Houston, with lots of single-occupant commuters, wants to go big with electric cars
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA
The infographic we found the other day showed pretty clearly that Houston has a lot of lonely drivers commuting to and from work each day. Instead of looking for a multi-faceted approach that would see more public transportation options built, the city has decided to make a big push for electric vehicles (EVs). It’s a new direction for the city known as the Petro Metro.
The city went big for biodiesel a few years back but more recently signed up to be a part of the C40 Electric Vehicle Network and has partnered with Nissan to get EV infrastructure in place. In fact, Reuters says that the city wants to beat out places like San Francisco for the title of the nation’s electric car capital. A new mayor Annise Parker said earlier this month:
We are the Petro Metro but we are also a car city. To have an electric vehicle that appeals to a car culture will make the real difference for market penetration.
Any Houston residents want to chime in on this? What does it look like on the ground there?
More Power To The People: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 This Weekend on MT Radio
This weekend, Motor Trend Radio listeners get a wrap of the Chicago auto show and much more. On Saturday, Kia’s Alex Fedorak will tell us about the funky Ray concept vehicle unveiled at the Windy City Auto Show, Marty Schoor will tell us about his new book âMotion Performance: Tales of a Muscle Car Builder,â and Susan Shrader will join us live from the Motor Trend Illinois/Iowa Auto Show. Saturday will also bring us Chris Brewer, chief engineer of the Ford Super Duty.
Sunday’s Motor Trend Weekend show will shine the spotlight on the lighter and more powerful 2011 Ford Shelby GT500, with chief engineer Kerry Baldori on hand to talk about his creation. The latest GT500 has received what appears to be the Ford GT supercar engine minus the dry sump. The all-aluminum engine trims some pounds from the GT500 and combined with other features including a larger intercooler, it all adds up to 550 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. Unlike the 2010 version, it avoids the gas guzzler tax and achieves better fuel economy.
Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion on sale (UK)
Volkswagen’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient Polo has just gone on sale.
Its 74bhp, 1.2 litre diesel engine produces CO2 emissions of just 91g/km, which means the car is free to tax and puts it in the lowest company car tax band of 13%. It also returns 80.7mpg on the combined cycle. The car can accelerate from 0-62mph in 13.9 seconds and has a top speed of 107mph. As well as the new engine, the Polo Bluemotion gets longer gearing, regenerative braking, aerodynamic tweaks and an engine stop-start system.
The Polo Bluemotion is the cleanest 5 seat, 5 door fossil fuelled car in the UK.
Air conditioning, alloy wheels, cruise control, ESP and x4 airbags come as standard. The new Polo Bluemotion starts from £14,445 for the 3 door and £15,045 for the 5 door model.
SAIC wants you to help rename streets at Longbridge
Filed under: Etc., UK
Pictured above is one tiny corner of the formerly mammoth Longbridge factory complex that last made MGs. Now owned by SAIC, the site is meant to be undergo extensive repurposing. To help keep it British – and perhaps pick up a little more interest in MG – SAIC has called for help in naming five access roads that will grace the new site.
The only requirement looks to be that the names “reflect the heritage of the MG brand.” You have until Friday, February 26 to get your submissions in. A friendly tip, though: you can probably skip names like “Leyland,” “Phoenix,” and “Do They Still Make Those?”
[Source: Motobullet | Image: Sludgegulper - CC2.0]
SAIC wants you to help rename streets at Longbridge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Spy Shots: Ferrari 599 GTO, is that you again?
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Luxury
The Ferrari 599 Gran Turismo Omologato – or something that everyone has given that moniker to – has been snapped in varicolored glory outside the Ferrari factory in Maranello. Taking turns in red-and-black, blue and black the car is disguised in the same way as the previous surreptitiously-caught 599 that everyone wants to be a GTO.
A keen spotter on Teamspeed even pointed out the fact that the tape over the rear bumper appears to be hiding vents as on the original GTO. Otherwise, save for the black roof and diffuser, things don’t look like they’ll change much if this is anything close to the final version. Of course, a 700-horsepower engine could be all the change anyone needs…
[Source: Teamspeed via Daily Derbi]
Spy Shots: Ferrari 599 GTO, is that you again? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Only $5.00 gas can fight foreign oil dependence
Americans don’t want small cars
Surprise, surprise. New analysis demonstrates that since 2008 small car interest has decreased significantly as SUV interest has increased. Even the recent run up in gas prices could not reverse this trend.
Unless gas prices hit $5.00, foreign oil dependence is here to stay for a very, very long time.
Via Hybrid Cars
2011 Kia Sportage R Unveiled Ahead of Geneva Debut
This handsome-looking compact crossover is the next generation 2011 Kia Sportage R that will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the upcoming 2010 Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.
Penned under the guidance of former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, the new Sportage R carries the new Kia family look as seen on the Soul, Cadenza sedan and Sorento SUV, but it appears to have a more European flavor to it, with extra attention given to details.
The five-door crossover shares its platform with the also new Hyundai Tucson, known as the ix35 in Europe. It is longer and wider than the outgoing Sportage, something that should translate to improved cabin space.
We’re still short on details about the engine range, but chances are that the 2011 Sportage will be offered with the same 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter four cylinder engines coupled to six-speed transmissions as the Tuscon in North America, while in Europe, it will most likely get the same 1.7-liter and 2.0 liter diesels, and 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter gasoline units as the iX35.
[Source: Kia]
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