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| New hybrid is cheaper, he makes sure Sling |
| Sling Insight, the cheapest hybrid |
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The new hybrid Insight of Sling entered production with his highest ecological technology and next spring will come to the concessionaires in the United States. The target of the manufacturer is to put this vehicle within reach of the middle class and the popular sectors.
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Tokyo, Japan
Agencies
The Japanese manufacturer Sling announced the serial production of his new hybrid model Insight, with whom it will try to face Prius de Toyota located in the same segment of market. The beginning of his commercialization will take place in the spring of this year.
With the tag of green car, Sling presents his new compact motorcar that will come to the market with the ambitious target to turn it into the first hybrid of low cost, although the concessionaires in the United States it has not revealed the prices yet.
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The new hybrid motorcar Insight appeared in the "Expo" of Ecological Products that took place in Tokyo, where the last thing was exhibited in friendly technologies of the environment.
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Nevertheless, in press conference, the Japanese builder promised that it will be the first model of his type whose cost will be within reach of the middle class and the popular sectors.
The first images of the last hybrid of Sling show how the prototype of the Insight has turned into a passengers' vehicle but with an aerodynamic line. It has five doors and a capacity for five occupants and it is equipped with a more compact and light version of the system IMA of Sling.
More ecological
Sources of Sling pointed out that the Insight uses a new interactive system faced to the progress of the economy of combustible, so called System of Assistance to the Ecological Conduction. The above mentioned technology offers to the driver information on time real on his conduction, this way to be able to reduce the consumption of fuel and the pollutant emission (CO2).
The prototype of this hybrid did his début last year in the Edict Show of Paris, and some months later it appeared in the Lounge of the Motorcar of Los Angeles.
His design is based on a low center of gravity, which provides better position, aerodynamics and interior serviceability for five possible occupants.
New Sling Insight Hybrid will be produced together with Civic Hybrid in the plant of Suzuka, in Japan, reported a spokesman of the manufacturer.
The Insight in his original design was presented and introduced in December, 1999 like the first hybrid vehicle, since Sling was one of the pioneers in the search of a vehicle that could reduce the pollutant emission and protects the environment.
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WHILE IN the USA the financial mitigation came for the “Three Big ones” of Detroit (GM, Ford and Chrysler), the bogey of the crisis affects last weeks to the Japanese automotive industry. His standard-bearer Toyota Motors received the first bad news at the end of December, what provoked the immediate announcement of a reduction of ten per cent in his sales forecast for the tax year 2009. The Japanese manufacturer calculates that in the next year it will sell less than 7,5 million vehicles in the whole world, which there mean five per cent less than last year. It is a question of the first reduction in his sales in a decade. Also, Toyota anticipated that they will keep on falling down in the United States and Europe. The corporation Toyota Motors took as a target for 2008 to sell approximately 8,84 millions of transport units to global scale; then it reduced it up to 8,5 million units. If there are added the sales that should generate his branches Daihatsu and Hino Motors, Toyota calculates that it will reach nine million units sold in 2008 and that for 2009 it will come at least from 8,5 millions, perceptibly below 9,37 million units sold in 2007.
THE REACTIONS TO the crisis are completely different: while the American self-propelled companies have not taken any attitude with his executive high places the fall of the sales, in Toyota one speaks already about the possible resignation of the president of the company, Katsuaki Watanabe, who made sure this week that the industry faces a "emergency situation without precedents". One of the decisions of Toyota will be to substitute Watanabe, indicate sources very near to the company, who affirm that at the head of the company there will be located Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder of the Japanese manufacturer, as we point out in this edition. Watanabe, according to the same sources, has thought to declare itself responsible for the losses and to accept the replacement. Watanabe, of 66 years, is in the charge from June, 2005. Toyoda, his possible successor, is a grandson of the founder Kiichiro Toyoda. Since we see, different answers are outlined to similar situations.
BUT NOT ALONE Toyota turns out to be affected. In fact, the whole vehicles production in Japan turns out to be affected. It is anticipated that it is the strongest fall of the Japanese industry in at least four decades. The manufacturers of vehicles of Japan, which also include to Sling Engine Co., Nissan Motor Co. and other companies, turned out to be thrashed by the decrease in the demand of the United States, the biggest market of motorcars of the world. But the same phenomenon moved to Japan, where they worsened the fall of the sales in last two months for the crisis. Thousands of workers lost his work places in the recent weeks. "The global crisis is coming towards us like a tide", there declared Teruyuki Minoura, president of Daihatsu Motor Co., Toyota branch. Let's hope that the last measurements taken the developed nations it should avert this situation and one manages to overcome the crisis in this 2009, as some analysts anticipate.
Up to the next one,
Víctor Caycho
Publisher of Autoguide / Washington Hispanic
E-mail: victor@hwc-md.org
| He is the grandson of the founder of the mark in Japan |
| Akio Toyoda enlists to put itself to the Toyota rudder |
From Tokyo
Agencies
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With uniform of pilot, Akio Toyoda, executive vice-president of Toyota Motor, it places in this photo of together file the last model of Lexus IS-F, in Oyama, Tokyo. Toyoda is shouted like the next president of the signature.
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The effects of the global financial crisis strike also Toyota Motors, which after announcing unusual losses for the calendar year 2008 that it finishes next March, it is on the point of placing one of his tallest executives to the rudder of the above mentioned Japanese corporation.
In effect, managerial sources foresee the imminent resignation of the current executive president of the corporation, Katsuaki Watanabe, who would be replaced neither more nor less than by Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder of the bigger factory of motorcars of Asia and one of the biggest two of the world, title that disputes in closed competition with the American General Motors (GM).
The Watanabe game, as points out an office of the agency Bloomberg from Tokyo, “it would take as an object to assume the responsibility of the loss of development of 150.000 million yenes (about 1.700 million dollars), which Toyota predicts for the year that ends in March”. There are the first operative losses that the Japanese corporation suffers from his foundation, 72 years ago.
Watanabe, of 66 years, directs Toyota from June, 2005 and it led the company of Toyota City, Japan, to overcoming in 2008 General Motors Corp in world sales. Nevertheless, his management also comprised the fall of the sales in 13 per cent that registered until November of the same year in the United States, the biggest Toyota market.
Shining ascent
Toyoda, of 52 years, redeems the charge of assistant general director, across which it heads for three years the directorates of divisions of Toyota, between them the one that handles the operations in the United States.
But the most transcendent thing is that it is a question of the grandson of the founder of the company, Kiichiro Toyoda, of whose surname derived the mark Toyota.
Akio Toyoda joined Toyota in 1984 and redeemed a series of positions until they promoted it to a high managerial charge in 2000. His father, Shoichiro, was the last member of the family Toyoda in directing the company, and he resigned supervised by general manager in 1992, after ten years of management. Shoichiro Toyoda, of 83 years, is at present an honorary Toyota president.
From April
For his part, the daily Japanese Asahi Shimbun published in one of his recent editions that Toyota will designate Akio Toyoda, like executive president to the beginning of the next fiscal exercise, on the first of April.
Watanabe would remain in the company like vice-president of the CDA, a considered function purely honorary, it supported the newspaper.
| Light aircraft in that they were traveling hits building in Africa |
| Alonso and his fiancée save of plane crash |
Enstone, England
AP
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The world bichampion of the Formula 1, Fernando Alonso, along with his fiancée Raquel del Rosario. Both led an air mishap of which they went out happily undamaged.
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Fernando Alonso went out unharmed of an air mishap when it was of holidays in Kenya, informed on Monday, the 5th the racing team Renault in a bulletin.
The Spanish pilot, twice champion of Formula one with the French team, was traveling on returning to Europe, added the source.
Renault informed that Alonso was meeting relatives on Sunday, the 4th when the light aircraft deprived of the Spanish broker in which they were planning to travel from return after two weeks of demurrage in the Malindi beaches rubbed the walls of a building of the airport, losing the control.
Apparently one of the wings broke of the airship for a bad maneuver and the device went away sideways against the building. Another private plane set off from Madrid towards Malindi to move the group, announced the local police.
None of the passengers, between they his fiancée Raquel del Rosario, the sister of this one and his husband, turned out to be injured men, confirmed the spokeswoman of Renault, Marie Hirth.
All of them were staying at the luxurious hotel “Lion in the Sun”, whose owner is Flavio Briatore, the director of the racing team Renault of Formula 1.
To Ferrari?
Meanwhile, from Milan (Italy), the representative of Fernando Alonso, Luis García Abad, Ferrari declined to recount at the possible arrival of the Spanish pilot the racing team, although he admitted that the world Formula one bichampion has always had interest to compete with the Italian racing team.
According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Alonso it might happen to Ferrari in 2011 or even earlier if the yield of Kimi Raikkonen is not the best.
Without attributing the information, the Gazzetta made sure that an agreement exists so that Alonso joins Ferrari in 2011 with a contract of three or four years.
Pero García Abad quoted by the same newspaper, thinks that it is "too prompt for to speak" on the topic.
" That my pilot has always shown a certain interest to run with Ferrari it is not a secret. What can I say? 2011 is very far... and a moment of big difficulty is living through the Formula one from the economic point of view and it is difficult to imagine future stages", it supported.
Last month, Alonso agreed to continue with Renault on having renewed for two years his contract with the French team with which it went out champion in 2005 and 2006. The new agreement links it until 2010.
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