Toyota's Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car Coming to U.S. in 2015

Toyota today revealed the exterior design of its hydrogen fuel-cell sedan, expected to launch in the U.S. and Europe next summer.

Toyota unveiled the concept car at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, and today gave the media a full look at its finalized design.

The vehicle will hit Japanese lots before April, priced at around 7 million yen ($68,660). Initial sales will be limited to those regions where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is available.

Toyota has been developing fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) in-house for more than 20 years, following three principles for environmentally friendly automobiles: embrace diverse energy sources, develop efficient, low-emission vehicles, and drive change by popularizing these cars. Nextcar Bug artHydrogen is a particularly promising alternative fuel, according to Toyota, thanks to its easy accessibility via solar and wind power, not to mention the fact that, when compressed, it boasts a higher energy density than batteries, and is easier to store and transport. The Japan-based manufacturing giant has made great strides since it began leasing a fuel-cell hybrid SUV (Toyota FCHV) in 2002. The sedan revealed today, for instance, features performance similar to that of a gasoline-engine vehicle, with a cruising range of 700 km (435 miles) and a refueling time of about three minutes. To boot, the running vehicle emits only the water vapor produced by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, which generates the electricity to power the vehicle.

Toyota has been eyeing the sale of electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells since early this year. In January, the car maker showcased two demo FCVs at the Consumer Electronics Show—including the blue four-door sedan that was officially unveiled today. This isn't Toyota's only hydrogen-related effort, though. The company is also testing fuel cells for use in homes, as well as developing fuel-cell-based forklifts and buses.

Take a closer look at Toyota's yet-unnamed fuel-cell vehicle in the video below. Earlier this month, Hyundai debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle in the United States. The carmaker handed the keys over to California resident Timothy Bush, who will pay $499 per month to drive the green vehicle. See original article.

2015 Toyota Camry 2.0 turbo could add some zest to the company's leading seller

Toyota has confirmed both a new Camry design, and separately, a new 2.0 liter turbocharged engine in the Lexus family. This is could be a match made in heaven.

Automakers in the US market struggle to make space between their models and the 2015 Toyota Camry will be no different. Luckily for Toyota its Camry is front wheel drive and its similarly sized Lexus models are rear, or all-wheel drive. When it arrives late fall the new Camry will have a dashing new design crafted after the new Corolla and new Avalon, both of which saw sales gains after the styling changes were applied. However, Toyota has not (yet) announced any new engines for the Camry. That could soon change.

New Turbo Engine First Appears this Fall In Lexus
In just a few short months the 2015 Lexus NX 200t compact/mid-size crossover will begin sales in the US market. This vehicle will be the first in the Toyota/Lexus/Scion to use the company’s new 4-cylinder, 2.0 liter turbocharged engine. Toyota and Lexus executives have made it no secret that the engine will eventually migrate to other models and brands in the family. This new engine in the Toyota Camry would fill a need the company has recently created.

New Trims Already Announced In 2015 Camry
The 2015 Toyota Camry will have a new model trim that combines the popular sporty look of the SE and the plush and powerful XLE with its available V6 engine. Called XSE, the trim will provide customers with an option for both sporty looks and comfort. However, this leaves space for a dedicated sporty Camry that does not intrude on the Lexus IS line of rear-drive, V6 compact sport sedans. If Toyota were to offer a new trim level with the Camry SE looks and turbocharged engine, the model might stand alone well in the line-up.

Camry Turbo Could Be a Great Family Addition
A Camry SE turbo in 2015 or 2016, priced below the V6 XSE, might draw in customers from the Scion family looking to step up to a family car, but not give up driving excitement. If the 2.0 Turbo Camry has better fuel efficiency than the current V6, and we assume it would, the car could make sense economically as well as stylistically.

Torque News is scheduled to drive the new NX 200t crossover in July and we will issue a full report. Our full attention will be on the NX, but we will try to also consider our impressions of this new high-toque engine and its possible applications in Toyota’s most popular vehicle.

Toyota Considers Building an Actual Hover Car

 
 ^^ A concept model of Toyota's fuel cell vehicle at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, Nevada.


It's not exactly The Jetsons, but it's close.
Toyota's managing officer Hiroyoshi Yoshiki said at Bloomberg's Next Big Thing conference in Sausalito, California on Tuesday that the company may build a hover car in the future.

The reasoning behind the concept is that a hover car would combat road friction and enhance efficiency, Yoshiki said. He didn't elaborate on what fuel source would power the vehicle.
Although no solid plans have been made to build a prototype, the concept has been bandied about among Toyota's research and development teams, he added.
The news comes nearly six months after Toyota first announced at the 2014 International CES that its fuel cell vehicle electric concept car will hit the market in 2015.

See original article here. 

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.

The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.

According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.

While the manufacturers have aimed to make improvements by 2020, that goal is part of a larger, 10-year road map, which aims to improve the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines to 50 percent. Currently, thermal efficiency in gas engines is at 39 percent while diesel is at 42.

The actual targets of improvements will be quite different based on the type of engine. Diesel mills, traditionally a weak point for Japanese manufacturers, will see a focus on reducing NOX emissions and particulate matter, while gas engines will aim for more complete combustion cycles while reducing knock.

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