According to a recent report from the French automotive magazine L’Automobile, BMW could be debuting another addition to its electric ‘i’ car lineup at the Los Angeles Motor Show, set to take place from November 30 to December 9.
Sometimes, hybrids can feel a bit delicate. That is not the case with the new Fusion Hybrid, which feels very solid and much like a regular sedan, rather than a fragile piece of new technology. This goes from fit and finish, to ride quality, to the way the controls feel when you use them. It’s all good, sturdy, American stuff—the kind of car quality we’re now used to from the Blue Oval.
If you’re one of the types that isn’t exactly crazy about the looks of the Porsche Panamera, then you ought to feast your eyes upon this concept. This is the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, or for common folk, the Panamera Wagon. We like it a lot.
In that sense, the most impressive part of this Ford is the strain-free powertrain. Although the C-Max uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a relatively small engine (2.0-liter four cylinder with 141 horsepower), it was able to accelerate pretty easily in urban traffic or on moderately steep grades in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles. This isn’t the most demanding test possible, but frankly it is a tougher test than that presented by 90 percent of suburban US driving.
The sweet spot of this Acura package is found in the goodly amount of comfort and refinement for a compact luxury car. Interior materials are nice, and it feels roomy for the car’s fairly small size. Seating is comfortable for extended drives, and visibility isn’t a problem. The ride is smooth and quiet, with very little in the way of NVH (though the CVT can make the engine buzzy under full load). The $5500 Technology Package (for a total starting MSRP of $34,400) adds convenience technology such as navigation with traffic and weather, upgraded surround sound audio, voice recognition software, and GPS-linked, solar-sensing dual climate control.
It wasn’t until we settled down and drove civilly that we were able to appreciate what was “just right” about the Camry Hybrid’s powertrain. Namely, that it wasn’t a vehicle for going fast, but rather delivering just enough power for the average on-road situation while returning simply excellent fuel economy with a minimum of effort. The trick came with exploiting the electric motor’s torque without dipping too far into the throttle. Finding the appropriate driving style to really net the best balance of economy and pace was a recipe for a surprisingly involving experience.
A recent report at Autocar indicates that future Ferraris could use more electric and “green” technology than ever before while maintaining the staggering performance levels we’ve come to expect.
A story from The New York Times Wheels Blog is reporting that battery manufacturer Envia Systems has made a significant breakthrough in lithium-ion battery technology that could drastically change the EV game.
The automotive market is continually changing, and perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in electric propulsion and hybrid systems. And, the pace of change is only increasing—more and more manufacturers are creating hybrid variants of their cars or going all out and introducing completely new EVs like the Nissan Leaf. However, the annual Global Automotive Executive Survey put out by KPMG, a global audit and tax advisory firm, reports that the number of new electric vehicles merging onto the road is going to level off for the next decade or so.
The cars that exist in the present are getting closer and closer to the cars that we’d expected to have, generally speaking, “in the future” just a few years ago. Toyota’s new Prius C is very much a case in point here. A small, lightweight, versatile, hugely efficient machine that blows away what was considered “great” fuel economy a decade ago.
Recent spy photos posted up on MotorAuthority show that Mercedes-Benz is giving its flagship vehicle, the venerable S-Class, the nip-and-tuck treatment. The updated car is apparently due out as a 2013 model sometime later this year with relatively minor changes. Updates include LED running lights, the introducing of a few new powerplants including a plug-in hybrid, and a bit of a stretch in overall length to name a few. The plug-in hybrid technology would be taken from the 2009 Vision S500 concept vehicle, which was first shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Recently published photos on Supercarteam.blogspot, taken from the Italian magazine Quattroroute, show what seem to be an all-new Lamborghini SUV. The styling looks like a cross between Lamborghini’s own Aventador, the Maserati Kubang, and Audi’s Q5. It is reported that if put into production, we could see the vehicle arrive in 2015, and that Lamborghini will be bringing this surprising concept to the Beijing Auto Show.
The TS030 is the follow-up to Toyota’s TS010 and TS020 (better known as the Toyota GT-One). Initially, it’ll be driven by former F1 and Peugeot works driver Alex Wurz and Le Mans veteran Nicolas Lapierre, with a debut planned on May 5 at the Six Hours Of Spa-Francorchamps. Toyota will then run two TS030s at the 24 Hours Of Le Mans in June.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled its E400 Hybrid, so we made sure to get some pictures of it when we saw it on the show floor in Detroit. Have a look in this gallery.
Toyota unveiled the shockingly good looking NS4 Concept at today’s North American International Auto Show. The concept car is meant to give a glimpse of what the hybrid vehicle will be in 2015, with a peak into future styling, and interior, exterior, and drivetrain technology.
We want Acura to build this car. (That was probably clear already, if you’ve read our First Look post or checked in at the Facebook page.) It’s just that simple.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen, we have a Acura NSX future to be excited about. Yes, we’ve been down this path before, with a concept car that was lost in the rubble of the 2008 financial meltdown (and reportedly shut down even before that by execs who felt the last car was a move in the wrong direction), but hope springs eternal here at Cobo, and we want this Greenformance supercar to see the light of day.
Today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit BMW showed of the new ActiveHybrid 3. We were on hand with our camera to capture some photos live from the show floor.
Ford helped to kick off this year’s Detroit auto show in fine style this morning, filling the venerable Joe Louis Arena with its fully new, and particularly sharp-looking, Fusion range.
Volvo, renowned for its safety technology, is now looking to bust into the world of green motoring. The Swedish brand will unveil a plug-in-hybrid version of its XC60 CUV at the upcoming North American International Auto Show.