Automotive

Until now Audi has pretty much limited hybrid technology to its concept cars such as its A1 Sportback, e-tron Spyder and metroproject quattro. That is set to change with the upcoming Q5 hybrid quattro – the company’s first hybrid model with two drive systems. Audi claims the vehicle will have power comparable to a V6 coupled with fuel consumption like that of a four-cylinder Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) turbodiesel engine vehicle. Read More

A trio of companies has joined forces to develop a truck cabin air conditioning system that uses solar energy generated from panels on the trailer’s roof area for its power. The i-Cool Solar system can save around 1.8 liters of light oil per hour when the truck is idle and reduce fuel consumption by about 1 percent when the truck is moving. If planned trials go well, we could see these units on highways in spring 2012. Read More

Of all the quirky old British cars, perhaps none has more of a cult following than the Morgan Threewheeler. About 30,000 of the autos were manufactured at Morgan’s plant in Malvern, England between 1909 and 1953, with a number of others being produced under license by Darmont Morgan in France. The Threewheeler was no slouch in the performance department – it could maintain an average speed of 100 mph (161 km/h) on the race track, and one of the vehicles won the 1913 French Grand Prix. Now the Morgan Motor Company is re-releasing the car with its original looks and today’s technology. Read More

Mitsubishi will unveil the North American version of its i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) at the Los Angeles Auto Show (LAAS) this week. This version of the i-MiEV will boast an enlarged body, new front and rear bumpers, airbags that detect passengers, a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Active Stability Control (ASC) as standard. Read More

Fancy a roadtrip? Don't have a driver? No problem! The team from VisLab have just completed a journey from across two continents in two autonomous vans – the longest single trip undertaken by an autonomous vehicle. Over the 8,000 miles (13,000km) there were only a few technical hiccups and it seems that border officials, the police, journalists and tired crew members were a bigger hazard than the tough road conditions. Read More

After a couple of months of teasing glimpses BMW has announced that its Vision EfficientDynamics concept vehicle will go into production. The plug-in hybrid vehicle that made its debut at IAA last year as a concept vehicle is a four-seater (2+2) sports car conceived to combine the performance of a BMW M Car with the fuel economy and emission management exceeding that of a small car. Read More

Electric vehicles offer quiet operation, zero local emissions and instant torque – attributes that are attractive across the transport sector, not just for cars and motorcyles. One of these areas is light trucks and the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) Canter E-CELL concept is a taste of things to come on urban roads. Based on the 3.5 ton Fuso Canter 3S13, the Canter E-CELL sees the combustion engine replaced with an electric motor producing peak power of 70 kW and 300 Nm of torque. The result is a range of around 75 miles with top speed limited to 50 mph, while recharge time on the 40 kWh battery pack is around six hours via a 380-volt power network. Read More

The pioneering Toyota Prius holds the honor of being the best-selling hybrid vehicle of all time, and as such has pretty much become the poster child for green automobiles. Its low emissions and high fuel economy put it on a lot of car shoppers’ “maybe” lists, but there’s one thing that might cause some people to pass it up – its rather uninspiring appearance. To show just what a hip, happening car a Prius can be, the pimped-out Prius C&A Custom Concept vehicle is currently making its North American debut at the 2010 SEMA auto show in Las Vegas. Read More

TomTom has announced a couple of new additions to its GO range of satellite navigation devices. In addition to offering multi-touch control courtesy of a capacitive glass screen, the GO 2405 TM and GO 2505 TM feature voice recognition capabilities, instant and continuous routing, hands-free calling capability, a new easy mount system and a slim redesign. Read More