Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will display the concept model of its all-new Insight dedicated hybrid vehicle at the 2008 Paris Motor Show (October 2–19; Press Days: October 2–3). Honda is introducing the advanced Insight to meet the needs of customers in a new era of widespread demand for hybrid vehicles.

The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda’s “insight” into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers.

A five-door, five-passenger compact hatchback, the new Insight will feature an innovative new platform in which the battery and control unit are located beneath the cargo space for exceptional utility and a light, pleasing driving feel. The new Insight features Honda’s innovative, highly efficient compact hybrid powerplant, in which a gasoline engine serves as the main power source and the electric motor assists when extra power is needed, such as during passing or start-up and acceleration.

The new Insight also features a new driving support function that helps drivers make the most of its exceptional fuel economy to achieve more efficient, environmentally responsible driving.

Thanks to reductions in the weight and size of the Insight’s key components, Honda has also achieved significant cost reductions.

Honda plans to introduce the production version of the all-new Insight to the markets in Japan, Europe and North America in spring 2009 and projects annual global sales of 200,000 units.

At the Paris Motor Show, Honda will also display the FCX Clarity, its fuel cell automobile that offers the ultimate in clean performance, producing absolutely no CO₂ emissions in operation; and a design study model of the CR-Z lightweight sports hybrid vehicle, scheduled to be released in the near future.

Source: Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

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Hybrid Vehicles, Car Buyers

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the development of the world’s first inverter using SiC (Silicon Carbide) diodes for vehicle use. The company has launched tests using an X-TRAIL FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) equipped with this technology.

Inverters on electric-powered vehicles control the electricity coming from the power source, and their size has often set limitations on vehicle layout. The newly developed inverter uses SiC for the diodes - a semiconductor device used to control the flow of current in a single direction - and employs a new Nissan-developed heterojunction diode (HJD)*1 structure. Together the SiC diode and HJD structure reduce the overall size and weight of the inverter and dramatically improve its reliability.

Previous silicon diodes used in electric-powered vehicles created power losses and required heat dissipation countermeasures. The newly developed SiC diode*2 provides high power efficiency with improved heat resistance and reliability to create a high breakdown voltage, large capacity inverter. The new SiC inverter’s diode surface has been reduced by 70% and the circuit energy efficiency has been improved by 20% in comparison to previous diodes. The simplification of the system’s cooling mechanisms allows for further reductions in the size and weight of the inverter by 15% to 20%.

The new SiC diode technology is not limited to fuel cell vehicles, but can also be applied to the electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) currently under development by Nissan. At Nissan, the inverter is regarded as one of the key technologies in electric-powered vehicle development along with the motor and the battery. The company aims to further reduce the inverter size by employing SiC diodes on the transistor.

Under the Nissan Green Program 2010, the company will continue to introduce new technologies, products and services that can lead to real-world reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions, and recycling of resources.

Source: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

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Electric Powered Vehicles, SiC Inverter

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of a new clean diesel X-TRAIL “20GT,” which goes on sale September 18 at Nissan dealers nationwide. The new X-TRAIL 20GT has met Japan’s stringent “Post New Long-term Regulations”1 – the first vehicle in the world to do so2.

X-TRAIL 20GT

SHIFT_challenging spirit.

Setting New Standards The X-TRAIL 20GT achieves high fuel-efficiency of 15.2km/L under Japan’s 10-15 test mode operation, representing an increase of approximately 30% in fuel economy over a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with the same power output. In addition to its low fuel consumption, the X-TRAIL’s new “M9R” clean diesel engine is more economical to operate, due to the lower price of diesel versus standard gasoline in the Japan market.

In addition to complying with Japan’s stringent “Post New Long-term Regulations” emission standards which stresses high environmental performance, the new M9R clean diesel engine also achieves high levels of driving performance demanded by X-TRAIL owners.

The 2.0-liter M9R engine has the power equivalency of a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine, generating maximum power of 127kW(173PS)/3750rpm and maximum torque of 360N・m(36．7kgf・m)/2000rpm. The engine provides high torque at low rpm and delivers ample performance in any driving situation. At the same time, the environmentally–friendly and fuel-efficient M9R engine emits far lower CO2 than a comparable 3.5-liter gasoline V6 engine, achieving excellent emissions performance. The engine design also emphasizes smooth, quiet operation, eliminating unpleasant noise and vibration associated with current diesel powerplants.

Source: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

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Nissan dealers, Gasoline Engine

Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) and Marubeni Corporation (Marubeni) have jointly invested in a sales company “Hino Motors Sales India Private Ltd.” (Hino India Sales) which was established on August 26, 2008 in Mumbai, India.

The economy in India has been developing rapidly since the liberalization of its economy in recent years. The demand for trucks has also been swiftly increasing due to the prevailing upward trend in building, construction, and resource developments during India’s rapid modernization. Hino and Marubeni will use Hino India Sales in order to advance into the truck and bus markets in India, a part of rapidly growing BRICs. The joint venture company will begin sales of the “Hino 500 Series” from the middle of 2009, which is Hino’s main sales model in the overseas market. The company also plan to introduce the “Hino 700 Series”, “Hino 300 Series”, and their buses within a few years time.

Source: Hino Mortors. Ltd.

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Truck and Bus

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have agreed to establish a new company in Cambodia for the manufacture and marketing of motorcycles with the aim of strengthening the foundation of the motorcycle business in the Cambodian market. The new company will begin operations on October 1, 2008.

The name of the new company is Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co., Ltd. (YMKH) and its starting capital of 11,500,000 US dollars (approx. 1.2 billion yen) is invested 70% by Yamaha Motor, 20% by Toyota Tsusho and 10% by Cambodia’s Kong Nuon Import & Export Co., Ltd. plans call for the company to be officially established on August 31, 2008.

Since March 2007, Asia Motors Co., Ltd. (AMC), a joint venture company between Toyota Tsusho and Kong Nuon Import & Export, has been assembling and marketing motorcycles with parts and components supplied as semi knocked-down (SKD)* kits by Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. The new company YMKH will begin operations by taking over operations at the AMC factory and the AMC sales network and a 94,890m2 lot will be acquired in Phnom Penh’s special economic zone for the construction of a new factory. The aims of the new factory will be to reduce costs and lead time through complete knock-down (CKD) manufacturing, and plans call for operations to begin at the completed new factory in July 2009. Plans call for AMC to be dissolved following the transfer of operations to YMKH at the end of September 2008.

Yamaha Motor and Toyota Tsusho have a solid record of corporate collaboration beginning with an importer/distributor in Kenya in 1989 and subsequent tie-ups that have included distributorships and dealerships for Yamaha Motor products in the South Pacific, Kazakhstan and Russia. YMKH represents an initiative to strengthen the motorcycle business in Cambodia drawing from the synergy of Yamaha Motor’s expertise in manufacturing and marketing, Toyota Tsusho’s logistical strengths and Kong Nuon Import & Export’s expertise in building sales networks. This new company represents the first establishment of a new joint venture company by Yamaha Motor and Toyota Tsusho.

The current economic growth in Cambodia is supporting a trend of growing demand for motorcycles, which reached 130,000 units in 2007. The outlook of stable economic growth for the future and the size of the young demographic that will be potential motorcycle users point to continued growth in motorcycle demand, with forecasts of 250,000 units by 2010 and 500,000 units by 2015.

Initial targets for the new company are to expand motorcycle sales to 30,000 units at a value of 4.2 billion yen planned for 2010 after the start of production at the new factory by introducing attractive products, strengthening the sales network with examples provided by directly-managed Yamaha dealerships and promoting the Yamaha brand.

Source: Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.

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Motorcycles,  Toyota Tsusho