David Akinson, CEO of GM, is apparently following in the footsteps of his predecesor Bob Lutz by making controversial off the cuff remarks.

His latest came at a public appearance at the Economic Club of Washington where commented on this thoughts of the Toyota Prius. Here’s what he said:

“We commonly refer to the geek-mobile as the Prius. And I wouldn’t be caught dead in one”.

Shots fired.

I would never own a Toyota Prius either but I’m not ignorant enough to say things like that about it. You can’t deny that the Prius is a phenomenal technicalogical breakthrough in fuel efficiency. You can’t deny that it’s currently the most fuel efficient car available in the world. Maybe you should wait to see how well the Chevy Volt does before opening your mouth.

But maybe Akinson is just being truthful. In which case, I’ll offer him another thruth:

I wouldn’t be caught dead in 95% of GM products.

[Autoblog Green]

WTF?

SEMA is currently underway and there have been some interesting cars this year. If you don’t know, SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association and basically what they do is show off visually modded cars that only a Fast & Furious douchebag would be interested in. This year, there seems to be an unusual amount of cars present at the show that would otherwise never be modded. For instance there is a stretch Toyota Sienna minivan limo, a stretched Scion XB limo as well as this vomit inducing Toyota Prius.

The Prius is called the C&A Custom Concept and thank God it’s just a concept. It’s trying way to hard to have a Lamborghini Reventon style front end. The Reventon front facia really only works on a Lamborghini.

On top of that, the C&A  has a carbon fiber body kit and the body is dropped by a ridiculous 4 inches! And believe it or not, those are actually 18 inch forged aluminum wheels. Except they look way smaller thanks to the stupidly massive front and rear overhangs.

But don’t worry, as if it couldn’t get any tackier, the C&A comes with an interior COMPLETELY made of suede. Just because if you’re gonna do it, you might as go all out ugly.

As you guessed, there have been no modifications under the hood, so what we are essentially left with is a normal non powerful Prius that probably handles decently and looks like a piece of Darth Vader’s stool.

DO NOT WANT.

[Toyota]

The Green Car advisor is shedding some light on just how fast the world’s first mass produced electric vehicle can go.

After rumours of its time being in the 5 to 13 second range, they were able to consistently get 7 seconds. That’s not bad at all, considering it takes a 4 cylinder Toyota Camry 9 seconds, a Toyota Prius, 9.8 seconds and the LEAF’s direct competitor, the Chevy Volt, 8.8 seconds.

On top of that, the LEAF apparently has a top speed of 150 kph. That number could and should be a bit higher, but it means the LEAF is definitely usable on the highway.

Can’t wait to try one for myself!

[Green Car Advisor]

What do you get when a Toyota Prius mates with a Subaru Baja? A Toyota Prija of course.

Steve Woodruff is probably the only person in the world that thought combining the two ideas would be a good idea, but he went and did it anyway. The result is a rather ugly looking pick up that is probably the most efficient pick up in the world.

Woodruff claims his Toyobaru gets about 40 mpg (or 5.8 L/100 kms in Canadian speak) which is awesome. The added weight of the pick up bed hasn’t affected fuel mileage that much as it’s not far off from a regular 2006 Prius.

Even though the Toyobaru does amazing fuel wise, it still isn’t likely to have any towing capabilities. But hey, it still hauls a lot of stuff just like a pick up is supposed to. Woodruff didn’t mention how much the crazy experiment cost, but it was likely a lot. Which means any fuel savings would likely be a bit of a moot point. But in terms of the environment, it’s definitely a win.

Too bad it looks hideous.

[AutoBeYours]

Huh?

I recently tested the 2010 Toyota Prius, and even though it isn’t the car for me, I came away quite impressed. One of the things that impressed me was its unexpected power. The Prius can get from 0-100 in 9.8 seconds. That isn’t fast enough to induce any sort of thrills, but for a hybrid, that’s pretty damned good. I even pondered whether I should even mention the Prius’ 0-100 time because I figured no one remotely interested in a Prius would really care. Speed = lots of fuel consumption after all. Apparently I was wrong.

Timothy Hird from Georgia seemingly had a fit of road rage as he was unimpressed with the way a Honda Civic was driving. He then decided to show non-hybrid owners just how fast his Prius could go by racing the Civic. There was lots of back and fourth yelling, and the Prius was apparently able to hold its own, but in the end, a close call with a police officer ended the Civic vs Prius affair.

Both drivers were booked for wreckless driving and Hird even got thrown in jail for it. All this just to prove your Prius is faster than people think?

[Top Speed]

By Kevin Harrison

I believe in climate change. There really is no reason to not believe it in my opinion. Is it a cash grab by certain companies and corporations? Maybe. Businesses are certainly shifting towards a more environmental angle and are starting to make products that they claim will help save the environment. We usually need to pay more than we’re used to. But really, when are businesses not jumping onto the latest trend? They’re here to make money and if they’re making it at the expense of saving our earth, then I’m okay with that. And if climate change turns out to be a hoax, then at the very least it means that we saved money on energy, fuel etc and we end up with a less disgusting, cleaner earth. So, in my mind there’s really no downside to trying to save our environment.

How we go about doing it is fairly controversial. In the car world, there are many interesting solutions. You have diesel, which has been around since 1892 and thus proven to be the most reliable way to save gas. Then there’s relying on pure electricity – burning no gas and emitting no emissions is pretty sweet… assuming you don’t run out of electricity in the middle of nowhere. But really the same risk of running out of gas exists in the cars we drive today.

Then there are hybrids, likely the most popular way to save fuel and emissions right now. Toyota has the most hybrids out of any manufacturer. The most popular is likely the Prius. In fact, the Prius is so popular that you simply need to say its name and everyone not only knows it’s a Toyota, but knows that it is the car of choice for environmentalists, celebrities and people who order chai lattes at Starbucks – you know, the trendy ones.

There’s no doubt that the Prius is the most frugal car when it comes to gas consumption, but there really is more to cars and driving than how much gas it uses. Is it actually a good car?

First things first, we’ll get the foolishness out of the way. At no point during my time with the Prius did the brakes not work or did the gas pedal stick. You likely already know about the hoopla surrounding all the recalls. All I have to say is I hope you learned you lesson Toyota. But braking problems were specifically linked to the Prius and I’m happy to report that the brakes work extremely well. Too well in fact. They felt quite touchy at first. Coming to a smooth stop at a red light was something that was difficult at first, but you got used to the pedal feel quite quickly.

When the red light turns green, there is a momentary sense of panic as you put your foot on the gas and seemingly nothing happens. At this point the electric motor is the only thing propelling you and it is eerily quiet. So quiet that you don’t even notice that you’re actually moving. And when I say moving, I mean moving at the same speed the planet revolves around the sun. It is painfully slow. You then compensate by mashing the throttle down a bit harder. This causes the gas engine to spring into action to give you your get-up-and-go, which is useless since you are now burning a lot of gas to get the 3000 pound Prius out of everyone’s way. The main purpose of a hybrid is to obviously save gas. Almost every single time I found myself in this situation. This was not my first time in a hybrid, by the way. The other hybrids I’ve driven don’t seem to have the same electric motor lag.

Once you are able to get the Prius going though, there is lots of power. The Prius is no BMW, but there is definitely no lacking in power. 0-100 (not that it matters since Prius owners won’t be racing) takes a respectable 9.8 seconds. There’s definitely enough passing power for highway driving and even enough power for some fun spirited driving at times. Again, your fuel consumption will suffer if you do this though.

Power comes from a 1.8 unit which develops 134 horsepower combined with the electric motor. This is a more powerful, yet more efficient engine than the previous generation which made do with a 1.5 litre engine and 110 horses. The 2010 Prius, despite the added power, gets better efficiency too as it is rated at an incredible 3.7 L/100 kms city and 4.0 highway. The Prius is a “full hybrid” meaning the electric motor is a method of propulsion, not an assist. The Prius, as mentioned, can run fully on the electric motor by itself in the most ideal conditions.

How does the Prius do so well with efficiency? Well on top of the hybrid set up, there’s lots of weight savings to be found such as an aluminum hood and rear hatch, front axle, rear suspension and centre pillar. The Prius uses ultra low rolling resistance tires on standard 15 inch wheels which look pretty ridiculous on the car. They’re too small. Optional 17′s are much better and are the ones to go for.

As a result of said tiny tires with low rolling resistance, handling is not this car’s forte. It felt fairly unstable in corners and the lack of feedback to the driver was huge. This likely won’t be an issue for most Prius drivers however. The Prius has one of the best turning radius’ around.

The interior is all new for 2010 and it is unique and tastefully laid out. Also new for 2010 is a larger digital display that tells you what all the inner workings of the Prius are doing so you can train yourself to drive in an efficient manner. The steering wheel is probably the smallest I’ve ever encountered in a car short of a go-kart. When in reverse, the Prius makes an immensely irritating beeping sound like a large truck does when it’s reversing. Why? It’s stupid. I know I’m reversing, I’m the one that told it to reverse by selecting ‘R’. Not to mention that I’m not daft and I can and will notice that I’m going backwards, not forwards. The noise luckily isn’t audible from outside.

There is lots of great space and cubby holes everywhere. Thanks to the hatch, the Prius is quite versatile and would serve quite well as a family hauler. In fact, I wondered it it was the ultimate family hauler. Honestly, it can do anything an SUV can do (except do well off-road) but it does it way more efficiently and safely. If I had kids, I would easily take the Prius over most of its competition.

Except I wouldn’t. While I appreciate all the emissions and gas saving technology crammed into this car, it just isn’t inspiring at all. It’s a bit like having a supermodel as your wife, yet remaining celibate. Even though I care about gas savings and the environment, I also care quite a bit for performance. In fact performance is my number one factor in looking for a car. The diesel options from BMW and Volkswagen are superb. In fact the latter offers a wagon version of their diesel and a six-speed manual to boot! It even costs less. Therefore that would be the one that gets my money if efficiency was my top priority.

But that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the Prius. Far from it. I think it is a remarkable achievement. Whether hybrids are a solution to our environmental predicaments remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it isn’t a bad start.

Price: $27,800

Pros:

• You won’t find a car that does better on gas
• Versatility
• Luxurious feel, lots standard
• Less dorky looking than previous model
• Decent and unexpected power
• Good safety

Cons:

• Electric motor lag
• Can get pricey with options
• Stupid irritating noise when in reverse
• No handling abilities whatsoever

Overall: 7.5/10

Overall they’ve improved…slightly.

While most car companies have been focusing on fuel efficiency and pushing money savings as the main benefit to the public, the reality is they are all being forced to make better vehicles to cut back on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions as well.

The overall improvement is 2.8% over the 2008-2009 year for the U.S. The study was performed by British Consulting Firm JATO Dynamics.

Any improvement is all well and good, but there needs to be significantly more change in this area.

Can you guess the car company that improved its CO2 the most? Find out which one after the jump.

Ford is the most improved brand. It improved its overall emissions by 6.3%.

In terms of small cars, Smart and Mini took top honours, with Scion placing not too far behind.

The two best overall are the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight with the lowest CO2 emitted out of any vehicle. No surprise there.

[Green Advisor]

What is the best car in the world? It’s all relative and subjective and thus, impossible to determine. But that doesn’t stop automotive journalists from trying.

52 automotive journalists representing each continent in the world (except Antarctica – Penguins can’t legally drive yet) have gotten together and submitted their top ten choices for World Car of the Year in two categories: Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year. There will then be three finalists chosen for both categories.

Find out what car made the top ten and what our pics are for the finalists after the jump!

World Car of the Year:

• Audi Q5
• BMW X1
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Kia Soul
• Mazda3
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Buick Regal (including the Opel/Vauxhaul/Insignia versions)
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Polo

Our Pics:

• Volkswagen Polo – The little hatchback that could. This car is offered in many different engine variants across the world including VW’s superb diesel, which makes it quite the fuel miser. It is one of the few cars that is perfectly suited for any market, it has great looks, quality and performance which makes it an excellent global car.
• Mazda3 – While we’re not big on the new face lifted version, that doesn’t take away from it’s class leading performance. There is simply no other vehicle in its segment that can match it, and is one of the few that offers a versatile hatch option for the ultimate pocket rocket for families.
• BMW X1 – BMW is one in a very rare group of automakers that can actually make SUV’s fun to drive. This smallest offering has both great looks matched with BMW’s obsession for perfectly balanced handling. While we likely won’t get a manual transmission option in North America, it is indeed offered elsewhere across the world, along with many different engine options. This is probably one of the few SUV’s that could make us seriously consider buying one.

World Performance Car of the Year:

• Aston Martin V12 Vantage
• Audi R8 V10
• Audi TTS Coupe/Roadster
• BMW Z4
• Ferrari California
• Jaguar XFR
• Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
• Nissan 370Z
• Porsche 911 GT3
• Porsche Boxter/Cayman

Our Pics:

• Aston Martin V12 Vantage – A lot of people don’t consider the Vantage to be a true Aston because it’s ‘so small’ and is the poseur of the family. The V8 version making 380 horsepower is definitely nothing to sneeze at, but this V12 silences all the critics. It’s incredibly fast and agile, all while being very comfy without sacrificing performance or luxury. It’s also quite possibly one of the prettiest cars in the world.
• Audi R8 V10 – Again, the regular version of this vehicle could easily be nominated, but the truly astonishing version is the hardcore performance oriented V10. Jeremy Clarkson – who is probably the harshest automotive journalist in the entire world said that he could honestly find no faults with this vehicle. And that’s like the Queen admitting that she’s a fan of NWA. It just never happens. That alone should give the R8 V10 the award, but after personally seeing the R8 handle itself sublimely in a blizzard without hesitation, we can say that this is truly the best year round supercar. Period.
• BMW Z4 – This is the best looking Z4 so far, but it’s softer. This would ordinarily be a bad thing, but with this new Z4 it isn’t. It’s somehow still just as poised and composed and can do induce a smile on your face just about every time you get behind the wheel all while keeping you comfy for the ride. This makes it a very livable daily driver, especially now that it comes in a hard top for all weather conditions. Get yourself the sport suspension and the is version and you are in for one hell of a treat.

It’s starting to get to the point where there should just be a big ‘FAIL’ stamped on Toyota’s head office as these gas pedal/brake problems don’t seem to be dying down. In fact, they’re expanding.

Toyota’s Lexus division is now feeling the heat as the rookie model of their line up is now on watch for the same brake issues as the Prius. The HS250 and Prius are close cousins. Notice that they’re both hybrids? The regerative braking process used in hybrids likely has something to do with it, and is why people are complaining of unusual brake fade and temporary loss of braking.

UPDATE: Toyota is expected to announce a global recall for all 2010 Priuses in the very near future, no word on if the HS250 will be included in the recall as of yet. Toyota has officially announced a recall of 437,000 Pruises, and HS 250h’s for brake problems. Pre 2010 Priuses may be affected as well as similar problems are now being reported but there is no official recall from Toyota on previous generation Priuses just yet.

But no matter, these braking set backs may actually help Toyota sell more Priuses. Find out why after the jump.

Apparently there are people out there who are not fased by Toyota’s problems, it makes them seem more appealing.

According to Edmunds.com research, 7.1% of buyers had the Toyota Prius on their radar before the big revelation was made. After news broke of the Prius’ problems, that number actually rose to 8.7%. Huh?

Similarly, the numbers of those survyed who had ‘purchasing intent’  went from 10.1% to 11.2%.

It is speculated that those considering a promlematic Prius are hoping to get a good deal because of it. Apparently having a car that may or may not stop is worth saving a couple grand for 11.2% of the public.

Now, this actually makes sense to us. If you’re one of those people in the 11.2% range, then that two or three grand saved can easily go towards for your funeral when the brakes fail and you get what’s coming to you for knowingly purchasing a flawed vehicle.

It’s always smart to think ahead.

When it rains, it pours… that’s probably the understatement of the year for Toyota. Seriously, 2010 has so far treated the company like a used piece of toilet paper.

First, Toyota had to recall eight of its new models for sticking gas pedals/floor mat issues (most of which were volume sellers such as Corolla, Camry and RAV4), then it got slammed (and may now get fined) for not initiating the recall sooner, then Toyota’s rivals GM, Ford, Chrysler and Hyundai offered specific incentives to lure away disgruntled customers, then it got its ‘recommended’ status stripped from Consumer Reports as result of the recall, then this all became the subject of an investigation by the U.S government which then called the company “safety deaf”, then it became the subject of a class action law suit over the sticking pedals and now the Japanese Government has officially ordered an investigation into the brakes on the 3rd generation Toyota Prius.

In Japan, there have been dozens of complaints of temporary brake loss at low speeds or in slick road conditions. This is obviously another safety issue that the biggest car company in the world now has to deal with. No word on if only Priuses in Japan are affected by these alleged issues. UPDATE: The U.S government is now launching an investigation for the same issues after receiving over 100 complaints about the Prius’ brakes.