Modified Toyotas at 2009 Melbourne Motor Show
MICHAEL VAUGHANGlobe and Mail Update Published on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 3:43PM EST Last updated on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 4:04PM ESTElectric cars are the hot topic at the Detroit auto show this week with every, and I mean every, major manufacturer touting something electric.But could this paradigm shift away from internal combustion engines to battery electric vehicles actually bring new players into the industry? Could established players end up in the bone pile for going electric too late? Something like that has certainly happened in electronics and computers and media and on and on.
Ford Vertrek concept car
Motor City gets its mojo backDetroit Three’s revival sparks excitement and energy following two years of doom and gloom, reports Jeremy CatoViSource: Toyota · February 26, 2009 · Filed Under Australia, Toyota, Tuning
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0Share0ShareNewHeller has an answer for that, too. “We think the demand for battery-electric cars will exceed the supply in the early phases. We anticipate substantial demand from both fleets and consumers.”I enjoyed my conversation with Heller, but given the automotive giants who are also proceeding down the electric path, I thought Coda would soon be toast and likely our first meeting would be our last. But I noticed a few days ago that Coda has reported it has secured $76-million (U.S.) in a new round of venture capital funding. I’m sure the venture capital companies extracted a terrible price from Coda for its dough, but it does let Coda survive to fight another day and “Mac” Heller is still in as interim CEO.Is there a chance that companies we’ve never heard of can hit the big time in the technology shift to electric? Well, of course I have no idea, but government incentives are available for anyone who can put an electric car in the consumers’ hands. In California, that’s a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 state rebate. Even in Britain – with huge government cutbacks and “students” rioting in the streets over tuition increases – the British government still hands a plug-in car grant of £5,000 ($7,826) to consumers purchasing ultra-low carbon (i.e. electric) vehicles.The prospect of the Chinese taking over of the U.S. auto market with electric and plug-in hybrid cars has been talked about in Detroit for years. BYD, the Chinese auto maker backed by Warren Buffet, is back in Detroit yet again having completely failed to bring a car to the U.S. market so far.Will paradigm shifts and government grants be enough to bring new players into the industry?Ford Vertrek concept car
Motor City gets its mojo backDetroit Three’s revival sparks excitement and energy following two years of doom and gloom, reports Jeremy CatoVie* Story
* CommentTOYOTAS GET THE AUTO SALON TREATMENT
Toyota has unveiled two new locally developed show cars at the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show which feature cutting-edge customisation ideas from the booming modified street car scene.
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The highly modified Yaris and RAV4 are the result of collaboration with Australia’s leading promoter of street car shows and events, Auto Salon.“Basically, Toyota gave us the cars and told us to go crazy,” said project leader William Ng“It’s getting increasingly difficult to do something original within the show car scene but, because the Yaris and RAV4 are not common subjects for modification, the Toyota project gave us an opportunity to do something different.”
2009 Modified Toyota Yari009 Modified Toyota YarisThe Auto Salon Yaris is distinguished by a camouflage paint-scheme and modified “double-wide” bodywork featuring guards which have been heavily flared to house over-sized 17-inch raised titanium lip wheels and 245/40 Michelin Pilot Preceda tyres.It’s not often that a company with an annual marketing budget of $1-billion thinks of itself as a shrinking corporate violet. Coke (KO-N63.400.360.57%) after all, is known for its global ad campaigns: efforts that literally change the face of Christmas, or that teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Last year at this time, the company’s Canadian division was tying the country together with a 45,000-kilometre Olympic torch relay that stretched across more than 1,000 communities. If it doesn't thump its chest, it doesn't have a brand value estimated by Interbrand to be worth more than $70-billion (U.S.).
The Yaris’s suspension has been modified with the addition of Buddy Club coil-over suspension adjustable for ride and rebound.The interior of the Yaris has been enhanced with the addition of race-style TRD Recaro driver and front passenger seats, and a TRD instrument gauge cluster mounted on the steering column.
The standard stereo has been replaced by an enormously powerful Fujitsu Eclipse sound system featuring four amplifiers and six sub-woofers.
An unusual feature of the system is that the entire boot-mounted stereo sub-woofer assembly can be unbolted and removed.
“Removing the sub-woofer lowers the kerb weight of the vehicle in order to enhance track-dayperformance,” said William Ng.
2009 Modified Toyota RAV4
2009 Modified Toyota RAV4
The Auto Salon RAV4 is a show standout thanks to its bright red pearlescent custom paint job and massive 22-inch wheels and tyres.
A custom-built airbag suspension allows the RAV4 to be lowered on its wheels by up to 25 centimetres for display purposes and then raised again for driving.
The custom look is completed by new front and rear bumper panels, deep side skirts and “shaved” external door handles – meaning they have been removed entirely and replaced by a remote control door opener.
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