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Sportier BlueMotion models coming from VW?

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of the Volkswagen Bluesport While the primary goal of Volkswagen’s numerous BlueMotion models is to reduce fuel consumption and therefore carbon emissions, the German automaker apparently recognizes that not all drivers are willing to accept sluggish acceleration to go along with their reduced diesel bills. This is why the VeeDub introduced its BlueSport Roadster concept at the last Detroit Auto Show . That sporty model was able to provide plenty of performance from its 2.0L turbocharged diesel engine to go along with its miserly fuel mileage figures of 35 mpg on the European Combined Cycle and 62 mpg while in Eco Mode. Reports from the U.K.’s evo magazine indicate that VW is hard at work on a production version of the BlueSport concept for 2011. Before that model hits the market, the moniker may be applied to a performance-minded diesel version of the European Scirocco and possibly an oil-burning GTI hatchback as well. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Volkswagen Concept BlueSport [Source: evo ] Auto Blog: Diesel , Volkswagen Sportier BlueMotion models coming from VW? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:47:00 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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Sportier BlueMotion models coming from VW?

Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen promised an all-new more efficient powertrain for his lineup in 2012 but declined to give details. In the meantime, he acknowledged that bio-ethanol is an important stepping stone to a greener future as is lighter weight. To that end Bentley introduced its latest model today in Geneva, a project that started 24 months ago as an exercise in mass reduction. That part of the effort yielded savings of 242 lbs off the portly Continental coupe. Under the hood the usual flex-fuel bits have been added to the twin turbo W12 bringing the output up to a massive 621 hp. That’s enough to push the Continental Supersports to 204 mph. Although Paefgen didn’t say what the new 2012 powerplant would be he did mention that he didn’t feel that plug-in hybrids would make a significant impact on the market for at least 5-10 years. Plug-in hybrid technology is being developed elsewhere in the Volkswagen group and it would make sense to apply it to luxury vehicles like Bentleys allowing them to silently cruise around town, while still having massive performance when desired. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Bentley Continental Supersports Continue reading Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012 Auto Blog: Ethanol , Flex-Fuel , Hybrid , Bentley , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkwagen Polo Volkswagen is trotting out its new fifth-generation Polo at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow, but we’ve got a slew of details and images of the new model to share today. Looking very much like a shrunken Golf, it may take a trained eye to tell the difference between the VW’s latest hatchbacks at first glance (see the new VW MK VI Golf here ). Volkswagen’s keen to point out that the new Polo is a full 7.5 percent lighter than the outgoing model despite growing in every meaningful dimension and it’s still expected to score a perfect 5-star safety rating in Euro NCAP crash testing. In Germany, the Polo will come with the buyers choice of four gasoline and three diesel engines, many equipped with turbochargers and direct injection. VeeDub’s latest 7-speed DSG transmission will also be available on select models. The most frugal trim will carry the BlueMotion badge and attain 62 mpg U.S. in European combined testing with just 96 grams CO 2 per kilometer, making it the most fuel efficient diesel-burning 5-seater in the world. Sales are slated to begin in Germany by the end of June with the rest of Europe coming just two weeks later. In case you missed it earlier, the subcompact car is finally coming to America , possibly as early as 2010, so VW definitely has our interest piqued. Check out our image gallery below and see the official press release after the break. Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Polo [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo Auto Blog: Diesel , Volkswagen , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo

Geneva Preview: Ford iosis MAX concept hints at next-gen Focus

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Click above for image gallery of the Ford iosis Max concept We have to wait until tomorrow to actually see the Ford iosis MAX concept for ourselves (via out team at the Geneva Motor Show ), but we do know what it’ll look like and that it’ll have a 1.6L EcoBoost four-cylinder engine that is 20 percent more efficient than other similar gas burners. Our friends at Autoblog say this is probably the same engine that will be in the next-gen Focus and just might be the second EcoBoost powerplant, joining the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 . The iosis Max is the third in the iosis concept car series – the others being the iosis concept car back in 2005 that helped shape the Mondeo, and the iosis X that became the Kuga CUV . The iosis Max design will be used for future Ford global C-segment vehicles. The front half of the next-gen Focus, which will be coming to both North America and Europe, will probably look very much like the front of the iosis Max. Like? Gallery: Ford iosis MAX Concept [Source: Ford] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Ford iosis MAX concept hints at next-gen Focus Auto Blog: Ford , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Ford iosis MAX concept hints at next-gen Focus originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Officially, official: Tesla Motors store coming to Chicago

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Click for a high-res gallery of Tesla’s Menlo Park Store Rumors and promises of a Midwest Tesla Motors store have been in the air for years now . These rumors don’t make the official announcement of a Chicago sales and service center scheduled to open this spring any less exciting. In fact, considering the recent slight fall from grace that Tesla has suffered, confirmation or future growth is a great thing. Chicago is only the first of seven new retail locations that are planned for 2009. The other cities on the list include: London, Manhattan, Miami, Seattle and, further ahead, Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany. If everything goes well – and we know it won’t, but we can still hope for smooth progress – then the new retail locations will be the spearhead for the Model S , which will be unveiled in a few short weeks. In the official announcement about the Chicago store (Car Blog Greenit after the jump), Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk said, “Tesla has no intention of being a niche automaker. The Chicago store will introduce the company to even more people in the United States and position us to launch a more affordable sedan for mainstream drivers.” At the very least, tourists will soon have something to snap pictures of in the Windy City other than the Sears Tower and the Bean. Gallery: Tesla Motors Menlo Park Store [Source: Tesla Motors] Continue reading Officially, official: Tesla Motors store coming to Chicago Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Green Daily Officially, official: Tesla Motors store coming to Chicago originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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VW MK VI Golf made from over 40% recycled materials

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Click for a high-res gallery of the new VW Golf Anyone that has looked closely will realize that there is a lot of old Golf in the new sixth-generation hatchback from Volkswagen. However, you would have to look really close to find out just how much. The German TÜV NORD agency has certified that more than 40 percent of the mass of a new Golf is made from recycled materials. That’s over 1,161 lbs of metal, glass and fluids. The vast majority, over 1,100 lbs, of that is metals such as steel and aluminum which are readily recyclable and, in fact, much of the metal used in many new cars is recycled scrap. For example, when engine components such as blocks, heads and crankshafts are machined, all the chips are collected, washed and sent back to foundries and mills and fed back into the production process. Plastics and automotive glass are less recyclable, but automakers are increasing efforts to reuse scrap materials to cut down on raw material costs. On a related note, 95 percent of vehicles go through an “end of life” recycling process in the U.S. [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading VW MK VI Golf made from over 40% recycled materials Auto Blog: Volkswagen VW MK VI Golf made from over 40% recycled materials originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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16 VW’s Passat Lingyu fuel cell vehicles finally make it to the U.S.

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Passat Lingyu We expected to see the hydrogen fuel cell-powered versions of the Passat Lingyu at the Los Angeles Auto Show last fall. We didn’t spot any back then, but these fuel cell VWs should be easier to find in California now that Volkswagen Group of America has announced that 16 of them will be used for fleet demonstrations by the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento. The Partnership believes that hydrogen vehicles are “the best option” for full-function vehicles that also have reduced emissions. The hydrogen Passat was developed a few years ago by VW engineers working with researchers from Tongji University and was used during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It can reach 90 mph and go 146 miles between refills. The 16 Chinese vehicles bring VW’s fuel cell fleet at the California Fuel Cell Partnership to 24. More details after the jump. [Source: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.] Continue reading 16 VW’s Passat Lingyu fuel cell vehicles finally make it to the U.S. Auto Blog: Hydrogen , Volkswagen 16 VW’s Passat Lingyu fuel cell vehicles finally make it to the U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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VIDEO: New Holland rolls out fuel cell tractor

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Click above and scroll down to watch the video Just the other day, we first learned about the new NH 2 fuel cell tractor from New Holland, and today we’ve got a video of the emissionless machine in action. Thinking back on the few times we’ve actually piloted a tractor (and never anything quite this large), one previously unmentioned benefit to this design is that it looks extremely easy to drive. There are no gear changes and no clutch to concern yourself with and the machine moves about with nary a sound, though the same could be said of a battery-powered electric tractor as well. A look under the stubby hood reveals a very large hydrogen tank and fuel cell stack. The idea behind using a fuel cell in a tractor is that farmers could use renewable energy to extract hydrogen from water using electrolysis. Again, the same renewable energy could either power an electric tractor or one running on biofuels. Another problem with the current design is that there’s only enough hydrogen storage to run the tractor for a few hours. Perhaps generation 2, which is already under development, will solve that potential problem. Thanks for the tip, Sorin ! [Source: Farmers Weekly via Youtube ] Continue reading VIDEO: New Holland rolls out fuel cell tractor Auto Blog: Hydrogen , Green Daily , Europe/EU VIDEO: New Holland rolls out fuel cell tractor originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:04:00 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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Biodiesel can’t void your warranty?

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Most manufacturers, including heavy-hitters like Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, allow the use of a 5 percent biodiesel blend (aka B5) without violating the terms of the car’s original factory warranty. What happens if you use a higher biodiesel concentration? That’s a good question, and the answer isn’t particularly clear at the moment. According to Steve Keyes, Volkswagen’s director of public relations, “All Volkswagen TDI models are warranted for the use of up to a B5 blend. Blends of biodiesel higher than B5 void the Volkswagen warranty.” Case closed, right? Not so fast, say the Northwest Biofuels Association and the Oregon Auto Dealer’s Association. These two organizations have released a joint statement suggesting that the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act from 1975 doesn’t allow a manufacturer to void a vehicle’s warranty based on the fuel that the owner is using to power it. We’re not so sure it’s a good idea to go against a manufacturer’s stated recommendations without knowing the consequences, regardless of whether it voids the warranty or not. Even if a vehicle seems to run just fine on high biodiesel blends, it’s important to remember that modern diesel engines and emissions systems have computers that may make assumptions about the fuel that’s being used. We’d wager that this is an issue that will continue to be hashed out in the coming months and years. [Source: Green Inc. via Domestic Fuel | Photo: .imelda ] Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Diesel Biodiesel can’t void your warranty? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:36:00 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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How not to impress us: the Colorado Current EV

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of the Current Here’s an email that came into the AutoblogGreen mailbox from reader CW the other day: “Ive seen a lot of your articles on here about different electric cars, but none of them match the Current that is available now in Colorado. It has 186 HP goes highway speeds and right now can go 70 miles on a charge and soon they are getting new batteries that will allow it to go 200 miles at highway speeds. Please go to Coloradoautoconnection.com and look at the Current and maybe write a post about it. It is a great car, 4 place hatchback and best of all it is available right now!” Sounds good, right? I checked out that website and poke around the web a bit. I discover a post on the Current (which is not the Kurrent EV ) on Sustain Lane and a one-line tidbit at the Denver FOX affiliate says that, “The Current is a 100% electric car that is rated for use on America’s highways. S.T. Tripathi of Parker, Colorado is bringing it to market.” The Sustain Lane story says that Tripathi hopes to employ 200 people and make 50,000 of these all-electric vehicles. The Colorado Auto Connection site says that the Current has a range between 65 and 200 miles and can reach speeds of 70 mph from a 240-volt lithium polymer or Nilar battery pack. Ambitious, this project is. One slight problem, though. When I clicked on the Colorado Auto Connection link to find out the price of the Current and see how many were available, as CW said. The result : “Sorry, No listings were found that matched your search query. Please try your search again. ” Gallery: Current EV [Source: Electric City Motors , Sustain Lane , Colorado Auto Connection ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily How not to impress us: the Colorado Current EV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:44:00 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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