Archive for February 13th, 2010
Is there real progress hapening on the hydrogen highway?
Filed under: Hydrogen
So, does Peter Wells, who recently wrote an article called “Hydrogen highways: the concept becoming reality,” rely on the hydrogen fantasy themes we discussed recently? Not so much, at least at first. He even admits that the current state of hydrogen availability is “sparse and geographically constrained.”
Wells’ article begins with a simple list of hydrogen projects that have been completed or are being finished now. Wells lists hydrogen corridors in Norway and Japan, California and Germany, to name just four the eight he found, and it’s kind of cool to see them listed in one place. Whether or not these stations are a good idea or not we’re not going to get into right now, but at least there’s a bit of reality entering the hydrogen proponent’s vocabulary. Thanks to Roy B. for the tip!
[Source: Automotive World]
Is there real progress hapening on the hydrogen highway? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Cadillac plans European return (EU)
Cadillac is planning to announce a new distribution arrangement for the UK and Europe before the Geneva motorshow. Cadillac is viewing ‘multiple proposals’ for the distribution arrangements, which are thought to include various different independent distributors and the possibility of Vauxhall/Opel taking over the responsibility itself.
“We’ve got multiple proposals along all those lines and we’ll make a decision soon. I’d like to be at Geneva with a solution,” said Cadillac general manager Bryan Nesbitt.
Cadillac needs a new distributor because its previous arrangement came to an end last year when its Dutch partner, Kroymans hit financial trouble. As a result sales are mothballed while Cadillac sorts out its future plans, but the company desperately needs new and solid distribution arrangements in Europe because a new range of cars with a more subtle design language are on their way.
These will more obviously target the three major executive car segments – in BMW terms, 3, 5 and 7 Series.
The 5.1m long XTS saloon concept shown at Detroit is the first sighting of this evolved design language which takes the heavily-creased Art and Science theme developed in the late 1990s. Although the XTS is sized around the Mercedes S-Class, it won’t necessarily be the flagship of Cadillac new range. Most immediately it will replace both the DTS and STS, but in pricing and positioning it still leaves room above for a super-luxury Cadillac saloon in the mould of the V16-powered Sixeen concept of a few years back.
“A real luxury flagship is still on our wishlist,” says Clay Dean, Cadillac design chief.
Edmunds puts Toyota recall into marketplace percentage context
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota
There’s no arguing that Toyota’s recent string of recalls and safety issues is a huge deal. After all, Toyota enjoyed years of rapid growth due in large part to its sterling record of safety, reliability and practicality. When analyzing the actual data, though, an interesting question arises: Are we – both the media and the public at large – blowing the Toyota recall story out of proportion?
The answer to that question is up to each and every one of us to decide, naturally, but Edmunds has taken it upon itself to compile a mountain of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data in an effort to shed some much-needed light on Toyota’s recent woes (including its Lexus and Scion divisions) in comparison to the rest of the automotive marketplace. Here’s the crux of Edmunds’ findings:
Toyota ranks 17th among automakers in the overall number of complaints per vehicle sold… Toyota was the subject of 9.1 percent of the complaints from 2001 through 2010 (through February 3). During this period, the company sold 13.5 percent of all new cars in the United States.
So, what does all of this mean? That’s debatable. Consider that these issues, which were reported to NHTSA by consumers themselves and entered into an database that’s not checked for accuracy, are not weighted for severity. So, a seemingly trivial issue counts just the same as one that could lead to a serious accident or death. Nevertheless, hit the jump for Edmunds’ complete breakdown and ranking of all automakers from 2001 to February 3rd of 2010.
Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.
[Source: Edmunds | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]
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Edmunds puts Toyota recall into marketplace percentage context originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit?
Filed under: Etc., Videos, Russia
If you’re Ken Block, you replace the four wheels on your Subaru with a set of Mattracks. If you’re an enterprising inventor in Chelyabinsk, Russia with leftover tread assemblies from what looks like construction machinery, you make this… doohickey. Whatever rested on the treads before was removed, and in its place a car has been fitted. The video first shows a car driving onto the treads with its wheels still on, and while our Russian isn’t what it used to be we can’t imagine how that could work. Follow the jump to see the thing in action. And for those of you enduring the East Coast winter, shipping is available…
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit?
Video: Russian strap-on tank conversion kit? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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