Peugeot Australia has beefed up its 207 range with the introduction of the special edition 207 Sportium five-door hatch.
Starting at $21,990 for the 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre petrol five-speed manual, the Sportium sits right between the $19,990 entry-level 207 XR and the top-of-the-range 207 XT at $23,990.
Like the XT, it is also available as a petrol automatic ($23,990) and an 80kW/240Nm HDi diesel manual ($25,190).
Included on all three Sportium models are 16in alloy wheels, sports bumpers with fog lamps, body-coloured side mouldings, rear parking sensors and electric windows, privacy glass, leather steering wheel, carpet mats, dark interior trim, and aluminium pedals, door sills and gearknob (manual).
Five exterior colours are available including black, white, red and two shades of grey.
Peugeot Automobiles Australia general manager and director, Ken Thomas, said the introduction of the Sportium was another example of Peugeot’s commitment to offering customers a premium product without paying a premium.
“It delivers all the hallmarks of a true European car – such as dynamic style, high safety standard equipment including ESP, six airbags and ABS and a rewarding driving experience – at a price that’s very competitive in today’s automotive market,” Mr Thomas said.Through the first seven months of the year, the 207 holds a dominant position at the top of its $25K+ light segment with 453 sales and a market share of just below 50 percent.
But the premium light vehicle segment in Australia is very small, accounting for just 920 of the total 80,409 light vehicles sold in Australia this year. Against the entire light vehicle segment, the baby Pug accounts for just 0.56 percent of the market.
The 2010 Peugeot 207 Sportium special edition hatch is on sale now.
Note: Prices are the manufacturer’s maximum recommended vehicle price not including on road costs.
Source : www.caradvice.com.au
Pickup beset by persistent glitches in drivetrain
By Mark Rechtin
LOS ANGELES -- Toyota is taking action to fix the latest in a series of quality problems related to the drivetrain of its full-sized Tundra pickup.
The company has released a technical service bulletin that covers the rear axles and differentials of 2007-10 model Tundras. Toyota describes the problem as a "growling noise" coming from the rear axle-shaft bearing.
The service bulletin says the problem could require the replacement of the wheel bearing assembly.
The noise often is a sign of wear on the rear-wheel bearing, which if it fails can result in a loss of steering control or the separation of the wheel from the vehicle.
About 500,000 Tundras have been built since 2007, when the vehicle was redesigned. All still fall under Toyota's powertrain warranty. There are no plans to extend the warranty on the affected vehicles.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker has received "very few complaints" about the problem. He said the problem usually involves "tolerance stack-ups within the third member that usually are heard early on in the life cycle."
In 2008, a similar growling noise from the front differential of 4x4 Tundras was the focus of another technical service bulletin. In 2009, Toyota issued a bulletin conceding that Tundra automatic transmissions could slip out of gear because of clutch damage.
Also, a 2008 service bulletin noted that the truck's balky driveshaft could cause a "bump from behind" feeling during acceleration from a stop, but Tundra-follower Web sites reported that the problem could result in driveshaft separation at high speed.
According to a 2007 service bulletin, the torque converter was reported to have a "shudder."
Meanwhile, investigators continue to look for causes of uninintended acceleration on some Toyota vehicles. The company has issued recalls of millions of vehicles to fix sticking accelerator pedals and interference by floor mats that it concedes can cause the problem. Toyota says other possible explanations include driver error.
But the company says that after reviewing 3,000 complaints of unintended acceleration since March, it has found no evidence that electronic software glitches are the fault.
Separately, Toyota confirmed last week that it had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York concerning the recall of "defective, broken and/or fractured steering relay rods" in its vehicles.
Toyota would not say what vehicles are involved in the investigation, and the court did not provide additional information. In a statement, Toyota said it "intends to cooperate with the investigation."
In 2004, Toyota recalled trucks that had been built over a six-year period in Japan, citing steering rod flaws. U.S. executives told regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the recall was limited to Japan market vehicles.
But 12 months later, Toyota's U.S. operations recalled nearly 1 million compact pickups, T100 trucks and 4Runner SUVs for the same problem.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20100726/OEM01/307269948/1117#ixzz0vc484RfZ
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By Eric Tingwall |
Hyundai's corporate work ethic and frugality have resulted in a strong emphasis on developing and manufacturing key components in-house. By avoiding the hybrid technology used in the Sonata Hybrid's chief competitors-the Ford Fusion, the Nissan Altima, and the Toyota Camry-the company has smartly dodged the licensing fees of patented technology and tapped existing hardware for its first gasoline/electric car.
The homebrew hybrid
Primary propulsion for the hybrid Sonata comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that's now running the Atkinson cycle and is tuned for fuel economy, resulting in a 169-hp output. Assistance is provided by a 40-hp electric motor mounted in place of the torque converter inside Hyundai's six-speed automatic transmission. At 209 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, total output is slightly higher than the base Sonata's. In electric-only operation, a clutch between the engine and the motor disconnects the two power sources to eliminate the drag of the engine's spinning internals. A second, smaller electric motor restarts the engine from red lights or in stop-and-go traffic.
Hyundai uses the electric motor, in lieu of a torque converter, to dampen shift shock, an arrangement that works quite well. The Sonata climbs through its six gears seamlessly, with reasonable speed. On kickdown, though, gear changes feel slower the harder you squeeze the throttle. Off the line, the low-end torque of the electric motor transitions linearly to the engine's high-rpm thrust. When pushed, the Sonata Hybrid feels quicker than the factory's reported 0-to-62-mph run of 9.2 seconds.
Hyundai claims a top electric speed of 62 mph, but getting there under electric power alone from a stop is impossible. Our technique for maximum efficiency is to use the gas engine to accelerate up to city or suburban speeds and then massage the throttle to coax the car into electric mode. City fuel economy, at 37 mpg, falls 4 mpg short of the Fusion Hybrid's. But, at an estimated 40 mpg on the highway, the Sonata will claim the best EPA highway mileage among its hybrid mid-size sedan competitors. .. ...next page >>
The homebrew hybrid
Primary propulsion for the hybrid Sonata comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that's now running the Atkinson cycle and is tuned for fuel economy, resulting in a 169-hp output. Assistance is provided by a 40-hp electric motor mounted in place of the torque converter inside Hyundai's six-speed automatic transmission. At 209 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, total output is slightly higher than the base Sonata's. In electric-only operation, a clutch between the engine and the motor disconnects the two power sources to eliminate the drag of the engine's spinning internals. A second, smaller electric motor restarts the engine from red lights or in stop-and-go traffic.
Hyundai uses the electric motor, in lieu of a torque converter, to dampen shift shock, an arrangement that works quite well. The Sonata climbs through its six gears seamlessly, with reasonable speed. On kickdown, though, gear changes feel slower the harder you squeeze the throttle. Off the line, the low-end torque of the electric motor transitions linearly to the engine's high-rpm thrust. When pushed, the Sonata Hybrid feels quicker than the factory's reported 0-to-62-mph run of 9.2 seconds.
Hyundai claims a top electric speed of 62 mph, but getting there under electric power alone from a stop is impossible. Our technique for maximum efficiency is to use the gas engine to accelerate up to city or suburban speeds and then massage the throttle to coax the car into electric mode. City fuel economy, at 37 mpg, falls 4 mpg short of the Fusion Hybrid's. But, at an estimated 40 mpg on the highway, the Sonata will claim the best EPA highway mileage among its hybrid mid-size sedan competitors. .. ...next page >>
The Scura is a special-edition Exige that's lighter, bolstered with performance refinements and wrapped in black exterior packaging.Scura translates as "dark" in Italian, and that is derived from the high-gloss phantom black triple stripes that run the length of the car. The rest of the exterior is coated in a "soft-feel" matte black finish.
Lightweight carbon-fiber parts slim the Scura by about 22 pounds. Lotus's launch and traction-control features are standard. The Scura's supercharged 1.8-liter motor makes 257 hp. The car can run to 60 mph in four seconds and can clock a top speed of a 152 mph.
The Exige Scura will be limited to just 35 copies. It will be called the Exige Stealth in Japan.
Source : www.autonews.com
Lightweight carbon-fiber parts slim the Scura by about 22 pounds. Lotus's launch and traction-control features are standard. The Scura's supercharged 1.8-liter motor makes 257 hp. The car can run to 60 mph in four seconds and can clock a top speed of a 152 mph.
The Exige Scura will be limited to just 35 copies. It will be called the Exige Stealth in Japan.
Source : www.autonews.com
