Toyota says Prius plug-in is “27-percent better than an equivalent diesel”

With the Toyota Prius plug-in set to launch in early 2012, now’s the perfect time to dive into the interim results from the cars’ trials in London. Here are some details straight from Toyota:

• :Average journey distance has been 7.3 miles, with 59 percent of all journeys covering between 3.1 and 12.4 miles

• Average speed has been 17.7 miles per hour, with 69 percent of journeys at speeds less than 18.6 mph

• Initial fuel consumption data indicates performance is 27 percent better than an equivalent diesel

• Average recharging time is 72 minutes

• Where drivers have access to a domestic charge point, more frequent recharging occurs

• Twenty-two percent of drivers have even been able to drive further than the official 12.5-mile range in EV mode.

• Electric-powered driving so far has accounted for one third of all miles driven in the PHEV demonstration.

Working in partnership with EDF Energy, Toyota leased 20 third-generation Prius plug-ins to London-based businesses and organizations to monitor vehicle performance and recharging patterns. Details of journey times, speeds, distances, fuel usage and recharging habits have been logged and analyzed to compile useable data. The three-year trial kicked off last summer, meaning that these interim results are from less than one year of real-world use.

THE TOP 5 COOLEST CARS WITH PICTURES:

1. Ferrari FF
0-60 mph: 3.5 seconds. 651 horsepower. Cost: $300,000.

Drive carefully. This is a supercar on ice. You can’t get cooler than this. This is the car that you want to be the first guy driving, not the second. Imagine driving across a snow bank in the Alps with the fresh, icy wind in your face. I would trade anything and everything (not really) for this all-wheel-drive Ferrari. I’m going to say that this car doesn’t even look perfectly beautiful. In fact, that is why I love it: it doesn’t really care what you think and still give you the kind of performance only experienced by kings. Heck, it will mock every idea you had about what makes a car powerful. P.S. The computer system on the FF can vector its torque and braking pressure depending on tire grip conditions. AWESOME for driving to your winter home in Aspen.

2. Spyker C12 Zagato
0-60 mph: 3.8 seconds. 500-650 horsepower. Cost: $648,000.

The C12 Zagato was designed with F1 styles into its highly ornate body. The Zagato is powered by an engine with 500bhp and can go up to 650bhp with a supercharger. It is a mad house. Despite being priced at $648,000, its raw coolness quotient comes from unmatched aesthetics and power. The C12 Zagato is a cool car fit with skill, beauty, and passion. It is the car you want to take your lover or spouse out on a date with.

WORLD'S LONGEST LIMOUSINE CAR

Limousines are all about being noticed and that is certainly what Jay Ohrberg of Burbank California gets in his 100 foot limo.

Jay designed his monster limo himself and now hires it out through his car hire company. The limo has 26 wheels and can be driven rigidly or adjusted to bend in the middle around corners. This incredible car is currently in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest car in the world and even has two driver's compartments – one at each end – to help with reversing.

The longest car in the world is better equipped than many Hollywood mansions, including luxuries like a large Jacuzzi tub, a sun deck, a helipad, a swimming pool (with a diving board of course), a king sized bed and a satellite dish, just to name a few.

While the limo isn't actually street legal, it is mainly hired out for exhibitions and to be used in movies. Could you imagine a 100 foot limo driving around your neighbourhood? Only in America!

Pictures of the world's longest limousine will be added here soon
.

WORLD'S MOST POPULAR CAR

The Toyota Corolla is the world's most popular car.

Toyota’s Corolla was the world’s top-selling car last year.

It may have its pitfalls, but globalisation has paid big dividends for the world’s leading car companies, with the top 10 selling cars in the world all based on global platforms.

Toyota’s recent massive recall of more than 8 million cars highlighted the potential hazards of building a world car, but the company has also reaped the rewards, producing three of the top 10 selling cars in the world in 2009.

The Japanese giant basically builds the same car for every market in the world, with minor modifications to suspension and engine line-ups to suit local tastes. The high-volume approach pays dividends in lower tooling, development and production costs.

What Year Was The First Car Made?

I was just thinking about when was the first car made? After some research I was able to gather some data:

1672 - First internal combustion engine which was fueled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and develop the world's first vehicle to run on such an engine.
Where Was The First Car Made?

=> 1770 - The Cugnot steam traction engine was built this year. This is considered as the year when the first car was made.

=> Around 1860 - The first powerful car dream came true around 1860 with the invention of the internal combustion engine by the Belgian Etienne Lenoir.

=> 1885 - Karl Benz built an automobile powered by an Otto gasoline engine. He received a patent in the 1886 for the same. Mr. Benz is generally credited with the invention of the modern automobile.

=> Around 1890 - Companies or group of people started to building cars for public. For example, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler in Germany, and Albert de Dion and Armand Peugeot in France were busy building cars.

By todays standard almost all early cars considered as primitive and expensive. These early cars produced in limited numbers. The first cars were hand assembled and required skilled engineers or mechanics to build cars. So cars were very expensive as compare to todays technology and standards.

Mass production of cars credit goes to Henry ford in America. In 1908 the first mass-produced car was introduced - the Ford Model T. By 1920, 50-60% care in the world were Model T from Fords. However these days the design of modern cars is handled by a large team of designers, scientists and engineers. 

America's Best-Loved Cars

One of the benefits of a competitive market is that things should keep getting better. Well, it seems to be working for cars. According to J.D. Power and Associates' latest APEAL survey — which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout — new cars are more satisfying than ever.

The survey essentially boils down how much owners of new cars like the cars they bought. Every new model is scored on a 1,000 point scale and this year's average score of 781 is higher than any time since the survey was first done in 1996.

TATA NANO: THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST CAR

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors, displaying the Nano in New Delhi on Thursday.


Tata Motors today took the covers off the world’s cheapest car — the Nano.


Over the past year, Tata has been building hype for a car that would cost a mere 100,000 rupees (roughly $2,500) and bring automotive transportation to the mainstream Indian population. It has been nicknamed the “People’s Car.” Over the course of the New Delhi Auto Expo, which began this week, anticipation had grown to fever pitch.

With the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” playing, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors drove the small white bubble car onto Tata’s show stage, where it joined two others.

COMING UP NEXT: WORLD'S FIRST FLYING CAR EVER

Flying Cars will be a reality soon.

Although the pricing of the car and an unobstructed runway required for landing and take-off means that many cannot afford the flying automobile.

The car, retailing for $227,000, is planned to fly underneath 10,000 feet. It can also fly in bad weather conditions. Conceived by the Massachusetts based Terrafugia as Transition, the flying car was recently cleared for takeoff by the US National Highway Safety Administration.

There are reports that the Transition could hit the US roads by the end of next year. "The bulk of the work has already been done in the US," Jonathan Nicholson, of Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, said.

The two-seat plane is made of carbon-fibre. It can lift off from an unobstructed long straight road and once in the air, has a top speed of 185km/h.

On landing, its wings fold up in 15 seconds, with power then routed to the rear wheels, giving it a top land speed of 100km/h.

More than 100 customers have already paid a $10,000 deposit for a Transition
.

Most Expensive Cars In The World: Top 5 List 2011-2012

Bugatti Veyron Super Sports

$2,400,000. This is by far the most expensive street legal car available on the market today (the base Veyron costs $1,700,000). It is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It is also the fastest street legal car when tested again on July 10, 2010 with the 2010 Super Sport Version reaching a top speed of 267 mph. When competing against the Bugatti Veyron, you better be prepared!

Pagani Zonda Clinque Roadster

$1,850,000. One of the most exotic cars out there is one of the most expensive. It can go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 217 mph.

Today's Video

Today's Video