New Mazda Biante Minivans for Japan
Hiroshima, Dec 17, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the sales launch of limited edition and special edition versions of its mid-size, tall 'high-roof' Biante minivan for the Japanese market. The 'Biante 20S Limited' and 'Biante 20CS Limited' models come specially equipped with popular features, while the 'Biante 20 NAVI Special' limited edition adds a highly functional GPS navigation system. These new models go on sale today at all Mazda, Mazda Anfini and Mazda Autozam dealerships throughout Japan.
The special edition 'Biante 20S Limited' is based on the best-selling 20S grade and is equipped with popular features such as dual power sliding doors and Mazda's advanced keyless entry and start system. The 'Biante 20CS Limited' is based on the 20CS grade. It features discharge headlights for improved nighttime visibility and 'cleanable seats' that are upholstered with easy-wipe fabric to help prevent stains.
The 'Biante 20 NAVI Special' limited edition offers special equipment at a smart price. It has a parking assist system with multiple cameras to help the driver and Mazda's G-BOOK Alpha-compatible HDD navigation system with a voice-control function. Production will be limited to 800 units nationwide.
Main features of the special and limited edition Biante models
- 20S Limited -
Base model
Biante 20S, with a choice of a front-wheel-drive (FWD) model with five-speed automatic transmission or a four-wheel-drive (4WD) model with four-speed automatic transmission, both powered by the 2.0-liter direct injection DOHC engine.
Special equipment
- Dual power sliding doors
- Advanced keyless entry and start system (with answer-back function)
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- 20CS Limited -
Base model
Biante 20CS, with a choice of a front-wheel-drive (FWD) model with five-speed automatic transmission or a four-wheel-drive (4WD) model with four-speed automatic transmission, both powered by the 2.0-liter direct injection DOHC engine.
Special equipment
- Discharge headlights (with auto-leveling function on low beam)
- Cleanable seats
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Biante 20 NAVI Special - (production limited to 800 units)
Base model
Biante 20S Limited, with a choice of a front-wheel-drive (FWD) model with five-speed automatic transmission or a four-wheel-drive (4WD) model with four-speed automatic transmission, both powered by the 2.0-liter direct injection DOHC engine.*
Special equipment
Mazda G-BOOK Alpha-compatible voice controlled HDD navigation system
Includes the following functions:
- Parking assist (front, side and rear guide monitors)
- DVD and CD player with AM/FM radio
- Analog television tuner and printed antenna
- Bluetooth(R) hands-free system
- Steering-wheel mounted audio system control switches
- Six speakers
Body colors
A choice of three exterior body colors is available: Crystal White Pearl Mica, Brilliant Black and Lilac Silver Metallic.
* Some equipment on the 20S Limited grade - dual power sliding doors, advanced keyless entry and start system, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels and rear roof spoiler - is not included on the 20 NAVI Special.
Big Revolutionized of Hyundai Sedan, seven-seat Kia ute
Korea go large: Hyundai and Kia show no fear of future fuel-economy standards or $3-per-gallon gasoline in the United States, instead pushing up market and up in size with two new V8-powered models revealed at the Detroit show.
Hyundai's latest offering is the Genesis sports sedan, aimed at premium-segment buyers with mid-level wallets. When the Genesis bows this summer, a top-trim model will sport 375 hp from a 4.6-liter V8 engine. The rear-drive sedan also will offer a laundry list of luxury content, such as adaptive HID headlights, radar-based cruise control and a full complement of safety features, from electronic active front headrests and stability control to eight airbags.
Hyundai would not reveal exact pricing but said the sedan would start in "BMW 3 Series territory," or somewhere in the low-$30,000s range.
Meanwhile, Kia unveiled its Borrego, the first foray by Hyundai's sister company into the midsize-sport/utility-vehicle market--and the world of V8 engines.
As traditional SUVs such as the Ford Explorer (with which one Kia executive compared the Borrego) are planning to move to unit body construction, the seven-passenger Borrego uses a body-on-frame architecture. With an optional 4.6-liter V8 cranking out more than 300 hp, the Borrego will have a class-leading tow rating in excess of 7500 pounds, Kia said. Kia also said it will make diesel power available, if not initially, at some point during the vehicle's first model run.
A 600-watt Infinity sound system with auxiliary USB audio input jacks tops the standard-equipment list, while options include a DVD-based navigation system, a rear camera and power-adjustable pedals. The Borrego should begin popping up in Kia showrooms this summer.
As conclusion, the move to V8 power doesn't mean the Koreans are out of touch with the U.S. market, company officials said. Adding bigger engines was planned long before the current fuel-economy rules were suggested. Also, neither company expects that V8s will make up a large percentage of the overall product mix.
Source: http://www.autoweek.com
Hawaii Endorses Plan for Electric Cars
The State of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Electric Company on Tuesday endorsed an effort to build an alternative transportation system based on electric vehicles with swappable batteries and an “intelligent” battery recharging network.
The plan, the brainchild of the former Silicon Valley software executive Shai Agassi, is an effort to overcome the major hurdles to electric cars — slow battery recharging and limited availability.
By using existing electric car technologies, coupled with an Internet-connected web of tens of thousands of recharging stations, he thinks his company, Better Place L.L.C. of Palo Alto, Calif., will make all-electric vehicles feasible.
Mr. Agassi has succeeded in assembling a growing consortium of national governments, regional planning organizations and one major car company. Tuesday’s announcement follows earlier endorsements from Israel, Denmark, Australia, Renault-Nissan and a coalition of Northern California localities supporting the idea leading to the deployment of an electric vehicle with a range of greater than 100 miles, beginning at the end of 2010 in Israel. The company plans test deployments of vehicles in 2009 and broad commercial sales in 2012.
Mr. Agassi has raised $200 million in private financing for his idea. In October, he obtained a commitment from the Macquarie Capital Group to raise an additional $1 billion for an Australian project.
On Tuesday, he said that he was optimistic about his project despite the dismal investment and credit markets because his network could provide investors with an annuity. Users of his recharging network would subscribe to the service, paying for access and for the miles they drive.
Given the downturn in the mortgage market, he said that investors are looking for new classes of assets that will provide dependable revenue streams over many years. “I believe the new asset class is batteries,” he said. “When you have a driver in a car using a battery, nobody is going to cut their subscription and stop driving.”
Mr. Agassi has argued that even if oil prices continued to decline, his electric recharging network — which ideally would use renewable energy sources like solar and wind — could provide competitively priced energy for a new class of vehicles.
He supposes that his network idea will be appropriate first for “island” economies that typically have significantly higher energy costs, and then will become more cost-competitive as it is scaled up.
“We always knew Hawaii would be the perfect model,” he said in a telephone interview. “The typical driving plan is low and leisurely, and people are smiling.”
Hawaii is a relatively small market with high energy costs. The state has about 1.2 million cars and replaces 70,000 to 120,000 vehicles annually.
Drivers on the islands also rarely make trips of more than 100 miles, meaning there will be less need for his proposed battery recharging stations. Part of Mr. Agassi’s model depends on quick-change service stations to swap batteries for drivers who need to use their cars before they have completely recharged their batteries.
Peter Rosegg, a spokesman for the Hawaiian Electric Company, said that Better Place would become a major customer for electricity and was also planning to invest in renewable energy sources that would be connected to the electric grid.
“It’s going to be a nonexclusive agreement, but so far they’re the only one that has shown up,” Mr. Rosegg said.
In late November, the mayors of San Francisco and other major Bay Area cities endorsed the Better Place network to help create an electric recharging network by 2012. The company estimates that it will cost $1 billion to build a charging network in the Bay Area that may create as many as half a million charging stations.
Despite challenges, the Better Place model is promising, said Daniel M. Kammen, a professor in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. It could appeal to owners of fleets of vehicles and to early adopter customers who are willing to work through the difficulties that will inevitably accompany a new transportation system. “It has a lot of promising features,” he said.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/
If Oil Price Keeps Increasing
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