Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is to give the Prototype-S sport hatchback concept its global debut at the 78^th Geneva International Motor Show which runs from March 4 through March 16 at the Geneva Palexpo exhibition and conference complex (opening to the general public on March 6). Also included in Mitsubishi Motors’ 16-model stand (13 on Press Days) are: the i MiEV (dubbed the i-EV in Europe) and the Lancer Evolution (Lancer Evolution X on the Japanese market). The i MiEV is a new-generation electric vehicle under evaluation for export to international markets and currently undergoing fleet monitoring in Japan; Lancer Evolution is a new-generation high-performance 4WD sedan that allows all drivers to experience enjoy the highest levels of fun-to-drive performance safely and with confidence.

Making its global debut at the Geneva Show, the Prototype-S is derived from the Lancer sports sedan (Galant Fortis on the Japanese market) currently on sale in most Mitsubishi Motors markets worldwide.

Distinguished by the inverted-slant nose with trapezoidal grille front fascia that comprise the Mitsubishi Motors new design identity, and with purposeful, wide-and-low proportions; Prototype-S uses exterior lines to craft a shape that is powerful and sporty. The use of 225/40R19 tires on 19-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels adds to the tautly muscular and road-hugging image the styling projects.

Prototype-S uses a new 2.0-liter MIVEC^*1 4-cylinder DOHC intercooled / turbocharged engine, developing maxima of 240 PS and 35 kg-m that will also power the Lancer Ralliart due to go on sale in North America in the summer of 2008. The power unit is mated to Mitsubishi Motors’s high-efficiency Twin Clutch SST^*2 automated manual transmission that gives the driver simple control of and feel-good access to the car’s exhilaratingly sporty performance. The full-time 4WD driveline features Mitsubishi Motors’ Active Center Differential (ACD) that uses an electronically controlled multi-plate hydraulic clutch to optimally tailor front / rear drive torque vectoring to different driving conditions and deliver the best balance between steering response and traction.
News Source: http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/motorshow/detail1737.html

TOKYO (Feb 27, 2008) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today announced an agreement to expand their original equipment manufacturing (OEM) supply involving mini-cars.

Nissan and Mitsubishi currently have OEM agreements in Japan, where Mitsubishi supplies Nissan with mini-cars and small light commercial vehicles (LCV) while Nissan supplies light commercial vehicles to Mitsubishi.

The expanded agreement will add two new scopes of co-operation:

1. Expanded OEM supply in Japan. Mitsubishi will supply its Pajero Mini SUV to Nissan starting from autumn 2008 on an OEM basis.
2. Explore opportunities for expanded light commercial vehicle supply. Both companies will explore collaboration on the development, production and OEM supply of small light commercial vehicles for Japan and overseas markets.

Nissan has a proven track record of successful OEM product exchanges. These extend across many automakers and into multiple global markets, each one executed on a win-win basis for both parties involved.

Mitsubishi aims to improve its productivity and management efficiencies by growing its OEM business, and will continue to pursue a win-win strategy between collaborative partners on a global level.

News Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2008/_STORY/080227-01-e.html

Mazda Motor Corporation will commence public road trials of its advanced safety vehicle, Mazda ASV-4, in the Hiroshima area on March 11, 2008. The trials are based on the Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) Promotion Plan that was introduced by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation (MLIT) to promote the development, practical application and wider use of ASV technologies aimed at reducing the number of traffic accidents. During the ASV Project’s Phase Four trials, Mazda will forge ahead with development of a safe driving support system that employs vehicle-to-vehicle communications.In collaboration with other ASV project members in the Hiroshima area^*1, Mazda will collect and analyze data to promote development of a safe driving support system. The system deploys safety technologies which utilize vehicle-to-vehicle communications to alert drivers of oncoming vehicles at blind intersections or on twisting roads with limited visibility. By reducing driver oversight or error, the system aims to mitigate two vehicle collisions at blind intersections, rear-end collisions and accidents when a vehicle performs right turns. Mazda plans to begin testing the two vehicle blind collision avoidance system in fiscal year 2007. Road trials of the right-turn and rear-end collision avoidance systems are set to commence in fiscal 2008.

The ASV project has been promoting the spread of safe driving to reduce traffic accidents through advanced technologies for over fifteen years since its inception by the MLIT in 1991. Mazda’s test results from Phase One to Phase Three have already resulted in the successful development of various advanced safety technologies. These include: a rear vehicle monitoring system that detects vehicles approaching from behind at highway speeds; and Mazda’s Precrash Safety System, which uses milliwave radar to monitor for oncoming obstacles, then alerts the driver and automatically applies the brakes if necessary. The Mazda ASV-4, part of the project’s fourth phase (2006 to 2010), will participate in the effort to promote the spread of ASV technologies and develop and implement a telecommunications-based safe driving support system to help reduce traffic accidents.

In January 2008, Mazda began trials to validate a new Intelligent Transport System (ITS)^*2 as part of a consortium of local government, academia and industry in the Hiroshima area. The ITS consists of safe driving support technologies that link sensors installed along roadways to vehicles (road-to-vehicle communications) in order to detect potentially dangerous situations that the driver cannot see. By conducting the ASV public road trials in the same area as the ITS experiments, Mazda intends to evaluate the compatibility of the road-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

Mazda is dedicated to leveraging these road trial results, and its own research and development initiatives, to establish ITS and ASV technologies that can assist in reducing the number of traffic accidents and decrease the environmental burden caused by road traffic. Going forward, Mazda will continue to develop and evolve safety technologies that are helping to promote a sustainable transport environment for the future.

News Source: http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2008/200802/080222.html

Recognizing Honda’s application of fuel efficient and alternative fuel technologies, four Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the “greenest vehicles of 2008″ with the Civic GX natural gas car taking the title of the greenest vehicle for the fifth consecutive year, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced. In the 11th annual ACEEE’s “Green Book® Online” ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles (available at www.greenercars.org), the natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the gasoline Civic, Fit and Civic Hybrid joining the list of the 12 most environmentally-conscious vehicles available to the public.

This is the eighth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking and the seventh consecutive year that Honda vehicles held at least four positions in the top 12, an impressive one-third of all vehicles on the list.

“The ACEEE awards speak to the commitment Honda has made to lead the industry in lowering emissions, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing dependence on oil,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “Honda continues to set the standard for socially and environmentally-responsible automotive products and our commitment to alternative fuels will further expand with the zero emissions FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle coming to market this summer.”

Using a singular measure that incorporates fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts and global warming emissions, all vehicles are analyzed and given a “Green Score.” This score is used in ACEEE’s ranking system, resulting in a ranking of each vehicle’s total environmental performance, including a list of the 12 “greenest” and 12 “meanest” vehicles. The Civic GX, first introduced in 1998, is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA*, and is 90% cleaner than the average gasoline-powered car on the road today.

News Source: http://world.honda.com/news/2008/4080219Civic-GX-Natural-Gas-Car/

BANGKOK, Thailand (February 19, 2008) - Siam Nissan Automobile Co., Ltd. (SNA) today announced the introduction of the single-cab version of the Frontier Navara pickup truck, one of the 28 new models planned for introduction during the Nissan Value-Up business plan.

Same as the current Frontier Navara series, the new Nissan Frontier Navara Single Cab delivers a compelling combination of powerful performance, bold styling and new levels of innovation to the pickup market in Thailand.

The Frontier Navara Single Cab is powered by the powerful common-rail diesel engine, the YD25DDTi, with 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC Variable Turbo, mated to the 5-speed manual transmission.

In addition to the current Frontier Navara series, Nissan will export Frontier Navara Single Cab from Thailand to 120 markets for both right and left hand drive.

“I am proud that the Frontier Navara Single Cab is manufactured for the first time in the world right here in Thailand. With exports to other markets, the new Single Cab will enhance the Nissan model lineup not only in Thailand but many other market in the world”, said Thierry Viadieu, President, SNA.

The new Frontier Navara Single Cab is manufactured at the Bangna Trad plant located about 20 kilometers east of Bangkok. Current annual production capacity for the plant is 140,000 units. The Bangna Trad plant is Nissan’s largest facility in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as the third largest in Asia, after Japan and China.

SNA will start the sales of Frontier Navara Single Cab from March 6, 2008 at all Nissan dealerships in Thailand and start exports later that same month.

News Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2008/_STORY/080219-01-e.html

Tokyo - TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today it has completely redesigned the “Crown Royal Saloon” and “Crown Athlete” series and added a hybrid model to the product lineup.  The Royal Saloon and Athlete series go on sale in Japan today and the “Crown Hybrid” will be launched in Japan on May 6.

Crown Royal Saloon G
(with options)

Crown Athlete (3.5-liter)
(with options)

Crown Hybrid
(with options)The 13th-generation Crown unveiled today retains the sense of poise and reliability that characterizes the Crown series, which has earned a reputation as the leader among luxury vehicles in Japan over the more than half a century since its debut in 1955.  At the same time, the new Crown adopts advanced technologies to create luxury sedans that provide performance at the world’s highest levels.While the hybrid version delivers outstanding cruising and environmental performance, all three series benefit from the excellent vehicle stability and preventive safety performance offered by VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management). Other advanced features include a Pre-crash Safety System that can determine - as a world’s first* - whether the driver’s eyes are properly open.  Such features, together with an integrated navigation system, result in one of the world’s highest levels of driver support.News Source: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/08/0218.html

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it will begin bio-ethanol trials through its participation in the Tokachi E10 project. The project, the first of its kind in Japan, aims to test the feasibility of E10 fuel, which contains 10% bio-ethanol mix. Early trials will be conducted in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, beginning April^*1.Nissan is the first automaker in Japan to come forward with an E10 vehicle fully compliant with the safety, environment and technical guidelines issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The Murano E10 is officially recognized as Japan’s first Ministry-authorized E10 vehicle.

Within the scope of the Tokachi project, Nissan will support research related to the E10 engine’s combustion efficiency and exhaust emissions. Vehicle performance data collected will further the development of E10 bio-ethanol powertrains and allow the engineers to identify key areas for improvement, in order to accelerate the commercialization of bio-fuels and E10 vehicles in the marketplace.

Tokachi Zaidan^* is the recipient of a technology grant by the Ministry of Environment, aimed at addressing issues related to global warming and fossil fuel dependence, via the promotion of bio-fuels as an alternative energy source.

The Tokachi project uses substandard wheat and sugar beet to produce bio-ethanol, which helps minimize impact on food supplies. The project has the capacity to produce 15,000 kilo-liters of bio-ethanol to substitute up to one percent of the gasoline consumption in Hokkaido per annum.

Bio-ethanol is considered a renewable energy source because it is derived from plants such as sugar-cane or soybean, and thus does not add to the net CO2 level in the atmosphere, as opposed to fossil fuel. In the U.S. and Brazil, bio-ethanol has been commercialized for many years and is gaining wider acceptance worldwide.

Nissan has been offering the E85-compatible Titan full-size pickup and Armada SUV in the U.S., and continues to develop and promote bio-fuel technology globally.

Its participation in the Tokachi project is in line with its Nissan Green Program 2010 mid-term environmental plan, aimed at developing new technologies, products and services that can lead to real-world reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions, and recycling of resources.

News Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2008/_STORY/080206-02-e.html

TORRANCE, Calif., U.S.A., February 11, 2008– Acura announced today it will debut the all-new 2009 Acura TSX sports sedan at the 2008 New York International Auto Show and released an exterior photo of the new model. Scheduled to go on-sale in the spring, the 2009 Acura TSX will be the second generation of Acura’s popular entry level sedan and feature numerous advancements in performance, styling, technology and safety

“The new 2009 TSX speaks clearly to the direction we are taking our Acura sedans in the future,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president auto sales, “The TSX is a significant step in the advancement of our sedan lineup and the continued enhancement of the Acura brand.”

Acura unveiled the new 2009 RL at the Chicago Auto Show last week and also announced the company will introduce an-all new TL performance luxury sedan later this year.

The 2009 Acura TSX will be introduced during the New York International Auto Show media days which occur on March 19th and 20th.

News Source: http://world.honda.com/news/2008/c080211All-new-2009-TSX/

February 11, 2008– Honda announced the all-new Accord for Europe. Aimed squarely at challenging established premium contenders in the D-segment, Honda’s all-new Accord saloon and Tourer offer sporty styling, greater refinement and a unique package of safety systems, together with excellent dynamic capabilities. Strong environmental credentials in the form of an all Euro 5 emissions compliant engine line-up further emphasize Honda’s intent with the the all-new Accord.

Significantly wider and slightly lower, the styling adopts a more emotional, sporty motif. The ‘sharp-edged’ design, with pronounced muscular wheelarches that emphasize the car’s wider track, gives the Accord a distinctive, strong stance with a solid, planted feel. The distinctive nose and more flowing lines deliver a tauter and more athletic shape.

The evolution from the previous generation Accord is even more pronounced in the case of the Tourer, where a greater emphasis on load carrying practicality has evolved into a more dynamic expression of its advanced technology, while still retaining a strong degree of versatility and practicality.

Three advanced new engines with some of the lowest emissions in their segment
The new range is one of the first to offer a complete engine line-up that will comply with the forthcoming Euro 5 emissions regulations which aren’t due to be introduced until September 2009. The exceptional environmental credentials haven’t been achieved at the cost of driving enjoyment, however, and greater frugality is matched by greater performance and flexibility.

Making its debut is Honda’s second-generation diesel engine which builds on the outstanding qualities of the award-winning i-CTDi unit to raise the bar in the diesel stakes once again. Its advanced technology and overall capabilities place it firmly at the forefront of diesel development and underpins the Accord’s claim to offer one of the strongest combinations of dynamic performance and environmental responsibility in the marketplace.

Like its predecessor, the new i-DTEC engine is compact, lightweight, refined and quiet in operation. It employs the latest piezoelectric multi-stage fuel injection technology, more efficient exhaust gas recirculation and a particulate filter for significantly reduced emissions. At the same time both power and torque levels have been increased for a sportier driving experience. Output is 10 PS greater at 150 PS/110 kW at the same 4,000 rpm, while peak torque is now 350 Nm at 2,000 rpm.

The 2.0-liter i-VTEC offers similar levels of performance to its predecessor – 156 PS at 6,300 rpm – but builds on its class leading fuel economy. Key technological changes include increased diameter intake valves, further optimized valve lift and timing and increased inlet and exhaust air flow volumes.

The 2.4-liter engine is more powerful, delivering 200 PS at 7000 rpm and peak torque of 233 Nm at 4500 rpm – up from 190 PS and 223 Nm. Behind the figures are a compression ratio increased from 10.5 to 11.0:1, larger diameter valves, revised valve timing, and reduced exhaust system pressures.

News Source:: http://world.honda.com/news/2008/4080211all-new-Accord-for-Europe/

Tokyo, February 8, 2008 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced the major features of its Subaru exhibit at the 78th Geneva International Motor Show slated for March in Geneva, Switzerland (Press days: March 4 and 5; Open to the public from March 6 through 16).
FHI will present the Subaru Legacy and the Outback, which are outfitted with the company’s unique Subaru Boxer Diesel and due to be released into the European market ahead of other parts of the world. In addition, models to be exhibited include the new Subaru Forester, which will make a debut in Europe, and the Subaru G4e Concept and the Subaru R1e electric vehicles as environmental-friendly solutions.
FHI will hold a press conference at the Subaru booth at 14:30 March 4, 2008. Ikuo Mori, FHI’s President and CEO, will be present to speak with the media

Major Exhibits>

1. Subaru Legacy/Outback 2.0D

FHI applied the world’s first Horizontally-Opposed Diesel Engine “Subaru Boxer Diesel” for passenger vehicles to the Subaru Legacy and the Outback. For the two models, the Subaru Boxer Diesel is mated with Subaru’s unique symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel-Drive) to achieve driving performance standards only Subaru is capable of. These standards include high-level stability and outstanding acceleration thanks to powerful low- and medium-speed torque.
On top of this, the two models adopt new electric power steering to achieve both improved fuel efficiency and fun to drive. They not only comply with the Euro 4 emission regulations, but realize top-level fuel economy for AWD passenger vehicles, thereby integrating driving performance into the environment.

[Subaru Boxer Diesel: Features]

The Subaru Boxer Diesel takes advantage of high rigidity of the horizontally opposed engine. It uses an aluminum-alloy cylinder block. With its engine width equivalent to that of a horizontally opposed petrol engine of the same displacement volume, it is 61.3-mm shorter in length, achieving top-level lightweight and compact design of the class.
Its unique layout allows the right and left pistons to negate each other’s inertia. This translates into smooth rotational balance, low vibration and superior quietness. Furthermore, thanks to excellent accelerator response, and with reduced friction and inertia resulting in smooth acceleration, the Subaru Boxer Diesel features engine characteristics worth the name of a sport diesel.

News Source: http://www.fhi.co.jp/english/news/press/2008/08_02_08e.html