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| Ferrari Prez Pissed About Smaller Engines for F1 Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:24 AM PST
Speaking to German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Montezemolo said "It's not for a sport in which we once had twelve-cylinder engines. Four cylinders is not F1. We are not going to build four-cylinder engines for our road cars just because we now need them for F1, [and] for the top class of racing it sounds a bit pathetic.” Back in December, the World Motor Sport Council approved a plan that mandates the engine change by 2013. The current rules stipulate the use of 2.4 liter, naturally-aspirated V8 engines, and have been in place by 2006. So by 2013, these engines will have been seeing duty for over a half-dozen years. The new 1.6 liter turbo engines will be paired with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS. This hybrid system stores energy from braking, spinning a flywheel. When the driver hits a button, they unleash that built-up power for a boost of speed for a quick passing maneuver. What’s so bad about that? In fact, if you look at F1's history, every five to ten years the engine rules change, going up, down, naturally aspirated, supercharged, turbocharged., pretty much every engine combo you can think of. The drop in displacement to 1.6 liters shouldn't surprise anybody. It isn't even the smallest engines F1 has ever used. Back in 1961, F1 switched to using 1.5 liter naturally-aspirated engines, and while these engines took a while to mature, they ended up being the fastest single-seaters in Europe for their time. With the world rapidly changing, and more people becoming more concerned about emissions and fuel efficiency, this was a pretty obvious move. So I don't understand why Mr. Montezemolo is upset. Sure, Ferrari doesn't make any four-cylinder engines. Honda doesn't make any 2.8 liter V8 engines either, but that didn't stop them from racing. So to Mr. Montezemolo, I say quit complaining, and start engineering. You've got two years to come up with something. I suggest you get to work, and maybe read a history book while you’re at it. Source: Yahoo! Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
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| Toyota Thinks Prius will be the Best-Selling Car in America by 2020 Posted: 05 Jan 2011 07:33 AM PST
Toyota has not hidden the fact that it is working on a line of vehicles bearing the Prius name, including an upcoming MPV and possibly a crossover or coupe later on. The Prius is, by far, the best-selling hybrid vehicle in America and the rest of the world. Bob Carter, Toyota America's VP of Sales, told Automotive News that the Prius nameplate will be the #1 selling vehicle in the U.S. by the end of the decade. That's a pretty tall order to fill, and I'm extremely doubtful of Toyota's prospects. Why? First, let's look at some hard numbers. The top-selling vehicle in America, for the 34th-straight year, is the Ford F-series pickups, which sold over 528,000 trucks in 2010. Ford as a whole sold enough vehicles to regain the #2 spot in America from Toyota. In fact, Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) is the only company to have lost sales compared to the dismal sales of 2009. Not a good sign. Faltering sales aren't the only reason for Toyota to be worried though. They may have the world's best-selling hybrid, but one of the main reasons is that the Prius was the only game in town for a better part of the past decade. Not for long. The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are now being delivered to eager customers, and a lot of electric cars and hybrids from major automakers and start-ups alike will be hitting the road in the next five to ten years. People are going to have a lot more choices aside from the Prius, and even Toyota fans are looking outside of the brand after the past year’s debacles. Toyota's massive recalls and the still-unresolved unintended acceleration issue have lost it a lot of good will with its legion of loyal followers (the uninformed media hype didn't help either.) It isn't just Toyota's missteps that are costing it sales though; despite Detroit's bankruptcy woes, American buyers are feeling more patriotic in their automotive purchases and are giving Ford, GM, and even Chrysler more serious consideration than in previous years. American car sales are on the rise, and prospects look good. For all my doubts though, Prius sales are up. The Prius posted its best-ever December, moving over 15,000 units last month and over 140,000 total units for 2010, or 8% of Toyota’s total U.S. sales. That's a 0.9% increase over 2009, despite overall Toyota sales being down, and the Camry and Corolla still managed to take the 3rd and 5th best-selling vehicle positions for 2010, so Toyota is still sitting pretty with a lot of people. And with a Prius plug-in, MPV, and other vehicles on the way, I don't see Toyota having a problem holding on to the #1 hybrid sales position. But best-selling vehicle in America? That's a lofty branch Toyota is reaching for. Source: Automotive News Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
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