Posts tagged: hybrid cars

Lexus LFA – An Outstanding Car

By Danny Green, July 13, 2010 9:37 am

Lexus LFA has successfully carried the Lexus badge, beyond the boundaries of technologies, materials and engineering. A dedicated and a passionate team of professionals have introduced a superb vehicle with the aim to deliver a supreme driving experience. They have manufactured a driver -oriented car ever produced.

Lexus is limiting production to 500 examples, and has added to the exclusivity ratio with an asking price of 375,000. However, what is most impressive is the design itself. At first glance, the car is simply stunning.

The V10 engine produces 480Nm of torque at 6,800rpm through the Dual VVT-i technology. This is achieved through the 12-hole fuel injectors. This enables the car to take a speed from zero to 62kmph within 3.7 seconds. It has a purpose-designed six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG), a transmission system, to drive the rear wheels through the limited slip differential. It is fixed in transaxle mount over the rear axle. It maintains the front-to-rear weight distribution.

The bespoke engine delivers scintillating performance. Smooth running is achieved through the 72-degree angle between the cylinder heads. Each cylinder gives an excellent throttle response by providing electronically controlled throttle bodies. The engine being compact weighs as much as the conventional V6 engine.

The driver can select between four driving modes; sport, wet, normal, and automatic. The Lexus LFA is completely different from the other luxury cars made by Lexus. It is a low slung, super car. Everything about the car has been carefully planned and assembled. The carbon fibre body, titanium, and aluminium parts in the engine, and the low centre of gravity make the LFA a truly astounding car.

The LFA is equipped with lever paddles behind the steering wheel. Whit this kind of instantaneous response available, you must take care, and avoid revving the engine, as it will most certainly cause tire spin.

The six-speed robotised manual gearbox is somewhat of a standard considering the peers of the car, and there are few complaints about its performance on the track, or when pushed hard. Problems arise at low speeds, when the robotised clutch slips and bangs around. Shifting from reverse to first gears involves going through neutral in each direction, so manoeuvring into a parking bay can be tiresome.

This Lexus was not built for a car park. Open it up round the Nrburgring grand prix track and you begin to realise exactly how astonishing it is. At 1.5 tonnes, it is not light, but it feels like a featherweight around the tight turns, and stately swoops of the circuit.

Discover more about the Lexus LFA cars, visit the Lexus website for more information.

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The New Lexus LFA

The new Lexus LFA is a spectacular arrival in the F portfolio of the Lexus high performance models. It has revolutionised the meaning of supercar for the 21st century. The new arrival aims to provide customers with enlightened moments and a superb driving experience. This uncompromised goal has been achieved by a dedicated and passionate team of engineers.

The new Lexus LFA is a rear wheel drive, passionately designed to give a high throughput. It utilises a high-revving 4.8-liter V10 engine that generates 552 hp and 354 lb-ft (480Nm) of torque for adrenaline-fuelled 202 mph (325km/h) performance. It offers a perfect driver control with its unique powerplant, joined to a unique six-speed and Automated Sequential Gearbox (ASG) with paddle shifters. The gearbox is located in a transaxle layout over the rear axle. It is essential for the front-to-rear weight distribution.

Only five hundred Lexus LFA cars will be produced and twenty cars will be manufactured each month. The first Lexus LFA is scheduled to be rolled out in December 2010. The Lexus sales-team has already started booking orders from a selective group of customers. The approximate price of the Lexus LFA in the UK will be 336,000.

The Lexus LFA will compete with the Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari F430 and the Porsche 911. The V-10 engine will have 4.8-litre capacity. The engine has been constructed using aluminium and titanium. The engine redlines at 9000 rpm and the fuel cuts off at 9500 rpm. When the Lexus LFA revs, it sounds like a Formula-One car. However, the Lexus engineers have ensured that there is minimum engine vibration and the engine is highly reliable. The top speed of the Lexus LFA will be 202 mph.

It is a driver friendly car. It has a driver seat near the centre of gravity of the car. The seat is adjusted between the front and rear axle. This placement is aimed to provide maximum-car-to-driver feedback. It is very effective under sport and high G-force driving conditions. It features Track-sized high-performance (Carbon Ceramic) CCM brake discs and electronically controlled braking system for generating ultra-powerful, yet stable braking.

It offers four driving modes; Auto, Sport, Normal and Wet. It features heavy-duty synchroniser rings and newly developed gearshift actuator, which facilitates very direct shift feel. Moreover, it possesses seven-stage shift-speed selector that gives a speed up-shift within 0.2 seconds. Thus, the car manages to provide a higher level of driving control.

The Lexus LFA will be offered to customers in twenty eight colour choices for the body and three for the alloy wheels. The interior of the LFA has carbon fibre, leather, alcantara and metallic surfaces. Two bucket seats, a remote touch controller and a 12-speaker Mark Levinson sound system are installed in the cabin. The instrument display is digital and the background colour changes automatically. The LFA has a new seatbelt and airbag design for the driver and the passengers.

The interior of the car combines the state of art instrument panel design and latest technology. Its interior is divided into three zones; mechanical zone, human zone and the driver zone. The dashboard caters many things including LCD screen in the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster has a digital speedometer with side appearing side menus. The interior offers a comfortable drive through its side-air-bags. The car ensures security with its Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) system. This system makes you aware of the potential collision. Thus, the new Lexus LFA offers a comfortable and safe driving experience.

Discover more about the Lexus LFA cars, visit the Lexus website for more information.

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The Ultimate Lexus LFA

By Danny Green, June 9, 2010 9:33 am

Lexus exhibited the LFA concept car at the Detroit motor show and since then, car admirers and super car lovers have been anxiously waiting for Lexus to announce when the LFA would go into production. Well, the waiting is at last over and the first cars are to be delivered to customers in December 2010. Lexus started booking orders at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. The Lexus LFA development team has spent ten years in designing and building this super car.

With its supreme driving experience, the new Lexus LFA is a supreme supercar and has the privilege of being the one of its kind in the market. The characteristic that makes it so appealing is the driving experience which is simply exhilarating. The car has a lightweight construction, which comes from the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic that is used for it. This technique used in the construction of the car’s body serves the requirement of keeping the weight of the car to a minimum.

To mark its 20th anniversary in 2009, Lexus announced the production of LFA supercar on The Tokyo Motor show. Orders were started to be taken from 23rd October 2009. It had an estimate cost of $375,000 USD and allowed people to make their own custom interior and exterior configurations on the website of Lexus online allowing them to make almost 30 billion configurations.

The LFA engine redlines at 9,000 rpm and it takes 0.6 seconds to do it. The crazy speed of the crank cannot be measured by a conventional analog revolution counter so a digital counter had to be used.

The car carries a six speed, automated, sequential gearbox and gives the user an option to decide between four different modes: auto, normal, sport and wet.

The chassis of the car is made from Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), with central aluminium front and having rear sub-frames. Hence 65% of the chassis is CFRP material while 35% is aluminium giving it a really light weight. A rear transaxle is used to maintain an idyllic weight distribution.

The production Lexus LFA has an overall length of 177.4 inches, its wheelbase measures 102.6 inches, with a height of 48 inches and width of 74.6 inches. If we compare this to the previous 2007 concept, the production model is nearly 2 inches longer but with identical width, height, and same wheelbase dimensions. The exterior has sharp edges to give a nice aerodynamic performance- much better than even the previous ones.

The Lexus LFA has another great feature for the car enthusiasts. When the assembly and functional checks of the LFA are completed, each LFA is going to be affixed with a placard that is going to show the build sequence. Considering that there are going to be a limited five hundred units produced, this is a great attribute.

Discover more about the Lexus LFA cars, visit the Lexus website for more information.

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Life Cycle Of Hybrid Cars

By Danny Green, June 6, 2010 9:48 am

Life cycle is basically the time from the manufacture of a product to its recycling or disposal. The car is manufactured at a production plant where raw materials, recycled materials and components are manipulated to produce a car that is ready to be driven. It is very important to consider the life cycle a product when designing and manufacturing it.

The life cycle of hybrid cars depends on the technology used; whether the car is a full hybrid or a mild hybrid. A full hybrid utilizes the electric motor power to deliver power at low speed, like in city driving. At a higher speed, the petrol engine kicks in and takes over. It is like employing a different power source when cruising.

The hybrid vehicles use dual source of energy to operate which makes them highly environment friendly. They emit substantially less pollutants into the air in comparison to gasoline-operated cars. The amount of pollutants and harmful emissions is half when compared to conventional automobiles. The cost of purchasing a hybrid car is higher than conventional cars. But when you consider the overall expense of buying a car, a hybrid car will prove to be more economical.

According to a Lifecycle analysis of gas, hybrid and electric cars done by Sam Abuelsamid, the battery powered cars are more energy intensive to build than gas or hybrid cars. The primary reason for this is the cost of producing the batteries.

One of the major things that people want to know about hybrid cars is their life cycle. The major source of power in the hybrid cars is it battery, therefore, you need to know about the type of batteries available and their positive and negative aspects. The life cycle of hybrid cars partially depends upon the lifecycle of its batteries.

The costs of the battery in a hybrid car are a major part of its premium. There are many types of batteries available to be used for the hybrid cars; however, you will have to select the one which is most suitable for you. The most common types of batteries used in a hybrid car are Nickel-Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion, and Zinc/Silver. These three types are beneficial for the high energy applications.

The life cycles span also encompasses the recycling and disposing. Toyota hybrid cars, for example, do have a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Each part of the battery including its precious metals, plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring is recycled. Toyota has also given a toll free number along with every battery to call for recycling and disposing information.

Thus, the life cycle of the hybrid cars is generally increased by installing new batteries. However, the biggest barrier in the hybrid cars is its high price, which has a greater part of the cost of the batteries used. Therefore, may be in near future, the price of these cars will become reasonable so that they can be bought by more people.

Discover more about Lexus Hybrid Cars, visit the Lexus website for more information and to book a test drive.

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What Makes Lexus IS 250c Special?

By Danny Green, May 10, 2010 10:41 am

When we think of Lexus IS 250C as a special car, the fact remain undoubtedly true that this convertible car has released a breath of fresh air in the open car market sector. The dominant headlights, the large air dam, the tapered frond windscreen and refined side skirts tend to allure anyone towards it.

Lexus IS 250c is one of the most reliable cars available in the market. Many people buy this car just because of this reliability factor as they know that Lexus brand will never let them down. It is a status symbol for the elite, and you really feel the difference.

The inside design of this convertible is also based on the superior, comfortable and innovative interior of the Saloon. The seating in the car is very comfortable as it has a lot of leg space for four people including the driver. In addition, it also increases open-handed luggage space. The convertible has complete entertainment, providing LCD touch screen audio player with multiple connectivity ports along with a music library having 10 GB internal memory. This Lexus has employed a state of the art Navigation System, which has a memory of 40 GB, and withholds maps for the whole of Europe, along with voice identification functionality.

Hence, the IS 250C is rather a swift car, and when it is driven at a high speed, one can hit the road quite promptly. Therefore, the Lexus sector of the Toyota Company has made sure the production of a relaxing, stylish and speedy vehicle. It is further facilitated with a six-speed multi-mode of intelligent automatic transmission that claims a sequential shift and therefore, either employs an S-mode gate shift lever or the paddles on the steering wheel.

Lexus IS 250c has a remarkable reputation for its customer services. They make you feel like you are their only priority and are available any day and at any time to answer your queries and satisfy your questions. They surely know how to pamper their customers to make them their life time customers.

The interior of the car can be judged with regard to its driving position and seat comfort. Luxuries inside the car are highly sumptuous. The climate can be easily controlled. There is a rear outlet for both the occupant to jump in easily. The wing mirrors tend to automatically fold inwards as soon as the key is switched on.

Lexus IS 250 is an extremely comfortable car, which has a pleasurable drive. The drivers as well as the passengers do not feel tired or exhausted after a long drive and can enjoy the true essence of a sports car.

If you really want to pursue a worth remembering journey and an exciting thrilling experience, the Lexus IS 250C convertible is probably the best option for you that will just suffice to your need.

For more information about the Lexus IS 250c range, visit the Lexus website.

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