Archive for February 16th, 2010

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, India

Here in the U.S. of A., we like everything big. The bigger the better, in fact. Somewhat paradoxically, though, it would seem that the next best thing to having the World’s Largest Thingamajig is having the World’s Smallest. With that in mind, check out what’s being billed as the World’s Smallest Electric Bicycle.

First, the vitals: 18 inches long, 12 inches tall and 8.8 pounds in weight. Top speed is just under 10 miles per hour. We haven’t studied the electric bicycle market nearly close enough to say for sure whether this is indeed the World’s Smallest, but the pint-sized terror from India seems to back up its claim by the sheer impossibility of actually mounting a two-wheeler any smaller. It’s great, no? Check out the video after the break to see for yourself.

[Source: Top Speed via Two Wheels Blog]

VIDEO: World’s Smallest Electric Bicycle originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog Green

The chairman of Hyundai has been ordered to repay the company £38m to compensate it for losses resulting from his business decisions.

The ruling follows as Chairman Chung Mong-koo 2008 conviction for embezzlement and breach of trust, for which he was given a 3 year suspended jail sentence before being pardoned by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

“This is a case that reveals the problem of family-run management that focuses on the interests of major stockholders and the executives of Hyundai Motor,” the judges’ ruling said. One of the groups that filed the civil law suit, Solidarity for Economic Reform, called the penalties too low and said it would appeal to a higher court. It wanted a fine of more than £300m to be imposed.

Via Cars Of The Future® Blog

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Podcasts, Geneva Motor Show, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Lincoln, Mercury, Toyota

It’s Chris² as both Shunk and Paukert join Dan and for Episode #166 of the Autoblog Podcast this week. First up, as usual, is the Autoblog Garage, housing a Suzuki Grand Vitara and a Kia Soul this week. From there, we take a quick trip through the Chicago Auto Show’s highlights. The 2011 Ford Edge, Toyota Avalon, Honda Odyssey concept, and Hyundai Azera all figure in the conversation.

We leave the stockyards for the land of fantastic chocolate and mull a few of the things we’re likely to see at the Geneva Motor Show. Toyota’s updated RAV-4 and the 5 by Peugeot garner mention before we return stateside to talk about Chrysler’s refreshed LX cars and Fiat-based Caliber replacement. On the entertainment tip, Adam Carolla’s Top Gear USA revelation catches our attention, and then we entertain ourselves by beating up on Mercury’s choice of the Tracer name for its upcoming version of the Ford Focus.

Check out our listener’s awesome photo gallery below, and direct fanmail to Podcast at Autoblog dot com, review the show in iTunes, fill out our survey, or even leave us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Until next week, hit up Joystiq and Engadget when podcast loneliness sets in. Thanks for listening!

Check out Matt’s sweet Volkswagen GTI, which he was lucky enough to win from VW and then send pictures to us in triumph.

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #166 – Chicago recap/Geneva preview

Autoblog Podcast #166 – Chicago recap/Geneva preview originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog

Peugeot published photos and features a new concept, received a laconic title 5. It is a full-size luxury sedan with a hybrid power unit that uses technology Hybrid4. 2.0-liter diesel engine 183 hp paired with 37-horsepower electric motor, located at the rear of the car. At small speeds it can move in one electric drive, and for traffic on the highway connects the internal combustion engine.

Four-wheel drive Peugeot 5 has positioned as a purely conceptual model. However, its hybrid technology will be embodied in serial Peugeot 3008 2011 model year.

Via Cool Cars

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

Listen to enough of the bloviation, and you’ll start to believe that full-size, traditional SUVs are the root of all evil. While the hue and cry has gone up far and wide branding these truck-based vehicles as four-wheeled carcinogens, there are enough legitimate reasons to purchase a Chevrolet Suburban or Cadillac Escalade that General Motors is going ahead with the next generation.

SUVs have traditionally been healthy profit-earners for General Motors. Though sales dropped by 25 percent in 2009, sales are picking up once again and exports remain strong, all making a good case for the revamping and keeping the truck chassis. Work had been idled on the GMT900 architecture’s replacement while GM went through its bout with Chapter 11 and fuel prices spiked. Moving the Tahoe, Escalade, Yukon, and Suburban to a version of the unibody Lambda platform had also reportedly been considered. In the end, buyers opting for the big SUVs really want and need what they do; from three rows of seats to truck-strong towing and heavy-duty four-wheel-drive systems, so General Motors is apparently keeping the basic formula, confirming to Automotive News that all current versions of GMT900 have a future. The fact that GM SUVs are practically ubiquitous as congressional transporters probably doesn’t hurt the case for revamping the full-size SUV line, either. After all, Capitol Hill has a massive stake in GM, and they might as well get some new armored Escalades for politicians publicly stumping for small, fuel-efficient cars, right?

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

No Surprise: GM’s next-generation of large SUVs reportedly due by 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via Autoblog