Richard Branson’s Energy Security Industry Taskforce expects Peak Oil “potentially” by 2015
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, Green Daily
Sir Richard Branson has kicked around quite a few green transportation projects over the years – he loved then hated biofuels for cars (some biofuel production methodss, at least), his Virgin Airlines used biofuels to fly from London to Amsterdam and he talked to Saab – but now we might be getting a little window into why he’s put so much effort into finding gasoline alternatives.
This week, a group that Branson has a hand in, the UK Industry Taskforce for Peak Oil and Energy Security, issued its 2010 Oil Crunch Report (download the PDF) which says that, in short, “times ahead will be tough.” Why? Because we are, in fact, reaching the oft-warned about peak oil. The report authors take pains to say that they don’t mean we’re about to run out of oil, just that it’s getting harder to find new fields and that the fields we do know about are being used up. They write:
The need to find new super-giant fields is illustrated by the fact that, although there are some 70,000 known fields in current production world-wide, the vast majority of these produce oil in insignificant volumes. A mere 120 fields are the source of 50 percent of global production, and one field alone, the super-giant Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia, yields over 5 percent of the world’s current production. Ghawar and the world’s other giant fields are, for the most part, quite old, and no new finds of this size have been reported for a very long time. This suggests that they are not going to be found very easily in future and, as a result, ‘peak oil’ is at hand. It is our view that this description of the present state of global oil production is quite credible.
“At hand,” here means maybe as early as 2015. It’s always difficult to predict the future, especially the future of oil, but whenever it happens, we’re sure Sir Richard will have some idea to get us over the hump.
Cadillac BLS replacement under development
According to a recent report, the Cadillac ATS will be available as a sedan, wagon, coupe, and convertible.
While details are limited, a source has stated “We’re finalising the four-door showcar of the ATS first. Then we’ll follow quickly after with a wagon, a coupe and a convertible.” The concept will likely be shown at a motorshow later this year.
Perhaps the most interesting detail is the report of an ATS convertible. It seems that Cadillac hasn’t decided whether to use a conventional canvas roof or a folding metal unit. As the source said, Cadillac is “not too sure about the compromises of a folding hardtop.”
Expected to be launched as a 2012 model, the ATS will replace the Saab-based BLS. It will rival the BMW 3 Series, Saab 9-3, Volvo S60, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4/A5.
Incoming search terms:
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Official Corvette C6.R GT2 images follow day of testing at Sebring
Filed under: Motorsports, Chevrolet, Racing
2010 ALMS Corvette C6.R – Click above for high-res image gallery
This year’s Corvette racer, the C6.R headed to the GT class in ALMS and at Le Mans, has had a slow reveal. First its heart was unleashed, the production-derived 5.5-liter V8, then its livery stopped to pose. Now the car has been caught doing what it hopes to do best this year, heating up the tarmac at Sebring International Raceway.
There will be two teams competing: Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette 3; Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Emmanuel Collard in the No. 4. Their first race will be on March 20, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and the competition will be a gunslinger’s hall of fame: Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Spyker, Jaguar. Gentlemen, on your marks…
Gallery: 2010 ALMS Corvette C6.R
Peugeot’s new hybrid luxury concept ‘5 by Peugeot’
French car maker Peugeot has unveiled details of its new hybrid luxury concept car ‘5 by Peugeot’ which could possibly be its next hybrid luxury sedan expected to be launched in 2011. The car has some salient features such as LED headlamps, 19 inch wheels and brushed aluminum window surrounds and door handles.
Powering the car will be a 2.0 litre, 163 bhp diesel motors working in conjugation with a 37bhp electric motor. A smart 4WD incorporated can send power to all the four wheels when required. An option of driving the car in electric-only mode at low speeds and short distances is also available.
With Peugeot planning to enter Indian markets soon, we can expect ‘5 by Peugeot’ in India soon.
Incoming search terms:
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Can’t Recall? Car seat maker tries to profit from Toyota recalls, forgets own past
Filed under: Recalls, Toyota
Toyota is sporting one of the biggest black eyes this industry has ever seen thanks to three high-profile recalls involving over 8 million vehicles. Smelling blood in the water, some automakers have taken advantage of the situation by offering incentives aimed directly at owners of those recalled Toyotas. Shady? Perhaps, especially considering that every automaker has more than a few recalls under its belt, some of which were just as embarrassing as Toyota’s (We’re looking at you, Ford).
Now companies outside the auto industry are trying to profit from Toyota’s misfortune. The latest is Evenflo, a baby and infant car seat manufacturer that’s offering a $10 discount to any owner of a recalled Toyota model. In a press release, Evenflo CEO Perry Odak says, “The last thing Toyota owners affected by recent recalls need to worry about is the safety of their child.”
What Evenflo fails to mention in its press release (after the jump) is its own recall history. The latest one is for seats shipped without proper label stickers, which sounds innocent enough. The one before that was for seats with release handles that were not assembled completely, which could result in the seat separating from the base in an accident. Yikes. There’s also one for foam liner that a child could choke on and another one for a handle trigger that could unexpectedly release. There’s even a separate page on the Evenflo website just for recalls.
We asked Toyota how it felt about being a punching bag for other companies, to which Curt McAllister, a communications manager for Toyota in the U.S., replied, “We really don’t appreciate being a news peg in a press release. We are working hard to assure our customers that their safety is our top priority and, yet, a company that supposedly touts safety is using worry and fear to sell a few extra car seats.”
Point taken, and while Toyota shouldn’t be excused for the mess in which it now finds itself, other companies, automotive or otherwise, should be more mindful of throwing stones in glass houses.
2011 Bufori Mk VI Premium Sedan
Malaysian company Bufori, is releasing exclusive cars, will present at the Geneva motor show all new sedan Mk VI Premium, which probably will get a completely different name, before launching into mass production.
The project is in development for about two years and will combine the high-tech features with an elegant, attractive design, as the sedan aimed at the wealthiest clients. Bufori Mk VI Premium will be activated 6.1-liter engine. In the cabin of the sedan will appear graceful features and options that can be selected by individual order, so their list is practically limitless.
“This new model will become a milestone in the history of the company. Bufori Mk VI Premium is our first four-door, this new philosophy of the company, a new interpretation of our ideas and plans “- says the official statement.
In the production Bufori Mk VI Premium arrive in June 2010, the first customers will be able to get a sedan by the end of this year. See one of the first sketches of new items, displaying a new philosophy Bufori – blending modern technology with a carefully sophisticated retro design.
Spy Shot: Hennessey Venom GT to debut at Goodwood, U.S. debut in Monterey
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Misc. Auto Shows
Hennessey Venom GT – Click above for image gallery
We’ve just gotten word from Hennessey Performance that the Venom GT won’t be making the trip to Switzerland to debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Instead, the Lotus Elise-based supercar will make its official entrance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in April and make its first U.S. appearance in Monterey this August.
Testing of the 2,400-pound twin-turbocharged V8 coupe is underway, and according to our source, the reason for the delay was a lack of exhibition space in Switzerland. You can get the full details in our previous posts and expect more information to be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
Gallery: Hennessey Performance Venom GT in the shop
