Automotive
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Mazda2/Mazda Demio wins 2008 World Car of the Year
March 21, 2008 The World Car of the Year Awards began in 2005 when the Audi A6 triumphed, followed by the BMW 3-Series in 2006 and the Lexus LS460 last year. This year the top three contenders for 2008 World Car of the Year title were the Ford Mondeo, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Mazda2/Mazda Demio, which became the first compact car to win the award. Remarkably, the Audi R8 took out two of the main gongs, Car Design of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, but didn’t make the main event. The 2008 World Green Car of the Year was the BMW 118d (read more...)
Nissan’s “Denki Cube” Electric Vehicle Concept
March 20, 2008 The 2008 New York International Auto Show kicks off today and one of the main attractions is the world debut of the Nissan Denki (Japanese for “electric”) Cube Concept. The lithium-ion battery-powered Denki Cube electric vehicle concept was created to promote Nissan’s environmental efforts but also serves as a preview as Nissan plans to sell a redesigned gasoline-powered, next-generation Cube in the United States and Canada in 2009. (read more...)
Scion's Hako Coupe concept: 'the sporty version of a box.'
March 20, 2008 "Scion's Hako Coupe Concept embodies a distinct global perspective on today's youth," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "This type of forward thinking complements the Scion philosophy of intently listening to our customers and being willing to take risks to help us see where our brand should be. We took the xB's iconic boxy shape and explored something more vivacious, yet just as emotionally appealing. This concept is the sporty version of a box." (read more...)
Spraydown achieves step change in spray suppression
March 20, 2008 Driving in the rain on a motorway at speed is a hazardous endeavour as we all know, and perhaps the point when we all hold our breath most is in passing a heavy vehicle, with the spray obscuring our vision and the additional wind buffeting. Now, a British company has patented an innovation which has achieved a major reduction in spray obscuration – over and above the performance of existing mandatory spray suppression equipment. (read more...)
Hummer H3 converted into super-sized remote control car
March 19, 2008 Now here’s an interesting new direction for remote-controlled toys. British engineer Dr James Brighton has transformed the HUMMER H3 into a super-sized remote controlled vehicle to create the ultimate boy’s toy. It took a month to do, but the results have been sensational with exceptional handling, much better than anything remote controlled until now. At UKP26,500 for the Hummer, it’s probably the most expensive remote controlled civilian project in the world too. (read more...)
Smart solar-powered road studs
March 19, 2008 The next generation of ‘smart’ solar-powered road markings which warn of bad weather or slow-moving traffic ahead and can help reduce motorway hold-ups, have proved a significant success on highways in the Netherlands. (read more...)
Fully electric, 130+mph Tesla Roadster goes into production
March 18, 2008 A very significant milestone in zero-emissions motoring has just occurred as Tesla Motors announced yesterday that its groundbreaking electric sportscar has commenced regular production. The 130mph Tesla Roadster is the first production electric car to boast genuine sports performance coupled with a 210+ mile range between battery charges, which make it both exciting and viable for the vast majority of driving purposes. The fact that it's utterly gorgeous, with hints of the Lotus Elise, doesn't hurt either. All of the 2008 models scheduled for production have already been snapped up for just under US$100,000 each - and reservations are now being taken on the 2009 model. (read more...)
Fully electric Boshart Tersus off-road utility vehicle
While we may have to wait a while for plug-in electric cars to be viable for highway use, there's plenty of other applications where battery-powered vehicles already make a lot of sense. One such application is for agricultural and industrial utility vehicles, which are driven around primarily on a business's premises. Distances are generally quite short, speeds low and use often infrequent - but they need to have good carrying capacity for heavy gear, and be cheap to run and maintain. Boshart's electric Tersus, based on the Phoenix SUT but with a smaller, much less expensive battery, provides a viable, green alternative utility vehicle around a private campus, with speeds up to 25mph, 4-passenger plus 1000lbs payload capacity and a 1-hour recharge to 80% capacity. (read more...)
Three-wheeler handling meets 1930s racecar style: Seattle's ACE Cycle Car
March 17, 2007 If you don't have the cash for a Caterham Levante, and the Can-Am Spyder's looks are a bit modern for you, you could do a lot worse than check out Liberty's ACE Cycle Car, a classically styled open-top three wheeler with twin open front wheels. Powered by a loud, strong and beautiful Harley-Davidson engine, the ACE offers a classic racecar-style driving experience as it hugs the corners around your favourite twisty road. (read more...)
IdleAire cuts down on truck fuel wastage in driver rest zones
March 14, 2008 IdleAire addresses the economic and environmental consequences of unnecessary idle time with its Truck Stop Electrification, and Advanced Travel Center electrification systems, which provide truck drivers with the power required for climate control, as well as television and web-connectivity. (read more...)
BRABUS SLR McLaren roadster gets a smart tender
So the traffic's a little heavy and you don't feel like taking the SLR McLaren roadster BRABUS to the shops. The solution: take the high-performance smart fortwo "tender". The yachting term has made its way into the automotive world via the latest offering from German performance specialist BRABUS. On World debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the BRABUS “tender to the SLR” package consists of two identically painted and equipped vehicles - an aerodynamically enhanced, finely tuned, 211mph SLR McLaren Roadster BRABUS (the yacht) and the BRABUS ULTIMATE 112, a drop-top two-seater based on the latest smart fortwo Cabrio that puts out 112 hp and achieves 0-62mph in under ten seconds (the tender). (read more...)
Pilot program investigates link between driving behavior and emissions
The City of Denver has launched a pilot programmed designed to quantify the impact of driving behavior on fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The Driving Change initiative will identify ways for drivers to reduce their emissions by measuring the environmental impact of driving behavior. (read more...)
Real-time oil quality monitoring set to enter automotive industry
March 13, 2008 The theory is simple: once your engine oil gets too dirty, change it. In practice though, striking a balance between changing the oil too early (wasting money and maintenance time) and changing it too late (potentially damaging the engine) can be difficult. This is a particularly important consideration in road transport and fleet management situations. A bit like Goldilocks' porridge, it has to be "just right". The solution is on the way with systems that provide real-time analysis of oil quality that can be monitored from inside the vehicle progressing on several fronts. Daimler Chrysler is developing an oil quality monitoring system for application in commercial vehicles that it says could extended maintenance intervals by as much as 25 percent and Flowtronics has announced that its fluid quality sensors will be used for the DiMora Motorcar Volcano V16 engine, the 1200hp powerplant driving the $2 million Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan. (read more...)
City Slicker: Lumeneo Smera tilting EV concept
Like a number of vehicle concepts we've encountered in recent years such as the NARO Tilting Car and the VentureOne plug-in hybrid, the Lumeneo Smera aims to create a "best of both worlds" blend of car and motorcycle by combining the protection of an enclosed driver capsule with the small-footprint and maneuverability of two-wheeled transport. On debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the four-wheel, fully-electric Smera concept boasts a top speed of 80mph (130kmh), a 93 mile (150km) range on a single charge and can achieve 0-60 mph in around 8 seconds with an on-board computer automatically controlling the vehicle's tilting function to an angle of up to 25 degrees by taking into account on the turning angle, speed and road conditions. (read more...)
First steel-bodied school bus donated to Henry Ford museum
March 10, 2008 An unique slice of American automotive history has been acquired by the The Henry Ford museum. Using a steel body instead of wood and incorporating a Ford Model T chassis, the 1927 Blue Bird No. 1 proved a pioneering vehicle, with all major school bus manufacturers move to steel-bodies within a decade of its appearance. (read more...)
Power tool drag-racing back for 2008
March 10, 2008 The event that last year spawned the chainsaw powered wheelbarrow and ride-on garden blower will return to the UK in August. The rules of the Silverline Power Tool Drag Racing event are straight forward - take any hand-held power tool, tinker with it to create a drag-ready machine and then race it down a 75 foot track. (read more...)
Infiniti EX37 luxury coupe crossover destined for Europe
March 10, 2008 Well recognized in North America after two decades in the market, Nissan's luxury auto brand Infiniti is gearing up for entry into Europe with a presentation at the Geneva Auto Show spearheaded by the new EX37 luxury coupe crossover. Looking to blend coupé style with four-wheel drive crossover versatility, the Infiniti EX37 is powered by a 3.7-litre, twin cam V6 that puts out over 300 horses and 350Nm of torque via a seven-speed automatic transmission and intelligent four-wheel drive system. Among the standout technology features is an Around View Monitor system that takes rear-view parking assistance to a new level, using a series of cameras positioned all around the vehicle to provide a bird’s eye view of the vehicle on the in-car monitor. (read more...)
The TH!NK Ox electric crossover Concept
March 7, 2008 It's a trend that's been underway for some time, but if you need evidence of the snowballing progress of the alternative powered vehicle market look no further than the array of electric and hybrid cars on show at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Among them are two offerings from Norwegian auto designer and manufacturer TH!NK - the fully electric five seater crossover concept known as the TH!NK Ox and the new TH!NK city concept, a plug-in electric urban commuter that boasts advanced telematics, a range of over 100 miles and is 95% recyclable. (read more...)
MILA Alpin Concept: compact off-road climbing specialist
The term compact 4WD can occasionally be a little misleading with some vehicles in the segment lacking the vital statistics required for serious off-roading, but this latest Concept from Austrian based Auto engineering firm MAGNA STEYR looks to have the goods in terms of all-terrain capability with ample ground clearance, large overhang angles, low crawling speed and exceptional climbing characteristics that allow it to scale slopes of up to 45 degrees. A flexible, modular design that can accommodate different types of alternative drives, the MILA Alpin also boasts environmental friendliness with emissions of under 100 g CO2 per kilometer and the ability to run on a hybrid drive using compressed natural gas or CNG - the fuel used in the company's impressive MILA single seater Concept shown at the IAA in 2005. (read more...)
Economical dual-fuel TSI concept from Volkswagen
March 5, 2008 In the quest for making the internal combustion engine go further on less fuel, we’ve seen many different combinations of normal and forced aspiration and alternative fuels, but this is a new take on combining the seemingly contradictory virtues of performance and economy. Volkswagen showed a new concept car in Geneva a few hours ago that uses both natural gas and petrol. That’s not new, but it’s the first time it has been combined with the VW TSI engine which uses both a supercharger and a turbocharger operating sequentially to provide high power (150 bhp), great economy, exceptional range and meet Euro 5 emission standards from a small capacity (1.4 liter) engine. (read more...)
A new type of car door? – the dragonfly wing
The common car door has seen many designs in the century-long history of the automobile, with distinctive looks such as the gullwing, scissor, suicide and butterfly each conjuring a landmark car. Now Renault has a new variation and perhaps a new landmark car - its Megane Coupe Concept showcar released in Geneva last night, has twin, two-part “dragonfly wing” doors. The quite beautiful design - which will form the basis of an upcoming model - also incorporates a wide array of technological features including mobile-phone operated ignition and door locks, plus four-zone climate control, touch-screen multi-media players and ‘stop and start’ system. (read more...)
New colors, button-shift and accelerated market expansion for 3-wheel Can‑Am Spyder roadster
March 5, 2008 The much anticipated roll-out of the 3-wheel Can‑Am™ Spyder™ roadster is continuing apace according to the latest news from the company behind the project, BRP. Strong market demand has led BRP to expand deployment with ordering now open to 35 states, five provinces and 20 international markets. (read more...)
Chevolet's Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle to be used at Virgin Atlantic Airways
March 6, 2008 Chevrolet’s hydrogen powered, zero emission Equinox fuel cell will be used at Virgin Atlantic Airways for complimentary ground transfer service for passengers. The partnership will occur in the middle of Project Driveway, Chevrolet’s 30-month initiative that involves placing more than 100 zero emission, hydrogen powered electric vehicles on the streets of key cities around the world to gather detailed feedback from users – the world’s largest fuel cell market test. (read more...)
Geneva Motor Show highlights: Saab 9-X BioHybrid (NEW IMAGES)
March 4, 2008 Showcasing a range of technologies that will underpin the brand's future compact car offerings, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid combines the aircraft-inspired design of the Aero X coupé concept shown at Geneva two years ago with a 200 hp (147 kW), 1.4-litre BioPower turbo engine that employs GM’s next-generation Hybrid system. Shape-shifting aerodynamics, active safety measures - including automatic light dimming courtesy of a front-mounted camera that monitors light sources on the road ahead - touch-sensitive keyless entry and the use of a solar power to supplement charging of the hybrid battery pack are among the standout innovations presented in the three-door 9-X BioHybrid Concept as it makes its world debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. (read more...)
Audi's diesel sportscar: new TT Coupe and Roadster debut at Geneva
March 3, 2008 The terms "sportscar" and "diesel engine" don't exactly go hand in hand, but Audi has brought the two together by adopting a diesel powerplant for its latest TT Coupe and Roadster models which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The 140mph TT 2.0 TDI quattro has a 50mpg-plus fuel economy, is EU5 compliant, and shows a 23% reduction in CO2 output compared to the pertrol equivalent. The six-speed Coupe achives 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, with a top speed of 140mph while the Roadster can go from 0-62km in 7.7 seconds, with a top speed of 138mph. The cars on show in Geneva are "production ready" with first deliveries expected in summer 2008. (read more...)
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