Nissan is preparing its “Second Life” project, aimed at combining batteries used in its LEAF with a power plant in Melilla, Spain, operated by electricity supplier Enel Group, in order to enhance grid stability in an isolated network.
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Pras Subramanian. They kick things off by talking about driving the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and Porsche Taycan. In this week's news, they discuss the production reveal of the 2023 Acura Integra, Tesla's latest price hike, and Ford leaving the rear climate controls out of Explorers due to the chip shortage. Finally, they talk about the current state of affairs at Stellantis as the company plays catch-up with electric vehicles.
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As standard, the Toyota GR Yaris pumps out 257 hp in European specification or 268 hp in markets including Japan and Australia. This is a lot of power from a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder but as it turns out, the engine can handle much more than that.
Several automakers from Japan and from all over the world have turned to synthetic fuels in a quest to keep internal combustion engines alive in the zero-emission era, with Subaru being amongst them. The Japanese company announced its participation in the Super Taikyu Series 2022 in Japan with a specially modified BRZ using carbon-neutral fuel.
Every year spawns a new Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series model, and 2022 is no exception. You're looking at the latest LC 500 Inspiration Series here, and this one features a subtle (model exclusive) Iridium exterior paint option.
The yellow, green and blue special edition model options in years past were certainly more enticing than this one, but don't think this Inspiration Series is entirely dull. If you opt for the Convertible instead of the coupe, Lexus pairs a Dark Rose fabric soft top with the Iridium paint that looks lovely. This LC also features unique 21-inch wheels that were "3D machined," a Lexus first. They are two-tone in appearance, featuring both bright and dark elements.
TOKYO - Japanese manufacturers began restarting production at plants in the country's quake-hit northeast, but Toyota Motor Corp said it plans to idle 18 assembly lines for a few days next week due to a shortage of parts from suppliers.
It had suspended operations at three factories due to the quake and sees lost production of 20,000 units due to the stoppages. Toyota has already cut its global production target due to the ongoing chip shortage.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is a competent SUV that's still trying to shed the stigma of the company's post-Evo doldrums. To give shoppers a reason to take a second glance, Mitsubishi has just introduced the new-for-2022 Outlander Black Edition, a trim package that, albeit largely cosmetic, adds a hint of sinister flair to its unique sheetmetal.
The Black Edition builds off of the Outlander SE grade, and as such can be ordered with either drivetrain, front-wheel-drive or in Mitsubishi's Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel-drive. From there, it adds popular features like dual-zone climate control and a panoramic roof. Propulsion comes from the standard 2.5-liter inline-four mated to a continuously variable transmission.
In order to demonstrate the advantages of its electric all-wheel-drive technology, Nissan miniaturized its e-4ORCE system and put it in an RC car. With an onboard camera, a virtual driver’s seat, and a figure-eight course with slippery surfaces to test it on, the Japanese automaker will be showing off the system’s advantages to the public.
Acura says that customers placing reservations for the 2023 Integra are overwhelmingly choosing the manual transmission over the standard CVT, with a take rate currently hovering above 70%. While this certainly bodes well for the early model mix, it remains to be seen just how well the 6MT Integra will sell over the course of its projected lifespan.
Fun Fact: 2023 Integra reservations are trending over 70% 6MT! For historical context, the MT was around 50% of sales (‘86-‘01). pic.twitter.com/G1tSVJuxQ3
TOKYO — Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp, Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd, Sony Group Corp and other precision parts makers halted some operations on Thursday after an earthquake jolted the country's northeast, the latest blow to the global supply chain.
Even as Japan's dominance of consumer electronics had faded, manufacturers have carved out a world-leading niche in highly specialised components such as Murata's ceramic capacitors and Sony's image sensors.
The production version of Acura’s new Integra has arrived, and ahead of its release this spring, reviewers have given us a detailed look at the car inside and out.
TOKYO — Toyota is cutting its global production target in April to 750,000 vehicles, down 150,000 from an earlier plan, the automaker said on Thursday, as a semiconductor shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic bite into its plans.
The news comes about a week after Toyota said it would scale back domestic production by up to 20% during the months of April, May and June to ease the strain on suppliers battling shortages of chips and other parts.
Kawasaki unveiled a robotic ibex (a species of wild goat) at its display at the iREX robot trade show in Japan last week. And as you can see in a recent video posted to YouTube, it’s big enough for an adult human to ride on.
In case you missed the news last week, an STI version of the new Subaru WRX will not be produced. As most pundits thought a new STI was an inevitability, this news came as quite a shock but we now have some further information explaining why this is the case.