Troy, LMC (Michigan). So, we can expect tight competition between these three auto makers in future.

Considering the sales through first three quarters using the sales counting methods of automakers, Toyota is the clear leader with 7.4 million units sold, followed by GM with 6.95 million units and then, Volkswagen (including Porsche AG) with 6.9 million units sold.
Toyota has recovered in Japan through November with the auto sales rising up to 31% in the first 11 months driven by the support of government incentives. On the other hand, GM has strengthened its position in US market by registering increase in sales there. Similarly, VW has witnessed 20% rise in sales of the automobiles through November in China.

Toyota is leading in global sales mainly because of the recovery from the last year’s tsunami that had victimised many of the brands customers. However, the sales have started picking up in Japan with the support of great dealership support. “Now our business is back to normal and the sales volume is almost back to the level of pre-disaster,” said Madoka Suzuki, a manager for Netz Toyota Sendai in Ishinomaki, Japan. The dealership normally sells around 550 popular vehicle model like Prius, Aqua and Vitz each year.

Also, Toyota has gained 29% in the US through November and around 41% in Japan through October. Gm posted increase in sales of the vehicle by 2.5% in its first 9 months as compared to last year. Moreover, it is heading to have the best year in sales globally since 2007, during which it sold 9.37 million units. Besides this, its sales rose by 3.5% during November and over 10% in China balancing the decline by 12.5% in Europe.

Similarly, VW has already surpassed its 2011 record of selling 8.36 million cars and trucks through November. Its sales increased by 31% in US during November. The company is also expecting its sales to rise in China next year, whereas the sales of Toyota may not increase at great speed in china due to dispute between Japan and China.
Currently, both the auto makers, Toyota and VW, are looking forward to reach the 10 million sales mark in future. And if the auto industry will grow at this pace, then the other related industries will also grow. The expert manufacturer of car maintenance devices, accessories and other relevant components will also see rise in their profitability.

The concept car has been astoundingly designed giving a tough fight to even the current models of compact cars from BMW. The video flaunts the coupe’s exterior, interior and its other components in detail.

This BMW is a daring compact car than the auto maker’s previous cars at least the concept version. However, the execution of the car would really make a great topic to argue. Leaving it aside, it is significant to appreciate the large glass areas and light coloured interior scheme along with the well crafted cabin that looks futuristic as compared to current electric cars. The best part of all is that the luxury car maker BMW has declared of making the production version similar to the latest concept.

2013 BMW i3 is expected to come equipped with a lithium-ion battery from an expert supplier of car battery featuring charging time of 6 hours on 240V or quick charge function of 80% battery within 30 minutes. Besides this, the ConnectedDrive infotainment system is capable of helping you with the detailed information about the nearby charging stations and most efficient route to travel to a particular destiny. A function named Eco Pro or Eco Pro Plus mode can also be accessed through infotainment system to increase the range of the car by changing its setting relating to responses and energy.

With carbon body cell and four seats for passengers, this car boasts a steering wheel mounted drive controls, renewable dashboard wood, naturally tanned leather and other good quality plastic material in the cabin.

Thus, the BMW i3 Concept Coupe seems to be a great electronic machine that can drive the street mad with its looks and amazing features at least in the video.

The company announced that a part in the ignition interlock could be worn resulting into roll away as it allows the removal of the key even when the transmission lever of the vehicle has not been shifted to parking mode. “If the transmission is not in park and the parking brake is not set, the vehicle could roll away and a crash could occur,” the company stated.

The car maker said that the 318,000 Odyssey minivans and 259,000 Pilot crossovers from the 2003-2004 model years are likely to get affected by the recall. Also, the 230,000 Acura MDX crossovers from the 2003-2006 model years are likely to be recalled. The recall will also include the 64,000 Honda cars manufactured outside the United States.

In October, the safety investigators in U.S. opened a probe into the Odyssey and Pilot from the 2003-2004 model years on receiving complaints related to the ignition switch from 43 consumers. The complaints included reports of injuries in some cases.

In fact, there are complaints alleging that few Honda vehicles had rolled away and stopped only after hitting some objects like parked cars, a tree, fences and a mailbox, as per the reports of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA also said that a consumer was being knocked down and run over to finally sustain a fractured fibula while attempting to stop a 2003 Odyssey from rolling. American Honda has announced that it will start sending the notices for recall of the vehicle to the owners in February.