Ford fleet vehicles gets greener with addition of E85, EcoBoost, electric drive and so on
Filed under: Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Flex-Fuel, Hybrid, Ford
Ford Transit Connect Taxi – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford has a long-standing reputation as a major player in the fleet vehicle segment. Just picture the Crown Vic that all-too-often pops up in your rear-view mirror with some flashing lights or the old Taurus that was a mainstay at rental lots across the nation and you’ll quickly realize that the company does a lot of fleet business. Though fleet vehicles aren’t really a segment that a company boasts about, they are vitally important for many automakers, Ford included.
Ford’s domination in the fleet segment has grown in recent years. In 2009, the company led the way nationwide by landing 32 percent of commercial and 44 percent of government fleet sales. The company is proud of this achievement and plans to hold on to the lead by offering more efficient fleet products. For 2011, Ford will throw the whole bag of green options at fleet customers. They plan to offer technologies including electrics like the Transit Connect Electric, hybrids, natural gas, propane, biodiesel, E85 and EcoBoost in fleet vehicles that could be use for everything from flower delivery services on up to construction duty.
Fleet customers love efficient vehicles. The eco-friendly autos portray a good company image, there are lucrative incentives offered for buyers of green vehicles and saving money at the pump can really add up when a fleet of thousands is factored in. Will Ford throwing all of its recent breakthrough technology into the fleet pool help it remain atop the fleet market for years to come?
Audi R8 Spyder Buzzes Red Carpet at Ironman2 World Premier
The good folks at Rolls-Royce were kind enough to invite us to the World Premier of Ironman2 in Hollywood. Why? Rolls has a product placement deal with the movie, and if you recall the first Ironman, you’ll remember that Robert Downey, Jr.’s character Tony Stark has some nice wheels, with a Rolls among them. Last night, around 6:30, we were standing on the Hollywood Blvd red carpet as if we were “someone”, awaiting the cast’s arrival. The cast has expanded for Iron2, now including the ever cool Don Cheadle and Samual L. Jackson, Micky Rourke, as well as talented and perennially smoking hot Scarlett Johansson. Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and most of the previous key players reprise their previous roles.
There was an empty lane next to the red carpet, and I mistakingly assumed that this might be where limos and other forms of transport bring the stars in prior to them being assaulted by the entertainment shows and other assembled media. No. This extra lane was there for a single reason, and and that was so that Downey could buzz the lineup in Tony Stark’s ride of choice, the new Audi R8 Spyder V-10.
Corvette Museum wants to build race track across the highway
Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Chevrolet
And not just a track, either. The National Corvette Museum wants to build an entire motorsports complex, including two road courses, a kart track, a ten-acre autocross course and a quarter-mile drag strip in Bowling Green, Kentucky. If that wasn’t ambitious enough, the museum wants to do it on the opposite side of I-65 from the main museum and Corvette manufacturing plant. If the plan goes through, the two will be connected via a series of bridges and tunnels.
The main track borrows elements from some of our personal favorite courses, including the Carousel from the Nürburgring and the infamous Bus Stop from Watkins Glen. Even better, the museum says its courses will be FIA and SCCA compliant, meaning that when finished, we may actually see some impressive competitions take place on the new grounds.
The whole kit and caboodle is expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 million, excluding the price tag of all those bridges, etc, and the Corvette Museum has to come up with the majority of that figure before breaking ground. We’re not sure exactly how the non-profit plans to come up with all of that coin, but we’re betting Corvette owners can expect a polite request for donations sometime soon.
[Source: Motorsports Park]
Corvette Museum wants to build race track across the highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Crossover Concept
Earlier there were reports that the company intends to increase the Chevrolet range of environmentally friendly vehicles. Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Crossover Concept, seems to be the first “swallow” in this direction of development.
The new concept will combine the elements of the notorious Volt, including the headlights, grille and five-door body shape, which is also similar to the model of Orlando and approximately four inches long is not the current version of the HHR.
Engine, 150 hp and an electric motor at 16 kW is the best option for the Chevrolet Volt MPV5. However, due to increased body weight and the ability to pack a lot more baggage, these characteristics may be slightly increased.
In turn, the dashboard has two LCD display and almost lapped with the Volt. On the release date crossover sales talk is still very early, so the company will soon be limited to a small press release.
Incoming search terms:
- chevrolet suv
- suv concept
- fast cars interior
- suv interior concept
- suv chevrolet
- mpv interior concept
- concept chevrolet
- chevrolet volt inside pictures
- Chevrolet SUVs
- เชฟโรเลต suv
1969 Opel Aero GT is rarer than you think
Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Opel
1969 Opel Aero GT – Click above for high-res image gallery
While attending a General Motors media event in Germany last evening, the automaker laid out several old Opels, including this particularly unique example of the GT sports coupe. While the mini-Corvette-styled GT is a rarity unto itself, the car you see here is one of only two ever built. The Aero GT was first shown at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show a year after the GT entered production.
The black roof is actually a removable targa top and the Aero also had an electrically retracting vertical rear window. For some reason, GM opted not to produce the Aero and only this example was mothballed for the last 40 years. The second car was apparently sold to a collector and its whereabouts are unknown.
Gallery: 1969 Opel Aero GT
Incoming search terms:
- 1969 Opel Aero GT
The Chevy Volt and the end of Government Motors
You’ve come a long way baby
So, GM repaid the final $5.8 billion owed in government bailout loans. That’s great. Of course, it might have been a bit nicer had GM returned the people’s money with actual profits, rather than a government escrow account, but the perception of Government Motors is undoubtedly holding GM back. Paying off this debt helps remove that ugly blemish.
Nevertheless, $5.8 billion is pocket change. GM’s real debt to America is ….
Finish: The Chevy Volt and the end of Government Motors
Via Hybrid Cars
