July 22, 2008
IRVINE, CA – On July 23, the U.S. Postal Service will outline its strategy for converting to an environmentally friendly fleet and announce an alternative-fuel vehicle test.
Tags: alternative-fuel vehicle, GM, Hydrogen Fuel Cell, U.S. Postal Service
DETROIT – Chrysler LLC's answer to the much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt could be three to five years away, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Tags: Chevrolet Volt , Chrysler LLC , electric vehicles , ENVI
WASHINGTON – A transition to hydrogen vehicles could greatly reduce U.S. oil dependence and carbon dioxide emissions, but making them competitive in the automotive market will not be easy.
Tags: hydrogen vehicles , National Research Council
RICHLAND, WA – Off-peak electricity production could fuel 70 percent of the 220 million vehicles on U.S. roads if they were plug-in hybrid electrics, a study found.
Tags: Department of Energy, Off-peak electricity production, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
IRVINE, CA – U.S. carmaker Fisker Automotive has announced that Finland's Valmet Automotive will manufacture its first production car, the Fisker Karma.
Tags: Finland's Valmet Automotive, Fisker Automotive, Fisker Karma
TORRANCE, CA – Automotive Fleet is updating its listing of the Top 100 Alternative-Fuel Vehicle Fleets in the U.S. Surveys are currently being mailed out.
Tags: Automotive Fleet, Survey, Top 100 Alternative-Fuel Vehicle Fleets
July 21, 2008
MUNICH, GERMANY – For 2009, BMW made a few changes to the entry-level 3-Series, both inside and out. Also, a new diesel engine will make its way into the lineup.
Tags: 2009 3-Series, 335d, BMW, diesel
MUNICH, GERMANY – Engineers have been working on an all-electric version of the Mini at the BMW plant in Cowley.
Tags: BMW, Electric Mini, Mini, Project I
ATLANTA – For thrills on the road and great looks, it’s hard to beat the Audi S. This performance coupe has a 4.2L V-8 engine that makes 354 horsepower and 325 pounds-feet of torque.
Tags: Audi, S8
July 18, 2008
WESTLAKE, CA – Four-cylinder products have captured more than half of the market, with new cars and trucks up to 51 percent of all new-vehicle sales in June.
Tags: four-cylinder engines, June 2008 sales, new cars, new light trucks, Power Information Network
July 17, 2008
WASHINGTON – New legislation will be introduced that will compel automakers to make 10 percent of their fleet vehicles run on natural gas by the year 2018.
Tags: CNG, compressed natural gas, legislation
July 15, 2008
DETROIT – Automakers are stepping up their game with a number of electric plug-in models.
Tags: chrysler, Ford, General Motors, plug-in hybrids
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for green cars amid record-high oil prices.
Tags: Prius, solar panels, Toyota Motor Corp.
July 14, 2008
FINLAND – Volvo Cars’ Finnish subsidiary is celebrating its 80th birthday. The company named OY Volvo Auto AB was first registered on July 10, 1928
Tags: OY Volvo, Volvo
AUBURN HILLS, MI – The stylish Audi TT earned its way onto Road and Track’s list of impressive new models with an average fuel economy of 20.5 mpg and a strong performance at the test track.
Tags: Audi, TT 3.2 Quattro
MUNICH, GERMANY – BMW has released information on its U.S.-spec, fifth-generation 2009 BMW 7 Series, which is due in the United States early 2009.
Tags: 750i, 750Li, BMW, BMW 7-Series
TORRANCE, CA – Hybrid technology and luxury automobiles are a perfect fit. And the Lexus GS 450h is one example of this ideal pairing.
Tags: GS 450h, Hybrid, Lexus
AUBURN HILLS, MI – Despite the fact that Porsche is the new majority shareholder of the Volkswagen Group, Audi continues to pursue an ambitious sports car strategy.
Tags: Audi, AWD, Quattro All-Wheel Drive, R4
NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Road and Track has put together a list of the 10 new cars to look for that will boost fuel economy without sacrificing the fun factor.
Tags: Audi R8 TDI Le Mans, Chevrolet Volt , Fisker Karma, Honda CR-Z, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Kia Koup, Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, Porsche Panamera Hybrid, Saab 9-X BioHybrid, Toyota Compact Coupe
July 11, 2008
BURLINGTON, MA & AACHEN, GERMANY – Nuance Communications' in-car distraction study revealed significant benefits when drivers were able to use speech recognition while driving.
Tags: 2008 In-Car Distraction Study , Nuance Communications, Inc., safety and response times, speech recognition
COSTA MESA, CA – El Pollo Loco is rolling out two electric delivery vehicles from ZAP, according to http://money.cnn.com.
Tags: El Pollo Loco, electric vehicles , Xebra , ZAP
SAN CARLOS, CA – Tesla Motors' next product, a four-door, five-passenger sedan, will be manufactured at a California facility instead of Albuquerque, N.M, as previously announced.
Tags: Tesla Motors, Tesla Roadster
July 8, 2008
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching the SmartWay Leaf Campaign to encourage purchases of SmartWay-certified cars and trucks.
Tags: Environmental Protection Agency, SmartWay Leaf Campaign
ITASCA, IL – Last June, Emkay announced they were acknowledged as the first fleet management company to factory order GEM vehicles.
Tags: EMKAY, Inc., Global Electric Motorcars
DEARBORN, MI – Kumho officials announced that Ford Motor Co. has picked Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. to supply original equipment (OE) tires for the majority of its 2009 Ford Focus models.
Tags: Ford Motor Co. , Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.