Parking particularly parallel parking is one of the most difficult to accomplish even for professional drivers. Toyota through its luxury division Lexus the producer of high quality Lexus belts is promising a technology that will enable cars to park themselves. Impossible? Well trust Toyota to make the impossible possible with the new $75,000 Lexus LS you can have a car that car virtually park itself.
Consumer Reports has sent its auto experts to check on the new parking technology by Lexus and to see whether it can really deliver what it promises. The Lexus LS guarantees to help especially when parallel parking is required. It comes with a feature that claims to let the car virtually park itself.
Consumer Reports’ Jake Fisher was the one who checked out the automatic parking feature and here are some of his findings:
"I first get lined to the front of the car like you would normally in parallel parking. Put it in reverse. I choose parallel park feature. Point to the place where I really want to park. When the screen turns green I hit okay." Look, Ma! No hands!
So things worked out fine for Jake Fisher probably because he is an auto engineer so Consumer Reports has again conducted another test and this time they have enlisted Ina Gozenpud who is a self-described “parallel-parking disaster” to see if the virtual valet of Lexus could actually help Ina.
And here’s what happened: To confirm the claim of Ina that she really can’t parallel parked her car she was made to park a car without the Lexus virtual parking valet and Gozenpud said, "I really, really can't do this."
After 20 minutes of watching Ina maneuvering, Jake finally decided to let Ina drive the Lexus LS. Initial expectation of Ina was that parking is going to be one breezy experience but to her dismay she found out that it’s not as easy as thought it would be.
First Jake found out that for somebody like Ina who is not that expert when it comes to parallel driving is still having difficulties even with the Lexus virtual valet. The source of difficulty? -- Finding the car’s relative position to the curb.
But after some time Gozenpud finally got the hang of it and was happy to finally see Lexus coming up to what it has promised and surprisingly she was able to ease the car into the spot just inches from the curb. Gozenpud told Fisher that the Lexus virtual valet definitely helped.
The conclusion? According to Fisher, "Actually, using the electronics are a little tough. The self-parking feature is really for someone who's more comfortable programming their iPod than backing into a parallel spot." He also added that of course in case you have $75,000 to spare.
This article is based on the review posted on the consumerreports.com entitled A Self Parking Lexus.
Toyota Unleashes 'Plug-in Hybrid' Car
According to Chang-Ran Kim’s writing for Reuters on Wednesday, Toyota Motor Corp. unleashed a "plug-in" hybrid car based on its popular Prius model. The report said that it would test the fuel-saving vehicle on public roads, which is another first for the industry.
But the Japan-based car maker claimed that the car, which is called the Toyota Plug-in HV, was not suited for commercialization purposes because it uses low-energy nickel-metal hydride batteries rather than lithium-ion batteries, which are believed to be a better fit for rechargeable plug-in cars.
Not like earlier gasoline-electric hybrids, which run on a parallel system twinning battery power and a combustion engine, the plug-in cars are built to enable short trips powered entirely by the electric motor, through a battery that can be charged by using an electric socket at home.
A number of environmental endorsers see them as the best available technology in order to minimize gasoline consumption and global-warming greenhouse gas emissions. But engineers claim that battery technology is still not enough to store enough energy for long-distance travel.
Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto, the person in charge of Toyota's powertrain technology, told a news conference that it is hard to say when the plug-in hybrids could be commercialized for the reason that it would largely depend on advances in battery technology.
Scheduled to be tested also in the United States and Europe, the Toyota Plug-in HV possesses a cruising range of just 13 km or 8 miles on one charge, even with its trunk full of batteries.
Two of Detroit's Big Three - General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. - are also working on plug-in hybrids, in alliance with battery makers such as Germany's Continental AG.
In January, GM revealed a concept version of the plug-in Chevrolet Volt that would be powered by a lithium-ion battery. Its target for production is set at 2010.
And just this month, Ford associated with No. 2 U.S. electric utility Southern California Edison for real-world testing of a fleet of up to 20 rechargeable vehicles. These automobiles are to be based on the Escape Hybrid SUV. Ford has claimed that plug-ins could enter showrooms in five to ten years from now.
Launcher of the first mass-volume gasoline-electric hybrid car in the world (the Prius), Toyota said in 1997 that it would test eight prototypes of the plug-in hybrid to collate data on real-life driving over the next three years after getting government approval on Wednesday. Each Lexus with quality Lexus axle is also a well known hybrid-er.
Many automakers such as Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., are working with Japanese battery makers in order to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with reinvented storing energy capacity.
Lexus IS 250 AWD Sedan Standard Features
At a base price of $34,285, the IS 250 is a performance-oriented small luxury sedan as opposed to its Lexus sibling, the IS 350, which is a bit larger and all about comfort and luxury.
It is powered by a V6 2.5L gas engine with double overhead cam (DOHC). It has 24 variable timing valves which help deliver 204 hp @ 6400 rpm and 185 ft-lbs. at 4800 rpm using premium unleaded fuel.
This uses a 6-speed shiftable automatic all wheel drive transmission along with a mechanical center differential. It has four-wheel independent suspension, double wishbone front suspension, front and rear stabilizer bar and multi-link rear suspension. It also has a trip computer tachometer, and a clock showing external temperature. A compass does the low fuel level warning.
Exterior features include 17 x 8 in. alloy wheels, all season 225/45R17 V tires with steel spare wheel and temporary spare tire, inside mounted spare tire, variable intermittent wipers, and power glass sunroof while a rear defogger is also available.
Safety features include 4-wheel ABS, ventilated front disc / solid rear disc brakes, emergency braking assist, stability control, front and rear head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, child seat anchors, rear center 3-point belt, 3 rear headrests, engine immobilizer, dusk sensing headlamps, auto delay off headlamps, height adjustable headrests, electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control, dual front side-mounted airbags, passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation, rear door child safety locks, emergency interior trunk release, 2 front headrests, remote anti-theft alarm system, daytime running lights, tire pressure monitoring, front fog/driving lights, height adjustable headrests.
The front leather upholstery seats can accommodate 5 persons whose seats are ventilated with 10-way power passenger seat, and adjustable lumbar support. Passenger and driver seats are also height adjusted and has multi-level heating. Bucket front seats are also available.
The Lexus IS 250 AWD Sedan also has a bench rear seat, rear ventilation ducts and folding seats with storage and pass-thru center armrest.
Power features are on remote door locks, 4 one-touch windows, and heated mirrors.
Convenience and comfort are never compromised: cruise control, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, front and rear cupholders, front door pockets, 12V front power outlet(s), keyless ignition, retained accessory power, electric speed-proportional power steering, transmission, cruise and audio controls on steering wheel, remote trunk release, front seatback storage, front console with storage, universal remote transmitter (for garage door, security system, etc.), dual zone climate controls for both the driver and passenger, electrochromatic inside rearview mirror, dual illuminating vanity mirrors, alloy and leather trim on shift knob, simulated alloy trim on center console, trunk light, interior air filtration, front and rear reading lights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, alloy trim on dash, and front and rear floor mats.
Entertainment features involve AM/FM in-dash 6 CD player with CD MP3 Playback stereo capable of 194 watts stereo output, 13 total speakers, Lexus antenna, and speed sensitive volume control capable of auxiliary MP3 audio input.
Annual fuel cost is at $1,560 ($2.94 per gallon, regular, 13,000 miles per year).
