Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[REPORT: Toyota already has 75,000 orders for 2010 Prius]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/16/report-toyota-already-has-75-000-orders-for-2010-prius/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/16/report-toyota-already-has-75-000-orders-for-2010-prius/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/16/report-toyota-already-has-75-000-orders-for-2010-prius/#commentsFiled under: , ,


2010 Toyota Prius: Click above for the high res gallery

Toyota finally has some real hybrid competition with the new Honda Insight, but 2010 Prius orders show that the darling of the green movement is more than game in the battle for hybrid supremacy. The Japanese Nikkei Business Daily reports that Toyota already has 75,000 orders in the books; a number far greater than the 40,000 units the Japanese automaker expected. Toyota has already lowered the price of the Prius to combat the Insight's $19,180 price of entry, and early Insight sales figures show that is likely a wise move. Honda's newest hybrid sold 10,481 units in April, making it the first hybrid to ever top the Japanese sales chart.

The Prius' pre-sale success is a welcome bit of good news for Toyota. The automaker lost $7.7 billion last quarter, and the perennially successful operation expects to lose $8.6 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. Toyota is also replacing 40% of its executive ranks as company scion Akio Toyoda takes over the company next month. The Prius goes on sale in Japan on May 18.


Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius



[Source: Reuters]

REPORT: Toyota already has 75,000 orders for 2010 Prius originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 May 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>000 orders000Orders75hybridhybrid salesHybridSalestoyota priusToyotaPriusSat, 16 May 2009 12:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Saudi Arabia prepares to lift ban on female drivers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/saudi-arabia-prepares-to-lift-ban-on-female-drivers/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/saudi-arabia-prepares-to-lift-ban-on-female-drivers/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/22/saudi-arabia-prepares-to-lift-ban-on-female-drivers/#commentsFiled under: ,



If you're of the opinion that the religious right has too much influence on American politics, you should check out Saudi Arabia. The royal family has relied for decades on the support of fundamentalist Wahabi clerics who, in return for their support to the ibn Saud regime, have insisted on ever more stringent laws. Among those measures has been a strict ban prohibiting women from driving that has been in effect for 75 years since the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, but the Saudi government is finally preparing to lift the ban.

The government decision reportedly stems from an effort to placate a mounting women's lib movement, whose activists have been mounting rolling demonstrations by leading convoys of women driving around in the kingdom despite the law prohibiting them from obtaining driver's licenses or automobile insurance. According to the Saudi government, the ban will be lifted by the end of the year. Critics point out, however, that previous government commitments towards reform have not been met.

[Source: The Daily Telegraph via Instapundit, Photo by HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty]

Saudi Arabia prepares to lift ban on female drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>75bandriversgovernmentlawregimesaudi arabiasaudi arabian banSaudiArabiaSaudiArabianBanwomenwomen driving banWomenDrivingBanTue, 22 Jan 2008 12:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Spy Shots: Secret Rover prototype]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/21/spy-shots-secret-rover-prototype/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/21/spy-shots-secret-rover-prototype/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/21/spy-shots-secret-rover-prototype/#commentsFiled under: ,

Originally designed to be the centerpiece of MG Rover's future vehicle plans, this now-stillborn prototype named the RDX60 has been located in a dark, dusty corner within Longbridge. The five-seat hatch based on the Rover 75 platform was the replacement for the Rover 45 built to go head-to-head with the Golf and Focus in 2004. Unfortunately, delays and a general lack of funds sent it along with the future MG Rover into automotive oblivion in April of 2005.

[Source: CAR Magazine]

See early sketches of Rover and MG versions of the RDX60 after the jump

Continue reading Spy Shots: Secret Rover prototype

Spy Shots: Secret Rover prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4575FocusGolfLongbridgeMGRDX60RoverTue, 21 Nov 2006 12:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Official pics of Roewe's new ride: the 750E]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/official-pics-of-roewes-new-ride-the-750e/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/official-pics-of-roewes-new-ride-the-750e/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/23/official-pics-of-roewes-new-ride-the-750e/#commentsFiled under: ,



Thanks to our colleagues reporting from their home turf on Autoblog Chinese, we now have the first official shots of the Rover 75-based sedan from Roewe, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.'s (SAIC) newly minted brand. We've shown you spy shots of the large sedan, but these are the first official pics that show off the new sedan's front end. The shape of the face is a bit Rover-esque, but the new fascia incorporates a large chromed grille frame that's bisected by body work a la Audi, new headlight clusters and vertically stacked fog lamps at the corners. We are also given a few interior pics that, quite honestly, look decidely unlike what we usually think of (rightly or wrongly) as Chinese craftsmanship. The sedan's inner sanctum uses a combination of matte gray plastic, beige plastic and leather, as well as a light wood trim. A satellite navigation system is present, as well as what looks like the shifter for a 5- or 6-speed automatic transmission with no manual control. We've surmised in the past that engine offerings might include a 1.8-liter and 2.5-liter, the smaller of the two perhaps sporting a turbocharger. The pics show a tachometer with a redline of about 6,750 rpm, though that's hardly a telling clue. Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to discover the mechanical details of Roewe's first offering that's destined for export all over the world.

More pictures can be found after the jump.

[Source: Autoblog Chinese]

Related posts:

Continue reading Official pics of Roewe's new ride: the 750E

Official pics of Roewe's new ride: the 750E originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>75ChinaChineseRoeweRoverRover 75Rover75SAICMon, 23 Oct 2006 11:07:00 EST<![CDATA[SAIC launching new brand without Rover name]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/12/saic-launching-new-brand-without-rover-name/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/12/saic-launching-new-brand-without-rover-name/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/12/saic-launching-new-brand-without-rover-name/#comments

Since both Plan A and B have failed, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp. has decided to move on to Plan C, which means taking the intellectual property rights to the Rover 25 and 75 models it acquired last year and selling the vehicles under a new brand name. Today that name was announced, and when the new 750E "Rong Wei" (Chinese for "glorious power") is unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in November it will be called the Roewe 750E. Hmm... kind of sounds like Roewe-ver, no?

[Source: Forbes]

SAIC launching new brand without Rover name originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>75750EbmwbrandfordnanjingroeweroverSAICThu, 12 Oct 2006 19:36:00 EST