You pretty much can’t throw a rock in the auto industry these days and not hit something related to emissions.
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We’ve heard plenty of stories of ‘old’ turbo Buick Regals, ones with solid rear axles and blown V6s hitting high speeds, but 162 mph from a front-drive four-banger?
Following a Texas garage fire that burned a Fisker Karma, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now conducting an official investigation into the matter.
Well, if photos of K9′s tooling around Southern California with state manufacturer plates are any indication, the answer would likely be yes.
Among EV startups, CODA Automotive seems to be getting off to a good start. It’s 2012 electric sedan is already in series production, and now the company says it has garnered its first fleet order.
The All Season High Performance Tire: Myth or Reality?
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All Season Tire Test
The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All Season is a mouthful. Mind you, when it comes to high performance tires, this one’s key rivals, the Bridgestone Potenza RE960/970 and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, don’t exactly roll off the tongue either.
Names aside, Goodyear’s latest addition to the Eagle F1 range is designed to maintain high performance while adding all-season attributes. And when it comes to finding a place to give such a tire a good workout, the Pacific Northwest is probably as good a place as any.
In a recent article, Automotive News praised the new Dodge Dart as an example of true synergies between Fiat and Chrysler, declaring, “the Dart uses savings from its shared Fiat platform and co-developed technology to give Chrysler a larger, more powerful and technologically advanced compact sedan at a lower price than its competitors.”
That was exactly the question being posed at the Historic Racing Forum, hosted by the Credit Suisse Drives’ Club, ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.
Talk about a cultural divide. While the Fiat 500 struggles to find customers on this side of the Atlantic, in Europe it’s a different story. Over there, the car is a celebrated icon and the original “Cinquecento” was largely responsible for putting Italy on wheels following World War II.
Back in 2009, Jaguar North America launched its first Performance R Driving Academy as a complimentary course designed to help owners of XFR and XKR models to explore the limits of their cars in a controlled environment.
That update will occur in Japan, we might add, but these days with increasing pressure on automakers to reduce fuel consumption and emissions output, plus an increasing need to standardize powertrains and features around the globe, there’s probably a chance we’ll see similar changes to our Legacy and Outback down the road.
Given that that the boxy xB is living on borrowed time and will not be continued with a next generation model, some wags now believe Scion could be heading toward a more mainstream future.
It’ll be sold in Canada, confirmed Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa, however, regarding plans to launch it’s new Mirage minicar in the US, the firm currently remains on the fence.
According to some analysts, it looks like cheaper gas in the future will become a reality. This is in marked contrast to earlier this year, where many pundits were talking about $4.00 plus prices becoming the norm.
As we head towards a presidential election, green vehicle subsidies are proving a political hot topic. One of the latest, concerns Fisker Automotive’s $529 U.S. Government loan to help it move forward with vehicle development and production.
At the Beijing Motor Show, Honda revealed two further concept models, which are said by the company to hint at the brand’s future design direction. The first is called the Concept C, with the letter referring to (and we’re not making this up) “Cool,” “Challenge” and “China.”
Looking a bit like an update of the Acura TL, the Concept C is a four-door sedan with a bold grille and sculpted side flanks. It’s quite possibly the most adventurous styling exercise we’ve yet seen on a Honda four-door, concept or production.
Given that we seem to be living in an increasing wireless world (anybody remember TV remotes with cords?) it seems only natural that one of the next steps is for EV car charging to go wireless.
We’ve already had a glimpse of this, notable at this year’s New York Auto Show, where Infiniti’s LE concept incorporated such a system, which consists of two coils (one mounted in the vehicle, the other in a pad on the garage floor) which create a magnetic field that stimulates the flow of electric current from the floor to the car).
It’s called “Super Cruise” and is essentially a semi-autonomous technology that enables a vehicle to incorporate fully automatic steering, braking and lane centering under certain driving conditions. Furthermore, Cadillac says this technology could be ready for production by mid-decade.
Some of the fundamentals of this Super Cruise technology can already be found in existing Cadillac models, notably the 2013 XTS and ATS, as part of the Driver Assist Package. Notable features within this umbrella include adaptive cruise control at all speed ranges, lane departure warning, intelligent brake assist, automatic rear braking, automatic collision preparation and rear vision camera with dynamic guidelines.
Earlier this month we reported details of an upcoming AMG hot-rod version of the iconic G-Class SUV. Now, Mercedes‘ AMG division has given us official information on the thing, essentially confirming much of what we already knew.
The G63 AMG sports a 5.5-liter twin-turbo (or as Mercedes calls it Bi-Turbo) V8 cranking out 544 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque, teamed with the AMG Speed-Shift Plus seven-speed automatic transmission. If that isn’t enough, there’s always the option of stepping up to the even more powerful G65, which sports a 6.0-liter Bi-Turbo V12, rated at 612 hp and a monstrous 737 lb-ft of torque.
Taking your time and researching can reap big rewards when it comes to purchasing pre-owned vehicles.
To some, the very notion of purchasing a used car can send them running for the hills, but as with anything else, provided you do your homework, the vehicle you choose can save you thousands of dollars over that new one in the showroom, without proving to be a money pit.
Nissan’s radical, needle-nose DeltaWing prototype GT car has begun testing in Europe to give the team a handle on the race conditions expected at the car’s official debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16/17.
Although initial testing was conducted in the U.S., none of it included situations on rain soaked circuits, apart from a simulated test at Sebring where a water truck was brought in.
Insiders at the Ingolstadt automaker say Audi is planning to launch its smallest SUV yet, the Q2, which will slot in below the Q3 (shown above).
Said to utilize the same architecture that will also underpin the next generation A3, it’s believed we’ll see a concept version debut within a year and likely a production model will follow within 18 months of that.
In terms of configuration, the Q2 is expected to be a strict four-seater with a swoopy roof profile (think along the lines of a baby BMW X6) and targeted as a lifestyle machine, with limited off-road capability and primarily front-drive.
However, taking a cue from the Mini Crossman, insiders say Audi plans to offer a range of personalization options for the Q2, such as roof and mirror cap colours, interior panels and even the seats and steering wheel.
Given that Audi seems bent on filling just about every automotive niche it can, some have been asking whether or not we’ll see a Q4 as well, especially considering a Q6 is likely already on its way. Yet one source said, perhaps surprisingly that a Q4 isn’t likely to materialize.
“In higher levels of pricing, it makes sense to have a lower-volume niche machine like the Q6, but it can’t be justified in the lower segment,” the source declared.
[Source: carssales.com.au]
With high oil prices upon us once again, automakers are looking to new sources of materials when it comes to vehicle component manufacture.
In Ford‘s case, we’ve seen developments like soybeans used in seat covers, recycled denim jeans for sound deadening, even wheat straw for plastic bins and Kenaf (a tropical, cotton derived plant) used for interior door panels.
Given how a number of states have been following California’s lead in recent years, including the likes of Maryland, New Jersey and New York, there’s a distinct possibility we could see the expansion of zealous zero emissions requirements.
Recently, the California Air Resources Board approved a measure that requires some 15.4 percent of all vehicles sold in the Golden State to be Zero emissions compliant by 2025 (in other words be plug-in hybrids, pure EVs or fuel-cell machines).
California’s zero emissions mandate was first introduced in 1990, though in recent years, the standards have been significantly tightened. For automakers, the issue presents a bit of a dilema, especially if other states choose to follow California’s ruling.
As it stands, buyers haven’t exactly warmed up to the idea of plug-in hybrids or pure EVs, despite the media hype they generate. Currently, sales represent just 0.1 percent of the entire US vehicle market.
Consequently, there are concerns within the auto industry that given the sluggish demand, sales of zero emissions vehicles won’t grow fast enough to meet the mandated targets, meaning that automakers could risk facing hefty fines. Bailey Wood, director of legislative affairs for the National Automobile Dealer’s Association, believes the requirements could result in a very tough market for dealers to do business, because it would require stocking more models that aren’t popular with buyers. “Already, dealers have to accept less popular vehicles to get the ones they want,” he stated. “With the [zero-emission vehicle] mandate, it will be even worse.”
That said, David Clegern, speaking on behalf of CARB, says that the new ZEV regulations were conceived with flexibility in mind, meaning that should an automaker struggle to hit the required sales targets for such vehicles in one state, it has the option of shipping them to another without incurring penalties. In addition, those manufacturers that exceed federal rules can earn credits which they can apply to state regulations, with sales of gasoline-electric hybrids being eligible for such credits, at least initially.
However, with sales of even gas-electric hybrids currently remaining flat (at around 3 percent of all US vehicle demand) and fuel cell cars and trucks still showing little sign of becoming available within the next few years, meeting these tough ZEV targets is going to prove challenging at best.
[Source: Automotive News]