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Geneva 2009 = Honda Insight + ASIMO

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 10:20:00 +0000

Click above for more of ASIMO with the Honda Insight How do you emphasize that your new hybrid is perfect for robot drivers? By introducing it in Europe with the help of ASIMO. That was Honda’s strategy in Geneva recently when the new Insight Hybrid made its European debut. ASIMO, known for conducting orchestras and falling down stairs , was on stage with the leader of Honda Insight’s development team, Yasunari Seki, and posed for some pictures. ASIMO was then put to work doing 54 15-minute public performances over 13 days. For these shows, ASIMO showed off its “ability to run, climb stairs, give and receive objects and interact with people.” As long as it stays on its feet, I’m sure it is mighty impressive. Gallery: Honda Insight with ASIMO [Source: Honda] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Honda , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009 = Honda Insight + ASIMO originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009 = Honda Insight + ASIMO

U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:12:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of the new Honda Insight When the new Honda Insight and third-generation Toyota Prius go on sale in the U.S. later this year, there will be a bit of battle to see if the lower-priced Insight can topple the third-generation Prius from the top hybrid spot. Now that pricing for the Insight has been announced, we can see a preview of that match-up brewing in the UK, and Honda is staking it’s claim for the “most affordable hybrid” title. The Insight will start at £15,490, and go up from there to £18,390. The entry-level Insight SE CVT will cost £2,380 less than its nearest rival, which is, you guessed it, the second-generation Prius T3 CVT. We can vouch that the Insight is capable of 60+ mpg , too. We’ll have to see how many miles we can squeak from the 2010 Prius when we get our chance behind the wheel soon. See more details from Honda after the jump. [Source: Honda] Continue reading U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK Auto Blog: Hybrid , Honda , UK U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK

Alfa Romeo launching a frugal Mi.To version with a sub-€10,000 price tag

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:44:00 +0000

Click on image for more pictures of the Mi.To Alfa Romeo has announced a new base version of its Junior Furiosa Mi.To . Fitted to a 1.4-liter gasoline engine, the Mi.To drops CO 2 emissions down to 138 g/km and consumes fuel at a rate of 5.9 l/100km (40 mpg U.S.). And all this for a price tag under €10,000 in most European countries. Of course, you can’t expect a really sports car at that price, and the Mi.To gets by with 78hp and a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62mph) time of 12.3 seconds. Thankfully, Fiat’s 1.3-liter diesel engine also finds a home under the Mi.To’s hood. That’s good for 90 hp and keeps fuel consumption to 4.1 l/100km (57 mpg U.S.) with CO 2 emissions of just 114 gm/k. The problem? A higher sticker price. Gallery: Alfa Romeo Mi. To [Source: Auto News ] Auto Blog: Diesel , Europe/EU , Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo launching a frugal Mi.To version with a sub-€10,000 price tag originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:44:00 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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Alfa Romeo launching a frugal Mi.To version with a sub-€10,000 price tag

Honda Insight handily outselling projections in Japan

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Honda Insight So far, all indications are that Honda has got a hit on its corporate hands in the form of its new Insight hybrid hatchback . The automaker had been hoping to get 5,000 orders per month in its home market of Japan for the new Insight, but that sales target was eclipsed after just over a week on the market. According to Honda, there were already 5,000 advance requests for the car before it was even available to order. This early sales success may bode well for Honda, which will be launching the new Insight in Europe in March and in the United States in April. When it finally does reach dealerships, the Insight will cost well under $20K, undercutting its primary competitor, the Toyota Prius, by a few thousand dollars. It’s no secret that we’re in a tough market and it could have been a case of very bad timing to launch a brand new global vehicle line. Fortunately for Honda, this seems like the right car at the right time. It will certainly be interesting to watch Toyota roll out its new 2010 Prius hybrid later this year. Gallery: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight [Source: Detroit News ] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Auto Blog: Hybrid , Honda , Japan Honda Insight handily outselling projections in Japan originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:46:00 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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Honda Insight handily outselling projections in Japan

Honda starts taking orders for new Insight in Japan

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:21:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Hybrid , Honda Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Honda Insight The new 2009 Honda Insight is going on sale in Japan this week, starting at a base price of about $21,000. In Japan the rival Toyota Prius starts at about $25,700, so the Honda has a significant price advantage. Honda won’t be announcing U.S. pricing until closer to its April 22 on-sale date but it is expected to start under $20,000 here, perhaps as low as $19,000. Because of volatility in commodity pricing right now, Honda is waiting to set a price. The sales target for the Insight is 200,000 annually with half of those in North America and the rest split between Europe and Japan. Honda EVP Koichi Kondo acknowledged at the Japanese launch that the 100,000 sales figure in North America may not be met in the first year if the current sales slump doesn’t end soon. Related: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight, 63.4 mpg! Gallery: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight Gallery: 2010 Honda Insight [Source: Detroit News ] Live photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Honda starts taking orders for new Insight in Japan originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:21:00 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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Honda starts taking orders for new Insight in Japan

MINI succumbs to the green labels trend and introduces MINIMALISM

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Diesel , MINI , European Union BMW has announced a new green label for MINI cars. It’s called, wait for it, MINIMALISM. Similar to many other eco labels in other European markets, MINIMALISM can be found on cars that would otherwise be the base model with a few additional improvements that reduce fuel consumption. The first MINI MINIMALISM is nothing but a Mini Cooper D with a PSA-sourced 1.6-liter diesel engine good for 110hp. BMW also applied the complete array of techniques – longer gear ratios, a Stop & Start system, a gear change indicator, improved aerodynamics, low-rolling resistance tires and and an electric oil pump – to lower fuel consumption down to 3.9 l/100 km and get this MINI to emit jsut 104 g/km of CO 2 , just 3 above the new Honda Insight . The brand has been just released in France, a place where most of the MINI models already qualify for the Government’s premium for cleaner cars. [Source: MINI France] MINI succumbs to the green labels trend and introduces MINIMALISM originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:43:00 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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MINI succumbs to the green labels trend and introduces MINIMALISM

European journos get first taste of Honda Insight in Spain

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Hybrid , Honda , European Union For a change, American journalists actually got to try out a new car before those in other countries when we drove the new Honda Insight in Arizona last month . This week, the European media are getting their first crack at the new hybrid hatchback in sunny Valencia, Spain. The Euro-spec Insight gets a slightly different front fascia than ours, along with arguably more attractive wheels. The combined fuel economy rating of the Insight on the European test cycle is 53.4 mpg (U.S.) with carbon dioxide emissions of just 101 g/km. We’ll be looking to see how the generally hybrid-averse Europeans respond to the new Insight. Related : ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight, 63.4 mpg! Gallery: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight Gallery: 2010 Honda Insight Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. European journos get first taste of Honda Insight in Spain originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:00:00 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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Shelby Supercars makes some incredible claims about its upcoming EV

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:08:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in In mid-2008, Shelby Supercars announced that it would follow up its 254 mph Ultimate Aero with an all-electric version. Unfortunately the company was sparse on details, with little more than the claim that it would have a pair of 500 hp electric motors. A new press release today yields a few more details, but unlike the initial specs these are far less believable. The 150-200 mile range might be plausible were it not for that 1,000 hp output. That’s three times the output of a Tesla Roadster. From there things really go off the rails. The car will reportedly use some kind of lithium ion battery pack with some sort of indeterminate nanotechnology. The company claims it will be rechargeable in only ten minutes. If SSC were using Altairnano batteries, that claim might possible. However, they claim it can be done in 10 minutes from a 110V outlet. For the sake of argument, with a 50 kWh pack (a conservative estimate to get anywhere near 200 miles) a 10 minute charge with only 110V would require over 2,700 A of current, something you will not get from any existing 110V outlet. Hopefully next time Shelby opens up, they will provide some real details that are actually credible. Thanks to Amy for the tip! [Source: Shelby SuperCars] Continue reading Shelby Supercars makes some incredible claims about its upcoming EV Shelby Supercars makes some incredible claims about its upcoming EV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Shelby Supercars makes some incredible claims about its upcoming EV

The 2010 Honda Insight shows you its moves

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Filed under: Hybrid , Honda , Detroit Auto Show Now that you’ve had a chance to Car Blog Greenall about our time with the fun-to-drive 2010 version of the Honda Insight and browse through the photo galleries , we can now offer you the opportunity to see this fuel-sippin’ hybrid in motion. Yes, the Honda-supplied footage of their latest pride and joy is now available and allows us to see how the next-gen Insight handles the straights and curves of their test track as it makes pass after pretty pass for the cameras. The video comes in different flavors. Once you’ve had enough of watching the gun metal grey copy of the car do its thing, scroll down and check out the red. In between we also have footage from inside the cabin. The camera stays glued to the instrument cluster long enough for you to check out various display options before moving on to examine practically every inch of the interior from the dash to back hatch. We’re pretty sure there’s enough footage here to satisfy the curiosity of anyone interested in this potential Prius-killer. Just hit the jump. Gallery: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight Gallery: 2010 Honda Insight [Source: Honda] Continue reading The 2010 Honda Insight shows you its moves The 2010 Honda Insight shows you its moves originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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The 2010 Honda Insight shows you its moves

Detroit 2009: GM to build world’s largest battery lab

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:01:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , Detroit Auto Show Along with GM’s announcement that it will build a battery pack assembly factory in Michigan later this year, CEO Rick Wagoner also announced that a new battery lab will be built in Michigan. At 31,000 sq ft, the lab will be the largest advanced battery testing facility in the world. According to Chevy Volt vehicle line executive Tony Posawatz, the lab will be located at GM’s Warren, MI tech center campus. When the lab is fully operational, the company intends to use it to provide testing capabilities for all advanced battery makers. Posawatz told ABG that any company that develops new cells will be able to bring them to GM for testing. GM will do a full evaluation on cells free of charge to manufacturer and provide all the test data back to the manufacturer. The intent is expand the knowledge base of advanced batteries as much as possible. In this way, GM hopes to help battery makers accelerate their development and therefore benefit from improved performance and reduced costs. Along with the company’s intention to use its in-housed developed battery management systems, this will help GM develop battery technology as a core competency just as internal combustion engines have been for the past century. [Source: General Motors] Detroit 2009: GM to build world’s largest battery lab originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Detroit 2009: GM to build world’s largest battery lab