Toyota FT-86 / Subaru 216A: They come at the end of 2011 indeed!!!

In an interview with the President of Fuji Heavy Industries Mori Ikuo, it was revealed that the Subaru version will be presented at the end of 2011, and from what I could understand from the Japanese text, it will be revealed in December. Toyota is expected to launch it also at the same time.

The article also reveals that testing, as well as the body of the car have been almost completed, and tests are been carried out at the moment in order to fine tune the car for foreign markets. Mori revealed that the car is very comfortable and fuel efficient. The low seating position, in conjunction with the low centre of gravity, result in feeling very confident in driving it.

The price will be around 2,500,000 ¥.

I am glad that my detailed post has proved to be right, as the facts above confirm what I have written about the FT-86! If you want to read all the posts regarding the FT-86, you can use the "FT-86 variants FT-86のバリエーション" tag which is used for all upcoming versions of the model (Toyota FT-86, Subaru 216A, Scion FR-S etc).

[Source: 東京新聞; Source of photo: Subaring Days]

Rendering of next-gen Subaru Impreza WRX STi

This is the second rendering of the next-gen Subaru Impreza WRX STi (earlier post) I have came across so far, and as you can see, it is based on the concept presented at the LA Auto Show. As I have written before, Subaru... just don't cock it up....

A rather unsusual Infiniti G25 from Taiwan

OK, back to cars... although this time I am not so sure if that's a good thing or not... 

According to Infiniti, inspired performance is about seeing power, beauty and style both on and off the road. That's why they invited artist Heidi Taillefer to turn one of a new Infiniti G25 into a... moving piece of art in celebration of the Cirque du Soleil "Varekai" show in Taiwan.

iPhone cookies made in Japan!!!

Green Gables bakery in Tokushima has been selling life-size iPhone cookies (iPhoneクッキー) for two years. But recently, photos have appeared on Twitter and elsewhere, boosting huge demand!

Originally, the small, local bakery made the cookie as a special birthday present for a customer’s husband. But thanks to social media, the $33 cookie is being ordered by hundreds of people around Japan. You see, it's not only Nissan struggling to fill orders... as the the current waiting time for an iPhone cookie is... two months!!!

[Source: 今日もおいしいものを求めて via Cult of Mac]

Zeitgeist 2010: Year in review

Just as 2010 ends... I think it's a nice recap.

Nissan to fill LEAF orders by summer 2011

As it is already known, Nissan struggles to fill LEAF orders and therefore, even dealers are getting less demo cars. But things may not be so bad (relatively speaking...) since, in an article published by Mercury News, Nissan's spokesman Tim Gallagher indicated that Nissan tries to fill all the order by the end of summer.

Hm, imagine when you will get yours if you place in order now...

Stop/Start system's battery life is...

The adoption of a Stop/Start system is a good way in reducing the fuel consumption of a car, especially when spending a lot of time in traffic, and although it's not something new as a concept, there are a lot of design challenges. Apart from reducing the number of parts and thus the cost, as Daihatsu has done (earlier post), the durability of the system is another important factor. For example, a system like that requires a battery capable of a high number of charge/discharge cycles. So, as I was reading an article about Vitz' system (earlier post) on Response's website, I came across with an interesting fact. Toyota claims that the life of the battery used in the new Vitz is 15 years / 200,000 km.

Production of GT-R Spec V to end in summer 2011

According to reports coming from Japan, the GT-R Spec V production will end in summer 2011. The successor is rumored to be lighter and with a lower price tag of around 12,000,000 ¥.