While most car companies are just trying hard to produce low-emissions vehicles, Volkswagen is looking to make even their factories green. Or is that blue!

VW calls all their efficient models BlueMotion, and is taking the same approach to their factories. Their “Think Blue Factory” is an initiative they have launched to make all their factories more environmentally friendly by 2018. By way of using less energy and creating fewer wastes, VW hopes to clean their factories by reducing the environmental impact by 25%.

Hubert Waltl, a member of the board of management at VW said; “Through the growing efficiency and productivity of our plants, the Volkswagen brand is already making a key contribution to the achievements of Group strategic targets for 2018. However, we are going a step further: by 2018, we intend to make production at all our plants 25 percent more environmentally compatible.”

VW’s plant in Chattanooga, TN. was the worlds first plant to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification which means this factory meets the strictest of environmental standards. So say what you will about the new Passat, at least it is built in a modern, clean factory.

Given that a coupe version of the 650 horsepower supercharged, 200 mph capable monster was revealed at the 2011 LA Auto Show, plus the fact that archrival Chevrolet chose that venue to introduce a convertible version of it’s 580 hp Camaro ZL1, there’s every indication that a drop top version of the Shelby could make it’s debut at NAIAS 2012 in Detroit next month.

If that proves to be the case, then it will be interesting to see what specifications it will sport. One thing’s for certain, it’ll weigh slightly more than the coupe and likely have it’s top speed limited, possibly to around 180 mph, since going that fast in a four-seat production convertible, especially a Mustang convertible is a rather unnerving proposition to begin with. Stay tuned for more details.

[Source: Top Speed]

Whether you’re on the 18-month waiting list and you’re just too impatient to wait or you don’t have the cash to buy one outright, you have the option to drive the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for a day or a week. But be warned… it will still cost you big bucks.

If you live in Los Angeles, you’ll want to look up Black & White Car Rental. This car rental firm have just got in a white Aventador, accented with black wheels, and it’s available to be rented for a day, which will set you back $5,500, or for a week for $30,000. Sure, it’s a huge chunk of change, but when the price tag to own the Aventador is $373,000 (and upwards), it seems like a bargain.

If the Aventador is a little out of your price range to rent, Black & White has a few more affordable options available. You can rent a Porsche Boxster from $195 per day or the Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible from $254 per day.

Mitsubishi has achieved decent amounts of success with the i-MiEV electric car in its home land, and also in Europe, where this model is also sold badged as a Peugeot iOn.

Next month, the i-MiEV will be going on sale in America (called simply the “i” in our market), which will no doubt increase sales numbers of this innovative commuter car.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Mitsubishi has announced an ambitious plan to electrify themselves, by producing eight electric-vehicles by 2016.  These will include plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles.

Part of this new plan is to produce small SUV’s and light trucks which will attract farmers, contractors, and others who use light trucks as part of their work.

Mitsubishi is well under way with this new project, and expects to put its electric truck on sale globally by April 2013. It’s not clear if the light truck will be part of Mitsubishi’s North American line-up, but its other electric vehicles will be available here.

Mitsubishi hopes to sell 42,000 electric vehicles in 2012, double the number it moved this fiscal year. The American market is a crucial part of Mitsubishi’s goals. The “i” car as mentioned before will go on sale soon with a starting price of $29,125, minus the Government rebates.

[Source: Automotive News]

Our intrepid spy photographers are at it again, catching the Mercedes-Benz A-Class undergoing winter testing in an undisclosed Northern country.

The new car looks to be a radical departure from past versions, ditching the goofy tall-wagon look for something much more akin to an Audi A3. This further differentiates it from the smaller, though visually similar B-Class, which will retain the “MPV” bodystyle so popular in Europe.

The A-Class will be powered by a range of small 4-cylinder engines, but we don’t have many specifics on technical details. Expect the car to bow at March’s Geneva Auto Show.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Honda is bringing its famous NSX sports car back to life, only this time it will be packaged as a 400 hp hybrid model and will be sporting a unique powertrain system.

The NSX will be driven by a 3.5L V6 gasoline direct injection engine which will be strictly devoted to driving the front axle of the vehicle. The rear wheels will be powered by two in-wheel electric motors that operate independently of each other. This independent electric motor setup makes the car capable of delivering different power levels to the inside and outside wheels while cornering and maneuvering to add responsiveness and tighter handling.

Honda debuted this electric SH-AWD setup in late November (see here) but never announced officially when the system would see production or in what vehicle it would make its debut. The original SH-AWD system was paired with a new dual clutch seven speed automatic transmission which may or may not find its way into the NSX.

Representatives at Honda say that the primary focus of the system is to increase fuel economy while keeping power and handling intact.

In terms of looks, we have already seen spy photos from the set of the new Avengers movie(Pictured Above), so we can only assume the finished product will be heavily influenced by that early model. The NSX will bow at the Detroit auto show badged as an Acura, but will be re-branded as a Honda when it hits the streets in the UK.

To read AutoGuide’s coverage of the electric SH-AWD powertrain system click here.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Honda‘s latest addition to its airbag recall affecting older Accords, Civics, Odyssey’s, Pilots and Acuras bumps the total number of recalled vehicles to more than 3.7 million.

The issue came to light three years ago, and has already caused one death and at least a dozen injuries due to airbags in some vehicles deploying with too much force. Earlier this month we reported that Honda announced 600,000 vehicles being added to this large scale recall. This latest development will include 272,000 new vehicles.

The problem incudes 2001 and 2002 Accords, Civics and Odysseys from 2001 through 2003, CR-Vs from 2002 to 2003 and 2003 Pilots. The recall also affects 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TLs and 2003 3.2 CLs. Expect notice from Honda if you own a vehicle included in the recall.

[Source: ABC News]

Despite having faced criticism by hard hitting publications in recent years, Toyota appears to have redeemed itself somewhat with Consumer Reports, at least as far as the 2012 Camry is concerned.

The latest version of Toyota’s best selling mid-size car, which went on sale back in October, was evaluated by CR for it’s February 2012 issue where it drew favorable comments.

Among them was,”the [2012] Camry has a nicer interior, more responsive handling, and better fuel economy than before,” while in another paragraph the magazine remarked that in terms of fuel mileage, “the [Camry] four-cylinder model’s 27 mpg overall ties with the Hyundai Sonata for the best fuel economy among conventional gasoline-powered family sedans.”

The news is no doubt welcomed by Toyota, for since 2007, Consumer Reports has been keeping a scrutinous eye on the automaker’s products following issues it discovered on the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup, the previous generation V6 powered Camry and Lexus GS luxury sedan.

Given that other media reviews of the 2012 Camry so far have tended to be favorable, along with modern America’s attraction to boring cars, there’s every indication that the latest model will help the nameplate retain its position as the best-selling car in the US.

Given that Toyota’s highly publicized recalls and more recent supplier problems caused by natural disasters in Asia  seem to have been largely rectified, it looks like 2012 could shape up to be a much better year for the Japanese automaker than the last three have been.

Read Autoguide’s 2012 Camry Review here.

The “potential safety issue” announced by Fisker automotive earlier this week has now become a fully fledged recall.

The recall will affect approximately 239 vehicles that were built between July 1st, 2011 through to November 3rd 2011 , says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA). Fisker says that the problem is caused by certain hose clamps connected to the cooling system that have been positioned incorrectly. When these clamps fail it has the potential for a coolant leak directly into the battery compartment which would cause a short circuit and inevitably a fire.

“Our quality check procedures have enabled us to identify a potential battery coolant issue at the factory and initiate a rapid response program to address it in the marketplace” said Henrik Fisker, chief designer and CEO at Fisker automotive in an open letter posted on the companies website addressed to all customers. “As a precaution we are replacing battery packs in the 50 cars already in customer hands with brand new ones, and are making modifications to address the issue in the more than 1,200 Karmas already produced and in production”.

The recall will begin during January of 2012 and will be free of charge to all clients. Anyone interested in more information can contact Fisker consumer affairs at 1-855-575-7577, option 2, 6am – 7pm (PST) Monday through Friday.

The Volkswagen Group, which consists of Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche brands in America, are looking to become the number one seller of vehicles in the world by 2018. That’s a bold proclamation as they’re currently sitting in the number three position behind Toyota and General Motors.

As of last year, the VW Group was at 7.14-million vehicles sold while Toyota was at 8.42-million and GM was at 8.39-million. They’re currently aiming to be moving 10-million vehicles a year by 2018 and CEO Martin Winterkorn anticipates it’ll even happen before then.

Their plan will be to target the global market obviously, having already secured the European market. Their new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee currently has the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles a year, but VW is working on expanding it to 500,000, the majority of which will remain within the US market.

Even though VW has taken over European automotive sales with 2.9 vehicles sold in 2010, they still look to increase their market share with their new Up! model. But key to VW becoming the global leader in sales will be how they perform in other markets including Brazil, Russia, India and most importantly, China.

[Source: Car and Driver]