Friday, January 6, 2012

  Most fuel-efficient hybrid car: Toyota's Aqua sets world record (Video)

 TOKYO, Japan -- Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) launched a new gasoline-electric compact hybrid, dubbed 'Aqua' in Japan and the 'Prius C' overseas, which has a listed fuel efficiency of 35.4 km/litre (83.3 mpg) - setting the new world record for the Most fuel-efficient hybrid car, according to World Record Academy (www.worldrecordacademy.com).

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The Guinness world record for the most fuel-efficient vehicle is 0.01857 litres of petrol for 100 km (15,212 mpg) and was achieved by PAC-Car II from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland, on the Shell Eco Marathon in the Michelin Technology Centre, Ladoux, France.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the most fuel-efficient 40 ton truck, set by the Mercedes Benz Actros, which uses 19,44 litres per 100 km (6.88 gal per 100 miles) under test drive conditions.

  The compact car, dubbed 'Aqua' in Japan and the 'Prius C' overseas, has a listed fuel efficiency of 35.4 km/litre (83.3 mpg), beating the current top Prius, which gets 32 km/litre.

  'Aqua' is equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor to drive the five-seater body.

 A selectable electric-vehicle mode (EV Mode) enables driving with only the electric motor.

  Toyota is aiming for monthly Aqua sales in Japan of 12,000 units, with a starting price of 1.69 million yen ($21,600).

  More then 60,000 buyers have signed up to purchase the Aqua subcompact hybrid, which achieves 83 mpg under Japan's JC08 test cycle.

  The Japanese automaker, which dominates the hybrid field, is aiming to launch about 10 new gasoline-electric models by 2015 and offer a fuel-sipping option across its entire line-up around 2020.