Bush Senior Buys a Chevy Volt

Published March 31, 2012By Huw EvansWho would have thought it? Given the flack the Chevy Volt has received at Republican hands over the last few months, former Republican president George H. W. Bush dealt the Volt attackers a serious blow, deciding to purchase one of GM’s extended range electric cars.The Volt, which has become a symbol of all that’s wrong with the Obama administration according to some conservatives, might finally be getting a break. In addition to Bush Sr.’s purchase of a Volt (for his son Neil), there’s growing sentiment among...

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Iso Grifo Can Am

V8 / 7.443 cc / 416 PS / Vmax: ~186 mph (300 km/h)(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/iso-grifo-can-am.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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Daimler And BYD Launch Denza Brand

Published March 30, 2012By Bertel SchmittWe'd said it would happen, and sure enough, Daimler and BYD unveiled their joint EV brand Denza today. They literally just unveiled the brand. The cars will be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in the last week of April. They should have kept everything covered and hire some professionals. The brand unveiling took place at BYD’s headquarters in balmy Shenzhen, on the other side of the Hong Kong border. Carnewschina is miffed that they were not invited to the shindig. What should I say, I am in Shenzhen...

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Mitsubishi and Eaton Move Forward with EV Charging Stations in Hawaii

Published March 30, 2012By Huw EvansWith a limited product portfolio in North America, Mitsubishi has been pushing its new electric vehicle, the i, pretty hard of late. Recently, the company announced that in the state of Hawaii, it has fostered a partnership with Eaton Corp. to develop a plan for rapid expansion of Level 2 quick charging stations in the Pacific island chain. The move is considered a logical step since the i was first made available to retail customers in Hawaii. Initially at least, that expansion is centered around Oahu, with...

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Studies Show Young Adults Surfing More, Driving Less

Published March 30, 2012By Jeff CobbStudies have found that Internet service providers around the globe are effectively taking would-be young drivers off the road, and business away from departments of transportation. What on earth are we talking about? In plain speak, researchers in a number of developed countries – including recently those from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute – have found young adults prefer to surf the Web, rather than cruise in automobiles. Among U.S. drivers in their 20s, the Michigan researchers...

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Lamborghini Jarama 400 GTS

V12 / 3.929 cc / 365 PS / 300 ft/lb (407 Nm) @ 5.500 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 6,0 s / Vmax: 162 mph (261 km/h)(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/lamborghini-jarama-400-gts.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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Nissan Wins Japanese Industry Prize for Hybrid Technology

Published March 30, 2012By Huw EvansIn Japan, Nissan Motor Co has been awarded the Contribution Prize of the Ichimura Prizes in Industry. Hosted by the New Technology Development Foundation, the Ichimura Prizes in Industry award is now in its 44th year and is given to domestic individuals or organizations that show outstanding leadership in the field of new technologies. This year, thanks to its one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid system, Nissan was presented with the Contribution Prize, being the only automaker to win such an award so far in...

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Could Saab be Revived as a Maker of Electric Vehicles?

Published March 29, 2012By Huw EvansWhile Saab’s bankruptcy last December is still proving hard to swallow among many in the industry, there’s been no shortage of potential suitors looking to revive the Swedish automaker.Besides Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Group, which narrowly missed acquiring the automaker and is still in talks with Saab’s receivers, an as yet unnamed Sino-Japanese consortium is now also expressing interest.However, in this case, there’s a bit of an environmental twist. The consortium in question, which reportedly has...

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2012 Toyota RAV4 EV Will Be Built In Canada

Published March 29, 2012By Jeff Cobb The RAV4 EV will reportedly use J1772 charging interface. Yesterday Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) announced it will increase RAV4 production at its Woodstock, Ontario plant with plans also to produce the 2012 RAV4 EV. Previously Toyota had only said the second-generation electric RAV would be built in North America, but...

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12-passenger 2012 Nissan NV priced from $31,690*

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Renault Twizy 45 Could Be Driven In UK With No License

Published March 29, 2012By Jeff CobbDo you remember when you looked forward to getting a first car? Well times and potential cars have changed, and in the UK one with a potentially low barrier to entry could be this 28-mph max speed EV that may soon be able to be driven by those age 16 and up without a license. Pictured is a 2013 Renault Twizy 45 which the automaker tentatively plans to introduce to the UK as a possible first vehicle for beginning drivers, and technically, it’s not a car, but rather, a quadricycle. Pending UK law would allow for...

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Daily dose of sexy brought to you by HRE Wheels, Ferrari 458 Italia [w/video]

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Analyst Downgrades A123 Systems In Light Of Fundraising Challenges

Published March 29, 2012By Jeff CobbAfter announcing a $55 million recall for Fisker Karma and other supplied batteries, A123 Systems has had a Deutsche Bank analyst cut his recommendation from “buy” for its stock to “hold.” The New York-based analyst was reported as saying costs to replace all defective battery packs and modules “represents a severe impact” and his confidence in AONE, as the stock is called, is diminished. "We no longer have enough confidence that AONE can raise sufficient capital (without massive equity dilution) and/or continue...

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Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 GT

S4 / 1.573 cc / 120 PS / 103 ft/lb (140 Nm) @ 3.000 / Vmax: 112 mph (180 km/h(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/alfa-romeo-giulia-1600-gt.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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Distracted Driving: A Hot Button Issue

Published March 29, 2012By Huw EvansWhile alternative fuel technologies remain at the forefront of automakers’ minds, arguably an even bigger focus is their obsession for adding more and more features to the inside of our vehicles. The result of this push to meet perceived consumer demand is that the concept of “distracted driving” has almost taken on new meaning. Whether it’s adding Bluetooth connectivity, smart phone apps, voice command technology, streaming TV, real time traffic updates or local points of interest, there are so many things...

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Distracted Driving: A Political Hot Button

Published March 29, 2012By Huw EvansWhile alternative fuel technologies remain at the forefront of automakers’ minds, arguably an even bigger focus is their obsession for adding more and more features to the inside of our vehicles. The result of this push to meet perceived consumer demand is that the concept of “distracted driving” has almost taken on new meaning. Whether it’s adding Bluetooth connectivity, smart phone apps, voice command technology, streaming TV, real time traffic updates or local points of interest, there are so many things...

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Toyota UK says <i>Top Gear</i> boys to go on another Hilux adventure [w/video]

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Ford Dedicates 285,000-Square-Foot Facility To Electrified Vehicles

Published March 28, 2012By Philippe Crowe Ford Fusion Energi. Ford’s team of more than 1,000 engineers working on hybrid and electrification programs has grown so fast that the company announced today the conversion of its 285,000-square-foot Advanced Engineering Center in Dearborn, Mich., to electrified vehicle development. In the past five years, Ford has doubled the size...

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Early Subaru BRZ sales running at 4x projections in Japan

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Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid

By Larry E. HallOn the automotive spectrum, Porsche and Prius are poles apart. For decades, one was the definitive German high-performance sports car brand, renowned for its extreme engineering and screaming flat-six engines. The other is just a dozen years old, the very image of the modern high-mileage hybrid.Now the spectrum has warped, and the poles are coming closer. The Cayenne S Hybrid is about as far away from the earnest nerdiness of the Prius as any Porsche can get. Porsche had first discussed a hybrid Cayenne in 2005; the first functioning...

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Americans Waste 1.9 Billion Gallons of Gas In Traffic

Published March 28, 2012By Jeff CobbTraffic jams and poor road conditions are expensive. How expensive? According to a recent Treasury Department report, roadway congestion costs the country around $100 billion annually, based on time wasted and an estimated 1.9 billion gallons of gasoline burned in idling engines. Potholes, and chewed up roads are another issue, the report says. Average estimated costs to motorists in some densely packed areas in California, New York and elsewhere range between $400-800 per year for damage done to vehicles traversing...

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Tuschek Renovatio T500

V8 / 4.163 cc / 450 PS / 316 ft/lb (430 Nm) @ 4.000 - 6.000 / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h): 3,7 s / Vmax: 193 mph (311 km/h)(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/tuschek-renovatio-t500.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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Diesel Transit In Ford’s Stable

Published March 28, 2012By Philippe CroweFord announced yesterday that its Transit commercial van will come to market with a new clean-diesel engine, on top of the already announced EcoBoost V6. These engines will allow the new Transit to achieve at least 25 percent better fuel economy than current E-Series vans it replaces. In addition to the new Transit, certain E-Series body styles will continue to be available through most of the decade in North America, even after the U.S.-built Transit goes on sale. Production of the new Ford Transit cargo...

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Ferrari Looks to Save Fuel While Retaining V12 Engines

Published March 28, 2012By Huw EvansWhen Ferrari unveiled its new F12 Berlinetta at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, as witnessed first hand by HybridCars.com, Ferrari’s President Luca di Montezemolo was adamant that its introduction signaled a new era in V12 engined Ferraris. For diehard Modena fans, the news no doubt comes as a sigh of relief, especially as many luxury and exotic car manufacturers are under pressure to improve fuel economy. More conventional means of doing so include smaller displacement engines with fewer cylinders and relying...

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Tuk Tuk Rickshaw Runs on Trash and Animal Waste

Published March 27, 2012By Jeff CobbAn innovative electrified hybrid powered by fuel that’s most definitely renewable and sustainable is being developed not by an automotive company, but by the Denver Zoo. The three-wheeled, 20-year-old rickshaw fueled by animal feces and human trash is itself recycled from its former days as a petrol-powered people mover in Thailand. Now better known as “tuk tuk,” it is a running prototype for a larger system due for completion this fall, and if successful, the system could change the future of waste management,...

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These are the 10 new cars with the highest percentage of female ownership

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This is what the Toyota GT 86 sounds like with a TRD exhaust

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GM Signs MOU for Volt Demo Fleet in China

Published March 27, 2012By Jeff CobbAs you’ve heard before, China wants more electric vehicles, and this week General Motors announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) to manage a fleet of Chevy Volts for data collection purposes. The MOU covers a one-year period in which CATARC will use and evaluate an undisclosed number of Volts to be delivered next month. The aim is to “to help organize workshops and seminars that will build support among decision makers and key stakeholders...

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Kaiser Frazer &quot;Henry J Coupe&quot; Custom

No technical specification available(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/kaiser-frazer-henry-j-coupe-custom.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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Shelby previews 1000-HP Super-Stang ahead of New York debut

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Daimler And BYD Have Chinese Baby, Named Tengshi, Or Dingcheng

Published March 27, 2012By Bertel SchmittReal Chinese brands are losing market share to joint ventures. The Chinese government wants to keep up appearances, and strongly suggests to joint ventures with foreigners that they should start a separate “Chinese” brand. Latest to say “hao” (yes, ok, jawohl) is Daimler. Its joint venture with BYD to make electric cars in China will dispense with making electric Mercedes first and will instead immediately head to second base and launch a Chinese brand. BYD-Daimler will sell its e-mobiles under the "Denza"...

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Lotus ramps up partnership with Mansory

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Opel Ampera Wins Monte Carlo Rally for EVs and Alternative Propulsion

Published March 26, 2012By Huw EvansWhile GM works at re-building the Chevy Volt’s reputation at home, across the pond in Europe, its cousin the Opel Ampera has added yet another notch to its belt. Following on from its European Car of the Year accolade and positive sales numbers, the Ampera has also won the 13th annual Monte Carlo Rally for Electric and Alternative Propulsion vehicles. Piloted by veteran Monte Carlo competitor Bernhard Darniche and co-driver Joseph Lambert, the #12 Team Opel France Ampera, finished first overall in the grueling...

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Plymouth Business Coupe Custom (1948)

V8 / 5.801 cc(click images for a larger view) <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/plymouth-business-coupe-custom-1948.html&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=false&amp;width=100&amp;action=like&amp;font=arial&amp;colorscheme=light"...

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