Overview

Toyota’s 1/X, which debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show, is a lightweight, 4-door tribrid—meaning it can use three different fuels for propulsion: electricity, conventional gasoline, and ethanol (E85). It is named the 1/X because it “weighs only ‘1/Xth’ that of other vehicles in its class.”

Despite Toyota’s emphasis on her nifty powertrain, they also gave consideration to safety, space and weight efficiency. Consequently, the 1/X is sporting some impressive specs.


What We Like

• The Flex-Fuel engine. FFV technology—Flex-Fuel—allows the use of E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Also called bioethanol, E85 is a high octane fuel that substantially lowers carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional gasoline.

• The plug-in. Coupled with the flex-fuel engine, the plug-in battery addition gives the Toyota 1/X a unique and enviable powertrain.

• The safety. The body frame’s rigid carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) should make for outstanding collision safety.

• The roof. Made out of a bio-plastic derived from plant material (kenaf and ramie), it improves heat insulation, reduces noise and increases the amount of light entering the cabin


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Overview

Loremo is a portmanteau for ‘low resistance mobile’ and the vehicle made big headlines at the Geneva Auto Show in 2006 when it boasted of a jaw-dropping 157 mpg. The Germany-based company hopes to make it, along with the sportier GT model, the world’s first mass-market ultralight vehicles.

Recently they announced production plans for an all electric car model, the E-Loremo, with hopes of a prototype in mid-2008. Although they have offered up a number of proposed specs for this vehicle in the company blog, they read a bit like they’re winging it, and as you'll note below, they aren’t very good at accurately estimating specs. So we’ll side-step the electric model for now and focus on the original.


What We Like

• The wing door. There are concerns that, on a rainy day your interior will get wet when open. To their credit, Loremo responds in their FAQ: “Driving pleasure was the more important factor to us. After all, how many days will there be, when it rains so heavily, that the front seats will be affected by water?”

• The seating configuration. As a 2+2, the Loremo rear seats are either folded up for truck space or, as seats prove not quite big enough for your average adult, but in the event you can fit back there, do it—the seats are mounted facing the rear window. Fun ride! A great distraction for otherwise unruly kids as well.

• The crash-resistant frame. Thanks to energy-transferring, front-to-back steel girders and a single crossbeam, the frame weighs less than half that of other cars, without a compromise in safety.

• The price. Despite some fluctuations, the current estimate of 15,000 Euros amounts to about US $22,000 ofr the Loremo. This is a consumer-friendly price that, coupled with the vehicle’s mpg, dynamic profile and trunk space, suddenly makes the Loremo cost-efficient (in re fuel), good-looking and reasonably practical.



Forex 101




Overview

Norway-based manufacturer Think successfully previewed the Think City at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, and having recently been on the receiving end of a few million dollars from GE, the vehicle shows no signs of slowing down. Currently there are about 1200 Think vehicles driving the streets of Norway.


What We Like

• The materials. According to the company web site, the Think City is made of 95% recyclable material, and “the car itself is designed to be recycled”. You don’t see that claim very often.

• The clever, and honest, marketing copy. The Think City says what few others do—that, as an electric car that plugs into the grid, it is not a zero emissions vehicle when you consider the source of that energy. Instead, the Think City is a “zero local emissions” vehicle. Bravo.

• The safety. ABS brakes, airbags, side impact bars in the doors, and those are just for starters. Granted when you make a car this small, safety will automatically come to mind to wary consumers, but the Think City is armed with about as much as she can handle.

• The 2+2. This option elevates the Think City into a practical electric car.

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