Hot Cars

Public Debut For New Toyota Auris At The Bologna Motor Show

The new Toyota Auris makes its European debut this week at the Bologna motor show in Italy, ahead of UK sales starting on 1 February next year. Designed and built in Europe, the new C-segment family hatchback marks significant advances in dynamic ability, interior style and practicality and safety.

The unveiling of the production model follows the presentation of Toyota’s Auris Space Concept at the Paris motor show earlier this year. Full details of UK specifications and pricing will be announced closer to the model’s on-sale date.

New Chassis

Auris is built on an all-new platform and is larger in every dimension than the Toyota Corolla. A special focus on reducing NVH characteristics make it one of the quietest cars in its class, with strengthening of the underbody reducing boom and road noise and efficient aerodynamics cutting the level of wind noise.

Suspension and Steering

New suspension systems have been developed for the Auris with an L-arm MacPherson strut arrangement at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.

In line with its position as the performance flagship of the range, the Auris D-4D 180 makes exclusive use of a new double wishbone rear suspension and rear anti-roll bar for more dynamic driving character.

All versions of the Auris adopt Electric Power Steering (EPS), giving excellent response to driver inputs.

Interior Design

As witnessed in the Auris Space Concept, the designers have worked from the inside out, in order to make best use of the space available for storage points and passenger comfort. A key feature of their innovative approach is a striking bridge-shaped console that raises the gear lever higher on the dashboard, closer to the driver, and integrates the handbrake, creating more open space below.

Auris also adopts Toyota’s EasyFlat system that allows simple one-touch folding of the rear seats to create a larger, flat-floored load area. Boot capacity is 354 litres and the 10 storage areas around the cabin have a combined capacity of 32 litres.

Comfort for rear seat passengers is increased thanks to a larger couple distance between the front and rear seats than in the Corolla, giving extra legroom. Head and shoulder room are also better, due to the Auris’s greater cabin height. Clever design has also eliminated the tunnel carrying the exhaust system, giving a flat rear floor and thus more comfortable accommodation for any centre rear seat passenger.

Safety

The strong body structure uses Toyota’s MICS (Minimum Intrusion Cabin System) to provide effective challenging and absorption of impact forces away from the passenger cell in the event of an impact.

Up to nine airbags will be fitted, with a driver’s knee airbag provided as standard – a first-in-class feature. Active safety elements on all versions include ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), with higher grade models additionally equipped with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC) systems.

Engines and Transmissions

Auris will be launched with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines, with outputs ranging from 89bhp (90 DIN hp) for the 1.4-litre D-4D 90 to 175bhp (177 DIN hp) for the 2.2-litre D-4D 180.

The D-4D 180, already a star performer in the Avensis, RAV4 and Verso, endows Auris with a strong mixture of power, fuel efficiency and low emissions. Using Toyota’s D-CAT clean diesel technology, it achieves unmatched low levels of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, far below the levels set by Euro IV. Preliminary performance data show nought to 62mph acceleration takes 6.2 seconds and combined cycle fuel consumption is 45.6mpg.

Porsche Releases Initial Details and Photos Of 2008 Cayenne

Four years after their stunning debut in the world market, the next generation of the highly successful Porsche Cayenne and its Turbo and S variants will be seen for the first time at next month’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The trio of Porsche SUVs incorporates attractive new styling, enhanced engine performance, and innovative handling technology.

To increase power and torque, as well as fuel economy, the engines on all three new Cayenne models are equipped with direct gasoline injection, known at Porsche as Direct Fuel Injection (DFI). To improve the Cayenne’s already exceptional handling, directional stability, and ride comfort, an inventive new Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) is available as an option on each of the new SUVs.

More information on the new Porsche Cayenne, Cayenne S, and Cayenne Turbo will be available at the NAIAS Porsche press conference on January 8. Designated as 2008 models, the trio of new Porsche SUVs will arrive at North American Porsche dealerships in March of 2007.

New Bluetooth-friendly Fords Help Curb Illegal Phone Use

UK car and commercial vehicle bestseller, Ford, is leading road safety efforts to eliminate mobile phone misuse by offering Bluetooth hands-free technology on almost all of its latest cars and commercial vehicles.

This technology moves centre stage following a report by road safety charity Brake revealing that 34 per cent of motorists admit to phoning on a handheld mobile when driving. Laws banning conversations using a handheld phone while driving came into effect on December 1, 2003.

Ford has extended the automatically-activated Bluetooth technology to cover almost its entire range of vehicles including the 2007 Car of the Year, the Ford S-MAX, and the 2007 International Van of the Year, the Ford Transit.

Other Bluetooth-enabled Ford models boasting this safety-enhancing, hands-free feature are the Fiesta, Fusion, Focus, Focus
C-MAX, Mondeo and Galaxy.

With Bluetooth already standard on most handsets, connection to the vehicle’s integrated system is automatic – with no need for extra wiring or unsightly adaptors. An incoming call on the journey prompts the radio or CD to mute and the call is taken wirelessly using the vehicle’s audio speakers and in-built microphone.

Roelant de Waard, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: “This research data highlights that Bluetooth is both an effective road safety technology, and one that helps to prevent our customers from breaking the law.

Working alongside Bluetooth, voice activation also enables Ford drivers to give spoken instructions to perform a number of different functions in the car, which means less distraction for drivers on today’s busy roads.”

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