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More dynamic, more noble and more extensively equipped and cheaper to maintain the Toyota Toyota Auris 2013 sets on scratch, to shake up the highly competitive compact class and stand up to the European top dogs VW Golf, Opel Astra and Co.. The prices for the Japanese Golf opponent who comes to the market in January 2013 start, even at 15,950 euros, the economical hybrid version with an average fuel consumption of just 3.8 l/100 km with 22,950 euros even cheaper than the diesel . And this is just the beginning of a major product offensive by Toyota.

New dynamics with optimum space utilization

Toyota Auris 2013 designed the exterior is brand new. This is particularly evident confident and dynamic appearance of the new generation based on the modified front end. The new Toyota brand face with headlights in the “Keen” look and LED daytime running lights and a trapezoidal lower cooling air intake gives the Toyota Auris 2013 a determined expression and a powerful presence.

The slim upper grille runs as completion of the flat hood to the full width between the now larger branding and the newly drawn headlamps. A chrome clasp extends into the headlight unit to emphasize the width. The standard in all trim levels and integrated into the bi-xenon or halogen projection headlamps LED daytime running lights give the Toyota Auris 2013 is independent appearance.

In Page view, it is remarkable how the flat salaried windshield passes smoothly into a flat and aerodynamic roofline. Even in the long-drawn side glass surface that integrates three separate discs, demonstrates the dynamic design direction of the Toyota Auris 2013. The B-pillar kept the Japanese in a glossy piano black finish, is the elegant accents.

With a length of 4.275 meters, the Toyota Auris 2013 is three inches longer than its predecessor. The wheelbase remained unchanged at 2.600 meters, instead, the front and rear overhangs grew by 1.5 centimeters. Thus, the 1.760 meter wide Toyota Auris 2013 is still one of the most compact in its class offerings. The sleek look of the Auris has lowered by about 5.5 centimeters to 1.460 meters. In their entirety, these changes cause aerodynamic benefits that contribute to a decrease in consumption on the one hand, the other hand, the Toyota Auris 2013 but bring a noticeable increase in driving dynamics.

Drive: frugality in symbiosis with fun ….Toyota Auris 2013

When the Toyota Auris 2013 customers have the choice between an advanced full hybrid drive and two petrol and two diesel engines, which should be distinguished by powerful driving performance with extremely low consumption. Toyota believes that the hybrid models account for about a third of total sales expected.

Toyota Auris 2013 1.33 Dual VVT-i (99 HP): The 1.33-liter petrol engine with start-stop system comes up with a power of 99 hp and maximum torque of 128 Nm at 3800 r / min. In combination with a 6-speed manual transmission is the top speed of 175 km / h. The sprint from 0 to 100 is expected to take 12.6 seconds. This compares to an average consumption of just 5.4 liters per 100 kilometers (CO2 emissions: 125 g / km). That is 0.5 liters less than the already frugal predecessor.

Variable valve timing VVT-i helps to improve performance across the entire speed range by the input and exhaust timing continuously adapts to the current driving situation. Dual VVT-i provides an increased torque at low and medium revs, reduce pollutant emissions and fuel consumption.

Toyota Auris 2013 1.6 VVT (132 hp): The “Multidrive S automatic” either with a manual six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission available 1.6-liter VVT petrol engine has 132 hp and a maximum torque of 160 Nm at only 4,400 U / min. That’s enough for a top speed of 200 km / h (automatic 190 km / h) and a sprint from 0 to 100 kph in 10.0 seconds (automatic 11.1 seconds).

Toyota Auris 2013 News

According to Green Car Congress a new Lithium Ion Semi-Solid flow cell battery could make current technology obsolete as well as offering reduced cost and energy density an order of magnitude beyond current flow type batteries. This Technology is being developed by MIT Researcher Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang. 

Dr. Chiang believes that this new architecture for Flow Type Lithium cells could offer energy densities of 300-500 Wh L^-1 which would equate to $250 kWh for transportation grid and $100 kWh for excess power storage grid. This would dramatically reduce the cost of maintaining emergency power grids as well as for quick charge stations for new EV Vehicles hitting the market.

Not delving too deep into the technical details these systems are based on using an electrolytic solution that is held in storage tanks that then pass through an ion exchanger that is comprised of millions of nano-scale conductors that draw energy from the solutions through a process know as "intercalation" that releases energy more efficiently than current flow cells.

Liquid Solution flow cells are of great interest because of their scaleability when applied to infrastructure. The main interest of a flow cell that offers energy densities of 300-500 Wh L^-1 is that this would allow for a grid that could handle thousands of electric cars charging day in and day out which is exciting news for a future of vehicles that exist on the grid instead of going from fuel station to fuel station.

For more technical information as well as the electrolyte chemistry read the article from Green Car Congress 

The 1981 Formula One season continued with the on-going dispute between the FIA, the sports governing body and FOCA, the Formula One Constructors Association. At the first race it came to a head and only at the insistence of the principal sponsors of the teams would any kind of reconciliation take place and the season got underway at Long Beach.

At Ferrari there was a new kid on the block. Jody had retired having achieved his goal of the World Championship in 1979. He stuck around for 1980 with the T5 disaster falling down around him. Some drivers would have just thrown up their hands and called it a day, but Jody showed his class by sticking to Ferrari so they could capitalize on his achievement. The new kid was Didier Pironi who had moved over from Tyyrell.

When I joined Ferrari the whole team was devoted to Gilles. I mean he was not just the top driver, he was much more than that, recalled Pironi. He had a small family therehe made me fit right in. I felt at home right away. Gilles made no distinctions. I was expecting to be put in my place. I was not number one. I was number two yet he treated an equal all the way.

During the off-season Gilles had toiled away at what he loved besta faster and better car. As it stood, anything would have been an improvement on the T5. Everyone in Formula One was playing catch-up in an attempt to gain on the power advantage the turbo Renaults had over the normally aspirated engines.

The 126 had made its debut in 1980 at Monza during Saturdays practice, but was not raced due to lack of development. When it turned up at Long Beach there was something missingthe beautiful sound of the flat 12 engine. The new engine was a fully turbo-charged V-6 that developed 560 bhp at 11,500 rpm. The sliding skirts had been banned for many reasons, one being safety. The car would not be totally on rails as it had been for the last number of years; the driver would again be in control. This delighted Gilles. Now dubbed the 126C, the red rocket hit the streets of Long Beach flying.

Gilles managed to put the car into fifth place on the grid right out of the box. Pironi was back in eleventh in his first drive for Ferrari. Ricardo Patrese sat on the pole in an Arrows to everyones surprise. Alongside him was the new World Champion Alan Jones in a Williams. Third was Carlos Reutemann in the second Williams with Nelson Piquet in fourth.

At the start Gilles took advantage of the incredible power of the Ferrari and attempted to take the lead on the outside. The attempt was very nearly successful, but Gilles slid wide going into the Queens Hairpin. He attempted several other late-braking manoeuvres, but continued his backward slide. He eventually coasted to a stop with a broken drive-shaft. Pironi would also retire with fuel pick-up problems. Jones would claim the first victory of the season.

The only other event I remember that weekend was while standing with Dr. Hugh Scully of the Canadian Medical team that oversees much of Canadian racing including the Canadian Grand Prix. Hugh was accompanied by his young wife. Crowds tend to have some sound at a Grand Prix even during practice, but I noted that the spectators at the turn we were standing at were silent. I also noticed they were not looking at the cars at all. Most were looking in our direction. I could not figure out what their interest was until I saw Hughs wife doing a stretching exercise by putting her foot up on the cement guard rail next to the track near a marshalls station. I looked at her then pointed at her new fans. She promptly took the foot from the cement wall in both her hands and raised it until it was straight up! Her toe was perfectly pointed into the heavens! The crowd went nuts! Hughs wife is Vanessa Harwood, at the time a principal ballerina with the National Ballet Company of Canada! Did I get a shot of it? Dont ask. It embarrasses me that I did not.

Gilles DNFed in both of the South American races after starting 7th in each. The turbo let go in Brazil and another drive shaft went in Argentina.

The Italian Grand Prix had been relocated in 1980 and held for the first time at Imola, a small principality just south east of Ferraris home of Marenello. It was so successful that a new race was created as organizers were able to skirt the rules governing the number of Grand Prix per country and the distances between circuits. Imola and Monza were certainly close by most standards, which should have had to be dealt with according to the rules, but Monza, the traditional Italian Grand Prix remained on the calendar for September.

Friday saw many of the teams threatening to boycott the race over various ground-effects infractions. Colin Chapman had withdrawn his Lotus 88 when it was declared illegal during scrutineering. Eventually things settled down with all moveable or flexible skirts on the underside of the cars being removed. A ground clearance check was made on every car as it returned to the pits after a run. A number of teams found ingenious ways to have the car lower itself while on the circuit. This post run inspection created chaos and line-ups in the pits.

For the first time in Italy a Ferrari would carry the number 27. Pironi would campaign 28. Gilles promptly put 27 on its first pole ahead of Reutemann in the normally aspirated Williams-Ford. Pironi was back in sixth. It was the first pole for Gilles since Long Beach in 1979. He fully admitted it had been a long dry spell.

At the start, in the wet, Gilles took the lead with Pironi slicing through the pack to take second. The two Ferraris drove the fans nuts until Gilles dove into the pits to change to slicks as the track began to dry. Luck being what it is, the rain began again as he drove out onto the track. Two laps later he was back in to change his rubber again. In effect, his race was run as he was the better part of a lap down in fourteenth.

Gilles charged on with his usual gusto and set the fastest lap over and over, but still found himself in seventh at the end. Pironi scored the first points for the 126C with a fifth.

Gilles and Didier had become good friends by this time. Both shared any information they had about their cars and encouraged each other. Later, when Didiers wife gave birth to twins, they named one of them Gilles.

next: Terror at Zolder!

Read the rest of the Shutter Speed series here.

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2. Shutter Speed: The first book and the first nine!
3. Shutter Speed: 1976 A Big Year!
4. Shutter Speed: More World Cup and the disastrous T5
5. Shutter Speed: The continuing brush with greatness