It’s lights out for traditional car bulbs
Automakers adopt LED technology for reliabilty
Say goodbye to incandescent light bulbs, not just in your house, but in your car.
Just as Thomas Edison’s favorite bulbs are on their way out in homes, automakers are ditching them as well in cars in favor of more reliable LEDS. Ford is in the forefront with the coming new 2013 Fusion.
Not only are incandescents gone as illumination for the instrument panel, dome lights and ambient lighting in favor of light-emitting diodes; now, headlights and taillights are all LEDS as well.
LEDS are smaller so they package better, but also are more durable and use less energy. And costs have come down to where they are roughly similar to incandescents.
While incandescent bulbs have a life of about two years, LEDS will outlive the vehicles they are in, said Mahendra Dassanayake, technical leader for Ford design.
That translates into savings for owners and reduces Ford warranty costs, chief designer Michael Arbaugh said.
LEDS also offer new flexibility. In the Fusion interiors, owners can switch the lighting from ice blue — now a Ford signature color — to purple, orange, red, white or green. “Consumers are usually sur- prised by the variety,” Arbaugh said. “I believe it’s a competitive advantage.”
Until eight years ago, green was Ford’s color – using incandescent bulbs and a color filter – but it was a raw shade that was not very friendly, Dassanayake said. Green is in the new palette but the LEDS produce a more soothing and relaxing shade, he said.
The current Explorer and Edge adopted the new ice blue — a color Ford research shows promotes alertness — in their interiors, Arbaugh said. When the new Escape and C-max go on sale, they also will be awash in the new hue. “It’s the grand commitment.”
But Ford’s upscale Lincoln brand uses white lighting to create a distinct, sophisticated brand image. Lincoln adopted white lighting with the 2003 Lincoln Navigator.
Dassanayake said proper lighting consists of the right graphics and colors and contributes to safer driving by keeping the driver calmer, more alert and better able to concentrate.
Toyota bringing hybrids to Geneva
Toyota will unveil a slew of hybrid and hybrid concepts next month at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show. The models include a production-ready Toyota Yaris hybrid — which isn’t coming to the U.S. — and models already seen here, including the NS4 plug-in hybrid concept.
A new concept will be the Ft-bh sedan. The model hints at a future four-door compact hybrid hatchback . . . maybe even the next-generation Toyota Prius? An initial sketch of the concept shows an extreme wedge look and separated hood and front fender housings. The hood and grille seem to come to a point, and the headlights are atop the wheel housings.
Toyota says the model is 30% more aerodynamic and spews 50% less carbon dioxide than similar vehicles on the road today.
Another new release for Geneva will be the FCV-R hydrogen concept. The vehicle, which looks pretty much like the NS4 concept, can carry four passengers and features Toyota’s latest generation of fuelcell technology.
Despite the recent surge of interest in electric vehicles, Toyota is committed to a hydrogen future. It plans to have a practical and production-ready hydrogen vehicle for sale by 2015.
Biggest price jumps for 2012 cars
The pricing of the new Hyundai Azera caught our eye: The cheapest version will be $32,000, up from $25,495, before shipping. That’s more than a 25% increase, but the new Azera will have far more standard equipment and look a whole lot better than the one it replaces.
It got us to thinking. Azera aside, what are the largest price increases on cars this year? We enlisted the help of car shopping service Edmunds.com for some answers. Here’s what it says are the biggest percentage price increases so far this model year. We cut out the duplication of different versions of models.
Interesting list. It shows that imports, both European and Asian, all had the biggest price increases. Here they are with make/model, 2011 base sticker price, 2012 base sticker price, percentage increase: -Nissan Leaf, $33,720, $37,250, 10.5% -VW Jetta, $21,395, $23,445, 9.6% -BMW X5, $51,800, $56,700, 9.5% -BMW 1 Series, $40,650, $44,100, 8.5% -Nissan GT-R, $84,060, $89,950, 7.0% -Toyota Sienna, $31,350, $33,400, 6.7% -Kia Sorento, $19,995, $21,250, 6.3% -Nissan Versa, $17,410, $18,490, 6.2% -GMC Canyon, $30,005, $31,790, 5.9% -Dodge Journey, $30,145, $31,795, 5.5%
Contributing: Colin Bird of Cars.com’s
Kicking Tires