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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

20 years of the pioneering Prius

20 years of the pioneering Prius: 'Prius' is based on Latin for 'to go before.' Since its launch in 1997 as the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle, the Prius has endeavored to carve open a new era. This year, it celebrates its 20th anniversary.Toyota launches special website to commemorate 20th anniversary of the Prius. This site will be updated from time to time throughout the year.

GALLERY | TOYOTA Global Newsroom

GALLERY | TOYOTA Global Newsroom: Photos of the Prius and its history can be found here.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Jalopnik Article Mentions Nomadic Fanatic, RTR 2018

Jalopnik Article mentions Nomadic Fanatic, Adventure VanMan and even Bob Wells' RTR 2018 (without naming it) although not entirely in a complementary sense.


Stranded And Cold In The Mountains, This Guy Is Selling His Land Cruiser To Get His Life Back 

 Inspired by traveling YouTubers like Nomatic Fanatic and AdventureVanMan, Schaeffer and his partner Sarah Lacefield left their day jobs (he sold fragrances, she worked in retail), sold their Honda Civic, and headed west in a Toyota Land Cruiser they had purchased from a highway patrolman.

After trying to find work on the coast of Oregon, Schaefer says he and Lacefield “ended up going broke,” and decided to drive to Quartzsite, Arizona to meet up with hundreds of other “van-lifers,” who they said were planning to spend the winter there.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Daily Kanban: Portrait of a Con Artist...


Portrait of the Con Artist as a Stung Man



Who has Musk conned?
Once a mere over-promiser, Mr. Musk has become a con artist. Model 3 reservation holders had confidence that their deposits would reserve them a vehicle but instead of holding the deposits in escrow Tesla appears to have spent the money on general operations. His march across this Rubicon continues. Roadster Founder customers have been invited to pay full price for a vehicle less likely to arrive shortly after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics than shortly before the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tesla again does not appear to have guaranteed that the $250,000 deposits, being five times the median household income in the USA, will be set aside. Many reports have called this a stealth cash raise. If they were in error, Mr. Musk would have directed vigorous invective at them by now.
Thanks, Elon!


Living in a Car on $800 a Month

Sunday, November 12, 2017

JPN TAXI

Taxis is one of my interest, so here's some taxi related news not a month old.

On October 23, 2017 Toyota launched a new dedicated taxi vehicle, the JPN TAXI, where "JPN" stands for Japan and "TAXI" stands for, you guessed it, taxi.


 The press release goes like this (quoting):



Toyota City, Japan, October 23, 2017―Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) launched a new taxi vehicle, the "JPN Taxi." The new model became available today at Toyota and Toyopet dealers nationwide.
The JPN Taxi embodies the spirit of Japanese hospitality. It was developed to provide usability and comfort to a wide range of people, including children, seniors, wheelchair users, and visitors to Japan from abroad. Toyota aims to change Japan's landscape, develop barrier-free cities, and transform Japan into a tourist-oriented country by promoting the widespread use of its JPN Taxis.




The new model showcases a people-friendly, universal design that provides usability and comfort to a wide range of people through continual innovations and improvements, from grab handles to the overall vehicle structure. Design features include a low, flat floor, making it easy for customers to ingress and egress from the taxi, a wide-opening, power rear sliding door (left side only) and space to accommodate wheelchair users3.
In addition, the taxi is designed to beautifully complement the cityscape while at the same time being easily recognizable as a taxi. This is achieved in part due to the car's styling, which aims to transcend trends and serve as a timeless classic model, as well as the body's deep indigo (koiai) tone, a traditional color that has long been a symbol of Japan.



Furthermore, this model offers the driver an optimal range of vision, in part through innovations to the position and shape of the pillars and the use of fender mirrors. As a design priority for this taxi model, functionality was improved by positioning the dashboard instruments and other devices in the taxi to allow easy access, including the placement of the GPS system and taxi meter in a spot that is easy for customers to see.
Environmental performance and power performance were both taken to new levels. By employing a newly developed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) hybrid system, the new model offers 19.4 km/L4 fuel economy and sharply reduced CO2 emissions. Enhancements were made to safety equipment, including adding the Toyota Safety Sense C package and six SRS airbags as standard features.



Toyota began its venture into the taxi industry in Japan in 1936 with the introduction of the Toyota Model AA. In 1953, Toyota released the Toyopet Super RH model and other vehicles, which have become fixtures helping transport many people over the years. Toyota taxis have and will continue to travel greater distances than the average vehicle and be used in the toughest road conditions. This could be considered the starting point for automobiles that pursue a vision of ideal automotive development.
Toyota looks forward to exhibiting its JPN Taxi at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show 2017, and also plans to use the taxi to greet visitors from around the world in 2020, when Tokyo hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games.




Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Gran Turismo Sport - Colorado Springs-Lake 1ST PLACE - Ford Focus Rally Car

Tesla Model 3 Steals Chrysler Crossfire Rear Suspension

More bad news for Elon, Tesla Model 3 caught stealing aka closely copying the Chrysler Crossfire MB rear suspension.






So, to recap, the all new and wonderful 2018 Tesla Model 3 uses the 1999 Chrysler Crossfire Mercedes-Benz rear suspension set up?! Wow, that's real progress right there.

Thanks, Elon!

SHOP REDBUBBLE