Green Car Advisor
Audi
August 21, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
General Motors today released the first photographs of Chevrolet's all-new Cruze with word that the fuel-efficient compact sedan will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October.
The vehicle, which will eventually replace the Cobalt in Chevy's lineup, will go on sale in Europe next March and in North America approximately a year later.
There's no word yet on what the Cruze will cost, but we expect the base model to retail for well under $20,000. There was also no word on the Cruze's fuel economy in the statement General Motors, Chevrolet's parent company, released today.
However, we spoke with Chevy spokeswoman Nancy Libby about the vehicle's mileage and this is what she said:
"We don't have any mileage estimates at this time. We're still two years away from launch. The one thing I can say is we expect a significant improvement from today's 2009 Cobalt XFE. We expect it to be segment-leading fuel economy when it's introduced."
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- Scott Doggett August 21, 2008, 8:44 AM
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- Audi, Chevrolet, General Motors, MINI, Pontiac
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August 5, 2008
America's auto-emissions regulators have nothing on the youth brigade of the Swiss Green Party.
The youth have obtained the 100,000 signatures needed to put a measure before Switzerland's voters that would ban passenger vehicles that have a curb weight of more than 4,820 pounds, emit more than 250 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, or have front ends deemed dangerous to pedestrians.
The measure would also ban diesel cars lacking particle filters. Non-compliant cars registered before the measure goes into law would be fitted with a governor limiting them to 62 miles per hour.
The measure, which is viewed as moderate by its proponents, would remove all but the most fuel efficient models from Swiss roads. The forbidden list contains 785 models. In Porsche's lineup, for instance, all but the Boxster and Cayman fitted with 2.7-liter engines would be barred.
Lots of Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Audis would be history, as would every Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. Not all automakers would suffer. Lotus's entire lineup, for example, would be compliant.
The vote has not been scheduled and could be a couple of years away. Also, more than 90 percent of initiatives presented to Swiss voters since 1848 have been rejected. But "moderates" can hope.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett August 5, 2008, 11:22 AM
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- Audi, BMW, Diesel, Emissions, Ferarri, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Lamborghini, Legislation, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Volkswagen
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July 22, 2008
Right, BMW 7 Hydrogen on Nürburgring racetrack. The car or one like it will be available for test drives.
The Detroit area is famous for the Woodward Dream Cruise, a summertime showcase of thousands of hotrods, muscle cars and other exotics.
Now in an effort to improve Motown's gas-guzzling image, a new group has organized what they call Nextcruise, which will actually give the public an opportunity to drive what many see as the next generation of vehicles - hybrids, fuel cell, clean-diesel, plug-in electric and other green machines.
The low-emissions, fuel-efficient vehicles will be available for free 15-minute drives on a first-come, first-served basis in Pleasant Ridge, just outside Detroit, in mid-August.
The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Memorial Park, 23925 Woodward Avenue, Pleasant Ridge 48069-1199.
Nine automakers have agreed to provide green vehicles and green-car-technology demonstrations for event to date. They are: General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 3:44 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Biofuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Diesel, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp, "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.
Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.
But others, well...
Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.
More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.
The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.
The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.
Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.
For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.
Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.
Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
- Categories:
- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 17, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
That's our sensational headline for 2008, but there's more than a smidgen of truth in it.
Last year Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats -- and what they reported was sickening.
The odor you inhale when you slide into a new car? It might very well be bromine, chlorine, lead, other harmful chemicals or a witches' brew of them. They've been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and, no doubt, cancer.
If you think the government protects you against such things, think again. Some of the vehicles on the road today are veritable toxic dumps on wheels. And many drivers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust every day.
In case you missed last year's report, Ecology Center found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio. The least toxic vehicles were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.
Next Tuesday -- July 22 -- Ecology Center will release its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats, and if you're thinking of buying a new car anytime soon, you'll want to check it out. The guide will be posted at www.healthycar.org a little after midnight on the 22nd.
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- Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 1:39 PM
- Categories:
- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Legislation, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 14, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
From the Is-he-out-of-his-mind? folder comes this zinger from Rupert Stadler, Audi's chief executive officer:
"Americans still want big cars, but with increasing fuel-efficiency," he told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Friday, apparently oblivious to the popularity of small cars in America these days.
Therefore, Stadler said, Audi has no plans to launch its planned hybrid compact car A1, which would be based on Audi's fuel-efficient Metroproject Quattro (pictured here). The A1 is expected to rival BMW's Mini Cooper, which is enormously popular in United States.
Instead of exporting the A1 to the U.S. or building it there, Audi will concentrate on introducing new generations of its A4 and Q5 models to Americans, he said.
The Metroproject Quattro's hybrid powertrain consists of a 1.4-liter TFSI gasoline direct-injection engine rated at 150 horsepower and driving the front wheels, teamed with a 41-hp electric motor in the rear. An S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox is mated to the drivetrain.
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- Scott Doggett July 14, 2008, 7:39 AM
- Categories:
- Audi, BMW, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, MINI, Plug-ins and Electric
July 12, 2008
All images click to enlarge.
By Robert E. Calem, Contributor
Choosing a fuel-efficient automobile was a whole lot simpler 30 years ago, the last time the U.S. was in the throes of a gasoline price crisis. It was often as simple as buying a small vehicle with a manual transmission.
Today, with gas prices soaring to new record highs almost weekly, finding fuel economy means navigating an almost bewildering selection of vehicles. Even enormous SUVs can qualify if they come equipped with gasoline-electric hybrid drive systems.
Behind this tremendous hike in choices -- to a fairly significant extent, experts say -- has been a concomitant increase in the variety of transmissions.
Whereas in the 1970s there were only four- and five-speed manual transmissions and three- and four-speed automatic transmissions, now there are six-speed manual, six-, seven- and eight-speed automatic, six- and seven-speed "dual-clutch" automatic-manual, and continuously variable transmissions.
The result: more efficient engine operation and higher fuel economy in every car, whether it's a high-performance Porsche Carrera or a modest Volkswagen Jetta.
But there are important differences among these sophisticated transmissions, including in how much they contribute to better fuel efficiency. Knowing those differences may help you the next time you're in the market for a new car.
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- Scott Doggett July 12, 2008, 12:53 AM
- Categories:
- Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Smart, Subaru
June 26, 2008
Volkswagen Group has started testing a new electric hybrid system and expects to launch the first cars fitted with it by 2010, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said today.
Speaking during a presentation of the first Golf model fitted with such an engine (above), Winterkorn said the system, called "TwinDrive", has an electric motor that can also be powered by gasoline for long-distance travel.
He said the technology allows cars to run in electric-only mode for a distance of up to 31 miles.
Winterkorn's comments came the same week that Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said that Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen Group, might launch a plug-in version of its upcoming A1 minicar...
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- Scott Doggett June 26, 2008, 8:15 AM
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- Audi, Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
June 23, 2008
Did Audi's "Metroproject" concept foreshadow plug-in hybrid version of the A1?
Less than a month after announcing a lithium-ion battery development pact wirth Sanyo Electric., Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has said that "depending on demand," Audi might launch a plug-in version of its upcoming A1 minicar, or put a plug-n hybrid in its A4 lineup, which includes the Q5 small SUV and the A5 coupe.
Speculation, and that's all there is right now, is that the Audi plug-ins, if they are forthcoming, still are years away and likely destined, at least initially, for the European market. Audi has not announced any plan for bringing the A1 to the U.S, in hybrid or any other form.
Stadler's comments were reported by Britain's Financial Times newspaper.
Audi showed a concept plug-in A1hybrid, which it said would use lithium-ion batteries, at the Tokyo Auto Show last October...
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- John O'Dell June 23, 2008, 12:29 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
May 28, 2008
Sanyo Electric Co. plans to start mass-producing lithium-ion batteries used in automobiles by the end of next year, throwing its hat into the ring in the promising next-generation automobile battery business.
The Osaka-based company also said Wednesday it has agreed to jointly develop the new lithium-ion batteries in conjunction with the Volkswagen Group for use in the German automaker's Audi-brand vehicles.
Sanyo intends to open a factory to make the batteries in 2010 and Volkswagen plans to introduce a car with them the same year, according to a Bloomberg report. The first car to get the batteries will be an Audi AG, Reuters reported.
"Our focus in future will be directed more strongly at making electrically powered automobiles alongside ones driven by more efficient combustion engines," Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn said in a statement.
"This cooperation is an important step for us."
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- Scott Doggett May 28, 2008, 1:22 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, Batteries, Emissions, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Volkswagen
May 21, 2008
It's turning into a banner year for hybrid and other green car news.
After all the Honda hoopla this morning, word leaks out that Toyota will debut the next-generation Prius, expected to be longer, lower and more powerful, but not radically different-looking, at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with a sales launch slated for later in the year.
If that's not enough, Toyota's luxury marque, Lexus, is believed to be considering two new hybrids of its own, one of them a premium-priced version of that new Prius, the other a midsize crossover utility vehicle.
Edmunds.com's Inside Line has
the details.
We think its great news -- although our aching keyboarding fingers wish it had been spaced out a bit.
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- John O'Dell May 21, 2008, 5:51 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen
May 6, 2008
Audi reportedly has inked a deal to work with Japan's Sanyo on development of high performance batteries for a pilot hybrid project for the Volkswagen Group, Audi's owner.
The alliance could lead to Sanyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future Volkswagen group models, British on-line automotive journal just-auto.com suggests.
Volkswagen's own hybrid development program has been scaled down dramatically by chief executive Martin Winterkorn, who thinks the 2,000 euro ($3,092) additional cost to hybridize a vehicle is too steep.
At Audi, there are plans for a hybrid Touareg SUV and a hybrid Q7 crossover...
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- John O'Dell May 6, 2008, 1:34 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, Batteries, Hybrid
Audi sees "great opportunities" in electric vehicles and will offer battery-electric automobiles with no exhaust emissions within ten years, its top executive told a German weekly.
Chairman Rupert Stadler, in an interview with Welt am Sonntag published Sunday, said he expects diesel and battery technology to be a dominate force the automotive market in five to ten years.
"By then we will offer cars without exhaust emissions," Stadler said.
Asked if Audi was trailing domestic rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the development of batteries to power electric vehicles, Stadler replied that he wasn't worried, that Audi's research capabilities are larger than those of its competitors.
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- John O'Dell May 6, 2008, 1:10 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
May 1, 2008
Only two days after introducing a diesel version of its TT sports car, Audi announced Thursday that it will be expanding the line with coupe and convertible TTs featuring gasoline-powered 1.8-liter TFSI (Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection) engines offering European driving cycle fuel economy of 35 mpg and 34 mpg, respectively.
The highly compact, four-cylinder direct injection engine weighs just 297 pounds yet produces 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, Audi said. It also features various measures to reduce parasitic energy drain on the engine, including a demand-based oil pump.
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- John O'Dell May 1, 2008, 6:35 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, Fuel Economy
March 24, 2008
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
We had an opportunity recently to put a few hundred miles on an Audi Q7 TDI equipped with the company's European diesel -- almost the same system as will be available to U.S. buyers in January – and can happily report that if you've got the bucks and really need something that big, it packs a lot of wallop, is a joy to drive and delivers a pretty consistent 25 mpg.
That's about 66 percent better than the 4.2-liter V8 gasoline version of the big SUV can claim.
No Hybrid
On the sad side, Audi 's U.S. chief has told Automotive News that the company won't be bringing a mass-market hybrid version of its largest crossover to the States because things just won't pencil out with the dollar continuing to shrink against the euro (translation, Audi would have to charge too much in the U.S.).
The hybrid Q7 had been slated to launch here shortly after the diesel model goes on sale.
Johan de Nysschen, head of Audi U.S., said the company likely would sell a small number of the hybrid Q7s to commercial, or fleet, accounts in the U.S. , and hinted that the smaller Q5 crossover might be a better candidate for an eventual mass market U.S. hybrid.
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- John O'Dell March 24, 2008, 1:55 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid
March 10, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Volkswagen's U.S. sales will reverse a downward trend and soar more than triple to one million vehicles annually over the next 10 years, if all goes according to plan.
That would be the plan outlined by Stefan Jacoby, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America, on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Aggressive marketing and growing demand for clean diesels would drive the sales, he said.
One million vehicles sold annually by 2018 would be an impressive increase from 2007, when the company sold 235,000 VWs and 94,000 Audis. It also would reverse a downward trend; in 2002, the company sold 338,000 Volkswagen brand cars in the United States.
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- John O'Dell March 10, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories:
- Audi, Diesel, Volkswagen
January 15, 2008
Challenge wants to encourage more cars like Audi's clean-diesel racer.
DETROIT -- The American Le Mans Series, already a showcase for diesel power and ethanol-blend fuel, will inaugurate a "Green Racing Challenge" this year encouraging automakers to put developing environmental and fuel economy technologies to the test on the track.
Scott Atherton, ALMS chief executive, said at a press conference at the Detroit auto show that the series has formed a green racing coalition with the federal Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Society of Automotive Engineers International, to develop criteria for the Challenge.
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- John O'Dell January 15, 2008, 9:45 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, Biofuels, Diesel, Ford, General Motors, Hybrid, Mazda, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche
January 7, 2008
Egads! First there were only the econobox models: Honda's two-seat Insight and the first-generation Toyota Prius. Now there are more than half-a-dozen hybrid sedans and SUVs and more coming.
Even the luxury market is becoming crowded, giving dual meaning to the term "green car."
Toyota's Lexus brand kicked off the luxe hybrid segment with its Lexus RX 400h crossover SUV...
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- John O'Dell January 7, 2008, 5:00 PM
- Categories:
- Audi, BMW, Fisker, Hybrid, Lexus, Porsche
September 10, 2007
Although there's plenty of development work on alternative fuels and power plants going on in U.S. automakers’ R&D labs, the industry is consumed these days with fixing its collective financial woes and there's not much noise being made about advancing green technology. Not in the U.S., anyhow.
We likely won't hear too much about what's close to being market ready until the carmakers and the UAW complete their ongoing master contract negotiations and possibly not until the hype around January's Detroit auto show begins.
But Asian and European car companies, including European subsidiaries of both Ford and GM, are stepping in to fill the environmental void, with a spate of clean diesels and gas-electric hybrids in the works. A lot of green goodies will be shown off at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, which begins a two-day press preview on Tuesday.
Here's a look at what's on tap.
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- John O'Dell September 10, 2007, 8:00 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, BMW, Diesel, Hybrid, Hyundai, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Volvo
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
