Tag: million

Video: Jay Leno rolls like a million bucks on $80,000 BlackTrail BT-01

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Specialty, Electric

BlackTrail BT-01 – Click above to watch video after the jump

You know who you are. You care deeply about the environment and know the importance of looking cool. Also, you’ve got buckets of cash. You’ve been waiting to throw down $80 grand on a Fisker Karma but you’re tired of the seemingly endless delays. Well, here’s another eco-friendly vehicle on which to spend that stack o’ cash – the BlackTrail BT-01.

Yes, it’s a bicycle. But it’s not just any bicycle. This, my affluent amigo, is an avant-garde, hybrid-electric piece of rolling retro art. It’s got a classic leather saddle with matching handlebar grips, power pack cover and valve stem covers. We repeat, leather-wrapped valve stem covers! Oh yes, it also comes with its own theft deterrent device in the form of a set of leather-padded handcuffs. You heard us.

What, you want more? Okay. It’s got integrated LED lights front and rear. OLED display with speed indicator and battery status. At its 30-50 km/h (20-30 miles per hour) cruising speed it will carry you 160 – 200km (100 – 120 miles). If that’s too pokey, you can travel 25 – 30 miles at its maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph)!

While it’s not yet offered for sale in America, we expect it soon will be. Production is limited to 667 units with at least 41 already being sold at €59,500 ($75,930 U.S. at today’s exchange rate). Throw in the airfare to go get it and you’re looking at $80,000.

Hit the jump for a better look at this breakthrough bicycle with someone who could actually afford to buy one if he wanted to, Jay Leno. Scroll a little further down for bonus video of an on-sidewalk presentation.

[Source: PG-Bikes via Engadget]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno rolls like a million bucks on $80,000 BlackTrail BT-01

Video: Jay Leno rolls like a million bucks on $80,000 BlackTrail BT-01 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota’s hybrid sales break a million in Japan, Prius still on top

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in August of 1997, Toyota launched its Coaster Hybrid EV minibus, the company’s first hybrid vehicle. Though the Coaster Hybrid is not a common name, it was the vehicle that started the hybrid revolution at Toyota. The Japanese automaker has now announced that cumulative sales of its hybrids have now topped the one-million mark in its home market. In addition, the company’s global hybrid sales now stand at 2.68 million and counting.

In related news, Toyota announced that the Prius topped the sales charts in Japan once again, marking the 14th consecutive month that the Prius outsold all other models in the Japanese market. While Toyota is comfortably leading the way in hybrid sales, the company is committed to bolstering its lead. Toyota plans to introduce hybrid versions of all of its existing models by 2020 and aims to sell more than one million hybrids per year before the end of the decade. Follow the jump for more info on Toyota’s continued dominance of the hybrid segment.

Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota’s hybrid sales break a million in Japan, Prius still on top

Toyota’s hybrid sales break a million in Japan, Prius still on top originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla reports second-quarter loss of $38.5 million

Filed under: Earnings/Financials, Tesla

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S – Click above for high-res image gallery

Tesla has reported its first earnings statement as a public company and, not surprisingly, the numbers don’t exactly paint a rosy portrait. The company announced that while it managed to bring in revenue around $28.4 million, it lost $38.5 million. That loss marks the second such dip in earnings for the company this year, though analysts are saying that the drop in cash flow is to be expected. The company just handed over $42 million to purchase a manufacturing facility for the Model S, and odds are the company will continue to funnel money into the structure as we get closer to the EV sedan’s production date.

Speaking of the Model S, it’s likely that a fair portion of the company’s funds are being shoveled into development of this second Tesla model. With those two hefty projects on the company’s plate, odds are we won’t see the electric vehicle manufacturer turn a profit for some time – possibly until after the end of this year. The news doesn’t seem to have had too much of a negative impact on the company’s stock price, though. As of this writing, TSLA stock was still at $20.18 – down around a dollar from opening.

Gallery: Tesla Model S in motion

tesla-model-s-large-4tesla-model-s-large-2tesla-model-s-large-1tesla-model-s-large-3tesla-model-s-large-5

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Tesla reports second-quarter loss of $38.5 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ouch! Killing Mercury said to cost Ford $500 million

Filed under: Ford, Mercury

Mercury

In life, Mercury was an under-funded brand mainly composed of waterfall grilles stapled to bone-stock Ford models. In death, however, Mercury apparently gets to see some of the money it always dreamed of having when it was alive. According to Automotive News, Ford CFO Lewis Booth claims that shutting down Mercury before the end of this year will cost the Oval roughly $500 million overall. Booth says Ford already took a $247 million charge in the first half of 2010 to cover the neglected marque’s mercy killing.

The lion’s share of the money being spent will go toward buying out 700 of the 1,700 Mercury dealers across the United States. Back in June, we told you about a package that Ford was presenting to dealers who sign a termination agreement. The reported buyout totaled as much as $200,000 per dealership. (Actual dollar amounts for individual dealers were based on the number of vehicles they sold over a three-year period; more cars moved meant more FoMoCo cash received.)

Would a half-billion invested in updated Mercury product instead of a cash-lined casket have made a difference? Mercury’s sales numbers (or lack thereof) suggest that few car shoppers would have even noticed. Ditching Mercury to concentrate on bread-and-butter Ford has seemed like a no-brainer for years. More importantly, Lincoln, which hasn’t exactly lit up the monthly By the Numbers reports of late, should only benefit from the much-needed infusion of resources that were previously being wasted keeping Mercury afloat.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Ouch! Killing Mercury said to cost Ford $500 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automotive X-Prize: Finals Stage begins, Edison2 remains only team that can win mainstream class, $5 million

Filed under: Concept Cars, Specialty

Edison2’s Very Light Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

This week, the Finals Stage of the Automotive X-Prize finally begins and, as we found our recently, only one team has any hope of driving away with the $5 million mainstream prize. That team is Edison2, which has two cars still competing in the category, both versions of the Very Light Car we first met at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. There are also 13 vehicles competing in the alternative classes. The AXP sent out a release today describing what is planned for the Finals Stage:

During this stage, teams will compete in emissions, efficiency, and range events conducted by the competition organizers. In addition, teams must successfully complete various dynamic safety events, including a 0-60 mph acceleration, 60-0 mph braking, and a double lane change avoidance maneuver, conducted and evaluated by automotive engineers from Consumer Reports. The top finalists in each class will be announced July 27 prior to the start of a “coast down” exercise that will allow competition organizers to gain key performance information about the aerodynamics and rolling resistance of each vehicle to properly prepare them for the Validation Stage to be held at Argonne National Labs in August. Winners will be announced in September in Washington, D.C.

As we can see in this PDF, the two cars that Edison2 has left in the mainstream class were tested at 67.3 and 80.3 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge). Those numbers were good enough to pass the Knockout Stage (where 66 mpge was the important number), but there’s a long way to go from there to 100 mpge, one of the benchmarks needed to win the X-Prize. One of the cars did manage to reach 101.4 mpge during the Knockout Stage, but took an eight lap penalty for “working on the car” during the highway test cycle and “for failure to meet minimum lap time requirements.” We’ll get more information on what this means when we visit the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI later this week.

We’ll also investigate the other important questions here: What are the Very Light Car’s chances to win this thing? If Edison2 doesn’t make it, then what happens? Will there be a second Automotive X-Prize to award the $5 million mainstream award? We’ll ask soon. Until then, you can read Edison2’s words about these cars here. Also, there’s a video of how Consumer Reports is testing the cars after the jump.

Gallery: Automotive X-Prize: Edison2 Very Light Car

Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Edison2, Automotive X-Prize, Damien Somerset]

Continue reading Automotive X-Prize: Finals Stage begins, Edison2 remains only team that can win mainstream class, $5 million

Automotive X-Prize: Finals Stage begins, Edison2 remains only team that can win mainstream class, $5 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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