Toyota Mirai Photo Gallery

Toyota Mirai uses hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity and achieves superior environmental performance with the convenience and driving pleasure expected of any car. A new technique has been employed in the front face design to emphasize the left and right grilles that draw in air for the oxygen supply and for FC system cooling.

The Mirai delivers everything expected of a next-generation car: an immediately recognizable design; driving exhilaration stemming from superior handling stability achieved by a low centre of gravity; and quiet but powerful acceleration provided by the electric motor.

It also features an exclusive telematics service for a safe, secure and comfortable ride, and the vehicle can double as a high-capacity external power supply system during power outages, disasters and other emergencies.

The Mirai uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which features both fuel cell technology and hybrid technology, and includes Toyota's new proprietary FC Stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks.

The TFCS is more energy efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or substances of concern (SOCs) when driven.

Drivers can also expect the same level of convenience as offered by gasoline engine vehicles, with a generous cruising range and a hydrogen refuelling time of about three minutes.

The Mirai was designed with safety as a top priority, based on the basic approach of ensuring that hydrogen does not leak, and in the unlikely event that any leaks do occur, ensuring immediate detection and stoppage of hydrogen flow and preventing accumulation of hydrogen within the car body.

The sedan's profile connects the front and rear in a seamlessly pleasant expression of space. It creates a sophisticated cabin space with soft padding on door trims and other interior surfaces, and a high-luminance silver finish throughout.

The front seats provide superior body fit and hold through an integrated cover/seat foaming production process. Eight-way adjustable power seats for achieving the optimal seat position and a motorized lumbar support function are installed as standard on the driver's and passenger's seats.

The centre meter cluster located in the central top level of the instrument panel includes a speedometer and multi-information display using a 4.2-inch high-definition TFT liquid crystal display with a design that appears to pop out. The driver is able to change the display using steering-wheel-mounted controls.

Tata SUV compact rumored

The compact SUV will also see the debut of Tata Motor's 1.5-litre diesel engine.  

Tata Motors may have a reputation of making cars that are more functional than stylish, but the carmaker is aware that it needs to do more on the design front to appeal to buyers. Tata’s upcoming compact SUV, codenamed X104, will be styled to look “like a mini Evoque” say sources in the company. In fact, the sharply tapering roofline has resulted in the manufacturer even sacrificing a bit of rear seat space in the interest of giving it a sleek look.

The X104 compact SUV is based on the same X1 platform that also underpins the Bolt and the Zest, and some mechanical bits such as the steering and suspension have been carried over. However, for that typical SUV look, the wheel arches will be enlarged to accommodate larger 17-inch wheels.

Mechanically, the X104 will also see the debut of Tata’s 1.5-litre diesel motor that develops a good 110bhp, and a new six-speed manual gearbox designed to handle the extra power and torque. Sources say that despite the engine’s power advantage over rivals such as the EcoSport, the motor will not sacrifice fuel economy. There will be a petrol version as well powered by Tata’s in-house developed, 1.2-litre motor. This all-aluminum, three-cylinder engine is expected to produce around 75bhp and has been designed to be quiet and refined.

With the X104, Tata Motors is betting on the fact that compact SUVs are largely owner driven, who like their cars to be stylish with a fair bit of road presence. Pricing will play an important role in how Tata’s new compact SUV fares in the competitive segment but we expect it to undercut the EcoSport when it’s launched in 2016.

Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Bikes

Mileage is the first thing that a commuter bike segment buyer looks for in a motorcycle. In fact, chances of fetching numbers in this highly competitive segment depends mostly only the fuel efficiency returned by a product. And in a market like India where almost half of the sales come from 100-110cc motorcycles, manufacturers are working on different mileage-enhancing technologies to achieve high fuel efficiency. i3S by Hero MotoCorp, HET (Honda Eco Technology) by Honda, Digital Twin-Spark Ignition (DTS-i) by Bajaj, etc are a few famous ones of those.

In a bid to check out the actual fuel efficiency of leading motorcycles in India, International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT), an agency of National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) put some bikes on test. The testing results generated quite a curiosity across the country, as many bikes that were claimed to be among the most fuel efficient bikes, could not even manage to enter the top 10 list.

The bikemaker that outshined everyone was Hero MotoCorp, whose 7 bikes entered the list of top 10 fuel efficient motorcycles. In fact, the newly launched Hero Splendor iSmart, achieved an impressive 102.5kmpl in the test, which makes it the 'world's most fuel efficient motorcycle'.

Here's the list of top 10 bikes that returned highest mileage in the test.

1. Hero Splendor iSmart - 102.50kmpl

2. Bajaj Platina ES - 96.90kmpl

3. Hero Splendor Pro - 93.21kmpl

4. Hero Splendor Pro Classic - 93.21kmpl

5. Bajaj Discover 100 - 90.30kmpl

6. Hero Splendor-NXG - 89.04kmpl

7. Hero HF Dawn - 88.56kmpl

8. Hero HF Deluxe - 88.56kmpl

9. Hero HF Deluxe Eco - 88.56kmpl

10. TVS Star Sport - Duralife - 87.70kmpl