Mercedes Benz BlueZero concept

Mercedes-Benz will reportedly introduce an electric vehicle concept dubbed the BlueZero at January's North American International Auto Show. The BlueZero's design is also believed to be a preview of the next generation B-Class hatchback.
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2009 Acura TSX

After announcing plans at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show to introduce a 2.2 turbodiesel engine into an Acura vehicle during 2009, those plans have now been cancelled. A Honda official denied earlier reports, that the program was cancelled for technical reasons, instead blaming current business conditions.

Ford Escape plug-in hybrid

The CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors are heading back Washington this week to make their case for a bridge loan to get through the current financial crisis. Ford is the first to publicly release its survival plan including the release of an electric van in 2010, an electric sedan in 2011 and plug-in hybrids from 2012.
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2009 MINI E

BMW reveals the first stage of its Project I electric vehicle development program at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Following the official unveiling Green Fuels had an opportunity to take a short drive around downtown LA in the new battery powered MINI.

Nancy Gioia introduces the 2010 Fusion Hybrid

At the Los Angeles Auto Show Ford introduces its second generation hybrid platform for the Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans.  Following the unveiling Green Fuels Forecast spoke with Nancy Gioia, director of sustainable mobility technologies for Ford about the new hybrids, the company's plug-in hybrid test program, and batteries.

Audi A5 TDI

Green Fuels Forecast recently had the opportunity to sample another pair of Audi's diesel powered cars that aren't yet available in the US market.  The A4 sedan and A5 coupe are both built from a common vehicle architecture and powered by the same 3.0L TDI V6 that will debut in the Q7 SUV early in 2009. In the mid sized cars this engine provides both excellent performance and fuel efficiency.

2009 TwinDrive VW Golf

Volkswagen unveils a TwinDrive plug-in hybrid version of its recently introduced sixth generation Golf at a conference in Berlin. The TwinDrive architecture was shown earlier this year in a previous generation Golf and will be used in 20 car field test beginning in 2009.
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John Krafcik

At the Los Angeles Auto Show Hyundai announces the new hybrid drive system that will debut in the 2011 Sonata. Green Fuels Forecast sat down with John Krafcik, newly promoted to acting president and CEO to learn more about the innovative new system.

Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive is moving ahead with plans to begin producing an extended range plug-in hybrid sports sedan in late 2009. The California startup announces a deal to purchase engines for the Karma PHEV from General Motors. Fisker will use the 2.0L turbocharged and direct injected EcoTec four cylinder to propel the Karma after its 50 mile electric range is depleted.

Porsche Cayenne Diesel

Porsche announces its first ever production diesel vehicle will launch in Europe in February 2009. The Cayenne diesel will be powered by the same 3.0L V6 TDI used in a variety of Volkswagen and Audi vehicles.

MINI E

At the Los Angeles Auto Show BMW reveals the lithium ion battery powered battery powered MINI E. The company has built 500 of the plug-in electric cars that it will lease to customers in the Southern California and New York City areasbeginning in January 2009. The cars will be used by BMW to gain real world experience with battery powered vehicles.

Green Car Journal selects the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI as the Green Car of the Year.  The diesel powered Jetta beat out the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue Two-mode hybrid, Smart ForTwo and BMW 335d. The Jetta's 41 mpg highway fuel economy and $21,990 base price are cited as reasons for its selection.

Hyundai Hybrid Blue Drive

At the Los Angeles Auto Show Hyundai announces that it won't wait until 2020 to meet the new 35 mpg corporate average fuel economy standard. The automaker's new Blue Drive efficiency strategy is expected to allow it to meet the standards by 2015. A mix of technologies including hybrids, direct injection, weight reduction and even fuel cells will help the company meet its goal.

Volkswagen announces that its highly successful Jetta TDI cup will be back for a second season in 2009 with an expanded schedule of ten races. Thirty aspiring professional drivers will take to the track in identically prepared racers based on the road going Jetta TDI sedan. Driver selection for season two will take place in February 2009.

BMW 335d

In a year when fuel prices in the United States reached the highest levels ever, BMW is introducing the most fuel efficient car it has ever offered in this market with the new 335d. Green Fuels Forecast had an opportunity to drive BMW's first new clean diesel sedan in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The 335d adds a huge improvement to fuel economy to BMW's highest volume model without sacrificing the performance the brand is known for.

The two cellulosic ethanol companies that General Motors invested in early in 2008 are headed in opposite directions. Coskata has reached a deal with US Sugar on a feasibility study for an ethanol plant using its gasification technology. Meanwhile Mascoma has released between 5 and 10 staff including company president Colin South.

Amyris yeast producing diesel

Oakland CA based Amyris Biotechnologies completes its first pilot plant to produce renewable diesel fuel. The startup biotechnology company held a modest celebration at its headquarters to commemorate the first step in its goal toward commercial production of liquid fuel by 2010. The company develops genetically engineered yeasts to transform biomass into other useful products.

Eaton Corporation will be supplying compressors based on its internal combustion engine superchargers to Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation for fuel cell vehicles that the Chinese company is building. The 20 vehicles will be used during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

VW Touareg TDI Trophy Truck

At next week's Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen will unveil a new purpose-built Touareg TDI off-road racing truck. The new Touareg will run in the Baja 1000 race later this month and will be powered by a version of the 5.5L V12 TDI engine from the Audi R10 TDI sports racer.

1999 Toyota GT-One

Dominant hybrid vehicle manufacturer Toyota may be returning to Le Mans with the technology it is currently developing for Formula One. Toyota could be the second manufacturer to create a hybrid drive prototype for the French endurance race where it last competed almost ten years ago.

BMW's 335d

BMW today announced pricing and fuel efficiency of its first new 50-state legal clean diesel vehicles that are going on sale shortly. The new 335d sedan is rated at 23/36 mpg city/highway and will be priced from $44,725 while the X5 xDrive35d will get a 19/26 mpg rating with a $52,025 base price.

The pre-production Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive will open a new engineering and development center in Pontiac, MI to help bring its premium plug-in hybrid sports sedan, the Karma, to life.

2011 Chevrolet Volt

A report on an automotive website late Thursday night that cash flow problems at General Motors would cause a delay in the Chevrolet Volt program has been categorically denied by company officials.

the MINI E

BMW's electric MINI E will debut in two weeks at the Los Angeles Auto Show with only 500 examples  available for lease beginning early in 2009. A online report today confirmed by MINI USA says the battery powered MINI will cost $850 per month for a one year lease.

2009 Mercedes Benz ML320 BlueTec

Mercedes-Benz is awarded the "Green Steering Wheel" by Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper for its NOx reducing BlueTec technology. The paper, which has been giving its "Golden Steering Wheel" to vehicles in a variety of segments for many years, added the green award in 2007.

Archer Daniels Midland has announced a new agreement to create a half billion dollar joint venture with a Brazilian partner to produce ethanol from sugarcane.

Hyundai's new R-Engine diesel

Boasting a leg up on the German and French competition, Hyundai Motor Co. has introduced its new diesel "R-Engine" in 2.2L and 2.0L variants for markets outside North America. The 2.0L diesel engine is rated at 184hp and 289 pound-ft of torque, while the 2.2L reaches 200hp and 321 pound-ft torque.

A Better Place prototype Renault

Better Place, the electric vehicle infrastructure startup founded by Shai Agassi, is planning to import some American built converted electric vehicles to Israel for initial tests of its charging network. The cars are likely to be equipped with batteries from A123 Systems - a Massachusetts-based company that recently received an equity investment from Ofer Holdings, which also is a Better Place investor.

The second largest producer of ethanol in the United States has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection largely as a result of falling corn and ethanol prices. VeraSun Energy found itself on the losing end of an attempt to hedge against rising corn prices earlier this year, but prices reversed. Corn prices have dropped to less than half of the $8 per bushel that VeraSun was contracted to pay.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has committed to personally ensuring that all current orders for the company's battery powered Roadster are fulfilled in spite of  a cash crunch at the Silicon Valley startup. Musk publicly announced that he would personally invest enough money in the company to keep it running in spite of reports that the company is down to only $9 million in cash.

The four-cylinder, 2.2L i-DTEC

While supporting increased efficiency requirements, Honda executives sounded less than thrilled with the structure of the new  rules during a conference call this week to discuss automotive fuel economy. John German acknowledged that the regulations will lead to higher vehicle costs to pay for new technology that is needed. On the technology front, Honda is persuing a number of fronts including hybrids, CNG, and biofuels but remained non-commital on plans to introduce its diesel engines to the US market in 2009.

The 2010 Ford Fusion

Ford has revealed a wealth of details on the upgraded powertrains for its 2010 Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans that will be debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month. Additional information was provided about the 2.5L four cylinder and 3.0L V6 that debuted earlier this year in the 2009 Escape crossover, along the new hybrid models that are expected to be by far the most fuel efficient mid-size sedans on the US market approaching 40 mpg in the city.

Ford today unveils a new green-minded fuel economy gauge for its 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, which will premiere next month at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. The automaker has shared a teaser video demonstrating the dashboard setup. The more efficient the driving, the more green leaves on the animated branch sprout.

The annual Specialty Equipment Marketing Association show in Las Vegas is generally the province of tuned and hot-rodded vehicles with big wheels and wild paint jobs. One of the more interesting vehicles making its debut this year is an electrically driven Ford F-150 pickup truck created by PML Flightlink. Using a quartet wheel motors, the battery powered pickup truck has over 600 hp and 2,000 lb-ft of torque with a 100 mile estimated range.

Photo: CNN

One of the few publicly traded cellulosic ethanol companies will now focus on capturing methane from landfills, amid a market of drastically faultering ethanol prices.

The 2008 Lexus LS600h

A New York City company has launched a new Website that allows users to rent hybrid limousines through a network of over 200 agencies world wide. In addition to online rentals, ElectriCar.com will be donating a percentage of its revenues toward carbon offsets and research into wireless electrical power transmission.

New data showing corn prices tracking closely with the world price of crude oil may largely put an end to the food vs fuel debate with ethanol. There has been no significant change in consumption of corn for ethanol production, but the price of the crop has dropped significantly right along with oil prices. 

Ford will officially unveil the 2010 Fusion along with the Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ at November's Los Angeles Auto Show. For the first time the new mid-sized sedans will be offered with an optional E85 flex-fuel V6. The updated cars will also have the option of a revamped hybrid drivetrain.

Johan de Nysschen, EVP Audi of America

Despite the massive juggernaut of TDI and the logistics machinery to support a two-week drive, Audi spent the last two weeks seeding the market with the Audi Mileage Marathon in somewhat guerrilla or viral fashion. Given the word-of-mouth nature of interest for diesels, it may be the right marketing approach considering the anxious buying public and so far niche-nature of diesel buyers.

2009 Chrysler Aspen hybrid

The continuing collapse of demand for large SUVs has prompted Chrysler to pull ahead the closure of its Newark DE assembly plant. The closure of the plant, which is the only production site for the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen, likely means a very short production run for the automakers first production hybrid models.

The glycerin byproduct of making biodiesel has saddled many producers with another fixed cost to worry about. But another avoidable substance, the E. coli bacterium, may be the solution producers have been waiting for.

Tesla Roadster

Silicon Valley based electric car startup Tesla Motors has found itself caught up in the recent turmoil in the world's financial markets. The company this week announced a shuffle in the executive suite, layoffs and delay to its next vehicle program.
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MINI E

BMW releases details on its new battery powered MINI E that will debut at November's Los Angeles Auto Show. The electric drive MINI was first announced by MINI officials in early July of this year. BMW is currently in the process of assembling 500 examples that will be leased to commercial and private customers beginning in mid-2009.

2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

The official EPA fuel economy ratings for Chrysler's first production hybrids have been released and the 20 mpg city /22 mpg highway numbers top the equivalent vehicles from General Motors.  Chrysler's Aspen and Dodge Durango hybrids use the same Two-Mode hybrid system installed by General Motors in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon.
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Audi Q7 TDI

The longest single stretch of the Audi Mileage Marathon is now over as the fleet of diesel vehicles rolled into Denver Colorado at the mid-point of the event. The diesel fleet is still showing impressive mileage numbers even through the more challenging conditions encountered on the circuitous route from Chicago to Denver.  The Q7s and Q5s in particular are demonstrating impressive efficiency for their segments.

Every future Toyota powertrain bound for North America - from plug-in hybrids to ethanol burners to (potentially) hydrogen runners - will find its way to the newly completed Toyota Technical Center here, which the automaker unveiled to an audience of dignitaries and government leaders today.

In the largest investment in cellulosic ethanol in the state, Mascoma Corp. with the help of federal and state government agencies will construct a near $50 million cellulosic ethanol production plant in Michigan.

With three days down and eleven to go, the first leg of the Audi Mileage Marathon is in the books and new set of drivers has taken over. As the fleet of diesels heads out of Chicago for the longest trek of the trip, the final results of the first leg have been compiled with the overall averages for the Q7s ranging from 26.4 to 20.0 mpg.

The Audi Mileage Marathon is into its second day as an eclectic fleet of diesel powered vehicles makes its way across America. The team of journalists from Europe and the United States and Canada set off from Manhattan's Central Park toward Philadelphia and on to Washington, DC for the first overnight stop.

Audi's first big promotion for its upcoming diesel vehicles is starting today in Manhattan as the Audi Mileage Marathon leaves from the Tavern on the Green. For the next two weeks, a fleet of 23 diesel powered Audi cars and SUVs will visit cities all across the country as four waves of journalists from all over the world explore the capabilities of these vehicles. The participants will be vying for the best mileage on each of the four legs of the journey.

Corvette takes the green at the Green Challenge

The Corvette Racing team and the Penske RS Spyder's Porsche team Saturday took home the first-ever Green Challenge at the American Le Mans Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze and 1.4L turbocharged engine

After teasing the public for many months with a new high efficiency 1.4L four cylinder engine, General Motors announces  it will build two variants in Flint, MI in 2010. The automaker will spend $370 million to build a factory to produce 800 engines per day for the Chevrolet Volt and Cruze.

Chrysler LLC executives said they're undecided on which of the new electric vehicles will be the first to launch into production or which company will supply the batteries. But Frank Klegon, VP for Product Development, did acknowledge that the A123 Systems "is one of the players" that has been involved in development of the initial prototypes.

Chrysler Electric Vehicles

Chrysler LLC, which began 2008 with the unveiling of a trio of electrically driven concept vehicles, announces four models targeted for production beginning in late 2010. The battery powered vehicles include an electric only sports car, and a pair of extended range electric vehicles all with lithium ion batteries along with a newly redesigned neighborhood electric vehicle.

Honda Insight Concept

As with other recent auto shows, the Paris Motor Show coming up in early October will again feature a wide array of fuel and emissions saving concept and production cars from around the world. New hybrid cars will be appearing from Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Citroen, Peugeot and others will share the stage with new diesels from General Motors, Volkswagen and Subaru. Flexible bio-fueled vehicles and electrics will also be rolling out in the city of lights.

With the large truck market in US in free fall with no signs of recovery, every automaker is re-examining its future product plans. Toyota is no exception as previously announced plans to offer a diesel engine in its Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV may be canceled.

The 2009 Jetta TDI

California, with the strictest emissions standards in the nation is the driving force behind the new emissions rules and that's where Green Fuels Forecast spent a day driving the new diesel Jetta. Volkswagen has devised a machine that lives up to the brand's fun reputation while still delivering exceptional fuel efficiency.

2011 Chevrolet Volt

As General Motors enters its second century facing the biggest financial crisis in its history, it unveils the production version of the car that it hopes will represent a newbeginning . Sixteen months are unveiling the Chevrolet Volt as a concept, the production design is unveiled at General Motors centennial celebrations.

Peugeot 908 HY

Peugeot announces a new diesel-electric hybrid demonstrator variant of its 908 HDi Le Mans Series race car at the final race of the 2008 season in England. The French manufacturer is currently testing the hybrid racer but has not committed to competition until the ACO which sets the Le Mans rules finalizes new regulations.

Renault Ondelios Concept

Renault reveals a diesel hybrid crossover concept vehicle that will be publicly shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in October. The Ondelios is a six passenger crossover claimed to deliver 52.3 mpg (US).

Mazda announces it will introduce a new clean diesel engine for the European Market at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The engine features a new Mazda-developed diesel particulate filter that reduces the regeneration time and fuel consumption.

Audi Q7 and Q5 TDI

German automaker Audi is preparing to make a major push for the launch of its clean diesels in the US market with a cross-country Mileage Marathon in October. A fleet of 23 TDI powered Audis including the Q7, Q5, A4 and A3 will go from New York to Los Angeles with the drivers vying for the best possible fuel economy.

Smart ED

Daimler AG Chairman Dieter Zetsche announces a joint electric vehicle test program with German electric utility RWE AG that will see over 100 battery powered cars and 500 public charging stations deployed in the German capitol, Berlin. Starting early in 2009, Daimler will release the fleet of second generation Smart EDs powered by lithium ion batteries.

John McCain - Reuters

As Sen. John McCain accepts his nomination as the GOP’s entry into the US presidential race, his energy and environmental planks remain somewhat vague, offering little quantification especially when compared to that of Democratic rival, Barack Obama. And although domestic drilling is high on McCain’s list of things to do if elected, the Arizona congressman has also embraced a surprising number of green energy initiatives.

Gale Banks

Gale Banks has been building high performance engines for half a century.  Over the Labor Day weekend Banks was in Detroit for the Grand Prix at Belle Isle and he took time out to speak with Green Fuels Forecast about his latest passion, diesel engines.

Honda Insight concept

Honda will be posing the most direct challenge yet to the dominance of the Toyota Prius early in 2009 with the introduction of its new Insight hatchback. The Insight will debut as a concept at the Paris Motor Show in October with styling derived from the FCX Clarity fuel cell car.

2009 VW Jetta TDI

John and Helen Taylor have made a name for themselves in recent years by driving long distances on minimal amounts of fuel.  Today the couple are leaving Chantilly, VA on an 8,000-mile trip through all 48 contiguous states in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for fuel economy driving a VW Jetta TDI.

General Motors organized a Biofuels Summit in conjunction with the Detroit  Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Beth Lowery, VP for Environmental Affairs was part of a panel discussing food vs fuel, infrastructure and next generation biofuels.  Joel Valesco of Brazilian sugar cane trade group UNICA discussed the history and lessons learned with ethanol use in Brazil.

The Highcroft Acura

Acura announces plans to move up to the top category in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 as it develops an all-new car for the LMP1 class. Honda Performance Development President Erik Berkman would not reveal and detail specifications, but a diesel may be a strong possibility.