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Toyota has been stepping up the fuel efficiency game recently, and not just with flashy hybrid models like the new Toyota Prius. Some of their efforts have been to inch up the mileage across their entire fleet with some advanced fuel efficiency upgrades incorporated into their engine design.

The new Rav4 engine is a perfect example Toyota’s advanced engine technology:

• Dual indepedent variable valve timing (VVT-i)
• Offset crankshaft
• Roller rockers
• Three-stage variable oil pump
• Reduced-tension piston rings
• Auxiliary belt drive

Perhaps the neatest upgrade, however, is the Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS), which changes the length of the intake runners based on operating conditions to deliver the most torque and fuel economy at any given time.

The new engines from Toyota not only promise better fuel economy, but also more power.

Source: Toyota via our fuel economy forums

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3. Mobil Claims New Motor Oil Can Save You Over 0

It’s been a hard couple of months for everyone in the auto industry, no one is debating that. Some days it seems like no one is buying anything. Japan in particular has been rocked by a strong Yen and plummeting exports. This means that not only is the country sending less vehicles abroad, but that the money they receive on every sale is worth less in the Japanese domestic market.

However, there seem to be a few rays of light at the end of the tunnel. Many will (naturally) point to the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight as representatives of the new class of green car in North America, but I think last month’s sales figures from Honda paint a different picture. While hybrid sales are still doing comparably well in the grand scheme of things, small, cheap, and fuel-efficient cars like the Honda Fit are surging forward in the automaker’s lineup.

What does this mean? I think it represents a shift in the American car-buying mindset. Times are tough, and people are not only trying to save money on gas, but they’re cutting the fat. Do you really need to spend that extra ,000 on a Prius when you could get a small car that is still among the most efficient in its class?

What do you think? Am I premature in thinking that hybrids are falling by the wayside in the face of more conventional conservation or will Honda see a resurgence of hybrid sales with their more affordable Insight?

Related posts:

1. New Honda Insight Already Beating Expectations
2. Honda Insight Debuts at Detroit
3. New Honda Insight Debuts at Paris Auto Show

One of the first things you notice when you start wandering around the Geneva Motor Show is that virtually every major automaker offers diesel engines. Lots of them. Many of them are even in cars that we can get in the U.S. market but only with gasoline engines. As our regular readers know, I’m a fan of modern diesel engines. Being in Geneva gives me a chance to present, in no particular order, 10 examples of cars available in the U.S. (or available soon) that could really benefit from having a diesel option. All the mileage figures have been converted to U.S. mpg. No need to use glowplugs, let’s just get started.

Filed under: Diesel, Geneva Motor Show

Geneva 2009: Top ten diesels you can’t get in America! originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ezee Forza electric powered bike

2008 has been a tough year for motorists with the recent hike in fuel prices.

The UK government has spent years trying to get motorists out of their cars and onto public transport. For some motorists, this is just not feasible however, some have resorted to the pedal cycle.

For those who have spent too many years behind the wheel, getting on a bike can seem daunting, until you add a motor to help you along.

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