Honda CR-Z JCOTY special edition

Honda CR-Z has won the 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) award (earlier post) and in order to celebrate this award, Honda has launched a special edition called "Memorial Award Edition". It comes in conduction with both available transmissions (6MT and CVT) and in terms of special features, it includes the following: Special Pearl Deep Sapphire Blue body colour, dark grey 16" aluminium wheels, metal pedals, JCOTY stickers, Honda's HDD and ETC.

In total, 1000 "Memorial Award Edition" CR-Zs will be made costing 2,794,000 ¥.

Become a champion in your region by driving a LEAF...

Hmm, I am really wondering where we are heading to next... Nissan has created a system, called CARWINGS (カーウイングス), which connects all LEAFs to a network, wirelessly feeding their economy statistics. The point of all that? Well, there is a regional ranking system comparing the driver's energy economy to other LEAF drivers, and the winner gets... a gold medal on the navi screen.

At the moment, CARWINGS is only available in Japan and it includes also other services, such as 24-hour driver support.

[Source: Mashable]

New Nissan Patrol exceeds sales expectations in UAE

The fourth-gen Nissan Patrol (aka Safari サファリ), codenamed Y62, is not available in Japan, but it has proved to be a big success in the UAE. Ten months after its launch, sales have exceeded the company's original expectations according to Arabian Automobiles, Nissan dealer for Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

Local sales of the Nissan Patrol started in April 2010, and in the first eight months, more than 2,000 units have been sold in the UAE (not counting Abu Dhabi, which has a different dealer). However, I don't reckon that this number is higher than the number of Toyota Land Cruiser sold, but it's a good start.

[Source: Drive Arabia]

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.