Monthly Archives June 2014

According to the report from PCMag, the upcoming Tesla CUV – the Model X, will possibly carry a base price of “only” $55,000, compared to Model S base price tag of $62,400 (both with the $7,500 federal tax credit taken into consideration). This is an approx. 12% price cut.

The possible lower price does not mean less quality or offering in the Model X. In fact the Model X comes with AWD as standard, so 2 electric motors in Model X vs. single electric motors in the Model S.

For the Model X, besides the pricing, what I mostly concern is whether the issues found in the Model S have been addressed, for example the lack of some “must-have” features such as illumination for the...

By now most of you must have read the news that New Jersey had passed a bill to allow ZEV makers to sell their cars directly to the public, without participation of dealerships.

Obviously this is good news for this bill’s major beneficiary – Tesla Motors, because Tesla only allows you to purchase their product directly from them, with MSRP. This is somewhat similar to Apple – you seldom see discounted sales of iPhone or iPad etc.

Proponents of the direct sales model are claiming that without the dealership as middleman, auto makers can eliminate variances in service qualities and marketing efficiencies.

At the same time, opponents are reasoning that, without dealer...

We got some latest spy shots of the upcoming redesigned BMW 7-Series, which will be announced next year as a 2016 model.

Since the 7-Series will share the platform with the Rolls-Royce Ghost, and you may remember last month we shed some lights on the next generation of the Ghost, the new 7-Series will utilize carbonfiber in its car frame. The use of the light weight material will also reduce the curb weight of the new 7-series for around 450 lbs compared to the current generation.

Insider information indicates some new engine options, including a 2...

In this section, we will take a look at the last type of automobile suspension, which is usually used for rear wheels.

In the H-arm system, one end of the arm is connecting to two locations of the car body; another end connects to two locations of the wheel hub. The H-arm alone can limit 4 degrees of freedom, so it need another horizontal control arm to limit one more degree to make the whole system with 1 degree of freedom.

However the above design has non-optimal wheel movement trajectory, most automaker will not use such design without modifications...

Lexus never sold a diesel engine vehicle in US, even though there is something like the IS200d sold in some European markets.

Latest news claims Toyota is planning to put its 1VD-FTV 4.5L diesel V8 engine into its LX luxury SUV. The same diesel engine has already been placed into the Land Cruiser previously. The diesel equipped LX will be named LX450d.

This 1VD-FTV engine is using two variable geometry turbo (VGT) chargers, with common rail direct injection system. The version installed on the Land Cruiser is rated at 261hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. We are expected to see the same number on the LX450d.

However, Lexus will not bring the LX450d to US market...