2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan a redesign of the Lexus HS250 hybrid

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

Toyota Motor Corp will be releasing a new petrol electric hybrid in Japan while the Prius will compete with Hyundai Motor Co in Korea. Toyota hopes to sell 36,000 of its new Sai hybrid sedan, Toyota’s goal being one million hybrid cars a year globally after 2010.

The Sai is Toyota’s second hybrid-only car, this car is a redesign of the Lexus HS250 hybrid. The Sai is based on a concept derived from the Japanese word sai-which means "talent" when written as "" and "coloration" when written as ""-as a hybrid-only sedan "combining advanced talent and multi-color sophistication".

The Sai is based on the Lexus HS250h hybrid, a vehicle designed for people who want a more premium hybrid experience than they would get in the Toyota Prius. The Sai would seem to fit somewhere in between. It offers the same powerplant as the HS, but not quite as many luxury features. It's basically an HS with different nose, tail and interior detailing.

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

The Toyota Sai Hybrid features a gasoline-electric hybrid system with a 2.4-liter engine for outstanding fuel efficiency and use of Ecological Plastic for approximately 60% of the interior surface area. The Sai features the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) II combining a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine with an electric motor and a reduction gear. The Toyota Sai Hybrid uses a 2.4-liter petrol engine generating just under 150 horsepower, and up to 187 Nm of torque. It is mated to a strong electric motor, powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery, which produces an additional 140 hp and up to 270 Nm of torque. The Toyota Sai Hybrid powertrain is designed to utilize the two generators efficiently, giving the driver up to 185 hp at any given time.

An exhaust heat recovery system uses exhaust gas to heat the engine, thus shortening engine-warming time and contributing to greatly improved fuel efficiency, especially when outside temperatures are low.

LED headlights conserve electric power and consequently reduce power-generation requirements on the engine.

In addition to Standard Driving Mode, which balances fuel efficiency and power, drivers can also select Eco-Drive Mode, which prioritizes fuel efficiency by moderating driving force relative to accelerator operation and putting the air conditioner into a low energy-consumption mode, and Electric Vehicle (EV) Drive Mode, which uses the electric motor only, resulting in extremely quite cruising and zero emissions.

A Hybrid System Indicator that shows real-time driving status and an Eco Driving Indicator that lights up to signify fuel-efficient vehicle operation provide visual support to the driver.

The ESPO1 system, which encourages and rewards environmentally considerate driving, enables drivers to gain extra enjoyment.

G-BOOK mX, TMC's advanced telematics service, assesses environmentally considerate driving and awards points to driver; mastery of eco-driving can be determined according to rate of points gained each month

Programs that allow drivers to make donations to charities using points received, that rank fuel efficiency of nationwide Sai ESPO users, and other fun incentives to encourage drivers to drive in environmentally considerate ways, are available

Toyota is also sending its brand to South Korea where the Hyundai Kia partnership dominate. The Prius and Camry hybrids will be first and joining them will be the petrol version of the Camry and the RAV4.

Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo told a news conference, “The introduction of the Toyota brand into South Korea is aimed to meet the diversifying needs of consumers in this growing market,”

“We intend to make every effort to contribute to South Korean society and earn a loyal following.”

December the seventh is the release date for the Toyota Sai retailing at 3.38 million yen ($40,250), the Lexus HS250 is priced at 3.96 million yen ($47,159).

The Sai is expected to have a consumption rate of 4.34 liters per 100 km. At this stage Toyota has no plans to export the Sai, preferring to concentrate on the home market.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne at Pebble Beach Concours revealed

The new Bentley Mulsanne, designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, reaffirms the marque's intent to create a new flagship Bentley with refined performance, unparalleled levels of interior luxury and coach building skills to the fore.

The design of the new Bentley Mulsanne is a unique fusion of sportiness, coachbuilt elegance and solidity. Echoing the Bentley S-Type of the 1950s, the Mulsanne features a bold frontal design dominated by the traditional Bentley matrix grille and highly prominent, classic round inner headlamps with chrome surrounds, flanked by two, smaller outboard lamp clusters, all featuring the latest in lighting technology. The iconic 'Flying B' retractable radiator mascot is available as an option.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

The long bonnet, short front overhang and long rear overhang help to convey a sense of power and movement, reinforced by muscular haunches and sharply sculptured lines which flow gracefully from the front wings to the rear. Uniquely designed 20-inch wheels (and optional 21-inch) reinforce the Bentley Mulsanne's powerful, sporting stance.

The body is produced in a new manufacturing facility at Bentley's headquarters in Crewe where traditional metalworking skills, developed over six decades, are still used extensively during the nine-week build process. It is the very opposite of volume-production car-building… but the very epitome of Bentley.

The rear screen, for example is fully enveloped by the coachwork. This provides a flowing, flawless line to the rear of the car, complementing the exquisitely formed D-pillars - whose complex curves can only be created by skilled coach-builders. All spot welds are performed by hand during the Bentley Mulsanne's construction and all panel joints are hand-brazed. These further enhance that 'hewn from solid' appearance and result in an extremely stiff body.

The complex form of the aluminium front wings, impossible to achieve with normal pressing techniques, is created using superforming, a technology usually reserved for the aerospace industry. This also makes the wings both lighter, stiffer and provides superb surface definition. Other lightweight materials, such as the composite bootlid, are used to remove mass wherever possible without compromising quality.

The latest in-car technologies are discreetly placed within the Bentley Mulsanne's sumptuous interior. A multimedia system with 40 GB hard disc drives satellite navigation, audio/video, personal data, telephone and Bluetooth® connectivity. The upper dashboard houses an 8-inch multimedia screen, positioned unobtrusively behind an electrically operated veneered door, while below sits a stylish, leather-lined MP3-player stowage drawer.

A state-of-the-art 14-speaker audio system with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and 6-CD autochanger is provided as standard while the Naim for Bentley premium audio system may be specified as an option. This forging of two British luxury brands provides customers with the world's most powerful 2200 Watt in-car amplifier, eight dedicated DSP modes and 20 custom-made speakers, delivering an unparalleled sound quality.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

A personalised keyless entry system allows multiple pre-programmed configurations and automatically sets radio stations, phone book, seat (including ventilation and massage modes, both front and rear), steering column and seatbelt settings and even the electrically operated rear-seat blinds for side and rear windows. As a world-first, the keyless system operates with the stainless steel door handles which incorporate touch points to initiate communication with the key for verification and entry. The Bentley Mulsanne also features keyless start, having a stop/start button on the centre console.

The Bentley interior design team has continued to develop and evolve the luxurious interiors for which their cars are renowned, based on a large-scale, research programme to identify the classic signature features that have defined Bentleys from the 1920s to the present day.

Armed with this invaluable resource, the Bentley Mulsanne's design team set itself highly challenging targets for key interior characteristics such as material design, smell, colour harmony and handcrafting. Similar targets were set for the operational refinement and robustness of all control mechanisms. The result is a hand crafted interior that fully reflects traditional Bentley values, executed to the highest possible standards, where customers may tailor their cars to their individual specification.

While other powertrain configurations were considered early on in the project, it soon became clear that these targets could best be achieved with a totally revised version of the 6¾-litre V8 engine - the very configuration that had been used so successfully in the past. However for the new Bentley Mulsanne, all the major building blocks of the engine would be comprehensively re-engineered to integrate the very latest technologies.

To achieve a significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, the Bentley Mulsanne V8 sees the introduction of two new control systems: cam phasing and, a first for the ultra-luxury sector, variable displacement.