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What's inside a Tesla Engine? Watch it here! This is like a tamiya motor X 10800 times!

The radical Jaguar C-X75 unfortunately did not make it to production due to the ongoing global economic crisis. However, a few working prototypes were built. Up to three of these will be auctioned off, while one will go into a future Jaguar museum and the other will be kept by Jaguar for running demonstrations. Autocar U.K. was fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of one of these and did a review of the supercar that suffered from stillborn. The review was very positive and the reviewer commented that it is a shame that nobody will really get a chance to own one. The hybrid drivetrain consists of a turbocharged/supercharged 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors mounted at either end of the car, driving transaxles and powered by a liquid/air-cooled battery pack. The hybrid drivetrain is rated at 888bhp with a combined torque of 800Nm. The C-X75 could travel from 0 to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. The C-X75's carbon fibre chassis was developed with the Williams F1 team.

The Toyota Prius V has been rebadged as the new Daihatsu Mebius in Japan. The move is part of a business collaboration in the environmental technology field between the two companies as agreed in September 2010. Toyota has held 51 percent ownership of Daihatsu since 1998. The Mebius is the second Toyota hybrid car rebadged as a Daihatsu, the first being the Camry hybrid's conversion into the Daihatsu Altis. This can be a bit confusing since Toyota has an Altis model itself. The Prius V and MEbius are identical twins both internally and externally but the Mebius is offered exclusively as a five-seater while the Prius V can be specified with a seven seat arrangement. Like the Prius, the Mebius has a hybrid setup consisting of a 99bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined output of 136bhp. Average fuel consumption is rated at 3.82 litres/100 km.

Nissan has previously announced that there will be a successor to the R35 GT-R and the next GT-R is due to be released in either 2017 or 2018. The GT-R's chief engineer, Kazutoshi Mizuno, also mentioned that the current R35 GT-R will evolve over the next five years. According to recent reports, engineers at the company are considering giving the next Nissan GT-R a hybrid powerplant. This might not come as a surprise since there have been a rising number of automakers experimenting with hybrid technology for their supercars. Nissan's engineers are looking at two possibilities at the moment. The first one is a hybrid set-up where one or more electric motors will help to boost the car's performance and depend on recovered brake energy for power. Nissan introduced the Infiniti Essence Concept with a similar hybrid technology a few years back and the concept was able to make around 600bhp. But, the heavy weight of the batteries used for the hybrid system was a real let down for the engineers at that time. The other option is a simpler one which utilises an electric motor to power up supporting items such as lights and etc. this will help to greatly reduce the load of the engine. Additionally, it will also help to boost performance by being mounted to the gearbox. The next GT-R might also feature engine stop-start technology and cylinder deactivation in order to improve fuel consumption. Introducing hybrid technology on supercars will have some benefits. Other than reducing emissions level and improving fuel economy, electric motors will give the car instantaneous torque, improved traction control (especially for all wheel drive cars) and increased range through reduced fuel consumption.

In Japan, Honda is not so well known when it comes to hybrid cars. Over there, Toyota or Lexus is more popular for its hybrid offerings. Although Honda has been producing hybrid cars for quite a while, they are not popular as Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive vehicles. But things are about to change as Honda has announced three new hybrid systems that will be used in the near future. Let's start off with the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system. This particular one is aimed specifically at small, compact cars. It is a single motor system and Honda promises the best fuel economy in its class and better acceleration than any existing Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) vehicles. This system features a 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle engine with a seven speed dual clutch transmission which contains an integrated high output electric motor powered by lithium ion batteries. During heavy acceleration and high speeds, the system uses both engine and motor power. While in low and medium speed, the car functions as an electric vehicle; provided there are sufficient battery charge. Honda stated that this system will improve efficiency by thirty percent when compared to its previous IMA vehicles and at the same time it delivers a more linear acceleration. Next up is the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi Mode Drive which is for larger sized cars. This system features a two motor system which offers three different types of driving modes. Firstly is the EV Drive which allows the vehicle to function in pure electric mode. This will give a good range in planned plug-in versions. Next is the Engine Drive mode which is used for medium to high speeds. And lastly is the Hybrid Drive mode which mixes power from the engine and the two electric motors. This is particularly useful during heavy acceleration and stop-and-go traffic. Lastly, the hybrid system which might interest some performance enthusiasts; is the Sport Hybrid Super Handling All Wheel Drive system which utilises three motors. This system uses two electric motors to drive the rear wheels and an engine and a seven speed dual clutch gearbox with an integrated electric motor for the front wheels. This particular system is ideal for performance and fuel economy. It is said that torque could be precisely optimised for traction on the rear wheels across a wide range of road surfaces and conditions. A fitted 3.5-litre V6 engine will support the electric motor to give a V8 engine-like acceleration with a V6 engine fuel economy. Honda mentioned that this system can deliver the performance benefits of an all wheel drive performance vehicle while minimising the weight penalties of such conventional systems. These three new hybrid systems are expected to feature in Honda vehicles in the near future. Image credit: Honda and Net Car Show

Toyota Motor Corporation was once known for producing some of the best sports cars and during one moment, they fed consumers with beige, drab looking models. With the recent release of several sports-orientated models such as the Lexus LFA, Toyota 86 and Lexus IS-F (there are even plans to release a Lexus GS-F); it seems that the aspiration to produce stylish sports orientated cars has been renewed again at the Japanese firm. But Toyota

Nissan has just released the fifth generation Cima in the Japanese market. It is basically a re-batched Infiniti M35h with minor exterior changes, such as a large chromed grille. The car will only be available as a hybrid, using Nissan's VQ35HR engine coupled to an advanced HM34 electric motor. The combined output is 369bhp with a massive 620Nm of torque. Like its Infiniti cousin, all the power is sent to the rear wheel via a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Going by the performance of the M35h, the Cima should reach 100km/h from rest in just 5.5 seconds. The large luxury sedan achieves 20% improvement in fuel economy over 2015 standards and is SU-LEV certified. This also qualifies the vehicle for preferential tax breaks under the Japanese tax system that promotes the diffusion of environmentally friendly vehicles. Therefore, the car is fully exempted from the automobile acquisition tax and automobile weight tax. The Cima has traditionally been Nissan's rival to the Toyota Crown Majesta. To date, the Nissan Cima has sold over 278,000 units. The Cima goes on sale on 21st May at Nissan dealers nationwide in Japan for a price range of

The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show has just begun and many automakers are showcasing their new models or concepts. And it is no surprise that Volkswagen has unveiled its crossover SUV concept there since it is one of the biggest auto events. The concept shows hints of what a compact hybrid crossover would look like when style, performance and efficiency are combined. Volkswagen named it the Cross Coupe Concept. A spokesperson for the company said that it is how a crossover between a four-door coupe and an SUV would look like. This concept could also be the basis for Audi's crossover SUV. The concept was designed by Walter de Silva and Klaus Bischoff and it is rather stunning. Measuring 4.34 metres long, the car is shorter than the current Volkswagen Tiguan but longer than the current VW Golf. The long front bonnet and the sloping rear lines give the car an aggressive stance. The front headlights are uniquely connected to the centre grille. The chrome strips are more than just for aesthetics purposes. The bottom strips houses the daytime running lights and the top ones are for turn signals. Interior wise, the car features four bucket seats with integrated headrests. Both front and back seats can be folded down to increase cabin space. The cargo trunk space has around 13.4 cubic feet of space and increases to 43.4 cubic feet when the seats are folded. A programmable instrument cluster, which is connected to the driving mode selector, displays various information relating to the driving mode, either sport, off-road and city. The Cross Coupe is powered by three different sources. The front wheels are powered by a 148bhp turbocharged engine which is connected to an electric motor with 54bhp. The rear wheels are powered by another electric motor which will is activated when driving in all-electric mode or during all-wheel drive driving. The rear electric motor is rated at 114bhp and a total of 262bhp if you combine all three. The batteries for the two electric motors are located where the driveshaft would normally sit. According to Volkswagen, this provides a better low centre of gravity and better balance which in turn will give the car the handling of a coupe with SUV functionality. Photo credit: Auto Evolution and Motor Authority

When Aston Martin released the Cygnet city car (a luxury rebadged of the Toyota IQ), it was to offer Aston Martin owners the option of a car that can deal the traffic congestion of big city streets while their performance grand tourer sits in the garage at home. Well, some have said that the Cygnet is for Aston Martin owners to use as paperweight so that their dollar bills would not fly away. Now, it seems that Lotus has jumped on the "Performance auto manufacturers producing tiny gutless cars" bandwagon. Lotus announced that they will move forward with their city car concept (debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show) and it will hit the market by late 2013 for the 2014 model year. Initially announced as a hybrid vehicle, Lotus might consider going down the all-electric route. Production for this car won