hybrid cars:
Toyota will unveil the next generation Prius next year at the Detroit Auto Show. Sales will begin in late 2009. It will be larger than the current generation, but also greener and better to drive than today’s globally successful model. The hatchback will be about 10cm longer and 3cm wider than today’s car and, to cope with the bigger size, the engine will move up from 1.5 to 1.8 litres. Power should increase to 100bhp. Toyota says it can achieve this higher output while still improving economy and lowering emissions. Sources in Japan claim that Toyota is aiming for a 12 per cent improvement in fuel consumption, leading to a combined economy of over 70mpg and C02 emissions of just over 90g/km.
Fisker announced today that the company is on track for delivery of the Fisker Karma in Q4 2009, and that it will vigorously defend the recent allegations put forth by Tesla. Tesla Motors breached the arbitration agreement in its contract with Fisker by filing these meritless claims in San Mateo County court.
“The lawsuit is nonsense,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO, Fisker Automotive. “Fisker Coachbuild has non-exclusive design contracts as shown by the cars we have designed for a variety of manufacturers.”
Fisker Automotive launched the highly anticipated Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) premium vehicle at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. The revolutionary technology incorporated into the powertrain was developed by Quantum Technologies, a public company, which first proved its capability with the launch of a U.S. military vehicle created for U.S. Army Special Operations in 2003.
2009 Fisker Karma
>> read
Gumpert will compete at the 24 Hours Nurnburgring in May with a hybrid Apollo. The decision was made due to new Formula 1 regulations that says that every teams must use hybrid engines. The Hybrid Aopollo will be powered by a combination of a 3.3 liter V8 engine and an 100 KW electric motor. The V8 engine has an output of 630 hp. The car will compete with models like Porsche 911 GT3, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW Z4 and Chevrolet Corvette.
Some observers think so. In fact, some industry analysts say that GM will be selling as many as 300,000 hybrids a year in the near future, according to CNN. But that’s not the story right now. Right now, though GM has more hybrid models than any manufacturer other than Toyota, the total of General Motors hybrid sales during the first three months of 2008 was . . . 843. That’s a remarkable contrast to the hype GM has given its hybrid models, concentrated in the manufacturer’s SUV and light truck lines, in the last year or so. Of the 843, a figure compiled by industry journal Automotive News, 655 were full-size SUVs. Nonetheless, some industry analysts believe that GM will produce as many as 50,000 hybrids this year. (more after the jump) >> read
Fit is working on a hybrid version of the mini 500. It will be powered by a petrol-electric engine that offers incredible fuel economy and super-low CO2 emissions. The engine will be based on the company’s forthcoming 900cc two-cylinder unit – which will debut at July’s Good-wood Festival of Speed in West Sussex. The engine is mated to a motor and a battery pack, and will allow small cars like the 500 to run solely on electricity for short distances. Add a stop-start system and VW DSG-style twin-clutch gearbox, and it promises reduced CO2 emissions – engineers estimate a figure of below 90g/km! . The hybrid 500 is likely to benefit from other green technologies seen on the Aria, which include low-rolling-resistance tyres. The featherweight two-cylinder engine is 20 per cent lighter than a four-cylinder motor, so owners could expect 80mpg-plus fuel economy.
When it was new, the motorcar was the target of politicians seeking the limelight. Some things, though, never change. Reminiscent of the law that required an automobile to be preceded by a walking man waving a red flag to warn the horses, Reps. Edolphus Towns and Cliff Stearns, Democrat and Republican respectively, have introduced legislation in Congress that would target hybrids and electrically powered cars. The problem, you see, is that they’re too quiet. So, automobiles – long the target of legislators claiming that mufflers are too loud – should no longer seek not to disturb. Gone will be the day when Rolls-Royce could proudly claim that “at 60 mph, the loudest sound you hear is the ticking of the clock.” To the contrary, according to the Congressmen, “[t]he beneficial trend toward more environmentally friendly cars has had the unintended effect of placing the blind and other pedestrians in danger.” (more after the jump) >> read
Starting 2009 GM will add a new E85 Ethanol-Capable model to its line-up: the Buick Lucerne. The Lucerne, the first flex-fuel capable Buick passenger car, will be among more than 15 GM models with flex-fuel capability in 2009, up from 11 offerings this year. E85 ethanol is a cleaner-burning alternative fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 23 percent compared with gasoline. The Lucerne is the latest vehicle announced for the 2009 GM FlexFuel lineup. The four-cylinder Chevrolet HHR was revealed at the Chicago Auto Show in February and the Hummer H2 and H2 SUT were announced in March as part of the opening of the first public E85 pumps owned by a dealership, Classic Chevrolet-Hummer in Grapevine, Texas. >> read
Chrysler revealed today some of its plans for the future. Expect the usual gizmos that everybody else has, such as new dual-clutch transmissions and hybrid trucks with the new Dodge Ram, but also a Nissan-sourced small hatch. Mopar is also announcing a new item but we don’t have informations about that yet.
There is one thing that the others don’t have. Chrysler is planning to roll out an after market in-vehicle "hot spot" systemby the end of the year .This technology will provide Internet and e-mail access and also capability to download movies and music directly to the vehicle. The system can deliver high-speed data transfer and combines Wifi and 4G connectivity. The new set-up will use a portable device that connects with a vehicle’s USB port and is compatible with all Chrysler vehicles equipped with the optional MyGiG multimedia system. It’s not known yet which of the Chrysler models will be available with the "hot spot" technology but we can assume those are the Dodge Viper and Caliber. It seems that the Jeep Compass and Patriot will miss out initially as these vehicles don’ t come with the current MyGIG system.
Fisker is in trouble! Tesla sued them! Why? Simple: for stealing design ideas. Last year Tesla hired Henrik Fisker, a Danish-born designer who is known for his work on high-end exotic sports cars, to do the body design for a four-seat sedan, code-named White Star. The Tesla lawsuit contends that Mr. Fisker and his chief operating officer, Bernhard Koehler, doing business under the name Fisker Coachbuild, fraudulently agreed to take on Tesla’s $875,000 design contract to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then announced a competing vehicle. Last fall Mr. Fisker founded Fisker Automotive, which is backed by the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Both the planned Tesla sedan and Mr. Fisker’s recently announced Karma are meant to be hybrid cars using a small gas engine to power a generator that charges a battery, which in turn powers an electric motor. The design, known as a serial hybrid, is thought to greatly extend the range and efficiency of hybrid vehicles. The Tesla lawsuit states that before doing the design work for Tesla, Mr. Fisker had no experience with hybrid technology. It says that he did substandard work for Tesla, essentially sabotaging it, and then used the revenue from the design contract to develop his company’s car.
As you know by now, Lexus is working on an own version of the Toyota Prius Hybrid. And now here are the first renderings of a more luxury Prius. The Lexus Prius will be powered by a .8L 2ZR engine instead of 1NZ and will debut in 2010. The Lexus will have the roofline profile similar to that of the Prius, but will have distinct Lexus styling in sync with the "L-finesse" design language. The Lexus version would cost over $30k and obviously be equipped with luxury amenities; current internal code for the car is 812L. Due to cost reasons the next-gen Prius should still be using NiCAD batteries. However, Toyota has had a Lithium-ion Vitz hybrid in limited production for awhile, and the Lexus version may be equipped with Li-On batteries due to the higher selling price would allow enough margin to incorporate the more expensive batteries.
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