Gaz 66 Uaz 469 452 Speedometer on 2040-parts.com

Toyota talks powertrain plans

After trailing many of its competitors in the recent engine- and transmission-technology wars, Toyota Motor Corp. will launch a swath of powertrains in the next several years, a top powertrain r&d executive said. Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain r&d, said that Toyota is investing heavily in turbocharged engines, larger displacement Atkinson cycle engines, continuously variable and fixed-gear automatic transmissions, and new hybrid and fuel cell technologies.

Nissan Leaf tops 100,000 sales

Nissan has delivered the 100,000th Leaf to a customer in the U.K., reaching a milestone for the pure electric car that seems to be leaving other EVs in its wake. Now, the pure electric Leaf is on sale in 35 countries on four continents, and it has captured 45 percent market share for pure electric vehicles. Amy Eichenberger of Charlottesville, Va., was the 99,999th Nissan Leaf buyer, picking out a Glacier White example at her local dealership for her 10-mile daily commute.

Citroen DS5 production-ready a Frankfurt

Citroen DS5 - Production ready at Frankfurt The Citroen DS5 debuted at Shanghai earlier this year – after a suitable tease, of course – but is arriving at Frankfurt as a production-ready car. Not that we can work out what Citroen has changed on the DS5 to make it production-ready. It still looks concept-y good to our eyes, and has a more than fighting chance of making inroads against more conservatively styled competition.