Many words have been spilled here and elsewhere about the Smart ForTwo since well before its recent debut in the U.S. market. One area that has not received much attention (perhaps for a good reason) is the Smart's prowess when being thrashed on a…
Category: Autoblog
Third times a charm? Second vote on energy bill comes up 1 vote short
A second vote today in the US Senate on the new energy bill came up one vote shy of the sixty needed to end debate. Republicans opposed to $21.8 billion in tax increases have filibustered the legislation since it was first passed by the House of…
Officially Official: Chrysler PT Cruiser to live on
Chrysler made it official this morning: the PT Cruiser will cruise on — for at least another year. Earlier this spring, the PT Cruiser was one of several products slated to get the axe as Chrysler madly tried to boost it's bottom line in a failed…
The Chrysler HEMI may soon fade into history, another victim of CAFE and modern realities
In a stunning statement of the obvious, Chrysler Co-president Jim Press told Automotive News (subs req'd) that “The Hemi is not the power-train of the future.” Given rising fuel prices and new fuel economy requirements, the days of the legendary HEMI…
Automotive News publisher says that after 34 years CAFE still doesn't work
In the wake of last week's announcement by President Obama that the proposed California greenhouse gas emissions rules would be adopted on a national level, Keith Crain, the publisher of Automotive News has published an editorial calling CAFE a…
Financing lawsuit threatens Chrysler-Getrag dual clutch transmissions
The current credit crisis could be playing further havoc with Chrysler's future powertrain product plans. In the first half of 2007, Chrysler announced investment plans to build two new engine plants and a transmission plant for 2010 model cars. The…
Altair NanoTechnologies ships first 10 batteries to Phoenix Motorcars
Altair Nanotechnologies has attracted a lot of attention in recent months for the claims they have made about their new ceramic nano-material based lithium battery technology. The first committed customer for the NanoSafe battery is Phoenix Motorcars…
Mercedes-Benz wins Safety and Technology award for DiesOtto
The innovative DIESOTTO concept developed by Mercedes‑Benz has won its first major international award. In recognition of this forward-looking drive system, the well-known UK magazine Autocar presented its prestigious “Safety and Technology Award” to…
General Motors holds sustainable biofuels workshop in Beijing
China is already the third largest producer of ethanol in the world behind Brazil and the US. However, General Motors wants to make the industry sustainable just as it is trying to do here in the U.S. with its investments in Coskata and Mascoma. To…
Spotted in SoCal: Vauxhall VX220, a Lotus Elise in disguise
Vauxhall VX220 in a La Jolla garage – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you spend any time hanging out in the same areas frequented by the affluent, you'll inevitably stumble across plenty of exotic motorized conveyances. Beverly Hills,…