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Tour of quake zone shows Akio Toyoda 'the depth of destruction'

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda toured Japan's earthquake disaster zone, including the damaged assembly plant opened there in January, as the world's largest automaker struggles to get a grip on the supplier crisis and resume production. Toyoda's trip on Sunday and Monday took him to Miyagi prefecture, near the epicenter of the killer March 11 quake and an area being positioned by Toyota as its domestic center for small car production.

Electric cars to be powered by AA-style batteries

A NEW COMPANY is claiming its new design of battery could see future electric cars powered by batteries no bigger than the current AA size. LipraLoof Techologies Ltd, a new start-up, has teamed up with City Car Club to trial the new technology in its fleet of vehicles. The new batteries use a complex mix of metal hydrates to create a quad, or 4A battery, which produces far more power than a standard battery.

Infiniti electric sports car concept (2012) teased

Infiniti has trailed a new range-extending electric sports car concept - a long way ahead of its planned debut at the 2012 Geneva motor show. The company already plans an electric Infiniti to piggyback the EV learnings from parent firm Nissan, whose Leaf is the first mainstream electric car built from scratch. But this new sports car will pack a range-extender system, with a petrol or diesel engine to charge the battery when charge gets low.