Prius is STILL the Most Fuel-Efficient Car

Well, here’s some car-related news that’s worthy of attention.
Last week, United States’ E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) has released its latest list of fuel-efficient vehicles. And guess what car won first place in the list of top 10 economical cars? The Toyota Prius… again! According to the Japanese article at carview.co.jp, this is the 4th consecutive year in which the Prius has emerged victorious among a multitude of green cars.

Amazingly enough, the latest Prius has managed to run 21.68km per litre in the city (that’s 51MPG!) and 20.4km/l (48MPG) on the highway.

EPA's Greenest Car: Toyota Prius

Here is the top 10 list:

1：Toyota Prius
2：Ford Fusion Hybrid
3：Honda Civic Hybrid
4：Honda Insight
5：Lexus HS250h
6：Nissan Altima Hybrid
7：Ford Escape Hybrid
8：Smart ForTwo
9：Toyota Camry Hybrid
10：Lexus RX450h

It’s interesting to note that 9 of the top 10 vehicles are hybrids, cars that move by means of an electric motor as well as an engine. The only non-hybrid car in there is the tiny Smart ForTwo (which I am personally quite fond of, because it’s so cute). Even better is the fact that 7 of the cars are Japanese: 4 Toyota/Lexus, 2 Hondas, and a Nissan.

For a more detailed list, check out this link: Most and Least Fuel-Efficient Cars.

As you can see on that link, on the other end of the fuel-efficiency scale are big expensive supercars like the Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the Bentley Continental. While the MPG figures for those cars are pretty depressing to look at, I guess that if people can afford those cars in the first place, they won’t have any trouble keeping their gas tanks filled. I wish I were one of them!

On another note, I must mention that I have fallen in love with the 10th car on the list: Lexus RX450h. Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful luxury SUVs I have ever set eyes on!

Lexus RX450h

Hybrid cars forced to create noise pollution?

Hi there, this is Maki again.
This is a small update on my last post about hybrid cars.
Remember what I said about the hybrid Toyota Harrier being so silent that it might be a potential health hazard to pedestrians? Well, I’ve just read this article on BBC News, and it looks like Toyota may have to consider adding noise to their hybrid vehicles, because blind pedestrians (who rely on sound for guidance) cannot hear the cars coming and might be hit.

According to what they say,

The panel is considering forcing manufacturers of hybrid cars to introduce a sound-making function that alerts passersby to the presence of a vehicle.

Click here to read the BBC News article.

What kind of noise are they going to add to the new Prius, I wonder? I suggest either ice cream truck music or the engine noise of a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 firing up… that should be enough to alert any passers-by, blind or not.