Once Burt Rutan won the first X-Prize for successfully getting his SpaceShip 1 out the earth's atmosphere the X-Prize foundation turned their attention to a more earthly pursuit. They established the Automotive X-Prize to inspire the development of…
Category: Autoblog
Hitachi develops new high power lithium ion battery
Hitachi has just announced a new generation of its lithium ion batteries with significantly more specific power than current cells. The new cells have 70 percent more power than current cells and 50 percent more than the next-generation cells that go…
Report: Mini's future includes smaller engines, DCT, and challenging the Mazda Miata
MINI Roadster Concept – Click above for a high-res image gallery
Just because a company starts out Mini it doesn't necessarily mean it can't get even smaller. Such seems to be the case with BMW's more affordable UK outpost. Mini USA VP Jim McDowell…
Volkswagen prices 2009 Jetta TDI, sedan starts at $21,990
Volkswagen has just released the official pricing for the new 2009 Jetta TDI and, as promised, the price will be about $2,000 more than the base gas engine. The Jetta TDI will run $21,990 in four-door sedan form and $23,590 in SportWagen style. The…
NextEnergy to Provide Michigan Gas Retailers with Incentives to Sell Biofuels
NextEnergy is a non-profit organization established to promote alternative energy development and use and development in Michigan. After recently opening a hydrogen filling station, they are now distributing financial incentives to expand the…
REPORT: Honda could stretch out product cycles to save costs
In the '80s and '90s, the typical product life-cycle for Japanese vehicles was four years and out. During that time, the bodies typically got a full refresh and most of the underpinnings received evolutionary updates. Automakers based in North…
Report: Diesels will outsell hybrids in the U.S. by 2012
Right now in the U.S., hybrids are all the rage among drivers who want to be more green in what they drive, but it may not stay that way for much longer. New research by Ricardo and UBS is projecting that total sales of hybrid and diesel vehicles…
eBay Find of the Day: 1979 BMW M1… wow
Click above for gallery of the 1979 BMW M1
One of the rarest of (relatively) modern BMWs is the M1. Back in the mid-1970s, the gang in Munich were tired of Porsche getting all the glory in sports car racing with its 911-based 934 and 935. BMW decided…
Tyco companies ordering 200 Ford Fusion hybrids and 3,000 Transit Connects for fleet
2010 Ford Fusion hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery
There are thousands of companies around the country with customer service fleets, often in urban areas. With fuel prices still hovering near $3 per gallon and the economy struggling,…
Volkswagen buys a stake in bio-fuel company Choren
Volkswagen has bought a German biofuels manufacturer CHOREN Industries GmbH to help promote their development of their second generation synthetic fuel. CHOREN is developing biomass-to-liquid technology that can produce sulfur-free diesel from many…