 News of June 14, 1999
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NECAR 4 Honored
as the Best Future-Oriented Vehicle Concept
. |
Stuttgart/Hamburg - June 10, 1999 - DaimlerChrysler's
latest test automobile to be powered by the fuel cell, NECAR 4 (New Electric Car), was
chosen today in Hamburg by the "1999 International Engine of the Year Awards" as
the best engine concept for the future.
|
 NECAR
4
Photo: DaimlerChrysler |
| "By selecting NECAR 4 as the best engine concept by a
convincing margin over its competitors, the jury has demonstrated considerable trust in
the fuel cell activities of DaimlerChrysler," declared Graham Johnson, the editor of
the specialist journal "Engine Technology International", which organizes the
awards. "This result shows that fuel cell technology will be the automotive
propulsion system of the future." The fuel cell vehicle NECAR 4, based on the
Mercedes-Benz A-class, operates on liquid hydrogen. The fuel cells generate the electrical
energy required for powering the vehicle from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and
oxygen. NECAR 4 is a zero-emission vehicle which can cover about 280 miles on one tank
filling, reaches a top speed of 90 miles per hour and provides ample room for five
occupants and their luggage.
The prime considerations in the jury's decision were that NECAR 4 releases no emissions
into the environment, has a generous operating range and exhibits favorable driving
characteristics. "Fuel Cells point to the future of motoring." With these words
Steve Cropley, editor in chief of "Autocar" and member of the international
jury, explained the decision. "I trust DaimlerChrysler's engineering
capabilities." "We are very proud of the progress we have achieved in the
development of fuel cell technology," said Dr. Ferdinand Panik, head of
DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project Group. "NECAR 4 is the world's best zero-emission
vehicle and represents a significant milestone along the road to the market introduction
of the fuel cell vehicle, planned for 2004."
|
| Ingolstadt/Essen, June 10, 1999 - The Design Centre of North
Rhine-Westphalia has voted the Audi Design Team its "1999 Design Team of the
Year". Peter Schreyer, Head of Audi Design, will be taking receipt of the award on
behalf of the entire design team at a ceremony being held this evening in Essen. Last
year's winner of this award, Stefano Marzano, of Philips Design, will be passing on the
trophy, which goes by the name of "Radius", in front of 2,000 guests from the
worlds of business, politics and design. |
Audi TT Coupé
Photo: Audi |
| "Audi Design has succeeded in developing a distinctive,
clearly identifiable formal idiom," stated the Design Centre of North
Rhine-Westphalia as the reason for its decision. It commended Audi's success in
transforming its image in recent years by overtly placing emphasis on design, and
perceived this as evidence that Audi has acknowledged how design plays a major part in the
success of the company as a whole, over and above being merely a matter of outward
appearance. The Design Centre of North Rhine-Westphalia has been presenting its
"Design Team of the Year" award since 1987 in the context of the competition
entitled "Design Innovations". As part of the "Design Innovations '99"
special exhibition, which will run for four weeks in the Design Centre's Schürer Hall in
Essen, Germany, Audi Design is introducing itself through a re-enactment of the sculpting
of an Audi TT Coupé on a 1:1 scale.
|
Tundra
Full-Size Pickup Sets Record For Fastest Sales Start In Toyota History
. |
| June 10, 1999 –Torrance, CA - In its first week on the market, the
full-size V8-powered Tundra pickup recorded the fastest sales start of any new product in
Toyota history. Launched nationally on June 1, Tundra sales tallied 4,565 units through
June 7, a selling rate of 650 units per day. Demand is stronger than current supply, as
Toyota dealers report an additional 5,000 units are already on order. |
Photo: Toyota |
| Tundra is built exclusively at Toyota Motor Manufacturing,
Indiana (TMMI), an all-new $1.2-billion facility located in Gibson County, near the city
of Princeton. It rides on an all-new chassis that helps set a full-size pickup benchmark
for handling, ride comfort and interior noise isolation. In preparation for the launch,
nearly 15,000 dealer sales associates participated in one of the largest and most rigorous
training programsever conducted for a new Toyota vehicle. Held in 52 cities nationwide,
participants were educated on the inner workings of Tundra's sophisticated technology
through intense classroom-style product-knowledge seminars and competitive driving
sessions.
Featuring the most sophisticated powerplant ever offered in a full-size pickup,
Tundra's optional i-Force 245-horsepower 4.7-liter engine is the first double-overhead
cam, 32-valve V8 ever offered in the segment. It is also one of the first V8 engines in
the segment to achieve an L.E.V. (low emission vehicle) emissions classification from the
EPA, and achieves good fuel efficiency. |
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