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Hyundai announces Blue Drive efficiency strategy, Sonata hybrid in 2010

Hyundai has decided not to wait until 2020 to get its fleet average fuel economy up to 35 mpg, aiming instead for 2015. That will provide several advantages for the Korean manufacturer, including earning credits for being ahead of the curve. Perhaps more importantly now that Democrats are controlling both Congress and the White House, there is a strong possibility that California may get its waiver for CO2 standards from the EPA. If that happens, Hyundai and everyone else will have to get well beyond 35 mpg. By targeting that amount by mid-decade, Hyundai will be a lot closer to the stricter targets.

Hyundai's strategy to get to 35 mpg is officially called Blue Drive. Blue Drive kicks off in 2009 with new "Blue" editions of the Accent and Elantra that will get better fuel economy at a lower price than current models. The following year, Hyundai's hybrid system will debut in the next generation Sonata along with a lithium-polymer battery. At about the same time a new CUV based on the HED-5 concept will go into production with a new 2.0L turbocharged direct injection engine. Over the following years, downsized turbo DI engines will also appear in other Hyundai models.

posted : 11/28/2008 @5:59:58 PM
New diesels won't run when the urea tanks is dry

Owners of the new crop of clean diesels will have another maintenance item to concern themselves with if their new cars are equipped with urea injection. The EPA requires that all diesels meet strict new emissions standards, which almost always requires the use of either a NOx trap or urea injection. To ensure that the system is working, a sensor checks both the level and the quality of the urea solution and will keep the car from starting if the tank is empty. The new VW Jetta TDI doesn't use urea, but the new Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC vehicles do. According to Mercedes, a counter will appear on the dash when there are twenty starts remaining. If the driver ignores the message, the car will not operate until at least two gallons of urea solution is added to the tamper-proof tank that resides in the spare tire well. Engineers have designed the urea tanks to be large enough to last about 15,000 miles. This should be large enough that drivers never run out, as the tanks will be checked at every schedules service. As an alternative, small bottles of the urea solution will be available for owners who want to maintain the system themselves. The cost of the urea solution, which MB refers to as AdBlue, will mirror the cost of diesel fuel, so a refill shouldn't cost more than $30 or so. Before anybody asks, yes - urea is a component of urine, and no - peeing in the tank will not fool the sensors. You've been warned.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:55:03 PM
REPORT: Silver still king of car colors, the future looks blue

Automotive paint supplier PPG says the color of tomorrow's car is blue. According to Jane Harrington, PPG's manager of color styling, "It's one of those colors that complements vehicle shapes... It's a globally acceptable color. It doesn't have any bad connotations." The company studies trends in fashion, interior design, and consumer products to predict the tastes of fickle consumers. PPG isn't the only company predicting more blue sheetmetal on our roads and highways. An April report by chemicals giant DuPont also predicted a resurgence in the color, adding it was influenced by ecological concepts such as the sky and water. Consumers in 2008 apparently haven't caught on to the new "blue" trend yet. So far, 20 percent of the cars sold this year have been silver ("A neutral color that works on just about any car," says Harrington). White is second (18 percent), followed by black (17 percent) and red (13 percent). Although blue may be the new green, most consumers will still stick with black, white, and silver -- core colors that are always offered on nearly every vehicle.
posted : 10/17/2008 @5:35:10 PM
Mercedes-Benz introduces S 320 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY with 31 MPG

Mercedes-Benz really wants you to know how green its new line of diesel vehicles can be. To that end, the German automaker calls them Blue and capitalizes EFFICIENCY. Subtle, no? In an effort to earn the badge, MB has tweaked its largest and most luxurious model with a 3.0-liter diesel engine, a seven-speed automatic tranny that decouples itself at stops, a power steering pump that only operates when necessary and low rolling resistance tires. Those are pretty simple changes, no complex electric motors here. Fuel mileage, though, is rather good for such a large vehicle, coming in at nearly 31 U.S. miles per gallon. In contrast, the marque's upcoming S400 BlueHYBRID only manages about 29 miles per gallon. If this sounds to you like it makes a resounding case for diesel vehicles, you're right. It does. Unfortunately, MB only mentions German pricing for the S 320 in the press release after the jump, not indicating whether the big blue sedan will be sold on our shores anytime soon or not.
posted : 10/5/2008 @3:09:09 PM
2012 Volkswagen Golf expected to shed pounds

These days, when discussions turn towards the cars we'll be driving a few years from now, efficiency and emissions are two unavoidable topics. Such is the case with the next-next generation of the VW Golf, following the sixth iteration that will hit European dealerships later this year. So, what will the seventh version have in store for us? Smaller engines and a smaller structure. For the last few decades, every succeeding redesign was just a bit bigger and more powerful that its predecessor. Expect that trend to end with the Mk VII Golf. You can bet that diesels will account for a larger percentage of sales too, possibly even in the States. Just when are we likely to see Golf v7.0? Rumors point to 2012, but VeeDub is keeping quiet. What they do admit to, however, is working on it as you read this.
posted : 10/3/2008 @8:41:14 PM
Paris Preview: Hyundai goes green blue in Paris

Hyundai is headed to the Paris Motor Show with a bevy of environmentally friendly models and concepts. In addition to bringing along production-intent vehicles like the new i20, Genesis Coupe and Genesis sedan, the automaker will showcase two new concepts that will also carry its blue theme. Remember, blue is the new green. Anyway, the i20 blue features aero tweaks and low rolling-resistance tires in order to improve its efficiency, but it's the Santa Fe hybrid that's a bit more interesting. That new model features an electric motor that puts out 30kW of power along with a 2.4-liter four cylinder engine. Both powerplants feed their power through a six-speed automatic transmission with revised gear ratios optimized for fuel savings. A 270V lithium-polymer battery pack sends the juice to the electric motor, and it all adds up to 38 mpg in the U.S. and carbon emissions of 148 g/km. We'll be in Paris to see these things up close and personal, so stay tuned.
posted : 10/3/2008 @7:33:32 PM
Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHYBRID unveiled

Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off of its first hybrid passenger car, the S400 BlueHYBRID. Based on the S350, this mild hybrid pairs an electric motor/generator and the first lithium-ion battery in a production car with a specially tuned version of the company's 3.5L V6 driving the wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission. The V6 produces 279 horsepower and can be aided by the electric motor during acceleration with an additional 20 horsepower and 88 lb-ft of torque, giving the drivetrain a combined torque output of 285 lb-ft and what MB calls an electric "boost" effect. Like most hybrids, the S400 features a start-stop function and regenerative braking, but since Mercedes didn't want any interior or trunk space sacrificed for batteries, the S400's special li-ion battery was made small enough to be placed under the hood with the engine. The only evidence you're driving a hybrid while behind the wheel is a special display embedded in the gauge cluster that shows where the energy is flowing at any particular moment. The net result of all this technology is a very large car that sips fuel at the rate of 7.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or what would be around 29 mpg in the U.S. The M-B S400 BlueHYBRID will be available in Europe next summer, and we expect to see it offered elsewhere, including the U.S., not long after.
posted : 9/24/2008 @10:36:13 PM
VW unveils 74 mpg Golf BlueMotion Concept

Debuting in concept form today is the most fuel efficient and cleanest version of Volkswagen's sixth-generation Golf. Wearing the BlueMotion badge, as is common for VeeDubs with fuel-saving tweaks, the new Golf is able to complete the European driving cycle mileage tests with a rather epic 74 miles per gallon (around 62 mpg in the U.S. if conversions can be trusted). For those who like to keep track of such things, that's just 99g/km of carbon emissions and an excellent score by any measure. In order to achieve such low fuel consumption and emissions, the Golf BlueMotion is bestowed with a miserly 1.6-liter TDI common rail diesel engine that kicks out 105 horses and 184 lbs.-ft. of torque at a low 2,000 rpm. Low rolling resistance tires, aero tweaks and revised gearing all help the cause. Though still just a concept, there is little doubt that this model or one very similar will debut a few months after the the standard Golf in Europe next year. In the U.S.? Don't hold your breath, though a Golf TDI sold in the States may happen eventually.
posted : 9/22/2008 @10:38:39 PM

Weekend Entertainment: "Susie the Little Blue Coupe"

Thanks to frequent commenter and tipster "catgirlshyla" for sending in a link to Walt Disney's Susie the Little Blue Coupe, an animated short that originally debuted theatrically in 1952. As you can plainly see, the Disney/Pixar gang used Susie as the inspiration for how to give life to the rides in 2006's Cars -- eyes in the windshield; grilles and bumpers forming mouths. It's just as effective and charming (perhaps even more so) in decades-old hand-drawn animation as it is in 21st-century CGI. The story's very straightforward -- it chronicles Susie's life cycle from new car to used car to junk heap. Don't worry, there's still a happy ending -- it's vintage Disney, remember. Anyway, this is good stuff.
more ...

posted : 9/14/2008 @4:59:58 AM
SEMA Preview: Rossi 66 melds Corvette C2 looks with C6 hardware

There is a trend in the works that takes a modern Corvette chassis, jettisons the stock fiberglass bodywork and adds a new shell that mimics the look of an older, classic 'Vette. We have seen Classic Reflection Coachworks' take on the '62 'vert with C5 underpinnings, and now a company by the name of Blue Fusion has tackled the iconic split window. One problem: their press release continually refers to the 1966 split window, which doesn't exist as the only year the two-piece rear glass was produced was '63. But, let's not let silly little things like facts get in the way. The resultant Rossi 66 cribs the workings of a modern C6 Corvette and adds a unique Sting Ray look. Blue Fusion plans to debut its Rossi 66 at the upcoming SEMA event in November, assuming that the company is able to find the funding it needs to actually produce its first car. So far, all we have to look at are the renderings below, though we can clearly see that the '66 '63 body looks much better grafted onto a modern platform than the '62 does. We'll see if it makes an appearance in Sin City later this year.
posted : 9/2/2008 @2:56:42 AM
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