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| BMW goes sexy....again! |
There is a perception that eco-friendly vehicles will never take as firm a hold in South Africa as in Europe or America.
Having said that, there were several interesting vehicles on show at JIMS which deserve a mention, if not completely dispel the perception. They fall into two categories; already in production and technology that could be introduced immediately but which is clothed at present in full concept-car styling.
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| 'Captain, Captain....' |
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| Aaaarrrggghhhh! My eyes.... |
The most significant model, from the first category, is the Nissan LEAF (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) which has been on sale in the US, Europe and Japan since last year. It is a full electric car with a range of between 117 and 220 kms, depending on driving conditions with a recharge taking 8 hours. There is the possibility that it could be launched here by 2013. Where it scores is that, in appearance, it’s a normal family hatchback and not some hideous gargoyle as many Green concepts are.
Talking of which, we get to the Toyota FT-EV ll. If ever there was a blob of a car which does nothing to further the cause of Green technology, this is it. Outwardly similar to the FT-EV that preceded it, the interior has now gone super funky with joystick control which looks straight out of the film of 1000 Leagues Under the Sea. Fully electric, it has a range of only 90 kms and, unless people are shrinking, not much space for the four passengers for whom seats are provided.
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| Nissan LEAF. The doors don't close, apparently! |
As much as we like to see reality, it is the concept cars that garner the attention. The showstoppers came from Germany and America; Audi with the E-Tron concept; BMW with their snappily titled Vision Efficient Dynamics concept and Chevrolet with their simply gorgeous Miray.
Audi’s offering was the least outlandish looking, closely followed by Chevrolet, whilst the BMW was right out-there, but still an object wonderful to behold.
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| Woof woof! |
Whilst the BMW and the Chevrolet are hybrids, with 3-cylinder diesel and 4-cylinder petrol engines respectively providing open-road power to supplement the electric motors and lithium-ion batteries, the Audi is pure electricity-powered. Before this puts you off, consider the figures; 313hp and, wait for it, 3,319lb/ft of torque!
No-one at Chevrolet was willing to commit to an introduction date, but Audi and BMW were both talking in terms of the technology, if not the actual cars shown, being in production by 2014.
If we look at the here and now, there is the ever-impressive range of Lexus hybrids utilising petrol/electric motor technology, albeit with the emphasis being on the petrol element. For those without such deep pockets, the Peugeot 107 comes with a zero emissions tax rating for their 998cc engine model.
It seems the future might be green, after all.
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| The Eyes have it. |
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| You really can't fault those looks |
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| Lexus looking important. And economical. |
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| Now, that's sexy |
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| The Americans have come a long way since the 'fifties. |
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