Toyotas FCV-R hydrogen concept car heads to Europe

Toyota’s hydrogen-powered concept car slated for production in 2015 will make its European debut in Geneva.

Read more: Toyotas FCV-R hydrogen concept car heads to Europe | The Car Tech blog – CNET Reviews.

Google: Forget Bing, We’re Taking on Toyota

Last October, Google revealed that it had been quietly driving self-piloted cars around the San Francisco Bay area. Without so much as a press announcement, the cars had logged about 140,000 miles around California highway system riding during regular traffic hours alongside unsuspecting motorists.

The only reason the secret project ever came to light is that internet chatter started to heat up after a few viewers could swear they saw a Prius cruising the freeway with a funny satellite attachment on its roof and the dude sitting behind the wheel relaxing, his hands nowhere near the wheel. The driver was simply not driving this car, people insisted. There was a ghost car on California’s roads!

Before it turned into a full-blown conspiracy, Google granted an in-depth story to the New York Times wherein it showed off what it had been developing: A fully-automated, self-driving car that runs on internet and artificial intelligence, developed by A.I. expert Sebastian Thrun, whom Google had poached from Stanford University.

Now, less than a year later after the mind-bending invention was unveiled, Google is lobbying for legislation to make the cars street legal. And they’ve locked their sights on the state of Nevada, focusing on two bills that would legalize self-driving cars in the state. According to the New York Times “Google hired David Goldwater, a lobbyist based in Las Vegas, to promote the two measures,” which should come up for a vote in June.

Nevertheless, it appears driverless cars remain illegal in Sin City’s host state for the moment. The Times notes the legislation Google is lobbying for “would make Nevada the first state where [the cars] could be legally operated on public roads.”

Toyota FT-86 Sports Coupe To Go By Scion FT-S

**RUMOR**        **RUMOR**        **RUMOR**        **RUMOR**        **RUMOR**

Some time ago a rumor began circulation that stated the new Toyota FT-86 would get a Scion badge, which makes perfect sense considering what the auto brand was suppose to be when it was launched by Toyota, a youth oriented marquee.While that rumor appears to be fact at this stage, one is still left wondering if the sports coupe would actually go by the name FT-86, or if it would get some fancy and highly creative name like tC or xB. Well, according to Toyobaru, the new coupe from the Japanese automaker will be known as the Scion FT-S.The new Scion FT-S will make its debut at the New York Auto Show with, what many think will be a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, not the rumored 2.0-liter. Power will be sent to the rear wheels and Toyota is planning on marketing this vehicle to the drifting crowd, if there is one in the United States worth pursuing.The Scion FT-S’ brother, the Subaru sports coupe, will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show. Rumors are a fickle thing and it now seems that the Subaru will arrive in Geneva packing all-wheel drive, not the rear-wheel drive setup that was once suggested. This should help Subaru’s version differentiate itself from the Scion FT-S.If we are going to take the rumors one step further, there are some going around that suggest Subaru might be working on an STI version of, whatever it is their coupe is going to be called. Spy shots that have been taken of the car show a front-mounted intercooler and bulging hood, suggested that some sort of turbocharged boxer engine with 300 horsepower lives inside.The Scion FT-S – or Toyota FT-86 – will likely cost around $25,000 but it’s anybody’s guess as to the price of the Subaru. Both should arrive in dealerships around 2012.