Autoblog

Click above for gallery of Subaru's newest diesel-powered models

Subaru debuted its new 2.0L diesel boxer engine earlier this year in the Legacy and Outback, and soon it will also be offered in the Forester and Impreza, though only in Europe. These two latest models to feature the unique horizontally opposed oil-burning engines will debut at the Paris Motor Show next month. The Forester 2.0D will offer 147 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque while returning 44.8 combined mpg in the European cycle, which is class-leading for a small CUV over there, while the Impreza 2.0D offers 148 hp and 258 lb-ft (fuel economy for the Impreza 2.0D was not released for some reason). The diesel Forester will hit showrooms later this month while Euro shoppers will have to wait until January for the diesel Impreza. While we certainly hope Subaru is tweaking its 2.0L diesel boxer engine to meet emissions standards in all 50 U.S. states, we haven't heard one word about it.


[Source: Subaru]

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The upcoming Paris Motor Show is going to show us some very nice green rides. To wit: the new Honda Insight, aka Prius-fighter (alternate name: the Prius-lookalike), the Mazda Kiyora concept and the Hyundai i20 i-blue. What's your top pick from the City of Lights?

• Confirmed: Volt will debut at GM's Centennial party
• Paris Preview: Honda Insight concept to be new global hybrid
• GM Hybrid sales slowly picking up some steam: 1,629 deliveries in August
• Detroit Electric goes Dutch with Europe Electric cars and Proton
• Paris Preview: Hyundai will show new 59 mpg i20 i-blue concept
• Gale Banks talks about developing high performance diesel engines
• Paris Preview: Hyundai Santa Fe hybird
• EPA to NHTSA: Go higher on new CAFE standards!
• Citroën to debut new Hypnos hybrid 'ute in Paris
• Paris Preview: "Clean and Pure" Mazda Kiyora concept
• Latest ploy to get people to leave the car at home: free showers
• Carticipate: meet friendly carpooling strangers on your iPhone
• New CO₂ limits for 2015 instead?
• Our Renewable Nation: just a simple family road trip to electric car companies across the U.S.
• Hawaii's Big Island gets new biomass power plant
• Aptera hires Paul Wilbur as new president and CEO, looking to build new plant

Click above to view gallery of the production Chevy Volt

Excitement around the production version of the Chevy Volt is reaching a fever pitch. Last week we brought you spy video and images of what appeared to be a production Volt on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and while General Motors has since revealed that what we saw was not necessarily the series hybrid's final form (and that it was actually a rebodied, gas-powered Malibu), it nonetheless proved that the Volt's design is nearing the end of its gestation. Today GM revealed to Automotive News that the production Volt will, in fact, be unveiled this month as part of the automaker's 100-year anniversary celebration. The main events for the celebration are Monday, Sept. 15th and Tuesday, Sept. 16th, so we expect the car to be unveiled on one of those two days.

Ford Motor Company celebrated its centennial in 2003 and used the occasion to debut an equally exciting yet very different vehicle: the Ford GT. Fast forward five years and the hottest vehicle on everyone's mind is not a supercar, but a series hybrid. Times have certainly changed.


[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Four-cylinder BMWs are commonplace in Europe, but here in the States you can't buy anything Bavarian with less than six pistons. Inside Line is reporting that the German automaker may change that by adding the direct-injected 2.0L four-pot from Europe to the 3-Series. The 170-hp engine powers the 320i and 120i across the pond. The models are well-received there, and for good reason, too. The ultra-efficient powerplant averages over 38 mpg in the European combined test cycle while still providing the razor-sharp handling that is BMW's trademark.

BMW project director Oliver Friedmann said that a four-cylinder petrol Bimmer would have a "desirable effect" here in the U.S., but didn't commit any concrete plans for a U.S. four-banger. He did say that the U.S. probably isn't ready for a diesel four-cylinder, but we beg to differ. Our friends at AutoblogGreen had a blast in the twin-turbo 123d and managed 37 mpg while thoroughly testing the oil-burner's limits. We think the petrol 2.0L would be well received as well. While four-cylinder luxury cars were taboo just a few years ago, high fuel prices have given Americans plenty of motivation to welcome a 2.0L Bimmer with open arms.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Honda Insight Concept

Honda is reviving an old name for its new Global Hybrid that goes on sale next spring by calling it the Insight. The new five-door hatchback "Prius-Killer" will be the most direct competitor yet for Toyota's iconic hybrid. Learning from the lesson that hybrid buyers apparently prefer their cars to be recognizable as such rather than being derivatives of existing models, Honda has modeled the new Insight after its low volume FCX Clarity fuel cell car and will be debuting it as a concept at the Paris Motor Show next month before it goes on sale as the least expensive hybrid in the world in 2009. Recent comments by Honda have hinted at a price starting at $18,500 for the Insight, which goes on sale 10 years after the original. Unlike the tiny two-seater that had limited appeal and utility, this new one is expected to appeal to a much wider audience. Honda is planning for worldwide sales of 200,000 units a year with 100,000 going to the U.S. market.


[Source: Honda]

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Well, here's a good chance to get a few people riled up: bicyclists in the UK say that Range Rover drivers are the worst. Now, if you don't feel offended, then see if you made the list of the drivers who came in close to the top (BMW lovers, we're looking at you). Over in China, BYD has decided that the new F0 should be sold cheaply. So cheaply, in fact, that the company will only make $146 in profit on each car. Ouch.

• Cyclists: Range Rover drivers worst on the road
• Ford hybrid gets Fringe treatment on TV this fall
• Transformers 2 Volt's secret identity revealed!
• GM makes 9 of the 10 most efficient American cars
• Chrysler dealers to get preview of three new EVs this month
• Consumer Reports says that some hybrids do pay off - quickly
• Official leakage: The new Mégane III
• Hyper-miling couple going for trans-continental mileage record
• Smart Fortwo a good fit for Tall Persons Club member
• Audi R10 TDI clinches American Le Mans Series P1 championship
• This isn't the first scooter boom in the U.S.
• Spain will offer carpoolers lower toll booth costs
• BYD ready to sell the F0 for a whopping $146 in profit
• Lutz calls for crash test break so small cars can be brought to U.S.
• Ten years and all Smart can find is five dozen photos? Pshaw
• Inaugural VW Jetta TDI cup season half-way home
• Some politicians want to mandate 100% flex fuel capability

Toyota is the undisputed leader in the hybrid space, and the Japanese automaker is looking to expand its kingdom by adding an all-electric vehicle to the mix. While there are few details available, Toyota has said the EV would likely be an urban city-type vehicle that will be available in the "early 2010s". Hopefully it will be more accommodating than Toyota's last attempt at an EV: the eCom (above), which used the innards of the RAV4 EV to achieve a top speed of 62 mph and a range of just 60 miles. Toyota's new EV, however, will be preceded in 2009 by the arrival of the brand's first plug-in Prius hybrid.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Click above for more hi-res images of the Dodge Zeo concept

While everyone is aware of what GM, Honda and Toyota have been up to when it comes to fuel-saving technology, Chrysler has been playing it close to the chest. The Auburn Hills-based automaker, however, will show its dealers three new all-electric cars at the end of this month that are said to be production capable. Jim Press, the Chrysler exec who came from rival and current hybrid-leader Toyota, added that Chrysler's future platforms were being designed with electrification in mind and that is still has access to technology from its previous owner, Daimler.

Like General Motors, Chrysler seems convinced that its EVs need to have plug-in capability. The goal, says Press, is 300 miles of range. To make that a reality, a very good set of batteries will be necessary – likely lithium-ions – and Press assures us that his company is working with multiple suppliers. Will any of the production-ready models be anything like the concepts shown off last year in Detroit? We'll see.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Toyota iQ.

While we're clamoring for small, efficient transportation, Europe is already awash with micro cars, diesels, and hatchbacks. When Toyota designed and engineered the tiny iQ, it had to go smaller and greener than the competition, so the little four-seater is only about 1.5 feet longer than a Smart fortwo. AutoExpress is reporting that Toyota is prepared to take iQ to the next level of green, with a plug-in hybrid version of the micro mini. Plug-in technology would reportedly be shared with the next generation Prius, save for an engine that goes from 1.0L to a displacement of only 500 cc. Chargeable batteries will enable the iQ to travel 15 miles or more without a drop of CO2-spewing combustion, and the smaller engine would stay stingy when it does come to life. While the iQ is probably still a little too small for large scale US consumption, we're sure the vehicle would have quite the cult following if it could pull off fuel economy in the 100 mpg range. If gas decides to travel back north of the $4 mark, though, even a clown car would be acceptable Stateside.


[Source: AutoExpress]

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Are the Chevy Volt's batteries like diamonds? According to GM's Bob Lutz, the answer seems to be yes. For Zipcar, all the people saying "yes" to car sharing doesn't necessarily mean profits are rolling in. But what about that huge Hummer? Well, it's quite the bummer.

• Lutz says Volt's batteries are "flawless"
• Smart ED test is in full swing in Islington, UK
• Free hybrid alert: win a Lexus RX 400h SUV for a year
• Holden emboldened by lack of Chrysler success, offers cheap gas
• Bummer Hummer burns at Burning Man 2008
• Dubai public transportation to be all hybrid by 2012
• Toyota to start leasing fuel cell vehicle in Japan
• Profits absent as Zipcar grows
• European parliament scales back CO₂ emissions limits
• Honda to debut Prius-fighter concept this Thursday
• Ener1 CEO paints rosy future for li-ion battery technology
• Toyota reportedly prepping hybrid version of new iQ mini
• Darryl Hannah converting "Kill Bill" Trans Am to EV
• BMW slashing production of big engines, shifting to four cylinders
• Bosch-Samsung JV, SB LiMotive Co. Ltd officially starts operations