Autoblog UK

Organisers of the Los Angeles Auto Show invited design studios based in Southern California to set out their vision for Mobile Teens in 2030 (Youthmobile 2030). Studies were drawn up by design studios at General Motors, Audi, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota. 2009 is the sixth year that this Design Challenge has been held. The winner will be announced on Press Day at the Los Angeles Auto Show, 2nd and 3rd December 2009.

Car Hero by General Motors can drive itself and is steered by mobile phone (that's if they are still around in 2030). Audi designers submitted two very bold design studies, the eSpira and the eOra, that are guided to their destination by hand movements (not a good idea for those of us who are not at our best in the mornings but nevertheless need to get to work). Nissan's V2G is an eco-friendly electrically powered car. This e-car has an aerodynamic egg shape and six wheels. In Mazda's Souga, the car's two occupants sit diagonally behind one another. According to its designers, buyers of the Souga will configure the car to suit their needs. Both Nissan and Toyota designers believe that, in 2030, vehicles travelling in the rush hour will often be joined together in groups of two or more. The Toyota's appearance can be digitally altered and tyre friction converted back into energy.

Two cars shared this year's eco prize – the Toyota Prius and the VW Blue Motion. Toyota's most fuel efficient hybrid car and Volkswagen's world-beating fuel economy car took the honours for this award, which has been in existence for only three years. The two winners beat the other finalists, the Ford Mondeo LPG, the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid and the Smart Car2Go, to the prize.

It seems that animals in the US have no issues crashing (into) others' vehicles. They also seem superstrong, going on pretty deadly journeys only to escape unharmed and – according to photographic evidence – a little smug.

Following the adventures of the travelling Harlem cat last week, a coyote has adopted the same means of travel, taking an eight-hour journey under the bonnet of an apparently very comfy Honda Fit.

A brother and sister on a 600-mile journey to Nevada hit the coyote at 75mph. They didn't stop, being pretty sure the poor thing would have been killed on the spot. However, when they eventually reached their destination they discovered him snugly wedged between the radiator and bumper.

The siblings, Daniel and Tevyn East, failed to spot the furry intruder twice when they stopped for petrol. Daniel East was amazed when he discovered the death-cheating animal which he named Tricky. "Somehow the conditions were just right for it to survive the trip" he commented.

Tricky the coyote was taken to the shelter only to escape hours later. Probably trying to hitch a ride home....

At the Tokyo Motor Show, from the 24th October until the 4th November, Toyota are showing a sports car design, which should close a gap in their model range. The Toyota FT-86 Concept is a rear-wheel drive 2+2. A classic coupé, it has a lovely long bonnet and low-slung cabin. Evil-looking headlights and a big radiator grille exude prestige and performance. Power is courtesy of a 2.0L Subaru flat-four engine, said to produce 200bhp. A production version of the sports car could be with us by the end of 2011.

Toyota have been suffering their worst slowdown in sales since the company was founded in 1937. But in August, trade was up by 9% compared to the previous year. That same month, German competitor Volkswagen increased their deliveries to customers around the globe by 9.5% compared to a year ago. As reported last Saturday in the 'Tokyo Shimbun', Toyota have increased production worldwide by 8% to 6.45 million vehicles in the financial year 2009/2010. This has been made possible through the effects of government subsidies and tax breaks for new fuel-efficient vehicles.

At the IAA in Frankfurt, Toyota launched the next generation Land Cruiser. This vehicle has been around for 55 years and has been bought by more than five million people in almost 200 countries. But the legendary vehicle needed a make-over. The new 173bhp diesel, which produces 12% less CO2 and has an average fuel consumption of only eight litres, is one of the most frugal vehicles in its class. According to Toyota, there's more room inside and there are more storage compartments. In the two top-of- the-range models, the driver can access four separate cameras via a central monitor when parking, or to get a better view of surrounding terrain. A journey through the jungle will be like a trip to the cinema. Crawl Control is another extra feature. You can select five different speeds and overcome obstacles without having to use brakes or accelerator. This system should also prove useful when recovering a stranded vehicle.

Another step forward into the future? At the IAA, Toyota launched a new design of the veteran hybrid, the Prius – that symbol of clean mobility for people, who, in their worst nightmares are hunted down by SUVs high on bhp through the sooty canyons of big cities turned upside down by climate change. But the Prius in this plug-in hybrid study wasn't just tarted up with the additional virtues of a thoroughbred e-car for those poor souls.

A newly developed, high performance lithium ion battery lies at the heart of this concept car. In an ideal situation, it should take at most just 90 minutes to recharge it and endow this Japanese saviour of the environment with a range of up to 20 kilometres in full-electric mode. So you can use the Prius for short journeys simply as an e-car and change over to hybrid mode only when the need arises. CO2 emissions are reduced to 60 grammes per kilometre. But for the moment, this latest eco warrior is not for sale. 150 Prius Plug-ins are to be evaluated in Europe but will be leased only to fleet customers.

As the world's biggest automotive manufacturer, Toyota feels obliged to occupy every last niche, especially where there is a profit to be made. All the same, the concept of the new Urban Cruiser seems questionable, to say the least. On the one hand, despite the vehicle's mere four metres in length, it is claimed to offer quality of journey, even off-road. On the other hand, the 4WD diesel version retails from 23,000 euros upwards – a hefty price tag for a subcompact model. Admittedly, the actual target group consists of prospective purchasers who are content with a front-wheel drive, petrol-powered vehicle. The elevated view of the road, SUV characteristics and entry price of around 17,000 euros should certainly appeal to anyone who just needs it for driving around town. After all, its official name is Urban Cruiser. It will be interesting to see if this twin strategy pays off.

The Toyota Supra is not only a legend in Japan and now this monster, that most Europeans know from PlayStation, has in fact 'gone green'. With this, the world's first hybrid top-range sports car, Toyota are aiming at the established market for cars such as the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911. The Japanese manufacturer is also looking at a new version of the Supra, which was produced between 1979 and 2002 and enjoyed particular success, particularly in Asia and America.

The Supra concept car bearing the designation FT-HS is due to be ready as soon as the coming Tokyo Motor Show, which will take place from October 23 until November 8. The previous Supra generation pushed out 330bhp, but this future fireball will increase that to a fair bit more that 400bhp. Whether a future Supra with hybrid drive will also be introduced into the European Toyota range has yet to be seen.

While the automotive market is shrinking in general in the USA, the new generation of the Toyota Prius hybrid seems to be a success. As soon as it was launched, customers were already faced with waiting for a year for delivery of their vehicle. According to the "New York Times", the manufacturer is therefore considering extending manufacturing capacity.

The Prius plant in Japan is already running at maximum output, but can only manufacture 50,000 vehicles per month. In Japan alone, 111,000 units were sold in May and the company is estimating a demand for 200,000 Prius cars per annum for the USA, with a global demand of 400,000. If this boom in turnover continues, it could be that Toyota reconsiders its plans for opening a hybrid plant in the U.S. after having shelved them because of the economic downturn.