The all-electric Tesla Model X will debut today at 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at Tesla’s design studio in California.

Mere hours before the official unveil Tesla founder and CEO, Elon Musk tweeted a new teaser photo which shows off what are being called the Model X’s falcon wing doors.

The new picture doesn’t give away much more than the first teaser photo did, but it’s doing the intended job: creating a buzz before the full unveil.

The falcon wing doors resemble gull wing doors like those found on the Mercedes-Benz SLS but claim to lift up and fold, offering easier access for rear seat passengers. We will have to wait and see exactly where Tesla is going with its new door design.

Be sure to check back here for coverage of the reveal.

Today Nissan announced its list of concepts that will bow at the Geneva Auto Show next month. There are two world premiers in the group, the Invitation and one other that the company is keeping closely guarded.

The Invitation, which from what we can tell is a lot like a cooler version of the Versa, will feature Nissan’s Around View Monitor (AVM) which gives a bird’s eye view of the car for easy parking.

“The future product vision promised by these four concept vehicles – when added to the strength and depth of our full range – shows the confidence coursing through every aspect of Nissan today. We are on target to become the top Asian brand right across Europe by 2016,” said Paul Wilcox, the senior vice president of sales and marketing in Europe.

Aside from the Invitation and the secret concept which has us wondering, the company will also display the Juke NISMO concept that will wear speedy-looking trim on the dressed-up Juke, but little in actual performance improvements.

The e-NV200 is Nissan’s next foray into the EV market and will first gain entry to the U.S. market as a fleet of New York City taxi cabs. The e-NV200 will be the fourth and final concept unveiled by Nissan at the Geneva show.

Infiniti has announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car concept will be called the Emerge-E.

Using a gasoline range-extended to add power and range to an electric powertrain, this will be the first such system used in an Infiniti product. The “advanced sports car concept” will also be the first Infiniti to use a mid-engine powertrain configuration.

Few details are yet known about the brand’s new flagship performance vehicle but Infiniti is promising a zero emissions mode as well as “vivid performance.”

Watch the latest video teaser for the Emerge-E below:

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Just when CAFE loosened standards and lowered from 56.5 MPG to 54 MPG by 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided to propose new and more stringent conditions for automakers that sell cars in California. The California Air Resources Board will not only enforce CAFE, but will also require at least 15.4 percent of all cars sold by any major automaker in the state to either be fully electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell by 2025.

Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, observes 15.4 percent as, “a relatively modest goal, but that’s all that we’re mandating. Probably the most heartening aspect of this whole rulemaking was the level of cooperation that we received from the industry… Overall, the degree of support for the package was just extraordinary.”

It is worth noting that earlier this month, researcher LMC Automotive discovered that hybrid sales in the United States have decreased in 2011 to 2.2 percent compared to 2.4 percent of all vehicle sales in 2010. These numbers are far below the proposed 15.4 percent mandate. Despite high profile unveilings of gas-electric products at auto shows across the world,  consumers find the cost premium of owning a hybrid over conventional combustion engine vehicles too expensive.

According to the California New Car Dealers Association, this plan would cause automakers to increase the average price of a new vehicle by an estimated $3,200 in order to develop technology that will accommodate the new rules. Appropriately, Mary Nichols also said, “direct incentives to people who buy these cars (like) rebates and credits” are also being worked out.

California’s new regulation will likely be adopted by an additional 10 states, resulting to the projected total number of advanced green vehicles near three million total units by 2025, 1.4 million of which would be in California.

[Source: Autoblog]

The Lincoln MKZ concept that debuted in Detroit earlier this month gave us an olfactory tingle in more than one place after the display started inexplicably smoking in front of us much to its presenter’s chagrin. Despite all that, the MKZ wasn’t the hottest Lincoln design to make the scene.

Instead, the car that’s still capturing imaginations is the 2025 Lincoln Continental EV concept, pictured above. It’s the brainchild of two undergraduate students from Lawrence Technological University in Michigan.  Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha are a part of the transportation design program at Lawrence Tech and started on the project last summer. According to the school, Ford liked the concept so much that they decided to get behind it.

Beyond the fact that the student’s concept got exposure at the NAIAS, there isn’t any word on the likelihood of it passing the imaginary phase, though Bonathan did base the exterior on concrete figures like a desired wheelbase length and other components.

GALLERY: 2025 Lincoln Continental Concept

[Source: Lawrence Tech]

While small cars have had a difficult time catching on in North America, it seems as if cars in the UK market could never be small enough. A group of businessmen in the United Kingdom decided to resurrect the Peel brand and are now taking orders for both the Trident and P50 models.

0-60 times have not been measured as both Peel models are speed limited to 28 mph. The Peel Trident and P50 weigh 130 lbs and 198 lbs respectively, and are powered by either a 49cc two-stroke producing a peppy 3.35 horsepower or by two trims of electric motors. The first electric motor makes 1.6-hp at 2.5 lb-ft of torque while a more powerful 4-hp motor is available. Both electric motors deliver an operating range of approximately 50 miles.

As for the price, a Peel can be yours at prices starting just under $11,000. While this may sound like a lot of money for not a lot of car, it is worth noting that this little machine is one of Jeremy Clarkson’s favorite automobiles, as the video after the jump demonstrates:
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Citing complex certification processes, Fisker Automotive has cut its sales target for the plug-in hybrid electric Karma once again.

Initially set at 15,000 units for 2012, in November the American start-up automaker headed by renowned automotive designer Henrik Fisker shopped the forecast to 12,000 units in November. Now Fisker has reduced that goal once again, to 10,000 units.

According to the company, extensive mileage and emissions certifications are to blame for getting the car to market slower than expected. In addition, Fisker has encountered other issues with a recent software glitch that halted production, as well as a recall as a result of a possible coolant leak.

GALLERY: Fisker Karma

[Source: Just-Auto]

After a half a decade of build-up, sales of the Chevrolet Volt are not going as planned. With a targeted goal of moving 10,000 units in its first full year on sale GM moved 7,671, leading to speculation that the American auto giant won’t be able to meet its lofty forecast for 60,000 sales in 2012.

Further casting doubt upon the success of the Volt is the fact that the rival Nissan Leaf (a fully electric vehicle), met its 10,000 unit sales target, despite the fact that (as GM’s Volt commercials accurately point out), the Volt is better suited to the needs of vastly more American consumers.

With a now-resolved crisis over the cars that could catch fire, GM is facing another roadblock, it’s dealers. According to a new report by Automotive News, Chevy dealers across the country are rejecting mass-allocations of Volts. In New York City GM offered 104 Volts to its 14 local dealers last month. Dealers only took 31.

Even dealers that have had no problem selling their Volt inventory in the past are now being cautions. Brett Hedrick, of Hedrick’s Chevrolet in Clovis, Calif., said he’s turned down offers by GM the past two months.

The news of low dealer orders has been confirmed by GM PR rep Rob Peterson, citing the misinformation surrounding the car’s recent safety concerns. Still, according to GM North America President Mark Reuss, supply, rather than demand, is the automaker’s biggest problem.

[Source: Automotive News]

Coda Automotive, known for their upcoming sedan electric vehicle, has expanded their business by announcing a new venture called Coda Energy. The spinoff business unit will specialize in building stationary energy storage systems.

All the knowledge gained by Coda while designing and developing lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles has lead them directly into the grid storage energy world, which has become quite common amongst battery manufacturers. Both A123 Systems and BYD have been known to design systems for both industries, helping to curb production costs while bringing scalability to their operations. Nissan and General Motors have also announced their intentions to repurpose used EV batteries for grid storage.

Coda Automotive is expected to have their sedan EV on the market sometime soon in California, offering a 150-mile range vehicle for under $40,000 and a 125-mile range vehicle for around $37,250 – both prices before a $7,500 federal tax credit and state incentives. Either way, we are continually impressed by the number of projects that are out there, to store energy.

[Source: CNet]

After an extensive two-month investigation into the Chevrolet Volt’s fire related incidents, the U.S. safety regulators of the National Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the case is closed. The conclusion: the Volt’s plug-in hybrid battery pack does not pose a significant fire risk following a crash.

According to NHTSA’s statement, the organization “does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.” GM also added that NHTSA’s decision to close the case is, “consistent with the results of our internal testing and assessment.”

Even though there are no known real-world Volt crashes that resulted to a fire, NHTSA strongly believed an investigation was important and necessary in order to “ensure the safety of the driving public with emerging [electric vehicle] technology.”

Earlier this month, GM had already taken preemptive measures, enhancing structural reinforcements surrounding the Volt’s 435 lb. lithium-ion battery pack to reduce its risk of damage. Addressing the action, GM stated that the change simply “is intended to make a safe vehicle even safer.”

[Source: Autonews]