Peugeot Eco-Cup drivers get 66-75 mpg from Paris to Geneva
Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Peugeot, Geneva Motor Show
About a month before the Geneva Motor Show, Peugeot announced a hyper-miling competition for up to 72 drivers to see how little fuel they could use getting from Paris to Geneva. After evaluating all the written entries, Peugeot selected the drivers and set them up last weekend in four different diesel-powered models.
Over the course of the two-day, 622-mile drive, the competitors put up some pretty impressive numbers. The top overall result came in a C-segment 308 hatchback with an overall average of 74.9 miles per gallon (U.S.). Next up was the smaller 207 HDi 90 with 72.5 mpg. Particularly impressive were the 5008 MPV with 70.6 mpg and the new 3008 crossover with 65.9 mpg. Part of the competition included a prescribed time window based on the speed limits along the route to make sure that drivers didn’t simply drive at excessively slow speeds. Peugeot hasn’t published the names of the drivers but each of the class winners are getting a brand new Peugeot.
[Source: Peugeot]
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February Sales: Can Ford Retain First Place in the U.S.?
DETROIT – For Toyota, U.S. February sales were conveniently reported last Tuesday, while much of the automotive press were in Geneva. It was convenient timing for General Motors, too. The erstwhile automotive giant reorganized its divisional executives on the same day we learned that Ford Motor Company sales in the U.S. exceeded GM sales in February, for the first time since 1998 – if you count Volvo sales as part of Ford (which I haven’t, until now). As I noted from Geneva earlier this week, Ford may be reconsidering its pending deal to sell Volvo to China’s Geely.
The Explorer was largely responsible for FoMoCo beating GM in ’98, and it’s hard to imagine a large sport/utility vehicle – body-on-frame or crossover – leading such a win today. In recent years, GM has had trouble offering up a single-model bestseller, because most popular models also were Pontiacs, Saturns and Buicks as well as Chevrolets.
No more, and this is why heads rolled just as last month’s sales were reported. GM’s new, constantly shifting management, has said it expects to catch Pontiac and Saturn buyers with its latest Chevy and Buick offerings, which means it expects to hold on to about 21-percent market share. It should have benefitted from Toyota’s problems, which includes the fact that some buyers were scared off last month, while others couldn’t buy certain models for more than a week as Toyota froze sales while it fixed throttle problems.
2011 electric car incentive details released (UK)
The first details of 2011’s £5k electric car allowance have been released by the Government. Subject to approval from the European Commission, the grant will be available from January 2011 and will fund 25% of the purchase price of a new electric car – up to a maximum of £5,000.
The contribution will be available for fully electric cars, such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the 2011 Nissan Leaf, plug-in electric hybrids such as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera and hydrogen fuel-cell cars like the Honda FCV.
Anyone wanting to claim the grant, will have to buy a car that meets the following criteria:
• It must be a car – not quad bike-based vehicles such as the G-Wiz.
• Emit a maximum of 75g/km of CO2 if it’s a plug-in hybrid
Report: Mahindra to set U.S. Pik-Up launch date in next few weeks
Filed under: SUV, Truck, Work, India, Diesel
Mahindra Pik-Up – Click above for high-res image gallery
Tired of waiting around for an official launch date for the hotly anticipated (in certain circles, at least) compact diesel pickup truck from Indian automaker Mahindra? Good news, then. According to a report from Automotive News, the largest utility vehicle maker in India and its U.S. distributor, Global Motors, will make an official announcement regarding the targeted sale date of the Pik-Up within the next two-to-three weeks.
Before you get too excited, realize that Mahindra only hopes to announce a launch date – when that date will actually be is still anyone’s guess. In fact, Mahindra President Pawan Goenka said in an interview that the vehicle is still undergoing Environmental Protection Agency testing here in the States and an official application to allow the truck to be sold here has yet to take place.
Following the Pik-Up’s official launch in the U.S., Mahindra plans to continue focusing on its export markets with a new SUV designed specifically for the European and North American markets. Judging by how long it’s taken to get its first model on the market, though, we’ll keep our excitement bottled up for the time being.
Video: Aston Martin releases new One-77 testing footage
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Aston Martin
Aston Martin One-77 testing footage – Click above to watch the video after the jump
To be blunt, the Aston Martin One-77 is all sorts of awesome. Having recently crested the 220-mph top speed mark in testing, the One-77 will be the fastest, most expensive Aston road car ever produced. But this hypercoupe isn’t just about warp speed – it’s stylish, elegant, and with only 77 hand-built examples hitting the streets, quite illustrious, as well.
Aston Martin just released a new video of the One-77 testing on the automaker’s proving grounds, meaning we get to listen to that 7.3-liter V12 being wrung out to max revs. This car is both an audio and aural delight, and we encourage you to see (and listen) for yourself by watching the video after the jump.
Geiger Cars takes on the 2010 Shelby GT500 with impressive results
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Ford
2010 Geiger Cars Shelby GT500 – Click above for high-res image gallery
We don’t know why Karl Geiger is fascinated with American performance cars, but we’re sure glad he is. The 2010 Shelby GT500 is the latest muscle car to go under the German tuner’s knife, and the results are nothing less than impressive. Thanks to a larger Whipple supercharger, larger throttle valves, upgraded fuel injection system and ported cylinder heads, the 5.4-liter V8 produces an incredible 799 horsepower and 697 pound-feet torque. Geiger claims a top speed of 220 miles per hour, but with the Mustang’s aerodynamics we would peg that number as more theoretical than anything.
To cope with extra horsepower, Gieger has also fitted the GT500 with a three-disc carbon clutch and reinforced the six-speed transmission. Handling improvements have been made through a “racing chassis” (we’re not sure what that means), a panhard rod with polyurethane bushings and adjustable lower control arms. Finally massive 15-inch, six-piston front brakes help haul the Shelby down from inevitable high speed runs. You can see the full press release after the jump, and high-res images courtesy of Gieger can be found in the gallery below.
Gallery: 2010 Geiger Cars Shelby GT500
