While seeing Chinese cars on display at the Detroit Auto Show has become somewhat common these past few years, there is one place they were hardly expected: Costco!
Yes, the big-box discount store Costco could be selling the Chinese-designed and Mexican-built vehicles says one auto exec. The CEO of GS Motors — Kathleen Ligocki — told the Hybrid Cars website that she thinks the US will follow in Mexico’s footsteps. GS Motors sold 4,000 China-made vehicles in Mexico last year at…Costco and Wal-Mart.
My first thought: If they are sold at Costco, will they come individually wrapped and in a pack of ten?
The automotive research and manufacturing company Lightning Hybrids says they’ve designed a 100 MPG hydraulic-hybrid with sports sedan performance (0-60 mph in 5.9s). The company hopes to score the $10 million purse from the Automotive X Prize.
You may be asking yourself ‘What, exactly, is a ‘hydraulic-biodiesel hybrid’? Since there isn’t a great deal of information available on the Lightning Hybrids’ website or ABG, I decided to give the company a phone call.
By Jo Borras •
March 2, 2009
Bentley has released official pictures of the ethanol-powered GT we previewed a few weeks ago. This new car is the first flex-fuel vehicle in the company’s history, and Bentley is calling the 621 bhp bruiser the “Continental Supersports”. Bentley claims the GT’s owners will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds on their way to a top speed of 204 mph.
By Jerry James Stone •
February 26, 2009
Volkswagen, which introduced its Clean Diesel Technology on the race track in 2008, announced it’s using B5
biodiesel to power its race cars, transport vehicles and generators for the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season.
By Jerry James Stone •
February 24, 2009
Last week, Toshiba and Volkswagen unveiled a partnership for developing next-gen electric car batteries.
Mostly known for laptop computers here in the States, Toshiba is the General Electric of Japan. They build everything from consumer electronics to nuclear power plant components.
By Jo Borras •
February 18, 2009
Last week we covered news about Volkswagen’s new BlueMotion brand of fuel-efficient vehicles — but that’s not the only “green” news coming out of Wolfsburg these days: VW subsidiary Škoda just released word that its highly anticipated GreenLine sedans are now available for purchase throughout Europe.
Škoda is trying to carve a niche for itself with large sedans that are green and luxurious — starting with the company’s flagship SuperB sedan. Škoda first showed the VW Passat-based sedan at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. Like the Passat, the Škoda makes use of a 1.9 liter turbo direct-injection clean diesel that delivers 105 hp and over 180 lb-ft of torque at low rpm, making for quick acceleration off the line and serious biofuel capability.
Find out more — and read Škoda’s official press release — after the jump.
By Jo Borras •
February 11, 2009
Several weeks ago, I filled you in on Bentley’s upcoming ethanol supercar, promised to be the fastest, most powerful Bentley ever offered.
In the days since, Bentley has kept the world’s journalists hungry for more details, releasing only this “Project Victoria” teaser video, a March reveal date, and precious little else… but has one of Volkswagen’s lesser-known suppliers inadvertently given away Project Victoria’s horsepower secrets?
You bet! Read it here first, after the jump.
By Jerry James Stone •
February 10, 2009
Volkswagen’s launched a new brand: BlueMotionTechnologies.
It houses all of Volkswagen’s best eco-friendly tech. It currently includes a new start-stop system, regenerative braking, SCR catalytic converter and the NOx storage catalytic converter.
By Jerry James Stone •
January 31, 2009
At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Audi announced that their Clean Diesel A3 TDI would be available in US by early 2010.
The Audi A3 is by far one of Europe’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient cars, and Audi is hoping the car will kick some major Prius butt. Pitching the car as a hybrid-fighter, Audi is pairing it off against both the Prius and the Honda Insight.
By Jerry James Stone •
January 24, 2009
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Volkswagen showed off its latest roadster — the BlueSport Concept. The BlueSport features a 177 hp diesel engine with rail injection and a downstream NOx storage catalytic converter, all in a 6-speed DSG dual clutch transmission.
