For decades, the recipe for a supercar had always been about stuffing a fire-breathing V12 engine in the middle. Some super cars receive the occasional quad-turbo W16, V10, and supercharged or turbocharged v8, but these all build upon pretty much the same idea. What many car enthusiasts have actually been wondering ever since they witnessed the Batmobile for the first time is whether jet engines could be fitted into cars in real life.

Finally, Jaguar answers the question with not one, but two jet engines. The Jaguar C-X75 concept was first unveiled in 2010 at the Paris Auto Show, boasting a twin-turbine power plant tucked within a sleek shell reminiscent of the Jaguar XJ220. However, when Jaguar announced the C-X75 would make it to production last year, the twin-turbine was replaced with a more conservative hybrid drivetrain mated to a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Despite the fact that the power train will be co-developed with Williams F1, the C-X75 isn’t the same without rockets.

Now, Jaguar has revealed that while 250 examples of the C-X75 will be powered by the hybrid turbo-4, an extremely limited quantity of C-X75 supercars will receive the micro-turbines as envisioned from the original concept. These jet engines are produced by the Bladon Jets Engineering Centre in Coventry, which is based very close to Jaguar’s headquarters and is even partially owned by parent company Tata.

Driving the rear wheels, the turbines are expected to produce an extra 95-hp each. Requiring no cooling or lubricant systems like a traditional internal combustion engine, the micro-turbines are also light and easy to package.

While exact numbers are unknown, the C-X75 is expected to meet all supercar requirements, including acceleration to 60 mph in 3 seconds and a top speed exceeding 200 mph.

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X75

[Source: Auto Express]

There are smaller engines on the horizon for BMW‘s 3-Series cars, though a specific date isn’t set yet.

According to an article published by What Car?, BMW said it has exhausted engine technology within the currently offered sizes and that the future is to move towards smaller, more powerful technology.

BMW already stepped in this direction by returning the 2012 3-Series to a 2.0-liter turbocharged four, but this represents the most drastic step to date: a three-cylinder engine. While the powerplants motivating BMW cars are getting smaller, the turbocharging systems the company uses are getting larger — or at least more complex.

The company’s engineers are already planning to implement a tri-turbo system in their M cars by using a single, smaller unit that spools up on exhaust much faster to deliver power almost instantly. Then two larger units take hold and create the sort of forced induction necessary for big power from a small motor.

The three-cylinder engine that BMW is working on for the 3-Series use is still about a couple years off, according to the company and won’t be the same as the unit used in the upcoming i8 hybrid, which will be available in 2013.

Instead, the company is focusing on making an engine that will be able to power cars as large as the 3-Series without help from electric motors, which will remain mostly paired with the six-cylinder engines found in current Bimmer hybrids.

While unconfirmed by company executives, it’s believed that the next-generation MINI models will also make use of 3-cylinder powerplants.

[Source: What Car?]

Posting respectable 2011 sales numbers, the quietly successful Buick Regal outsold the Audi A4, Lexus IS250 and Acura TSX last year. For 2013, the Buick Regal has received some drivetrain upgrades. First, the performance trim Buick Regal GS will receive an automatic transmission. Second, the 2013 Regal will possess eAssist technology as standard.

Introducing the Buick GS with a manual transmission is an interesting move and, according to U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing Tony DiSalle, “With the Regal GS, we made a conscious decision to go against the current trend and give enthusiasts the manual transmission they desire as standard equipment. Adding an automatic simply makes the performance of the GS even more accessible.” The new Aisin AF40 automatic transmission will be a no-cost option from the manual. According to GM, the new automatic transmission will deliver firmer shifts, capable of matching the manual Regal GS to 0-60 at 6.7 seconds. EPA ratings for the GS is at 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.

For 2013, the Regal will come with eAssist hybrid technology as standard equipment. A system that provides a light, but effective, secondary electric motor that assists to either motivate the car during slow traffic or to provide an additional boost to the engine, eAssist was initially a $2,000 option for Regals equipped with the Ecotec 2.4 liter engine. According to EPA ratings, the eAssist Regal reaches 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.

GALLERY: Buick Regal GS

Easily the most beautiful piece of sheetmetal unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus LF-LC Concept stunned crowds with its technology, style and mystery – hinting at a future super coupe that’s still a few years off.

Created by the brand’s Calty design studio in Southern California, one can’t help but wonder how a vehicle like this moves from concept to reality. To answer that question the Toyota luxury division has commissioned short film that entitled “Resonance of Passion” that is, in and of itself, is a work of art.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-LC Concept

Watch the Lexus LF-LC Concept Inception video below”:

Continue Reading…

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:

Continue Reading…

Suzuki is starting to promote its display at next month’s Geneva Auto Show, which will feature two new cars aimed at reducing their owner’s carbon footprint.

While both vehicles are designed for efficiency, they use different means to achieve that end. The Swift Range Extender goes about this with a strategy similar to the Chevy Volt — by using a mostly electric drivetrain that also packs a tiny 660 cc three-cylinder engine.

The G70 concept (pictured above), which is perhaps the more interesting of the two, is designed to tread lightly on the environment without such technology. Instead, Suzuki decided to build it as an ultra-light vehicle that doesn’t need much gas because there isn’t a lot to push around. The G70 only weighs a bit over 1600 pounds and is shaped to minimize drag. The company claims that it’s actually 10 percent less wind resistant than any of their current “A” segment models.

We’ll be covering the Geneva Auto Show next month and bringing you the latest as it unfolds.

Toyota is updating its figures for the Prius Plug-in Hybrid model ahead of the car’s launch, with improved numbers for both the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating and the remaining hybrid drive mpg rating. Previously Toyota had claimed the plug-in Prius would achieve 87 mpge using the electric mode and a 49 mpg once the battery pack energy is depleted and the car resumes operation as a conventional Prius.

The new numbers announced by Toyota Division Group VP and GM Bob Carter at a launch program for the Prius c put the plug-in model at an improved 95 mpge, while the regular hybrid drive operation has increased one mpg to 50. That MPGe number is now just one shy of the Chevy Volt.

The Prius Plug-in Hybrid will get a 15 mile range on electric energy alone, at speeds of up to 62 mph. In addition, the car will gain a AT-PZEV emission rating meaning it will qualify for access to California’s HOV lanes.

First deliveries of the Prius plug-in hybrid to customers will take place in March.

At its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota promised that the new Prius c would be priced below the $19,000 mark. Full pricing info has yet to be released but a Toyota representative speaking at the car’s launch in San Diego this week has informed us that the sub-compact hybrid will come with a sticker price of $18,950. A fully-loaded model is expected to top out at just north of $23,000.

The “c” in Prius c stands for city, because this version of the Prius is smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient (in a way) than its big brother. It’s powered by a 1.5L four cylinder engine which produces 73 hp as well as an all electric engine which puts out 66-hp and both will be mated to a continuously variable transmission with 99 hp as a combined output. Rated at the same 50 mpg average as the standard Prius, where the c excels is in the city with a higher 53 mpg rating and a lower 46 mpg rating on the highway.

Based on a modified version of the Yaris platform, the Prius c is 19 inches shorter than the liftback Prius and about 2 inches thinner side-to-side while weighing 542 lbs less.

GALLERY: 2012 Toyota Prius c

Watch video of the Prius c from its unveiling in Detroit below:

Continue Reading…

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]

After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation.

According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration withheld documents and videos that suggest unintended acceleration incidents were caused by electronics systems rather than floor mats or driver error.

Concerned that evidence of electrical defects in Toyota vehicles have been ignored or concealed, the lawsuit demands all transcripts, recordings, photographs, and videotapes generated from two federal investigators that went to visit the home of senior government official, Joseph H. McClelland, who has experienced unintended acceleration in his 2003 Toyota Prius hybrid.

According to a sworn statement from Mr. McClelland, investigators came to visit his home on May 17th, and documented evidence of sudden acceleration during an accompanied test drive. Mr. McClelland claimed the car over-accelerated in three distinct occasions as electronic displays began to blink wildly. The investigators videotaped the events and inspected floormats to determine the cause. After the drive, the two investigators even connected a computer to the car to read software codes.

Mr. McClelland said, “[The investigators] generally seemed excited. They said they hadn’t seen a vehicle display this type of behavior before, capturing the information in real time, and they said this could be an important vehicle for the sudden accelerations and it might help put some pieces together.”

Ultimately, NHTSA did not follow up with the investigation since the agency believes it’s possible the vehicle’s age and high mileage (280,000 miles) could have been the cause of any number of issues.

Upon learning about McClelland’s incident and inquiry, Safety Research and Strategies co-founder Sean Kane requested for the documents pertaining the McClelland investigation. However, photos and videos were denied and Sean Kane only received six pages of the 22 page case file.

In regards to the lawsuit, Sean Kane explained, “This is all about transparency. This is an agency that selectively releases data that fits its narrative that electronics are not at fault in sudden acceleration.”

NHTSA responded that the agency had already carefully reviewed more than 40,000 complaints each year. There are no plans to reopen the unintended acceleration investigation.

[Source: The New York Times]