Full-court press on to build electric cars

While the end-date of an over-5,000-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar has some believing the world will experience apocalyptic events, automakers have their own set of fears for 2012.

In less than two years’ time, North American automakers will have to conform to a corporate fuel economy fleet average of 7.06 L/100 km (33.3 mpg) for cars, and 9.26 L (25.4 mpg) for trucks for its 2012 models.

But the real challenge comes in 2016. That’s when the regulations drop down to 6.22 L (37.8 mpg) and 8.17 L (28.8 mpg), respectively.

In preparation for their own doomsday, automakers like Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen recently announced plans to move ahead with fuel-efficient gasoline, electric hybrid and purely electric cars — whether anyone will buy them or not.

At the same time it’s launching its 2011 CR-Z Hybrid sports coupe into the Canadian market, Japan’s Honda has announced it will begin demonstration testing in the U.S. later this year of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Honda — a strong proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell cars — will release its EV in California first, and is considering manufacturing the current Insight hybrid and its two other hybrids in the U.S.

While Toyota is seen as a leader in hybrids, the Japanese automaker has been skeptical about EVs.

But that all changed in May when the automaker bought a US$50 million stake in California start-up Tesla Motors (maker of the Roadster EV) to develop electric cars. And now the two companies have signed an agreement to initiate the development of an EV iteration of the RAV4 compact crossover.

While the goal is to sell the RAV4 EV in the U.S. by 2012, prototypes will be made combining the Toyota model with a Tesla electric power train. Tesla plans to produce and deliver a fleet of prototypes to Toyota for evaluation within a year.

And finally Volkswagen, a long-time proponent of diesel as a fuel-saving solution, is also jumping on the electric bandwagon.

The German automaker plans on a range of hybrids and EVs that CEO Martin Winterkorn says will account for 3 per cent of the German automaker’s global sales by 2018.

VW has already confirmed that a hybrid version of the sixth-generation 2011 Jetta (that is arriving in Canada this fall) is on schedule for a 2012 launch date. And VW EVs are on the way as well.

An EV of its Lavida model will also be tested in China as preparation for a broader launch, while VW will test the second generation of its Golf TwinDrive, a plug-in hybrid that can run about 50 km on electric charge alone, in Berlin later this year.

Ford’s revving up

for more horsepower

At the 19th annual Ford Taurus SHO owners meet last week at Ford World Headquarters in Detroit, a pair of the automaker’s executives hinted at what’s expected for the next iteration of Ford’s sports sedan, due in 2013.

Essentially, expect more horsepower.

“The SHO is at the top (of Ford’s performance sedan lineup) and we’re going to keep it there,” Steve Ling, Ford’s North American car marketing manager told Autoblog

In referring to the current SHO’s numbers: “365 horsepower is good; 400 is better.”

As a swift luxury sedan, the current Ford Taurus SHO excels.

There’s plenty of room for five and their cargo, and it’s a quiet and cosseting ride. As a “performance” car, though, the full-size Ford is more SHO than go.

But if the next model adopts the same version of the car’s 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 that’s being developed for the full-size F-150 pickup, the SHO could become a serious threat to import sports sedans costing thousands of dollars more.

That F-Series version of the EcoBoost will more-than-likely make more torque than the SHO’s 350 lb-ft rating. And if the rumours of 400 hp for the F-150 mill become real, a more potent SHO looks to be in the cards.

Chinese car buyers

focus on luxury models

In the wake of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s largest new car market, and with no government mandated fuel economy or emissions regulations in sight, the Chinese new car buyer’s thirst for expensive, luxury cars is causing some German automakers to boost production worldwide.

“The Chinese appetite for German nameplates is absolutely bottomless,” Sascha Gommel, a Frankfurt-based analyst with Commerzbank AG, told Automotive News.

“There are more than 900,000 millionaires in China and many of them are bursting to show off their wealth.”

BMW, the world’s largest luxury automaker, has raised its 2010 forecast, predicting sales will rise about 10 per cent to more than 1.4 million vehicles, and plans to export to China 10,000 3 series vehicles built in Germany to meet additional demand.

Mercedes-Benz’s second-quarter production of “well over” 300,000 vehicles will be close to the numbers achieved before the start of the current financial and economic crisis.

“It’s really the other side of the 2009 coin, when everyone was ringing the death bells,” said Sascha Heiden, senior analyst at IHS Global Insight in Frankfurt.

“BMW and Mercedes field relatively new models with their 5 series and E class, so that may help the German companies attract more buyers.”

Nissan has no plans

to sell Micra in Canada

With its Leaf electric vehicle set to go on sale next year, Japan’s Nissan is already ahead of many of its rivals in the race to electrify the automobile.

But the company is also already big in small, gas-only cars. And recently, it announced plans to build its subcompact Micra in Mexico, starting next year.

The new Micra — first seen at his year’s Geneva auto show — is a subcompact with similar mechanicals as other small Nissans, like the Versa, Cube, and Juke.

Powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder gas engine that Nissan claims can deliver 5.9L/100 km (40 mpg), the front-wheel-drive five-passenger car will be offered as a four-door sedan followed by a five-door hatchback.

Of the 300,000 Micras Nissan is planning to build each year in Mexico, an estimated 20 per cent should be sold locally and the remaining 80 per cent exported to the “Americas,” with likely a large portion of this percentage going to the U.S. next year.

Despite the above, and new competition like the Ford Fiesta and the forthcoming Chevrolet Aveo coming into our market, Nissan Canada says its has no plans to bring the Micra into Canada at this time.