If you had a choice on what car you’ll most likely want to bring you to the doorstep of the Pearly Gates, why not go take the eco-friendly route?
The Japanese – ridiculously awesome trendsetters that they are – have outdone themselves once again. Their latest brainchild is a 2010 Toyota Prius hearse, and by all accounts, it’s going to be making the rounds in funeral homes all over Japan anytime soon.
Now we’re not exactly sure how the Japanese people perform their funeral services over there, but at the very least, you can say that they’re making every effort in providing their dead the chance to ride in the finest of posthumous eco luxury one last time.
Anybody who might want to own their own Prius hearse will have to dole out $80,000, which, by all accounts, does not include a coffin inside. But hey, at least you’re getting your money’s worth with this car. It’s not too often you see people stopping for gas in a hearse, let alone a Toyota Prius hearse. The bewildered looks you’re almost certain to get should be enough reason to grab one of these bad boys.
And if you can’t afford them, you can at least tell your loved ones that when you die, you’d want to make a good impression and score some points with St. Peter by ‘going green’ one last time – even if you won’t live long enough to see it.
With the amount of racecar driving talent to come out of the great nation of Brazil, it is about time that the samba-dancing people have their own super car to drive with ride on their own city streets. The Amoritz GT is the baby of former Volkswagen designer/student Fernando Morita and first appeared as a prototype at the 2007 Xtreme Motorsports show.
According to Morita, the GT will feature a 2+1 layout and be a front engine, rear wheel drive V8 pony car for the Brazilian market. With a silhouette similar to the classic Datsun Z car, if production version can stay true to the Amoritz GT’s current form the car should be a hit, not just in the South American soccer loving nation. The Amoritz GT measures 14 feet long, 6.25 feet wide, almost 5 feet tall and a 79 inch wheelbase.
The working prototype is powered by a 5.3 liter V8 unit capable of running on alternative fuels like ethanol and natural gas. The first is very important for the Brazilian market, one which has uniquely embraced the renewable resource. It would be interesting to see if the Amoritz GT ever does make it into production, this smells like the start of an all new green racing series.
Top Speed recently had the pleasure of speaking with Southeast Toyota representative Mike Herring about the third generation, 2010 Toyota Prius. The all new hybrid features a larger 1.8 Liter engine, a more shapely figure and a very trick solar panel that will cool your car down for you. Check it out.
The future of the baby Benz is looking a little greener, which is because the German automaker will be incorporating their BlueEFFICIENCY power plants into the C-Class’s product range. The Mercedes C will benefit from added power as well as improved efficiency thanks to fuel saving technology like direct injection and modern day turbochargers and an intelligent shifting transmission.
The new diesel powered C220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY will be the most fuel efficient C-Class ever. The turbo diesel 2.1 Liter engine will make 170 HP and be able to go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 8.4 seconds, all while returning an almost Prius-like 49 MPG, and that is without any electric motors to aid with the gas wasting stop and go city driving. Whereas if you are reluctant to go with the alternative fuel here in America, for fear of limited supply, or the outrageous price; then the C250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY is what you are looking for. With its direct injected 1.8 Liter four cylinder engine that produces 204 HP, this saloon will take 7.4 seconds to go from 0 to 60 MPH while getting a CAFÉ friendly 32.6 MPG.
Both of these new efficient offerings from Mercedes Benz are reasonable solutions for helping out the environment while still enjoying the luxury of an upscale sedan. The new BlueEFFICIENCY power plants don’t compromise performance for fuel efficiency, and go to show that you don’t have to drive a hybrid to get 50 MPG, the one thing the little Toyota doesn’t have is 170 HP. Perhaps the combination of diesel fuel and a turbo works just as well as gas and electric.
The lovable little Audi A3 will be receiving a couple of new power plants thanks to the Volkswagen Group. The four ringed automaker has added an alternatively fueled four cylinder engine to the lineup in order to satisfy diesel drivers in Europe as well as increase mileage and reduce emissions. The 1.6 Liter TDI will be offered in two flavors, the first making 90 HP and the second putting down 105 HP, while torque output for the two turbo diesel engines is significantly higher.
In Europe they would say that the 1.6 TDI A3 will consume only 4.1 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers, whereas in the U.S. we would say that it gets 57.37 MPG, all while emitting minimal greenhouse gasses. This excellent ecological performance is made possible by the new vehicle’s start/stop and energy recovery systems. The turbo diesel A3 is no slouch either, the high output version is capable of going from 0 to 60 MPH in 11.4 seconds, not bad considering the vehicle gets about the same gas mileage as a Prius.
Top Speed’s test fleet recently received a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid from General Motors. This oversized people mover seems more like another way to make a statement about being excessive while still thinking about the environment. The Cadillac is as luxurious as anything from the General is at the moment, with its 332 HP 6.0 Liter V8 and electric motor spinning a set of 22 inch chrome wheels, it will be nice to experience the lifestyle first hand.
The interior of our Escalade is comfortable and luxurious, adequate for $70,000 worth of extravagance and technology. From the driver’s seat you can enjoy an 8 inch navigation screen with everything from back up camera to nice little animation about what the Hybrid two-mode system is doing. The rear seat passengers should appreciate the flip down Panasonic DVD screen and Bose 5.1 surround sound system. The combination of wood on the center stack, steering wheel and armrest is nicely contrasted by the brushed aluminum piece in front of the passenger.
A few days ago we reported that Audi would be bringing an electric powered R8 to the Frankfurt Motor Show. However it is our sad news to announce that according to representatives from the German automaker, the speculations have been denied and there will be no battery operated mid engine super car in the Audi booth at Frankfurt in September. This is a little disconcerting, and considering that Audi has already cancelled a TDI V12 version of the R8 due to structural reasons, this is another let down at an attempt to create a high performance environmentally friendly super car. The reluctance to alternative fuel sources is very unlike the company’s “Vorsprung durch Technik,” Advancement through Technology, slogan would suggest.
However the R8 Spyder is still coming, but another disappointment is that the next generation luxury limousine, the Audi A8s unveiling has been delayed until the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. So for now, upstarts like Tesla and Fisker can relax, a major manufacturer is no longer out to build a better green super car.
You would think that an oil company would be all for gas-guzzlers and oil burners, vehicles that would keep the cash flowing and allow those companies to maximize profits. However there is one member of the crude retailing community that is more focused on getting the most out of every drop, as opposed to selling every last one.
The Hague based operation, Shell Oil, is committed to making the most out of the limited fossil fuel, that is why they have partnered with the Scuderia Ferrari in order to push the boundaries of both performance and efficiency. The pair work together to develop fuels that burn more proficiently on the racetrack and lubricants that allow the rotating parts of the highly sophisticated Formula 1 car to move with less friction and be less of a (parasitic) drag on the machine, allowing it t to be even more fuel efficient.
Shell’s efforts at conservation are not limited to the F1 circuit.
The oil company is also the title sponsor for the Shell Eco-Marathon, a competition whose record holders have achieved the equivalent of over 7800 MPG from their fuel-efficient forward thinking machine. The Shell Eco-Marathon is held in various locations around the globe, and invites students to design, build, and test their unique vehicles, all with the same goal, use the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance possible. The student design teams develop vehicles that run on conventional fuels like gasoline, ethanol and diesel, as well as futuristic concepts like solar power, hydrogen and other bio-fuels.
The world’s oldest automobile manufacturer, Daimler, has just acquired a sizable stake in the American all-electric car builder, Tesla. Even before the 10 percent sale, both companies were working together to use Tesla’s lithium-ion batteries in Mercedes Benz’s Smart electric car. Member of the Board of Daimler AG, Dr. Thomas Weber, said that "our strategic partnership is an important step to accelerate the commercialization of electric drives globally," because according to Benz, the future will be made up of at least electrically assisted vehicles.
Tesla Motors Chairman and CEO, Elon Musk, had this to say about the German conglomerate, “Daimler has set the benchmark for engineering excellence and vehicle quality for more than a century. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Daimler would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla.”
There are already 100 Smart electric cars on the streets of London; these electric vehicles have been part of large-scale testing since 2007 being tested in real world driving situations, conducting normal daily operations by fleet operators as well as private citizens. Later on this year, the Smart assembly plant in Hambach, France, will commence production of up to 1000 second-generation electrically powered Smart fortwo models, taking full advantage of the latest advances in lithium-ion battery technology.
In an attempt to conserve more of the Earth’s natural resources, Volkswagen’s future line-up will include a three-cylinder power plant and an all new hybrid engine. Unfortunately, the planed 55 MPG clean diesel roadster is on hold until the economy picks back up. In an interview with the German magazine, Auto Motor Und Sport, with VW’s head of development, Ulrich Hackenberg had this to say: “The three-cylinder is certainly a great future; we devote ourselves to intensive mechanical, thermodynamic and acoustic development. We will continue the three-cylinder, in any case in the VW Golf to offer."
The hybrid Golf will debut sometime in 2011 and Ulrich thinks that it will be the perfect personal transportation solution for densely populated urban centers, like the growing mega cities found in China and the United States.
If the roadster ever does become a reality, you probably won’t see a Porsche version, but according to Hackenberg, there is a strong possibility that Audi will have a four ringed version as well.
