Earlier this week when Hyundai America product development VP John Krafcik revealed that the company would unveil a hybrid version of the Sonata at the LA Auto Show, some of the PR people in the room seemed to be caught by surprise. Now the Chairman…
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Bosch challenging Japanese suppliers for hybrid dominance
Bosch is already the world's biggest automotive supplier and they intend to extend that dominance into the realm of hybrid vehicles. But, as a company that has prided itself on being on the bleeding edge when it comes to introducing new technology to…
Hyundai might bring their first US diesel to the Veracruz
Recently we reported that Hyundai sees diesels as possibly a more cost effective alternative to hybrids, and now it looks like they may be bringing one to the US market as soon as 2009. Hyundai will be offering a new 3.0L V-6 turbo-diesel in the new…
Report: Germany won't provide subsidies for electric car purchases
It looks like Germany won't be jumping into the race to see who can provide the biggest subsidies for purchases of plug-in vehicles. At the launch of the National Program for Electric Mobility in Berlin on Monday, German officials said that federal…
Ferrari Chairman to start 2009 Le Mans 60 years after first Ferrari win [w/VIDEO]
This Saturday in France, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo will be on hand to give the drivers the starting order for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Montezemolo's presence will help commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first win by a Ferrari at the…
Much of BMW 2011 lineup gets new single turbo six with 7% better efficiency
Much of BMW's U.S. market lineup is making the switch to a 2011 model year designation early this spring with the highlight being a new version of the 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine dubbed N55. The N55 has the same 300 horsepower and 300…
Video: Sebring 2010: BMW's Dirk Mϋller talks about hour 1
The last 24 hours have been tough for Dirk Mϋller, one of the drivers of the BMW M3 GT2 in the American Le Mans Series. After setting the fastest GT2 time in qualifying on Friday for today's 12 Hours of Sebring, his time was disallowed because of an…
Department of Energy to kick $14 million for PHEV battery research
The US Department of Energy has committed to contributing $14 million dollars to a $28 million project being run by the US Advanced Battery Consortium. The USABC is part of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) which is an…
UQM Technologies improves results, only loses $764K in last quarter
Even in a down economy, things were looking up for UQM Technologies in its most recent fiscal quarter. Lots of interest in its electric drive systems helped the company raise its revenues to $2,873,595, a big jump from the $1,714,858 it recorded a…
LG Chem gets exclusive contract to supply LiIon batteries to Hyundai/Kia
South Korea's LG Chem has just scored a second big contract for their automotive lithium ion batteries. Earlier this year, the company, along with U.S. subsidiary Compact Power Inc., were one of two groups awarded development contracts from General…