BMW plans to hold course with larger cars
Being BMW has its advantages. Just the other day, we heard news that Renault’s future large cars were in trouble due to the prevailing winds in the automotive sector pushing new car buyers towards smaller, more fuel efficient cars. BMW, on the other hand, is set to launch at least one relatively large model in concept form at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show next month called the 5 Series Gran Turism. This vehicle is widely expected to spawn a future production model. Perhaps Strategy Number ONE has moved back a few places? Remember that BMW also owns the Rolls Royce and MINI brands, so the German automaker can stretch out into a wide range of market segments without diluting the hard-earned brand integrity of its own label. Small cars can be introduced under the MINI umbrella. Plus, there’s rumors of another brand in the works to focus on even smaller city cars. On the opposite end of the spectrum, BMW can produce a line of Rolls Royce models that are just dripping with luxury, size, weight and, of course, high fuel consumption. Even that premium moniker is downsizing, though, with the new smaller, gentler RR4 expected to debut next month as well. For what it’s worth, BMW claims that the new Roller will lead its segment in fuel economy and carbon emissions. [Source: Channel 4 ] Auto Blog: BMW , MINI , Rolls Royce , Geneva Motor Show BMW plans to hold course with larger cars originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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BMW plans to hold course with larger cars
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Leave a commentSpain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive The United States , the United Kingdom and France have already announced plans to stimulate the ailing automakers and suppliers that do business in their countries, so it’s not too surprising to hear that Spain has joined in the ranks as well. Like those other bailout packages, the Spanish government is highlighting the need to invest in eco-friendly automotive technologies. According to data provided by the Spanish government, 350,000 people are employed in auto-related industries in Spain and 6 percent of the country’s GDP is related to the automotive market. Last year, new car sales in Spain dropped by about 28 percent, which seems to be about the average slump worldwide. The European Union has requested additional information from Spain regarding the plan before it will sign off on the aid package. Some European countries have complained that France’s plan amounts to illegal protectionism. Gallery: 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive [Source: International Herald Tribune ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU , SEAT Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, announced-plans, automotive, before-it-will, country, france, geneva-motor, ibiza, largebmw, mini, ranks-as-well, rollsroycerr4, widely-expected | Leave a commentSpain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive The United States , the United Kingdom and France have already announced plans to stimulate the ailing automakers and suppliers that do business in their countries, so it’s not too surprising to hear that Spain has joined in the ranks as well. Like those other bailout packages, the Spanish government is highlighting the need to invest in eco-friendly automotive technologies. According to data provided by the Spanish government, 350,000 people are employed in auto-related industries in Spain and 6 percent of the country’s GDP is related to the automotive market. Last year, new car sales in Spain dropped by about 28 percent, which seems to be about the average slump worldwide. The European Union has requested additional information from Spain regarding the plan before it will sign off on the aid package. Some European countries have complained that France’s plan amounts to illegal protectionism. Gallery: 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive [Source: International Herald Tribune ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU , SEAT Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Posted in Auto Green | a-few-places, a-friend-via, a-wide-range, automotive, bmw, country, entry, european-union, geneva-motor, herald-tribune, ibiza, ibiza-ecomotive, spain | Leave a commentSpain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive The United States , the United Kingdom and France have already announced plans to stimulate the ailing automakers and suppliers that do business in their countries, so it’s not too surprising to hear that Spain has joined in the ranks as well. Like those other bailout packages, the Spanish government is highlighting the need to invest in eco-friendly automotive technologies. According to data provided by the Spanish government, 350,000 people are employed in auto-related industries in Spain and 6 percent of the country’s GDP is related to the automotive market. Last year, new car sales in Spain dropped by about 28 percent, which seems to be about the average slump worldwide. The European Union has requested additional information from Spain regarding the plan before it will sign off on the aid package. Some European countries have complained that France’s plan amounts to illegal protectionism. Gallery: 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive [Source: International Herald Tribune ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU , SEAT Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Jon Stewart talks to "Two Billion Cars" author Daniel Sperling
Click above and scroll down to watch the video Whether the cheap Tata Nano is the driving force behind a massive upswing in the number of cars actively used in the world or not , the day is coming when there will be two billion cars on the roads. So says author and California Air Resources Board member Daniel Sperling . Sperling was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week to discuss his new book and to give his predictions about which technologies would power these two billion cars. He said that “eventually” the “vast majority” of the two billion cars will be alternative-energy (pure electric, plug-in hybrids, biofueled, and hydrogen fuel cell) vehicles. Yes, that was as specific as he wanted to get on Comedy Central. Sperling also claimed that we’d need “tens of billions” of dollars in government aid to make the large-scale shift to plug-ins and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Stewart, for his part, said that the automakers represent the past, and he wondered why we don’t just let them fiddle with the deck chairs while others get fuel cell and electric vehicles on the road. Watch the full interview after the jump. Bonus history lesson: Sperling has a slightly troubled past . [Source: The Daily Show ] Continue reading Jon Stewart talks to “Two Billion Cars” author Daniel Sperling Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in , Hydrogen , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily Jon Stewart talks to “Two Billion Cars” author Daniel Sperling originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Jon Stewart talks to "Two Billion Cars" author Daniel Sperling
Posted in Auto Green, Hybrids | automotive, bmw, california, country, daily, dailyshow, entry, european-union, green-daily, herald-tribune, Hybrids, ibiza, jon stewart, video | Leave a commentSmall motorcycles, scooters continue to post sales gains
Auto Blog: On Two Wheels , USA Click above for a gallery of the Vespa S 150 According to the most recent set of statistics, small-bore motorcycles and scooters are still selling at a good clip. In comparison with the automotive segment, which has seen its sales fall by around 30 percent globally, the overall motorcycle market is down by just over 7 percent. Scooters have led the charge with an amazing 41.5 percent sales increase as compared to 2007. The only other segment that posted gains were dual sport motorcycles that are capable of traveling both on and off the road. Pure off-road machinery took a bit hit, falling by 30 percent as discretionary spending took a nosedive. Interestingly, many dealers report that they could have sold even more scooters if they had been available. According to the 2008 MIC Owner Survey, purchasers say that commuting and errand running have displaced touring as the second most commonly cited reason to ride a motorcycle. Gallery: Vespa S150 [Source: Motorcycles.About.com ] Small motorcycles, scooters continue to post sales gains originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Small motorcycles, scooters continue to post sales gains
Axon Automotive gets UK government funding for small city car
Auto Blog: Automotive X-Prize , Lightweight , UK Click above for a gallery of the Axon Hatchback We’ve been following Axon Automotive for the last few years, and the last we heard, the company was hoping to enter the Automotive X-Prize . According to new reports, the budding automaker has just received over £2 million from the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board. More money has rolled in from a technology development firm called TTP and one other unnamed investor. The Axon concept is innovative in its use of high technology construction techniques that allow for an extremely light weight. This low weight helps the Axon achieve acceptable performance with a small .5L engine. Chief among its features is a chassis that’s made from recycled carbon fiber braided around a foam core. This allows for a unit that weighs 60 percent less than steel but is equally as strong. This technology is said to be adaptable to any type of vehicle design and the company hopes its next model will feature a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Gallery: Axon Hatchback [Source: Channel 4 ] Axon Automotive gets UK government funding for small city car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Axon Automotive gets UK government funding for small city car
You want it ? Top Ten missed eco-car production deadlines
Auto Blog: Diesel , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Production delays are common in the automotive world. Just because we understand (to a degree) the complexities of bringing a car to market doesn’t mean we like them. In the green car space, especially, a lot of promises are made and then not delivered on. Looking through the AutoblogGreen archives, we found a lot of posts that listed when a new vehicle or technology was going to be on the market – and realized that those deadlines had not been met. Whether because of technical problems, protests, off-base financial predictions or a host of other reasons, stuff happens. What doesn’t always happen is a look back to see who was saying what. Everyone from the biggest OEM to the small start-ups has been guilty of delaying something here and there. We wish them no further delays, we just wanted to take stock of where we’ve been – and hopefully get a better idea of where we might be headed. If you’re a jaded “heard-all-the-hype-before” kind of person, this is your list. If you’re just learning about these vehicles and are trying to understand why a company can announce one thing and then later say another, click the links in each caption to Car Blog Greenmore about what happened. Ready? Take a look . Photo (unmixed) by fotologic . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0 . You want it when ? Top Ten missed eco-car production deadlines originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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You want it ? Top Ten missed eco-car production deadlines
Meet Bright Automotive, Indiana’s answer to the high-mpg question
Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , MPG , Green Daily The Rocky Mountain Institute has been working for ages, it seems, to perfect the ideas behind a hyper-efficient vehicle (see here ). A year ago, people working at RMI joined up with others in the green car space to form Bright Automotive . The group believes, “the best way to reinvigorate the American transportation sector is to innovate high volume automotive solutions based on economics, fuel efficiency, superior design and lightweight materials.” The company’s plan is to reduce a vehicle’s weight and drag in just about every aspect, resulting in a car that gets 100 mpge with a battery pack 40 percent smaller than might be expected, according to GreenTech Media . Bright Automotive, located in Indiana, would benefit from a proposal put forth in December by U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) for $1.63 billion in grants that would help American high-tech and electric vehicle companies. Bright Automotive’s first vehicle is scheduled to be unveiled at EVS24 this spring. The car is a plug-in vehicle that can go 30 miles on battery power. The range with a full battery and gas tank will be 400 miles. [Source: GreenTech Media , Bright Automotive ] Meet Bright Automotive, Indiana’s answer to the high-mpg question originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Meet Bright Automotive, Indiana’s answer to the high-mpg question
NASCAR pays some lip service to being "green"
Auto Blog: Racing Traditionally, the only green associated with NASCAR was the color of money. While Formula 1 has allowed teams to add hybrid systems to cars for 2009 and the American Le Mans Series explicitly encourages alternate fuels , NASCAR has been in the alt fuel dark ages. The “stock” car series just switched from leaded to unleaded gas in 2007 and still mandates the use of carburetors. Ethanol, diesel, hybrid? Hah!! As the 2009 season gets underway next month, NASCAR officials finally seem to be seeing the writing on the wall; at least a little bit. Unlike ALMS, which has a full blown Green Challenge , NASCAR CEO Brian France this week hired a managing director for “green innovation.” During France’s press conference last week, he declared that, “Mike’s responsible for planning and executing a comprehensive industry-wide green initiative.” It’s not clear what that means, exactly, but given NASCAR’s traditional conservatism, we probably shouldn’t expect to see any dramatic changes any time soon. [Source: NASCAR ] NASCAR pays some lip service to being “green” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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NASCAR pays some lip service to being "green"
Posted in Auto Green | a-battery-pack, a-friend-via, a-full-blown, automotive, bright, color, entry, media, mikelynch, nascar, percent-smaller, tesla racing, writing | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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