FIA President Max Mosely has sent a letter to Formula One teams outlining the plans for phasing in hybrid systems in the sport. Beginning in 2009, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will be integrated into the transmissions of F1 cars. The…
Category: Autoblog
Volkswagen executive shuffle; Dr. Rudolf Krebs takes over EV group
An executive shuffle in the Volkswagen Group sees Dr. Rudolf Krebs take over as the Group Chief Officer for Electric Traction. Dr. Krebs takes over the job from Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, who is headed to China to take over all of VW's operations…
Dr. Z thinks driver training could have as much impact on MPG as technology
In an article in the June 2007 issue of Automotive Engineering International Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche discussed some of the technologies that will lead to reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years. There…
Oil prices continue to rise as Saudis target $80 per barrel, could climb from there
As summertime approaches, so do rising fuel prices. This time around, the price hikes are tied to rising world oil prices. When gas prices dropped from peaks of over $4 per gallon last summer to under $ 2 at the end of the year, world-wide demand…
New York 2008: 2009 Nissan Maxima, coming next year with a new diesel
Click the new Maxima for a high-res gallery of 60+ photos
Almost a year ago, Nissan announced that they would introduce their first U.S.-market diesel engines in 2010 in the Nissan Maxima. While we still have a while to wait for the new fifty-state…
Geneva 2009: Volkswagen reveals Polo BlueMotion concept, 87 g/km CO2!
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion Concept
Volkswagen revealed the all-new Polo concept, expected to come to the US market in the next couple of years. This new B-segment car comes in three- and five-door hatchback…
Obvio! contracts Lotus to design trybrid cars
Obvio! Automotoveiculos SA of Brazil has picked Lotus Engineering to help it develop two new microsports cars that are being dubbed trybrids. Obvio! will initially be building two new cars, the 828 and 012, for markets around the world. Lotus has…
Tata and Chrysler to develop electric vehicle together?
Don't get too excited just yet. Chrysler won't be re-badging a battery-powered version of the Tata Nano in the near future. Global Electric Motors ,or GEM as it's more commonly known, has apparently inked a deal with Tata to create a battery-powered…
Officially Official: Dyson-Mazda-Lola to run biobutanol blend in 2010 ALMS
As expected, the Dyson Racing Team, MazdaSpeed and BP announced today that the Lola- Mazda cars will be running on a new blend of biobutanol and ethanol for the 2010 American Le Mans Series Season. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA),…
Officially Official: EPA rates 2009 Jetta TDI at 30/41mpg
The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI is coming to VW dealers this summer as the first of the new batch of 50 state clean diesels and the official EPA fuel economy numbers are now out. The diesel has come in with ratings of 30mpg on the urban cycle and 41mpg…