Toyota Raises Its Game With “Direct And Smooth” Hybrid Powertrain

All of us here love electric cars, but car companies still build and sell millions upon millions of cars that run on fossil fuels, at least most of the time. Toyota now says it is going to turn its focus to electric cars, but in the meantime it is still working hard to make its conventional and hybrid cars more efficient with lower pollution levels.

Key to that objective is its “Direct & Smooth” powertrain program. Toyota claims the changes it plans will reduce total emissions from all the cars it builds by 15% in the year 2021. Most of the improvements will be incorporated into cars built on the company’s latest Toyota New Global Architecture platform. The company says its latest family of engines will feature technology that improves the speed of combustion, resulting in about a 20% increase in fuel economy.

The first of Toyota’s new family of internal combustion “Dynamic Force Engines” will be a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated, direct injection, inline four cylinder version. Toyota claims the new engine is one of the world’s most thermally efficient — 40% when used in gasoline powered models and 41% when paired with a hybrid system. That engine will debut in the Lexus NX and Toyota RV4 Hybrid.

Toyota also plans to update its hybrid powertrains, starting with the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime. That car will once again allow the electric motor to power the drive wheels directly in certain circumstances as well as being a generator to preserve battery power. A new CVT transmission that is smaller, lighter, and smoother is also part of that package. Battery size has been increased to give the Prius Prime an electric only range of at least 35 miles.

Transmissions have also received a great deal of attention. Toyota has designed two new torque converters that provide smoother acceleration. It also has come up with an 8 speed Direct Shift-8AT transmission for front wheel drive applications and a 10 speed Direct Shift-10AT transmission for rear wheel drive applications. Toyota claims the 10 speed unit has ultra-smooth gear changes that are among the world’s fastest. Toyota claims the new transmissions are more compact and lighter than comparative conventional transmissions.

All these improvements will result in a total of nine new engines, four new transmissions including a new kind of CVT, and 10 hybrid variants derived from six new hybrid systems. By 2021, Toyota expects the new drive technologies will be featured in at least 60% of all Toyota and Lexus vehicles sold in Japan, the United States, Europe, and China while reducing emissions by 15%.

Source: CarGuide  Photo credit: Toyota

2017 Chevrolet Spark first drive

2016 Chevrolet Spark, test drive outside Detroit, July 2016

The 2017 Chevrolet Spark is both the smallest and the least expensive car sold by Chevy in North America.

The Korean-made hatchback minicar isn't among the brand's top sellers—those would be its full-size pickup trucks and the Equinox compact crossover—but the previous generation found more than 30,000 buyers last year.

A new, second-generation 2016 Spark was launched midway through that model year, and Chevy now has information on the 2017 version on its website.

The new Spark has led to a modest uptick in sales, with 18,300 sold in the first six months of the year.

While we actually got our first drive in a 2016 model, the latest year is virtually unchanged, hence the title of this piece.

We liked the little Spark, although it's a very small car when you drive it in truck-heavy Midwestern traffic.

2017 Chevrolet Spark

Our drive was entirely in the suburbs of greater Detroit, on a mix of freeways—where speeds seem to be either 65 or 85 mph—and secondary suburban arteries and side streets.

On the highway, the car tracks well but can be buffeted by side winds or passing semis with trailers.

And it's not a fast car, with 0-to-60-mph acceleration of almost 11 seconds. That's slower than even older Toyota Prius models.

As a result, the only way to use a Spark in traffic is to drive the wheels off it, rather as Europeans do with tiny cars. Floor the pedal, and keep the engine roaring.

Our test car was fitted with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) option, as most Sparks sold here likely will be.

It was tuned for fuel efficiency, delivering EPA ratings of 35 mpg combined (for the 2016 model) versus 34 mpg combined for the manual version.

2016 Chevrolet Spark, test drive outside Detroit, July 2016

Note that for 2017, the ratings have fallen slightly, to 33 mpg combined for both versions—victims of a change to EPA ratings calculations that have trimmed rated fuel economy for many cars.

We suspect the manual-gearbox version, with a 5-speed as the standard fitting, would be more fun to drive, but we've not driven them side by side.

If you drive it energetically, the Spark will mostly keep up with average suburban traffic.

It will not, however, be remotely competitive either with the master of the universe in $800 sunglasses behind the wheel of his BMW or the harried suburban mom piloting a full-size SUV with one hand while talking on her cellphone with the other.

You will learn, in time, to stay somewhat clear of aggressively driven cars.

You may also silently pray that those drivers notice the little Spark, which at least is offered in a range of bright colors as well as the usual silver and white.

2016 Chevrolet Spark, 2015 New York Auto Show

One final note on power, or the lack of it: a humid, mid-90s day in suburban Detroit severely taxed out the Spark's air conditioning system.

By putting it on the max setting and pointing all the vents toward the driver, the car was tolerable if not icy cold.

But we're skeptical that it could keep up under the same circumstances with four adults in the car.

Those four adults, by the way, will actually fit in the car.

They will sit upright, and there will be some bargaining over knee room front to rear, but the Spark's tall profile and boxy shape offer a startling amount of room.

The rear cargo hold is minimal with the rear seat up, but we suspect most Sparks will be used largely by drivers alone.

Would we buy a Spark? Perhaps.

If we needed a very small car, but couldn't live with the two-seat Smart ForTwo or the substandard Mitsubishi Mirage, the Spark is a good choice.

But if small size and lowest-possible price weren't our prime drivers, we'd likely move up a step and look at subcompacts like the Honda Fit or the Chevy Sonic.

Your mileage may vary.

GM Wants To Be New Leader In Diesel Powertrains

GM thinks the Volkswagen diesel cheating scandal has left a vacuum in the marketplace — a vacuum it would be only too happy to fill. Speaking at the Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan last week, Dan Nicholson, GM’s vice president of global propulsion systems, said, “I am very optimistic about the diesel market in the U.S. It has been abandoned by others and we are happy to step in and be the leader. Frankly that’s what we’d like to do.”

Last month, Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, told Automotive News that his company won’t relaunch “clean diesel” as a core element of its brand identity in the U.S. He said Volkswagen will use diesels where they make sense until at least 2019. After that,  tougher emissions regulations will make the diesel engines extremely difficult to certify for sale in the US.

Nicholson disagrees. He said the upcoming standards will be tougher, but not impossible to meet. “I think the U.S. is one of the few diesel growth markets on the planet. There are a lot of diesel intenders and diesel-loyal people who are looking for a brand and vehicles to go after. They tend to be more tech savvy than the average customer. And they won’t stop wishing for a diesel. And we’ll go after those customers.” GM currently offers a diesel engine in its Colorado midsize pickup trucks.

Nicholson also said GM wants more continuously variable transmissions. “We’re relatively bullish on CVTs,” he said. “We’re optimistic about CVTs in the U.S. market for front-wheel-drive applications up to a certain weight level. You will see more of that from GM in the future.”

To go down that road, GM would have to decide whether to obtain CVTs for its cars from an outside supplier or build them itself. GM currently sells only one car with a CVT — the Chevrolet Spark. That transmission is supplied by Jatco, a subsidiary of Nissan Motor Co.

“We are happy with the product we are buying today,” said Nicholson. “It is enjoying good success in the marketplace. We usually look at make-versus-buy and volumes.” Nissan has switched all of its volume cars, including the midsize Maxima, to CVT. Honda has also been replacing its traditional automatics with CVTs.

Nicholson would not rule out the possibility of producing a CVT through a partnership with Ford Motor Co. The two companies have jointly developed a 10-speed automatic for rear-wheel-drive vehicles, and a nine-speed automatic for fwd cars and crossovers.

That fact alone should tell you how things have changed in the auto industry. For decades, Ford and General Motors refused to work together. It was an era when the “Not invented here” syndrome made sure there was little to no interchange of ideas between the two companies. Ford would not comment on the possibility.

Source: Automotive News

2016 Chevy Spark Redesign Brings It Up To Par, And Then Some

The 2016 Chevy Spark will be a completely redesigned car, Chevrolet says. Billed as a “city car,” the diminutive Spark will be manufactured in Korea and sold in 40 markets around the world. Profit margins may not be as high as for SUV’s but the Spark will likely be a volume leader for Chevrolet.

“At its core, the new Spark is still the fun, agile urban car that made the first-generation model so popular, but it delivers that fun driving experience with greater sophistication,” said Sam Basile, executive chief engineer. “And while it’s a truly global car, it is targeted for more developed vehicle markets, allowing engineers to focus more precisely on the materials and technologies that resonate with customers in those markets.”

The 2016 Chevy Spark will be 1.6 inches lower for improved aerodynamics and sit on a slightly longer wheelbase. Under the hood will be a new 1.4 liter, 98 horsepower, all aluminum engine which can be mated to either a manual transmission of a CVT. With the continuously variable unit, the car will return 40 miles per gallon in highway driving.

The new engine is 16% more powerful than the one that powers the present version of the car and features an integrated exhaust manifold for reduced weight. Although the Spark slots in at the bottom of the Chevrolet line-up, it will offer some of the same electronic safety features found on more expensive cars, including Side Blind Spot Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Alert. Chevy’s 7 inch color touch screen with MyLink connectivity is also available.

The 2016 Spark will go on sale in the US in the 4th quarter of 2015. The current car has a battery electric powertrain optional. There is no word yet on whether that system will be carried over to the updated car or will be offered solely on the existing car as a separate model.

Ford Considers Shifting To CVTs To Improve MPGs

Continuously Variable Transmissions have a checkered history in America, with some winners but a lot of losers in the early days. Now though, CVTs are becoming more commonplace, and Ford is considering rekindling its relationship with gearless transmissions as a means to improve fuel economy in non-hybrids, reports Automotive News.

Why the change of heart? Two reasons; the growing popularity of CVTs in cars like the Honda Accord Hybrid and Nissan Altima, and the need for an automatic transmission in the Ford Fiesta SFE equipped with the three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. If you want the award-winning three-banger, you can only get it with a manual transmission, and less than 5% of new cars sold in America come with a shift-for-yourself gearbox. It’s no doubt hurting sales of the fuel-sipping Fiesta, and Ford seems ready to give CVTs another try.

Not that Ford totally abandoned gearless transmissions, as all of its hybrid products come standard with a CVT on board. But the last non-hybrid Ford with a CVT was back in 2007, and the low-quality units killed customer enthusiasm for what is in many ways a superior piece of technology.

Those mourning the loss of traditional transmission take heart though, as Ford and GM are working on a nine-speed slushbox for multiple applications, including performance. But CVTs are slowly taking their place, and one day transmissions with gears might be just as rare as manuals.

Source: Gas2

Piaggio Launches Plug-in Bike at EICMA

Piaggio isn’t a well-known company in the US, but its scooter brand- Vespa- is one of the most well-known vehicle-makers anywhere on the planet. As such, I think it’s safe to say that Piaggio knows light, urban two-wheelers- and, last week, Piaggio launched an all-new, pedal-assist ebike to do battle with Ford, Smart, and others.

Piaggio- unlike Smart and Ford- developed its bike 100% in-house, and believes that its expertise in developing continuously variable transmissions for its scooters will give it the edge over its direct-drive competitors. The company calls this combination of CVT + electric motors “DEA”, for Dynamic Engine Assistance. Combined with a “300-ish” W motor developed in-house by Piaggio, bike offers an all-electric range of 40-60 miles, depending on conditions.

The bike also works with a riders smartphone to find the “easiest” route, the most battery-friendly route, or even the most “difficult” route, for those riders who … want to exercise as hard as possible, I guess? Something?

In any event, you can see some of the bike-related smartphone apps Piaggio has developed in the ebike’s EICMA promotional video, above, and let us know what you think of Piaggio’s latest human/electric hybrid in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Piaggio eBike | EICMA 2014

---

Source | Images: Piaggio, via TechVehi.

Forbidden Fruit: 2015 Suzuki Vitara Revealed

Suzuki stopped selling cars in North America after 2013. That was a shame, because the company’s SX4 really was mostly OK, and the AWD Kizashi was very much a budget Audi in the same way that Kia is now positioning itself to be. Still, the real reason Suzuki is missed over here is that the cars it sold overseas were always worlds better than the second-class-citizen stuff we got Stateside. That trend will continue into 2015, at least, with the launch of the all-new 2015 Suzuki Vitara shown here.

Like the updated, hydrogen fuel-cell Kizashi concept shown earlier this year, the new Vitara SUV is being built with a big nod towards efficiency, thanks to a frugal (yet, torquey) 1.6 liter direct-injected turbo diesel engine mated to a wide-spread CVT and lightweight construction. That power will be put to good use on or off-road, as well, thanks to Suzuki’s newly revised ALLGRIP 4WD system.

The company is promising that the new ALLGRIP will help the 2015 Suzuki Vitara live up to the grand tradition of off-road Suzukis that began with the original Jimny/Samurai back in the 1960s and continued on through the Pike’s Peak dominating Escudos driven by Monster Tajima in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Suzuki has plans to put the 2015 Vitara into production at their Magyar, Hungary factory early next year, with plans to export the vehicles built there to Russia, India, and China. JDM models will, it’s believed, continue to be built in Japan.

2015 Suzuki Vitara Teased

---

Sources | More Photos: Indian Autos Blog, Suzuki.

Honda begins 2015 Fit production at new plant in Mexico; plant designed exclusively for subcompacts

Honda continued the expansion of its manufacturing operations in North America with the production start of the redesigned 2015 Honda Fit at a new, automobile plant of Honda de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (HDM). The start-up of the Celaya Plant increases Honda’s annual automobile production capacity in North America to approximately 1.92 million units. In 2013, more than 90% of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the US were produced in North America; this is expected to exceed 95% when the Celaya plant reaches full capacity.

Located in Celaya, Guanajuato, the US$800-million plant began production less than two years after construction started in early 2012, and will employ 3,200 associates with an annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles and engines when it reaches full production later this year. In addition to the 2015 Honda Fit, the plant will begin production late this year of an all-new compact SUV.

The Celaya plant, designed exclusively for the production of subcompact vehicles, features a number of Honda’s most advanced manufacturing technologies—including several that were first introduced last year at Honda’s new Yorii Plant in Japan—to increase quality and efficiency and reduce the plant’s environmental footprint. Key technologies include:

• A high-speed servo stamping press and adoption of a high-speed die change process that increases the efficiency of the stamping process by approximately 40%.
• An all-new, highly efficient general welder system, which joins the vehicle body panels together, achieves a major reduction in the number of welding robots, while increasing the number of weld points for higher quality and efficiency.
• A new 3-coat/2-bake, water-based painting process (replacing the traditional 4-coat/3-bake process) to reduce energy consumption during the painting process by approximately 40%, while enhancing paint finish quality.
• A highly efficient production line intended to reduce the time and space for assembly processes, that includes a reduction in heavy-lifting processes for improved associate ergonomics, an increase of in-plant sub-assembly processes and new strategies that ensure both more efficient and more precise vehicle assembly.
• LED lighting was installed throughout the plant and vehicle yard to reduce energy usage.

Together with the new $470-million transmission plant now under construction at the same site in Celaya, the new auto plant will play a significant role in the region as Honda’s North American operations take on increasing responsibilities within global Honda for product development, production and sales activities. The new transmission plant in Celaya is expected to begin production of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) in the second half of 2015, with employment of approximately 1,500 associates.

The new plants will boost Honda’s capital investment in its North American operations to more than US$21 billion. Honda employs more than 33,000 associates in North America. Production operations related to automobiles also include four auto plants, two auto engine production facilities and two transmission plants in the United States, and two auto plants and an auto engine plant in Canada.

The Celaya Auto Plant is Honda de Mexico’s second auto plant. The first plant, located near Guadalajara, was established in El Salto, Jalisco in 1995.

2015 Fit. Honda unveiled the 2015 Fit and Fit Hybrid in Japan in September 2013; the 2015 Fit had its North American premiere at the North American International Auto Show in January.

The 2015 Fit marks the US debut of an all-new direct-injected 1.5-liter DOHC i-VTEC engine. Generating 130 horsepower (97 kW) at 6500 rpm and 114 lb-ft (155 N·m) of torque at 4600 rpm, engine output is increased by 13 horsepower and 8 lb-ft compared to the outgoing engine, while reducing weight and improving efficiency.

Paired to two new transmissions, a 6-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with available paddle shifters, the Fit powertrain is anticipated to have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 33 city/41 highway/36 mpg US combined (7.1, 5.7 and 6.5 l/100km) in the CVT-equipped models.

Complementing the new powertrain is a revised chassis that provides for improved handling, ride comfort and NVH. A more rigid body, new rear dampers and revised suspension geometry enhance the 2015 Fit’s ride quality and fun-to-drive handling characteristics.

The 2015 Fit benefits from the most extensive use of ultra-high strength steel in the model’s history, providing increased body stiffness while reducing platform (underbody and chassis) weight by 57 pounds (26 kg) versus the outgoing model.

Equipped with the next generation of the Honda Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, Honda anticipates the 2015 Fit will earn top safety scores from NHTSA and IIHS, including a NCAP 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score and a TOP SAFETY PICK rating with a GOOD rating in all IIHS test modes, including the rigorous small overlap barrier test.

The 2015 Fit will be manufactured for the first time in North America at the new Celaya plant.

Source: Green Car Congress