Kentucky Ford plant could build Kuga crossover
Click the Kuga for a high-res gallery Late in 2008, Ford revealed that it would be re-tooling several North American plants to build smaller vehicles that will be brought over from Europe over the next several years. One of those is a Louisville, Kentucky truck plant that was expected to make vehicles based off the European Focus. A Louisville TV station is reporting that sources have told them that one of the vehicles coming from the plant will be the Ford Kuga crossover. The Kuga was launched in Europe last year to very positive reviews. If the Kuga is offered in the U.S., its not clear if it will replace the Escape or supplement it. Either way it will make a stylish, smaller addition to Ford’s domestic lineup. Gallery: 2009 Ford Kuga Related: Geneva 2008: 2009 Ford Kuga arrives in Europe under diesel power [Source: WAVE3.com ] Auto Blog: Ford Kentucky Ford plant could build Kuga crossover originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:31:00 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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Leave a commentStudy: modern ethanol plants are A-OK for this one land use issue
Conflicting study overload. That’s the only way to explain all the messages that we’re getting regarding biofuels recently. They speed up global warming . Ethanol is no better than gasoline . You know what I mean. Here’s another one, courtesy of the totally non-biased Illinois Corn Growers Association . The findings this time are that “a modern ethanol plant does not meaningfully change farmland use, neither the amount of land farmed nor the mix of crops planted (e.g., corn, soybeans).” Apparently, the ICGA felt the need to counter the “often cited” link between building new ethanol plants and shifting more land to cornfields. I didn’t know that was a troubling rumor, but Dr. Steffen Mueller from the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago looked at data from one plant for three years and came to the “no impact” conclusion. You can find the full study here if you really need to Car Blog Greenit yourself. [Source: Illinois Corn Growers Association ] Auto Blog: Ethanol Study: modern ethanol plants are A-OK for this one land use issue originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:20:00 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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Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Transit Connect The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has granted Ford Motor Company a $55 million incentive in refundable tax credits. The incentive will come from the new Michigan Advanced Battery Credits initiative and is supposed to help Ford push forward with its plans to introduce four new electric vehicles to the American market by 2012 . Lithium ion battery packs are likely to account for the bulk of the costs associated with developing usable electric vehicles. The first vehicle we are expecting to see from the Blue Oval is an all-electric van based on the Transit Connect platform , which should be ready by 2010. Next up, and probably more exciting to most consumers, will likely be a new electric compact car based on the next-gen Ford Focus platform and built in collaboration with Magna International. Expect that car to hit the market in limited quantities in 2011. A year later, Ford’s first plug-in hybrid models should be ready for public consumption as well. Gallery: 2010 Ford Transit Connect [Source: Ford] Continue reading Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Ford , Legislation and Policy Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Chrysler studying Fiat’s 6-speed gearbox
One of the first consequences of the Chrysler-Fiat alliance could be the arrival of Fiat’s new six-speed transmission in Chrysler models . Chrysler lost its dual-clutch partner Getrag , which was developing a next-gen dual clutch transmission, so Fiat’s unit, still under development, is likely to arrive statewide. At least this is what Frank Klegon, Chrysler LLC’s executive vice president of product development, speculated about during the recent Chicago Auto Show . Called G365, Fiat’s new transmission comes in three flavors: manual, automated manual and dual-clutch. The manual version will debut in Europe next June, the dual-clutch version at year’s end and the automated manual in the first half of 2010. [Source: Automotive News ( subs. req'd )] Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , Chrysler , Fiat Chrysler studying Fiat’s 6-speed gearbox originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:20:00 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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Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Fiesta What Car?’s Car of the Year , the new Ford Fiesta, was sitting at the Ford booth at the Chicago Auto Show sporting a fresh look. All tricked out to promote the Fiesta Movement , the Fiesta was looking pretty good – and very green. Lime green, that is. The Fiesta Movement is Ford’s plan to give 100 people a chance to drive one of these small cars – for free , if you’re willing to participate in the “secret assignments” – for six months. While we’ve seen the Fiesta, in various guises, for what seems like ages at auto shows, we still need to wait a while until the car actually goes on sale in North America in early 2010. Right now, the Fiesta is selling quite well in Europe (see press release after the jump). Gallery: Chicago 2009: Fiesta Movement 01 Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here Auto Blog: Ford , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Chicago Auto Show Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Posted in Auto Green | a-fresh-look-, chicago auto show, fiesta, fiesta-movement, ford, fordfiesta, green-exclusive, kiaforte, photos | Leave a commentFord confirms Transit Connect EV with Smith Electric for 2010
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford , Chicago Auto Show Click the Transit Connect for a high res gallery Ford has now confirmed that the new Transit Connect small van will form the basis for its first new battery electric vehicle that will launch in the second half of 2010. Ford is very excited about electric vehicles and we first learned that Ford planned to introduce a Transit Connect EV when the company’s viability plan was submitted to Congress in December. Since then, speculation has been rife about which vehicle would form the basis for the new EV, with most indicators pointing at either the Transit or Transit Connect. Part of the reason for that is that Smith Electric Vehicles of the UK has already developed battery-powered versions of both of those models. At a background briefing prior to the Chicago Auto Show, Ford’s VP of product development, Derrick Kuzak, revealed that Ford was working with Smith to bring the Transit Connect EV to market next year. While Kuzak declined to provide much detail on the vehicle specs, volumes or pricing, some hints can be gleaned from the Smith EV website . The model sold by Smith as the Ampere adds a 24 kWh lithiun ion-iron phosphate battery pack to the Transit Connect. The standard 2.0L four cylinder gas engine is replaced by a 50 kW electric motor. Together, these systems yield an expected range of about 100 miles on a charge and a top speed of 70 mph. The Ampere also has a payload capacity of 1,764 lbs. With that kind of payload, even a likely real world range that is considerably less than 100 miles shouldn’t do much to dampen the utility of such a vehicle for a lot of customers. At least at first the Transit Connect EV will only be offered to commercial operators. The rest of us will have to wait another year for the Focus-based EV . Gallery: 2010 Ford Transit Connect [Source: Ford] Continue reading Ford confirms Transit Connect EV with Smith Electric for 2010 Ford confirms Transit Connect EV with Smith Electric for 2010 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Montana could follow California on greenhouse gas rules
Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy Montana could soon become the latest state to adopt California emissions rules if a recently-introduced bill becomes law. California still hasn’t received the go-ahead from the EPA to even regulate carbon dioxide emissions but Montana Senate Bill 180 would make CO 2 a regulated pollutant. If the EPA reverses a late-2007 ruling, automakers will have to achieve a fleet average of 44 mpg by the end of the next decade in order to meet the California standards. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer supports the senate bill and sent a representative to testify at a recent hearing. While Montana would simply adopt the standards set by California, state regulators would have to ensure that automakers meet the standard in the state based on sales. The Montana bill would also extend beyond cars an regulate emissions from commercial and industrial sources. [Source: Green Car Congress ] Montana could follow California on greenhouse gas rules originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:02:00 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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Proterra touring California with fast-charging electric bus
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Transportation Alternatives , Lightweight , USA Proterra has begun a 10-city “California Clean Bus Tour” with the unveiling of its EcoRide B35 all-electric transit bus in San Jose. The lightweight, composite-bodied people mover features the 10 minute recharge-capable TerraVolt[TM] Energy Storage System, said to be based around batteries from Altairnano , and motors from UQM Technologies . Its regenerative brakes can recapture up to 90 percent of the vehicle’s kinetic energy and help it achieve a range between 30 and 40 miles. Although, like many alternative drivetrains, it has a higher upfront pricetag than its diesel counterparts, the company estimates the difference can be absorbed well before the end of its expected 12-year life through lower energy and maintenance costs. Proterra also has a plug-in hydrogen fuel cell version of the bus that will begin service in Burbank this Spring. California has a mandate that dictates 15 percent of all buses added to fleets after 2011 be zero-emission vehicles. Founder and CTO of the Golden, Colorado company, Dale Hill says, “”The fact is, emissions free transit is not a ‘nice to have,’ it is a must have for clean, healthy communities across California and the U.S.” Indeed it is, Mr. Hill. Full press release after the break. [Source: Proterra ] Continue reading Proterra touring California with fast-charging electric bus Proterra touring California with fast-charging electric bus originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Mulally personally thanks man who chose Fusion over Prius
Auto Blog: Hybrid , Ford , Green Daily Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Perhaps Toyota was on to something after all when it argued that the Prius is a more natural competitor to the Fusion Hybrid than the Camry. At least one buyer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was cross shopping the two gas sippers and ultimately decided to purchase the Ford instead of the Toyota. That story wouldn’t be all that interesting if it weren’t for a followup call made by Ford CEO Alan Mulally. That’s right, the man at the top of the heap at the Blue Oval actually called Michael Snapper to personally congratulate him and thank him for his patronage. For the record, future Fusion Hybrid shoppers probably have no reason to wait by the phone expecting a similar call. While this is little more than a publicity stunt, it seems harmless enough. The decision to purchase was already made and it symbolically proves the point that good customer service extends to all employees, right up to the top. Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid [Source: Detroit News ] Mulally personally thanks man who chose Fusion over Prius originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:02:00 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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Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car?
Auto Blog: Etc. , MPG , Ford , UK Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Fiesta Desiring a downshift in the size of your car? The editors of the British car buying website What Car? have decided that what you really need is a Ford Fiesta. The small car, specifically the Ford Fiesta 1.25i Zetec model, was named the Car Of The Year by What Car? editors. This version has the smallest engine available in a Fiesta in the UK, and made a positive impact on the reviewers at Autocar as well . What Car? pointed out that the Fiesta’s low fuel consumption was one of the reasons to like this car. Ford has already sold more than 61,000 units in the 19 European markets where the Fiesta is currently available. China will get the car next, in both five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions, later this quarter. Because the Fiesta is intended for a global release, Americans can look forward to driving something similar to the 1.25i Zetec version here in the coming years. When it comes to the U.S. in 2010, the Fiesta should get Ford’s new PowerShift dual clutch gearbox . There’s more after the jump. Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Ford] Continue reading Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car? Ford Fiesta named car of the year by What Car? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:02:00 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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