pow

I hope the percentage increases are conservative, because they translate to 24/26 mpg. The current Highlander Hybrid does better than that, and it has AWD, seven seats, and more room.

The AFS Trinity car uses an ultracapacitor, which allows electricity to be quickly generated to power the motor and spin the wheels, while keeping the strain on the battery constant. Think of it as a water tank on a toilet: "the reservoir lets the toilet get by with a small supply pipe, yet still delivers a large volume at once for flushing (acceleration)." GM does not plan on using such as system on the Volt, so they need a lot more batteries, which must also endure a lot more charging/discharging. At the moment, GM has one pack from LG Chem/CPI; the one from A123/Continental has yet to arrive. Neither of them exist in quantity. I'd say there's still a lot more work to be done.

Hm, the more productionized version, with the side chrome window surround, looks better, IMO. I'm not crazy about those wheels, however, as they remind me of the Riviera concept.

My initial impressions of it weren't too positive. It seemed a bit too hatchbacky, and I didn't like how fat the rear 3/4s were (350Z-esque). But the more I look at it now, the more I "get" it. From the side, it reminds me of a Lamborghini Murcielago, and that's a good thing.

Closing the Power Gap Between a Hybrid’s Supply and Demand By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: January 13, 2008 A HYBRID that drives the first miles of each trip on batteries charged from the electricity grid — and burns no gasoline at all until the batteries have been drawn down — is a widely sought antidote to $3 gasoline. But no automaker has yet shown a battery pack for such a vehicle, known as a plug-in hybrid, that would be durable enough for mass production. Now one company, AFS Trinity Power of Bellevue, Wash., says there is no need to wait for advanced batteries to be invented — that a successful plug-in hybrid can be assembled from components that are already available. The company, which specializes in energy storage devices, is displaying a running prototype at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens Sunday for press previews and runs through Jan. 27. The prototype is based on a Saturn Vue Green Line, a hybrid crossover that General Motors builds using a low-cost belt-alternator system for its electric drive. With extensive modifications, AFS Trinity’s Vue can run 40 miles on electricity alone, the company says, drawing its power from a combination of lithium-ion batteries and scaled-up versions of common electrical devices called capacitors. With a second electric drive system added to the standard gas-electric setup of a Vue Green Line, it would not be a stretch to call AFS Trinity’s creation a hybrid hybrid. G.M., which is not involved in the AFS Trinity project, will also make announcements in Detroit about Vue hybrids on the way, including a version that uses the two-mode hybrid system recently introduced on large S.U.V.’s. Saturn promises an update on the production of its own plug-in version of the Vue as well. Typically, hybrids exploit the synergies of electricity and internal combustion by using only an electric motor at low speeds; the gas engine kicks in as speed increases, and both are used when maximum output is called for. AFS Trinity, on the other hand, took a purist position. In its system, the gasoline engine is not started until the batteries run down, an approach that Edward W. Furia, chairman and chief executive of the company, calls an “extreme hybrid.” By designing the system to operate that way, the AFS Trinity Vue can achieve the equivalent of 150 miles a gallon. But technical issues arise because it carries only a few batteries, putting a big strain on each one during acceleration — a serious problem for an automaker that must provide a long-term warranty. An electric-only vehicle would avoid the problem by carrying four or five times as many batteries, though that would greatly increase the vehicle’s cost. In fact, the problem in a hybrid is not only how much energy the batteries hold, a quality called energy density, but how fast they can deliver it, called power density. The difference between energy density and power density is like the difference between a wine jug and a peanut butter jar — the containers may have the same capacity, but the size of their openings differ greatly. Battery choices for a given application are based on the task. For a hybrid car, which needs a deep reserve of energy to go long distances, one of the most promising types is lithium ion, because it offers favorable energy density, carrying many watt-hours in each pound. That is what AFS Trinity chose for the Vue, with about 16 kilowatt-hours of usable capacity. A typical battery for a household device can empty in an hour without damage, and it can sustain momentary discharge rates three or four times as high, said Don Bender, the company’s chief technology officer. Specialty batteries can empty in six minutes, but they are far more expensive, and running a regular battery that way “would be like driving your engine at the red line for three or four minutes,” he said. But the discharge requirement for the Vue is even higher than that, and the consequences can be dire. Emptying a battery too fast makes it heat up, causing damage or even a fire. To cover the gap between the batteries’ ability to supply energy and the demand of the hybrid’s electric motor, the experimental Vue uses ultracapacitors, which are the electrical equivalent of the peanut butter jar. Larger versions of the devices used to manage power flow in all sorts of electronic circuits, the ultracapacitors can be filled from the lithium-ion batteries and then emptied quickly into the motor that drives the wheels as the driver demands. The rate of energy flow is also an issue as a hybrid car slows down, when its electric drive motor turns into a generator. This process, known as regenerative braking, converts the car’s motion into a powerful stream of electric current, but today’s hybrids capture only about half of the energy produced this way. Ultracapacitors can absorb a much higher percentage. The ultracapacitors take up about as much space as the lithium ion batteries, although they store a total of less than one kilowatt hour. Mr. Bender described the entire package as looking like an 18-pack of Red Bull cans, shrink-wrapped. In use, the capacitors function much like the water tank on a toilet. That reservoir lets the toilet get by with a small supply pipe, yet still delivers a large volume at once for flushing. The idea is not unique to AFS Trinity; General Electric, for example, is considering capacitors for a hybrid electric bus. Because the AFS Trinity Vue runs long distances as a pure electric, it needs a full-size electric motor to go along with the full-size gasoline engine it uses in hybrid operation. While G.M.’s design for the Vue Green Line can get by with a small electric motor connected to the drivetrain by a belt, the AFS Trinity version has been modified with a 200-horsepower electric motor under the rear floor. The Vue Green Line’s standard hybrid system drives the front wheels, and the motor added by AFS Trinity drives the rear wheels. So in its first 40 miles, the Vue is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, and after that it is intermittently a four-wheel-drive vehicle, with the energy from regenerative braking captured by the capacitors and funneled through the motor driving the back wheels. “It saved us from mechanical integration and made it basically a software integration,” Mr. Bender said. But the ultracapacitors could be used in any kind of design, he said. The idea behind the AFS Trinity is based on a widely accepted rule of thumb: the vast majority of drivers travel fewer than 40 miles a day. According to AFS Trinity, a driver who went 40 miles or less a day six days a week, and 100 miles once a week, would be traveling 150 miles for each gallon of gasoline burned, spending a little less than $8 for the gasoline and a little less than $8 for the electricity. The total fuel cost of $15.49 is about one-third of what it would cost for the gasoline to propel a conventional hybrid like the Lexus RX 400h the same distance, by AFS Trinity’s calculation. In the AFS Trinity prototype, ordinary house current to charge the lithium ion batteries enters the car through a plug behind the rear license plate. In mass production, the plug-in version would cost $8,600 more than the ordinary hybrid, according to the company, whose calculation of the payback period is in the range of 3.5 years. Payback time would be somewhat shorter if the United States puts a price on carbon dioxide emissions as a way to reduce global warming gases. The Vue Green Line, as Saturn builds it, emits nearly one pound of carbon dioxide for each mile traveled; the AFS Trinity version, running on the average kilowatt-hour, produces about six-tenths of a pound. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/automobi...amp;oref=slogin VIDEOS: http://www.afstrinity.com/video.htm

The Passat CC unifies sports car dynamics and sedan comfort First car in the world with Lane Assist lane keeping system Dynamic Drive Control electronic chassis system is standard starting at 170 PS High-class engines deliver 140 PS to 300 PS Wolfsburg / Detroit, January 2008. Volkswagen is opening the year 2008 with the world premiere of the Passat CC. Its identifying characteristics: coupé design, yet with four doors; impressive comfort, yet pure dynamics; sporty interior, yet space without compromises. The interplay of these contrasts has resulted in a car whose concept and design set a new course beyond the mainstream. At the same time, the Passat CC is a progressive technological platform with high-class engines (103 kW / 140 PS to 220 kW / 300 PS) and innovative assistance and driving dynamics systems. These include world firsts in the "Lane Assist" lane keeping system and the "Dynamic Drive Control" electronic chassis control system. No less innovative: the "Park Assist" parking assistant and "ACC Automatic Distance Control" with stopping distance reducing "Front Assist". ...

This gives me far more hope for Ford than the newly-released '09 F-150 did. Much of it seems production-ready, and it's more Enclave or AURA concept than Volt or Solstice concept, in that it's a preview of an actual car, not a "design exercise" or Powerpoint-engineered distraction piece. Even ignoring the concept glitz-and-glamor, the Verve looks like an exciting design.

In the US... XF - $49,975 XF Supercharged - $ 62,975 535i - $50,175 550i Sport - $63,875 The XF also has more standard equipment - leather, CD changer, rear parking sensors, folding rear seats, autodimming mirrors, Homelink, Bluetooth, and keyless ignition.

Damn, there are dealers on eBay selling new Tauruses at $19K. The CarsDirect price for one is $20.5k! That's lower than the lowest possible price for a base Accord. It's mighty tempting, though ultimately the V-6 fuel economy and full-size heft might dissuade some people. The Taurus should be offered with the next-gen I-4s, perhaps with Ecoboost. Even normally aspirated it would produce more power than the POS Vulcan V-6 on the previous gen.

Wow, there are still 17 of them left in LA -- a good deal if you need a midsize sedan. I think this makes it the cheapest (actual price) one out there, tying with Kia's. '07 Optima auto - $15k '07 G6 - $15k '07 Sebring - $15k '08 Fusion auto - $17k '08 Sonata auto - $17k '07 6 auto - $17.5k '08 Avenger - $18k '08 Camry auto - $18k

It's on the Pontiac website: Pontiac is CAR Pontiac is... Power Performance Sports Culture Hoodscoops Dual Exhaust Passion Fun Excitement Chase scenes Love Car washes First dates Freedom Mine Confidence Attitude Music Front row Backseats Impressive Leadership Striking Remarkable Inspiring Moving Tradition Way of Life Unique Self-assured Poise Cool Current Smart Eye opening Accomplishment Curves Straightaways Awe ... and so on. Then it goes on to say... Car. One simple word. Packed with so much meaning. To some, it stands for freedom. To others it's hood scoops and horsepower. For others still, it means fun and escape. We all have our own personal definitions. They all mean something special. So let's bring car back. And all the good it stands for. From the company that always was, and will be, Car. Reminds me a bit of Crispin Porter + Bogusky's original MINI "motoring" theme back in '02, Nissan's SHIFT_, Jaguar's "Gorgeous", and VW's "Das Auto". MINI "Mantra" Let's motor. Let's sip, not guzzle. Let's leave off-road vehicles off-road. Let's stop pretending we live in the jungle. Let's stop intimidating each other. Let's not use the size of our vehicle to compensate for other shortcomings. Let's reclaim our bicycle lanes. Let's be happy. Let's have joy. Let's be honest. Let's burn the directions. Let's get lost. Let's learn. Let's turn left when we should turn right. Let's not be-right-back. Let's hold out until the next stop. Let's break routine, but not make a routine out of it. Let's teach it tricks. Let's give it a name. Let's show it some affection. Let's wash it. Let's treat it like family. Let's create our own styles. Let's teach them unto others. Let's mess with perfection. Let's bumper sticker it. Let's bonnet stripe it. Let's fuzzy dice it. Let's paint it. Let's graduation-tassel it. Let's motor. Nissan "SHIFT_" SHIFT_... transform capacity speed outings performance autobots robotron expectations future conformity youth technique venues beauty creativity play bonding assumptions canvas affection environment continents journeys expectations status quo inspiration frontier excitement limits possibility 2.0 ... and so on. Jaguar "Gorgeous" "Gorgeous. Gorgeous deserves your immediate attention. Gorgeous makes effort looks effortless. Gorgeous stays up late and still looks gorgeous. Gorgeous has no love for logic. Gorgeous loves fast. Everyone cares what Gorgeous says. Gorgeous gets in everywhere. Gorgeous can't be ordinary even if it tries. Gorgeous pays for itself in the first five seconds. Gorgeous doesn't care at all what others were doing. Gorgeous was born that way. Gorgeous trumps everything. Gorgeous is worth it. VW "Das Auto" = "The Car" The idea is that VW is to the Automobile as Coke is to soda, or as Hoover is to vacuum cleaner, or as Kleenex is to facial tissue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5ZSsKyq1Fw

Ahh. Yeah, I got $15K, too, for '07s.

Read about it on C&D a couple of weeks ago. Base V-6 model with special decals and less boaty suspension.

They're not as big here... CarsDirect price I got for a 1SV is $16.5K

Bias = having an opinion or preference = politics

A 350-to-400-hp-or-so turbocharged 3.6 DI sounds plausible and tempting... the 2.8 version of the HF V-6 is already turbocharged in the 9-3 and Vectra.

With Jag's pricing strategy in the US, the XF 4.2 300-hp goes up against the 300-hp 535i, and the supercharged 4.2 420-hp goes up against the 380hp 550i. There will be an even more powerful supercharged "R" V8 to go against the M5. But, yeah, they do have the weakest V8.

That's with cars like Ferraris and Porsches. The GT-R, and cars like the Evo and STI, are for nerdy, pedantic, internet-browsing, antisocial, PS3-playing anoraks who argue about numbers and figures and stuff.

This appeals to the video gamer crowd. Nissan said they considered doing something sleek and curvaceous but decided against it, preferring to stick with tradition. I like how they did their own thing, building up an identity and essence, as opposed to merely cloning a Ferrari or Corvette. Hyundai could learn a lesson or two.

MSRP Prius: $21,760 Camry LE: $21,735 Malibu LS: $19,995 CarsDirect Price Prius: $21,636 Camry LE: $18,950 Malibu LS: $19,764 Fuel economy ('08 EPA) Prius: 48/45 mpg Camry LE: 21/31 mpg Malibu 1LT: 22/30 mpg While we're at it... Camry Hybrid MSRP: $25,860 CarsDirect: $23,977 Fuel economy: 33/34 MPG There's no way a Prius can have a $10K premium, whether it's MSRP or actual purchase price. There are people who simply want the most fuel-efficient car they can buy, the Prius. And Americans bought more Priuses in 2007 than they bought Explorers, helped by the fact it's also a practical and roomy five-door hatchback with lots of functionality, unlike the Insight.

Odd. I've only seen maybe one Caprice as of late, and tons of late-80s and early-to-mid-90s Camries, all the time.

Looks great! Grey is always a classy color. It's not as generic as silver and easier to maintain than black. Our Silverstone Grey Passat looks fine even three weeks after a wash. The interior looks great in those pictures, too; I'm starting to come round and like more than just Cashmere/Cocoa. Btw, did you get the lower MSRP that GM initially advertised? They have a habit of quietly increasing MSRPs after the hype, reviews, and comparisons (think $19,995 Solstice). Malibu 1LT, 2LT, and LTZ prices went up ~$500 each.

Yep. Add to that list the new GT-R, new M3, new A4, new Evo..

Which makes this an arguably more appropriate midsize family car for the US market. Larger and cheaper. And if anything, maybe more reliable, as Czech-made Octavias have apparently been more reliable than German-made Golfs.

Gawd, what a stiff, corporate, generic, and PSA-esque site. The idea has real potential if executed better. Why do they always show people using Windows 98-running, CRT-monitored, Pentium 3s in these types of films?