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DETROIT (Reuters) - Struggling auto giant General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) on Sunday revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new "concept" car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline. Introduced at the North American International Auto Show here, the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine -- if the technology is ready in two or three years. "We have a thoroughly studied concept, but further battery development will define the critical path to start of production," said Jon Lauckner, a GM...

Ford has developed an electric-drive crossover concept car in conjunction with Airstream—the Ford Airstream Concept—that is powered by a hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain—the HySeries Drive. The HySeries drive in the AirStream Concept combines a lithium-ion battery pack with a compact fuel cell system as a range extender—the fuel cell’s sole function is to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack as needed. (This series-hybrid electric drive design approach is similar to that taken by GM with its E-Flex family and the Chevrolet Volt. Earlier post.) The new fuel cell, supplied by Ford partner Ballard, operates in a steady state, allowing a...

Peter Gilbert of Glendale, Wisconsin drove his 1989 Saab 900 SPG a little more than 1,001,385 miles, according to a Saab verification. Gilbert originally purchased the Saab new in November 1989 after the divorce of his wife. He says the car survived eight collisions with deer, one claiming the radiator of his car. Perhaps the success of Gilbert's ride can be attributed to his meticulous care regiment. For example, Gilbert only used premium synthetic oil in oil changes, and changed his tires every 45,000 miles. Not to mention, he strictly followed the maintenance schedule. Gilbert donated his prized possession to...

2006 Callaway C16 The look may be familiar, but the Callaway C16 is anything but just another Corvette. The latest in a long line of products from the well-regarded "tuner," the C16 makes some significant changes to Chevrolet's two-seater, including a complete redesign of its body by Canadian stylist Paul Deutschman. Under the sleek new skin, Callaway supercharges the base, 6.0-liter LS2 V-8 - the first time the tuner has used a blower, incidentally, rather than a turbocharger. The result is an engine making an impressive 616 horsepower and 582 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to launch the C16...

It's Electric! The Tesla Roadster—a hotshot sports car that runs on batteries. By Paul Boutin Posted Monday, Nov. 27, 2006, at 6:57 AM ET Tesla Roadster. Click image to expand.Tesla Roadster A week ago, I went for a spin in the fastest, most fun car I've ever ridden in—and that includes the Aston Martin I tried to buy once. I was so excited, in fact, that I decided to take a few days to calm down before writing about it. Well, my waiting period is over, I'm thinking rationally, and I'm still unbelievably stoked about the Tesla. The Tesla Roadster...

Now that the Paris show is over, here's the rundown of what showed up and what didn't. As expected, the Chevrolet WTCC Ultra concept kicked things off with its take on what a European muscle car would look like. It was followed by the Opel Antara, which is almost identical to the 2008 Saturn Vue out next year. Volvo finally showed off its long-awaited C30 hatchback; not surprisingly, it looked just like the concept. On the more exotic side, Porsche rolled out the 911 Targa alongside the track-ready 911 GT3 RS. Both wore odd shades of orange, yet they both...

DaimlerChrysler project was shaped by a tropical fish DaimlerChrysler on Tuesday unveiled a diesel concept car that gets more than 70 miles per gallon, reduces some pollutants by 80 percent, seats four and looks like something that popped out of a Caribbean reef — only magnified. The company attributed the high mileage and lower emissions to new technology and an aerodynamic design based on the biology of a boxfish.The fully functional car was on display at a company technology exhibit in Washington, D.C. DaimlerChrysler said it had no plans to mass produce the vehicle, but that some of the technology...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Ford Fusion midsized car and its Mercury Milan sibling scored big in Consumer Reports' annual new car reliability survey, just beating out the industry's quality standard-bearers, the Honda Accord V6 and Toyota Camry V6. But, overall, Japanese brands are still the ones to beat. Of the 47 vehicles with the highest predicted reliability, 39 are Japanese. Of those, all but seven are made by Toyota or Honda. American cars are continuing to improve in reliability, however, according to Consumer Reports' surveys. The "predicted reliability" rankings appear in the 2007 New Car Preview issue of Consumer...

IT can keep up with a Ferrari, travel 400km on an empty fuel tank and is completely silent. The latest boys' toy for Silicon Valley multi-millionaires is a full-blooded American sportscar - only its blood is electricity, not oil. The Tesla Roadster, which can go from zero to 100km/h in about four seconds, is named after Serbian electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, who invented alternating current. The car is assembled in England and the electric motor is imported from Taiwan. The cars will be sold only in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Miami. The first deliveries are expected...

America's First Self-sufficient Automobile First of all... there is already coming soon a fully electric (non-hybrid) automobile that can do 0-60 in 4 seconds. You can see a preview of that and some FAQ at the www.testlamotors.com website. They don't have pricing on the unit and they are not available for sale, yet. Now, they are talking about plugging this thing in for about three hours to do 250 miles. So the question I posed to them through their website today is... why not install a hydro power unit (uses water for fuel) powering a generator that runs non-stop, 24...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The sights and sounds of thousands of swooning gearheads were just too much for General Motors Corp. to deny. The concept Camaro, unveiled earlier this year without the slightest touch of subtlety, proved to be one of the highlights of the Detroit auto show back in January, and immediately prompted speculation that the real deal would make it into showrooms. Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner responded to what he called an "overwhelmingly enthusiastic response" by announcing the automaker will begin production of the revived Camaro at the end of 2008, slated to hit dealer lots...

Toyota's Lexus Tops Dependability Study; Ford Land Rover Ranks Last DETROIT (AP) -- Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. won top honors in eight categories of a closely watched vehicle dependability study, more than any other company, while mainstream brands closed in on luxury nameplates, J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday. Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, was the top-ranked nameplate for the 12th consecutive year. It was followed by Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury and General Motors Corp.'s Buick and Cadillac. Last-place Land Rover, which is owned by Ford, lagged far behind the second-to-last brand, Saab, which is owned by GM. Land Rover owners...

MILFORD - Utah Highway Patrol troopers had blocked off part of a remote Millard County highway Wednesday so owners of exotic sports cars could slam on the gas pedal and leave those 65 mph speed limit signs in the dust. Mercedes, Jaguars, Vipers, Porches and more were zipping along State Route 257 - all for charity - when the four-day Utah Fast Pass Road Rally took a dangerous turn. Provo resident Richard Losee lost control of his $1.3 million Ferrari - which had been screaming along at close to 100 mph - and crashed 28 miles north of Milford in...

DETROIT - Amid steep gas prices, Toyota Motor Corp. rode its reputation for fuel-efficient cars to a double-digit sales increase in July and outsold Ford in the U.S. for the first month ever. Honda Motor Co. also reported robust sales. " At Ford, sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles fell 35.2 percent. Truck sales tumbled 44.8 percent, while cars slipped 6.7 percent. Sales of F-Series pickup trucks, long the country's best-selling vehicle and the company's most important vehicle, shot down 45.6 percent." " Toyota's sales, meanwhile, soared 11.7 percent, with cars jumping 19.8 percent and trucks up 1.3 percent....

art car, part motorcycle, Myers Motors' new NmG (No more Gas) vehicle certainly is one thing: energy-efficient. Manufactured entirely in a South Avenue facility in Tallmadge, the NmG is the nation's only all-electric, highway-legal vehicle that can hit 70 mph and costs less than $25,000, said Dana Myers, founder and president of Myers Motors. The road to that achievement has had plenty of twists and turns. Myers came up with the idea to produce electric cars after reading a book called The Innovator's Dilemma. He thought it would be a good change for his family business, S.D. Myers, which services...

The star of Chula Vista's auto pool is a high-tech wonder that never needs gasoline. The 2005 Honda FCX runs on hydrogen, one of the most plentiful elements on earth. Sounds like a dream. But finding city employees to pilot the vehicle has been a nightmare. “It's been a challenge to keep people driving it,” said Jack Dickens, the city's fleet manager. “They are intimidated by the cost.” Manufactured in small batches, these experimental cars are painstakingly engineered and stuffed with costly gizmos. This gives the little FCX a big price tag: $1 million. “I try not to drive it...

Honda’s new Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport has this week set no fewer than 19 world speed records and achieved 3.07 litres / 100 km (92 mpg) fuel economy to boot. British racing driver Robin Liddell and freelance journalist Iain Robertson were part of the European record-setting team. Amongst the speed records set, which were all achieved in Production Car Class B (2000 – 2500 cc), were 133.04 mph (1 mile flying start), 84.25 mph (1 mile standing start) and an average speed of 130.38 mph over a 24-hour endurance period. These records were all set at Papenburg high-speed oval test...

July 19, 2006 Have You Hugged a Hummer Today? Hybrid vehicles' overall energy costs exceed those of comparable non-hybrids Shikha Dalmia Ford Motor Company did itself a huge favor recently by backing away from its pledge to bump-up its hybrid production ten-fold in four years. But, as it turns out, the company might have done the planet a whale of a favor too. Just last fall, CEO Bill Ford was valiantly promising in a mega-million dollar ad campaign that the company would never, ever turn away from its hybrid pledge because these vehicles were central to the company's reputation as...

Several Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are racing to bring high-end electric cars to market. SAN CARLOS, Calif. (AP) -- Like many Silicon Valley engineers, Martin Eberhard loves cars, especially fast ones. But the self-described ''closet gearhead'' didn't feel comfortable buying a hot rod that guzzled gas from the Middle East or some other troubled region. So three years ago, Eberhard and friend Marc Tarpenning launched Tesla Motors Inc. Their goal: to design a sports car that would go as fast as a Ferrari or Porsche, but run on electricity. With about 80 employees, Tesla just raised $40 million from high-profile investors...

TOKYO -- A newspaper reported Thursday that Nissan plans to develop a new heavy-duty version of its Titan pickup truck by the end of the decade to cash in on the lucrative U.S. market. Currently, the Titan is only sold in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reported that the beefed-up version of Nissan's Titan would be aimed at contractors and trailer haulers. It would compete with vehicles such as Ford's F-250 pickup. A Nissan spokeswoman declined comment. The move would be a challenge to the domain of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, which have leaned on highly popular...