When the new Camaro came out, General Motors explained the very careful two-pronged approach for the car, with the high-volume V6 models appealing to lifestyle consumers, while the high-powered and more expensive V8 version selling to the limited enthusiast crowd. So imagine the surprise in the marketing and product planning departments upon learning that two out of three Camaros sold come equipped with a V8 engine.

GM even went to great lengths to make the V6 models attractive, equipping them with a 29 mpg highway rating, more than 300-hp and a starting price of just $23,530.

This news is a bit of a double-edged-sword for GM. The down side is that high sales of V8-powered SS models will hurt the company’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rating. The up-side, however, is that with V6 an V8 models costing almost the same to produce, the profit margins on SS models is much higher.

[Source: InsideLine]

Auto parts maker and engineering firm ZF Friedrichshafen AG says that its new lineup of driveline modifications and transmissions, when combined, can deliver up to 18 percent better fuel-consumption on traditional gasoline powered cars. The results are even more impressive for hybrids, with total fuel-economy rising 30 percent.

Harald Naunheimer, VP of research at ZF delivered the news at the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan, earlier this week. Naunheimer said all of his company’s new initiatives will make their way into production cars starting next year.

Included in the list of fuel-saving technologies are lighter transmissions with more gears, as well as electric, rather than mechanical, features. Electrical power steering can account for a savings of 2 to 3 percent, while electric active roll stabilizers add another 1 to 2 percent.

A start-stop function, which shuts off the engine at stop lights or when stuck in traffic, can save up to 5 percent while a new, lighter transfer case for all-wheel drive cars can add an additional 1 to 1.5 percent.

The single largest way to boost fuel-economy, however, is with a transmission with more gears. ZF says its new 8-speed box can deliver a 6 percent boost in fuel economy over a six-speed unit. Lexus already uses an 8-speed transmission and BMW recently launched a new 8-speed box in the flagship 760Li (pictured above). This, however, raises the issue of cost.

With an 8-speed in a six-figure BMW, we’re unlikely to see the same technology make it into a Toyota Corolla any time soon. Still, the race is on for improved fuel-consumption as the Obama Administration’s new CAFE regulations will see fleet averages for passenger cars rise to 35.5 mpg for 2016, up significantly from 27.3 mpg for 2011.

[Source: Automotive News]

The CEO of auto parts supplier Bosch today told a crowd at the National Summit for Clean Transportation that U.S. automakers must adopt diesel technology in order to meet the strict new CAFE standards the Obama Administration has laid out. The new legislation will see fleet averages for passenger cars rise to 35.5 mpg for 2016, up significantly from 27.3 mpg for 2011.

The words of Bosch CEO Peter Marks were echoed by Borg Warner CEO Tim Manganello, who noted that diesel engines get 30 percent better fuel economy over gasoline engines, with 50 percent more torque, while emitting 25 percent fewer emissions.

Marks then called on General Motors, Chrysler and Ford to act now to bring diesels to the U.S.

Both men, whose companies make parts for fuel-efficient cars like the Volkswagen TDI (pictured above), also expressed their lack of optimism in both the electric car and hybrids, noting that there are still several roadblocks in getting the electric car to the mass market and that hybrids don’t often deliver the fuel-economy they are touted to.

Manganello said that, “hybrids are not as attractive as the PR hype,” noting that 72 percent of hybrid owners choose not to purchase a second one.

Of the Big Three, Ford Chairman Bill Ford was in attendance and came to the defense of both hybrids and electric vehicles, noting the critical acclaim that the 2010 Fusion Hybrid has achieved – not to mention its fuel-economy. And to rebuff the suppliers skepticism about bringing electric vehicles to market, Bill Ford stated that the Ford Motor Company has a pure electric vehicle coming out this year and an electric Focus the year afterward.

Using the opportunity to promote Ford’s EcoBoost engine, a turbocharged V6 that gets V6 fuel economy and V8 power, Bill Ford did say that FoMoCo was ready with diesels if the North American market was open to them.

Ford is the second largest producer of diesel engines in Europe, he told the audience, before stating that if there was demand FoMoCo could easily bring them over for use in U.S. vehicles.

[Source: Wards Auto & The Detroit News]