Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency
Auto Blog: MPG , Green Daily There’s been much conjecture these last few months over whether or not sales of big, thirsty vehicles would pick back up after hitting the brick wall of high fuel prices last summer. Despite a modest uptick in pickup truck sales, the answer has mostly been no, but we won’t know for sure how things will rebound until the economy picks back up and credit is once again available to more people to purchase new vehicles. At least one recent study indicates that fuel economy is still a top concern for new car shoppers. According to the Consumer Federation of America , over three-quarters of those surveyed say that they are concerned about high gas prices and America’s dependence on foreign oil. Fifty-five percent of respondents are also concerned about global warming. These numbers are not dramatically lower than those recorded from a similar survey conducted last April. One more interesting point about the survey: The average new car shopper expects that their next vehicle will get about 30 miles per gallon, which they say is 5 mpg better than they get with their current vehicle. For a more detailed look at the findings, click here (.pdf link). [Source: CFA (.pdf link) via TTAC ] Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:10:00 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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Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency
AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war
Auto Blog: Diesel , Hybrid , MPG , Mercedes Benz , Lightweight Click the AMG C63 for a high res gallery Over the past two decades, the big German automakers have been continuously cranking up the power levels of their high performance cars to absolutely insane levels. It’s gotten to the point where you must have a minimum of 500 hp or more just to get into the game; many cars approach 600hp. Mercedes-Benz’s in-house performance brand AMG has now declared “ENOUGH!” Volker Mornhinweg, head of AMG told Autocar, “The horsepower war is over.” The key to performance is a high power to weight ratio. Unfortunately, when you have a lot of weight, you need more power to maintain performance. That means bigger tires and brakes are also needed, leading to an escalating cycle. As Lotus has clearly demonstrated with the Elise and its derivatives, a lightweight car can have tremendous performance even with modest power levels. Mornhinweg is taking that to heart and promises to reduce the mass of future AMG Mercedes models starting with the next-generation E63 that debuts later this year. The new E-Class is lighter than the outgoing model and a dual clutch gearbox will also be part of the package to help improve efficiency. Diesel, hybrid and four cylinder drivetrains are also in AMG’s future product plans as the tuner brand tries to maintain performance while meeting the new environmental realities. Related: In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG [Source: Autocar ] AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:32:00 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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AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war
Miles per gallon: Overrated?
Auto Blog: Green Culture , MPG , Green Daily Sure, there are plenty of things in the automotive world that are overrated. Enough, in fact, to compile a whole list of them, as seen here . Come on, join in… it’s fun! For instance, in addition to the small SUVs that already made the list, why not add big SUVs too? Most buyers of the big behemoths rarely use the full capabilities of their rigs and could almost always use a smaller vehicle. What about those rare instances when a monster ‘ute is necessary? Rent one. Remember, even if one more giant SUV was never made, there’s an endless supply of perfectly good used ones to choose from. Moving right along, what else is on this particlar overrated list? The Prius? Well, perhaps, since quite a number of people admit to choosing them simply to look like they care. The Tesla? Eh, fine. It’s expensive and seats only two occupants. We’re not sure overrated is the right word for these two vehicles, but whatever. Miles per gallon? Um, no, not overrated in the slightest bit. Why’s it on the list? To quote the anonymous author, “In case you haven’t noticed (and nobody has) gas is really cheap again.” Ugh. Isn’t this the attitude that got us into this mess in the first place? [Source: Inside Line ] Miles per gallon: Overrated? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:47:00 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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Miles per gallon: Overrated?
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