Hybrid SUVs are becoming very fast one of the most popular vehicles on the road today. In fact, online searches for a SUV hybrid in 2008 and 2009 are among the highest for all hybrid cars. Hybrid SUVs are in high demand as consumers seek new fuel-efficiency options. The 2010 Hybrid SUVs are getting more powerful and better mileage than their conventional counterparts.
There are over 15 models available now and several new ones scheduled to reach auto dealers at the end of this year and in early 2010.
Posts tagged ‘SUV’
Mahindra & Mahindra, the leader in utility vehicles in India, has taken the initiative to introduce the path breaking FuelSmart System for the first time in India. The FuelSmart system is an automatic engine start stop system. It has been introduced in its Scorpio M2DI and Bolero SLX BS3 models.
The start stop system automatically shuts down and restarts the automobile’s engine. The engine begins effortlessly once a driver depresses a clutch prior to moving ahead. This in turn reduces the duration for which the engine is kept idling, thereby improving fuel economy. This start stop system comes into play when the automobile has to spend considerable amounts of time waiting at traffic signals or in traffic jams. This feature started in hybrid electric vehicles but now has also started appearing in vehicles without a hybrid powertrain like Scorpio and Bolero. Fuel economy can improve by 5 to 10 percent in non-hybrid vehicles with the start stop system.
Continue reading ‘The Start Stop Micro Hybrid Technology in SUV Mahindra Scorpio’ »
There are certain vehicles that develop an aura over the years. The Toyota Land Cruiser certainly falls into that category. From a utilitarian beginning, it has become a bit more modern without losing the toughness we all loved.
Toyota has always taken a unique approach when it comes to their model lines. The company prefers to launch a model and then stick with it unlike most other car companies. The Land Cruiser is a classic example. The truck was first designed in 1951 with full scale production beginning in 1954. It has come in versions ranging from convertibles to station wagons. As it closes in on 60 years of production, the Land Cruiser is still the lead SUV model for the company. That’s staying power!
The story of the beginnings of the Land Cruiser is surprisingly mundane. The Japanese government asked the company to build a vehicle similar to the Jeep used by the United States Military to such effect. The name of the vehicle is often written as “Landcruiser”, but this is incorrect and obviously so when you know the origins of it. The name was based on the Land Rover built in England. Toyota wanted a similar name that sounded similar.