Toyota Hybrid Concept Electrifies NAIAS

Toyota FT-CH Hybrid Concept

When it comes to hybrid vehicles, Toyota easily leads the industry. The Toyota Prius is a runaway bestseller, while Lexus offers the only compact premium hybrid model on the market.

Toyota isn’t planning on stopping there, however. The Japanese automaker is looking at bringing out several new models over the next five years including plug-in hybrid, battery electric vehicles, and quite possibly the first production ready hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2015.

Toyota FT-CH Concept

On Monday at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Toyota introduced a concept which appears to offer a strong hint at where the automaker is heading. Designed and styled in Europe, the FT-CH is 22 inches shorter than the current Prius model, but within a hair breadth of its width. This is important because although the trend is toward smaller vehicles, encroaching on cabin space changes the pictures. With the FT-CH, Toyota can still offer adequate room while reducing overall weight and increasing fuel efficiency.

“Within the next 10 to 20 years, we will not only reach peak oil we will enter a period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president. “A century after the invention of the automobile, we must re-invent it with powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional petroleum fuels. One of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification of the automobile. By far, the single most successful example of this has been the gas-electric hybrid.”

New Technologies Emerging

Clearly, Toyota has no intention of completing abandoning gas-electric hybrids. Indeed, the FT-CH or something like it will feature a lithium-ion battery pack instead of the current nickel-cadmium battery pack found in today’s Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid, and other models. The FT-CH might also operate as a pure electric vehicle or Toyota could use the platform for hydrogen technology.

In any case, the FT-CH as the pictures demonstrate, offer some hints at where Toyota is going with its designs. Take note of the dash and the see through seats: these features are not currently found in any Toyota model!

Source: Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc.

GMC Granite: Urban Utility Vehicle

Concept GMC Granite: Urban Utility Vehicle

One of my chief complaints about GM’s restructuring is that the automaker got rid of Pontiac in favor of keeping GMC. Not that I have anything against GMC, but when Pontiac sells more cars than Buick and GMC, and the latter only offers Chevrolet Trucks at a higher trim level, then my perplexity is raised accordingly. Did GM get rid of the wrong brand? Couldn’t they have found a way to keep Pontiac along with Buick and GMC?

Well, what is done is done: GM is now marketing four brands as it unwinds or kills off four others. Cadillac, Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet are in, while Saturn, Saab, Hummer, and Pontiac are out or soon will be.

GMC Granite Concept

But there is a concept vehicle making the rounds of the auto show circuit beginning with the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, giving enthusiasts a hint of where GMC is headed as expressed in the compact Granite.

This vehicle, which appears ready to compete against various Scion models, the Nissan Cube, Kia Soul, and other urban utility vehicles offers a surprising, but refreshing change for the brand.

The Granite is boxy, invigorating, and unexpected, a model designed to help give GMC new meaning, by taking the brand in an important new direction. Two feet shorter than any GMC now on the market, the Granite won’t be mistaken for any other GM vehicle. And, if GM resists offering a similar version to Chevrolet, the Granite may be the start of something uniquely GMC.

Let’s hope so. Consumers have had enough of badge engineering.

“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,” said Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”

Easy to Maneuver

Sitting on a 103.6” wheelbase, which is about the size of the current Chevrolet Cobalt, the Granite is actually a foot shorter than the Chevy, allowing the car to maneuver with ease. Four doors which swing open French style make it entering and exiting easy, thanks also to no center pillar getting in the way.

20 inch wheels with Bridgestone tires, a sporty stance, and incorporating chiseled features found in vehicles of this class, help distinguish the Granite. The concept features the same 1.4L I4 engine planned for the Chevy Cruze and is paired with a six speed automatic transmission.

I can see a manny tranny option being especially important for this vehicle.

Will GM build the Granite? Perhaps. Give the car a chance to be shown at shows in Detroit, Chicago, and New York first, but if customer reaction is positive, expect GM to fast track the Granite into production.

Source: GM Corp.

NAIAS Takes Stroll Down Electric Avenue

I suggest that the people who run the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit hire musician Eddy Grant to launch next year’s show what with the “Electric Avenue” feature making its debut there in January.

Grant, whose “Electric Avenue” hit charted near the top of the US and UK charts in 1983 would probably get a kick out of opening the show. Or at least give people a reason to show up in Detroit in the middle of a cold winter.

Electric Avenue

The NAIAS describes Electric Avenue as being a 37,000 square foot feature located on the first floor of the Cobo Center. That showcase will shine the spotlight on electric vehicles and technology offered by the traditional automakers and innovative producers.

“Electric Avenue is going to be a unique feature of the 2010 NAIAS that will enable us to educate a diverse audience about the long-term viability of the auto industry using a subject that is top of mind globally these days,” said NAIAS Chairman Doug Fox. “Each year our show strives to provide an innovative approach to providing excitement. As one of the primary stops on the global show circuit we are able to draw key media and help exhibitors tell the short- and long-term strategies to a passionate audience of consumers and industry leaders.”

20 Vehicles

The NAIAS says that they have twenty vehicles which will be featured on Electric Avenue. Adjacent to the main stage, the auto show will offer symposiums and seminars related to vehicle electrification. No word whether that means that automakers will only feature their electric cars on Electric Avenue or whether they’ll reserve space within their own display areas to show off the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MEV and other products.

The NAIAS itself is experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks to the decision of Detroit area and state politicians to pour money into the decaying Cobo Center. That facility has long been the home of what was originally known as the Detroit Auto Show, but it hasn’t been able to keep up the times.

The monies being directed to the Cobo Center will expand and update the facility, a move which will allow it to continue hosting the NAIAS for years to come. Without the financial injection, the people running the NAIAS were prepared to leave Detroit, perhaps the entire Motown region, and set up their shop elsewhere.

Calling Eddy Grant!