Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport to be unveiled in Frankfurt

At the upcoming motor show in Frankfurt, Toyota will present its new Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport vehicle. Well, it takes a lot of guts to envision a cross-country version of a car that was supposed to be an off-roader for starters.




The last generation of Toyota RAV4 was essentially a city-dweller that only looked like a small SUV. Unfortunately, current model doesn't even sport a SUV-like appearance, looking more like a station wagon with slightly increased ground clearance. No wonder that Toyota's marketing department has eventually decided to introduce a trim with more muscular and SUV-like looks.



The Toyota RAV4 Cross Sport will be powered by a choice of three engines, including a 2.0 liter 152 hp VVT-I and a 2.2 liter D-4D diesel.

The list of equipment includes 17-inch alloys, LED tail-lamps, a DVD navigation system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, parking assistance and anthracite colored seats.

The car is expected to arrive in European dealerships by the middle of this month.

See also: 2008 Toyota Highlander starts at $27,300

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Ford Escape Hybrid flex-fuel vehicles go to Illinois

Ford has delivered first seven out of twenty hybrid-powered Ford Escape SUVs capable of working on E85 flex-fuel. The vehicles have gone to the State of Illinois, Illinois Corn Growers and Commonwealth Edison.




There are more than 140 E85 refueling stations in Illinois so Ford has a good opportunity to field-test its flex-fuel hybrids in real conditions.

First introduced in January at the Washington, D.C. auto show, the Ford E85 Escape Hybrid produces about 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a gasoline-fueled Escape Hybrid. Another advantage of the car is that it runs on a completely renewable fuel, helping reroute some money from the Middle East to the Middle West.

See also: Twenty Ford Escape Hybrid E85 SUVs go to six states

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Audi Q7 Hybrid SUV: more info

Audi has finally provided some more information on the hybrid version of its Audi Q7 SUV currently in the works. Although sharing its 7L platform with Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, the Q7 will probably not get the upcoming hybrid drive from the Cayenne and will have to use Audi's own job.




The Audi Q7's hybrid drive, Audi says in its press release, will possibly be combined of VW's current 280hp/375Nm 3.6-liter FSI V6 and a 50hp/285Nm electric motor. To ensure the maximum fuel efficiency, the electric device will be nested between the engine and the torque converter of the automatic gearbox.



Having about 660Nm of combined torque, the Audi Q7 Hybrid will propel itself from zero to 100km/h in just 7.6 seconds and sprint from 60 to 120km/h in 11.9 seconds. In EU combined cycle, the hybrid SUV will consume about 9.8 liters of gas per 100 km (it is around 29 mpg). That's really not bad, considering that the vehicle weighs 2,480 kg (5460 lb) and that the base model drinks has 23 percent worse mileage. And its level of CO2 emissions will also drop from 304 g/km to less frightening 231 g/km.



See also: Audi Q7 SUV may go hybrid

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