Even if the diesel burning Audi A3 just arrived in U.S. last month, the alternatively fueled hatchback already has a huge following around the world. And it hasn’t taken long for the other A3 to find success being named the 2010 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal and the GreenCar.com website at the 2009 LA Auto Show. The 2.0 Liter TDI four cylinder engine delivers a maximum output of 140 HP and because it is a diesel, significantly more torque, 236 lb-ft to be exact. Yet despite the excessive amount of thrust, the green A3 is able to get an EPA estimated 42 MPG on the highway.
According to the President of Audi of America, Johan de Nysschen, "We consider the Green Car of the Year® title one of the most important industry accolades. It is of paramount importance for us to develop vehicles that achieve the very touchstones this award stands for fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Rather than novelty features, we consider these attributes imperative to the future of automobile design. We are honored with this recognition for the Audi A3 TDI." With a shift towards premium compacts and fuel efficient car shopping, Audi look like they are on the right track towards selling these green A3s like hot cakes.
Press release after the jump.
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In another nod at green racing, the German automaker Volkswagen has just launched the Scirocco Bio-CNG-powered race series for 2010. With CO2 emissions reduced by 80%, the new Scirocco Cup will become the most eco-friendly one-make championship in the world, making it even more environmentally friendly than their previous Jetta TDI Cup. The Scirocco Cup car is based on the standard TSI unit that is fitted in the road going Scirocco, the Bio-CNG-racing version of the 2.0 Liter four pot develops a maximum output of 215 HP and 203 lb-ft of torque from the alternative fuel burning internal combustion engine.
In order to run a compressed natural gas setup, the Sciroccos are fitted with a 22 liter fuel tank mounted directly behind the driver and is protected by the race car’s roll cage. The so-called Bio-CNG that the Volkswagen Scirocco Cup cars will burn is produced from renewable resources such as grass or a special type of corn as well as from refined biological waste. In order to house the alternative fuel, the tanks themselves are made from a composite material and a series of stainless steel pipes and special valves are added which are required for CNG operation. The Scirocco Cup racing cars will use tried and tested components from Volkswagen production models with CNG engines ensuring that the competition cars are not only reliable, but that the innovations learned on the racetrack will be directly applicable to their street cars.
Press release after the jump.
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This Aston Martin Volare is the next evolution of English sports car craftsmanship because not only does it combine a sleek new shape with the Aston Martin’s modern design, but underneath there four electric motors that are being fed go juice by a high power fuel cell stack located between the front seats centrally locating the weight as close to the ground as possible for enhanced performance while outside it looks like someone pushed down on the base of the wind shied of a Vantage, sharpening up the profile before transplanting a set of bold wings from a One-77 onto this innovative Aston Martin design.
If it were chocolate it would be good enough to eat, and it possibly could be because this isn’t the latest concept from Gaydon this a scale model from future automotive design master James Trim, we are referring to the days ahead because Mr. Trim is only a 23 year old recent graduate of Coventry University in England with a degree in Automotive Design and a quick look at his portfolio will quickly tell you that this kid is going places.
It’s an interesting idea that James is showing, creating design concepts specifically tailored for certain manufacturers. As every ten year old boy who ever got bored with a pen in his hand will tell you that it is hard to come up with a good looking design that is truly unique, most often the more memorable cars are shaped out of packaging and aerodynamic necessity something that only develops as the parts come together. But James Trim has a good shot at replacing Chris Bangle with his BMW Z1 roadster design study or even at Audi with his cute little A0 super compact city car, the only thing he would have to do is learn to speak German.
A word from the designer after the jump.
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We have just received a brand new third generation Toyota Prius into the Top Speed test fleet. Wile we are usually about high horsepower rides that are in contention to set land speed records even we must bow out and admit that these little Hybrid commuter cars are only going to become more common as time goes on. Now this is not quite the prototype we saw back in May, our 2010 Prius didn’t come with the very trick sunroof mounted solar panel and we didn’t even get leather. But that’s OK, because we do have the same 1.8 Liter Hybrid Synergy Drive engine that was in the previous Prius we saw. In an effort to improve fuel economy Toyota has decided to increase the engine’s displacement giving it more torque across the rev band meaning that it won’t have to work as hard getting the Prius moving to the tune of 50 MPG.
It seems that everything about the Prius was made so that the car could cut through the air with the least amount of resistance. The bulges on the sides of the front bumper push air away from the turbulent rotating wheels at speed, which are covered with some pretty interesting plastic covers that were almost certainly included as a fuel-saving afterthought. The design team even incorporated finlets at the rear of the flat paneled under tray that are more functional that the majority of the diffusers bolted to the bottom of a rear bumper. Toyota engineers go to countless measures to squeeze every last ounce of efficiency from their flagship hybrid. A number that was being thrown around when we first spoke to a Toyota representative was one million, because that is how much the Japanese automaker spends every hour of every working day conducting drag reduction research which has led to the Prius’ .25 Cd.
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When Jay Leno officially hung up his gloves as a late-night talk show host, the prevailing thought was it was only a matter of time before he ends up in front of the cameras again.
Apparently, the return was sooner than most of us thought. Leno is scheduled to debut a one-hour prime-time show, which is predictably called, ‘The Jay Leno Show’, and being a true pistonhead, Leno is pitching to include an auto-racing event as one of his key segments.
While the format for this segment seems familiar – Leno actually copied it from Top Gear’s ‘Reasonably-Priced Car Challenge’ from which, ironically, he was one of the guest drivers – the ex-late night host is adding his own personal twist into this segment.
He’s calling it the “Green Car Challenge”, which will have celebrities racing around a specially-designed track inside the NBC compound in a – you guessed it – environmentally-friendly car.
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