BMW, Toyota in Partnership

(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW AG said Thursday they have forged a partnership in which the two will conduct joint battery research for next-generation green cars and BMW will supply diesel engines to Toyota.

"We think that this collaboration will allow for development of next-generation batteries to be done faster and to a higher level," Takeshi Uchiyamada said at a press conference in Tokyo. In addition to the research on lithium-ion batteries, the two car makers will discuss other possible environmental-technology projects.

The deal will also reduce BMW's engine-production costs per unit by increasing volume. Though a market leader in the premium segment, BMW lacks the economies of scale of mass-market auto makers like Volkswagen AG or General Motors Co., so teaming up with a player of Toyota's scale makes sense. 

This is the first engine procurement from a competitor for Toyota, which boasts of its power-train range, from combustion engines to hybrid and fuel-cell systems. In an earlier collaboration, Toyota supplied BMW with a 1.6-liter diesel engine for its Mini between 2002 and 2005.

That could also be very helpful for the electric car production! One of the major problems with electric cars are the short life expectations of the batteries as well as the charging times. I am curious how this partnership will continue...

AppRadio and AUPEO!

I am currently looking for a mid-range Home Theater AVR and discovered this on PIONEER's You Tube channel..

Find out more about AUPEO! personal radio, and how it works in your dash with Pioneer's AppRadio.

 This is quite interesting! I am curious if this also works on their Home Theater Systems... but I guess you don't really need this on a AVR because they already have an Internet radio streaming service, right?

Let's take a look at Pioneer's description:

AppRadio is a radical new product that goes beyond what you’ve ever hoped for from a car stereo. It’s the first aftermarket in-vehicle radio designed specifically for the iPhone 4 to bring compatible entertainment, navigation and information apps right into the dash of the car. When connected to the iPhone 4, the AppRadio comes to life. Featuring the world’s first automotive aftermarket capacitive touchscreen, the AppRadio interface requires less touch pressure and familiar touch gestures when compared to traditional in-dash touchscreens, just like what you’re familiar with on your iPhone 4. In addition to the familiar and intuitive interface, the AppRadio encourages safe driving by providing access to certain iPhone 4 features and apps formatted specifically for in-vehicle use.

 Pretty handy, if you ask me! Now let's take a look at the AUPEO! service which I personaly really like:

Listen to music and discover AUPEO!

Listen to Internet Radio with AUPEO! Personal radio now — the legal online radio with the best music recommendations. Start streaming your personal online music, or a Genre or Artist Station, and rate the tracks with Love or Ban. This automatically creates your music DNA and we play more music which you really like. Listen to free music and discover new songs — on the web, as an app and on hundreds of devices.

 I checked their website out and you can instantly choose between the genres and start right away. Good service so far..!

Kudos to Pioneer for that video!

Porsche Identity. The new 911 Carrera Cabriolet models.

I'd like to share this trailer, which I found on YouTube, with you:

What the Coupe began with the new aluminium-steel body, the Cabriolet continues with the all-new, unique hood: As a result, the typical 911 roof line is retained in its entirety. Intelligent lightweight design, even including the use of magnesium in the hood, ensures less weight and more sportiness. More information on..

http://www.porsche.com/911-cabriolet

What do you think about the new 911 series? 
In my humble opinion, it is one of the best looking Carrera they have ever produced. A lot of people have mixed opinions about the new tail light design. I think they're spectacular! It is like they are slowly introducing their new design studies like the 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept, pictured below..

(Source: Automobile Magazine)

.. into the actual automotive market from today. Let's make a short comparison between the tail lights from the new 911 Carrera S and the 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept..

Tail lights from the Spyder Concept:

Tail lights from the new Carrera S:

Pretty similar, right? They call it "Porsche DNA". Interesting to see, how this story will continue!

Electric Cars - Tesla Motors

The market was tough for automobile retailers this year. However, the launching of new electric cars in 2012 promises a new era.

Tesla Motors - based in Palo Alto, CA had some problems with their first electric car called the Tesla Roadster. That particular car is based on the Lotus Elise which was one of the lightest Sports cars up-to-date. Unfortunately for Tesla, Lotus decided to stop the production of the Elise for some years. Tesla was forced to discontinue the Roadster after 2011.

As a reminder - Tesla's statement from 2010:

We are dependent upon our relationship with Lotus for the manufacturing of the Tesla Roadster.

In July 2005, we entered into a supply agreement with Lotus pursuant to which Lotus agreed to assist with the design and manufacture of our Tesla Roadster. Although we complete the final assembly of our Tesla Roadster in our Menlo Park facility for vehicles destined for the United States market, currently we are dependent upon Lotus to complete the initial portion of the assembly process of the Tesla Roadster for us in Hethel, England and we expect to be so until we discontinue sales of our current generation Tesla Roadster. We currently do not intend to sell our current generation Tesla Roadster after 2011 to accommodate planned tooling changes. We anticipate that our next generation Tesla Roadster, which we only plan to launch after we begin production of the Model S, will be manufactured in our own facilities.

Tesla’s goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. The upcoming "Model S" is Tesla's first car that is completely built from scratch in their own facilities. Further more, priced at $57, 400 (before tax) it is also affordable compared to the Roadster with a staggering $100,000. Based on Tesla Motors press release, the Model S increases the traveling distance up to 300 miles on a single charge over the Roadster with 231 miles.

The Model S is due mid-2012.