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Report: Electric Volvo C30 won't arrive in U.S.

Michael Harley — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Volvo, Europe/EU, USA

Volvo C30 EV - Click above for a high-res image gallery

In a decision driven by upcoming EU regulations, Volvo has announced that it will not bring its C30 electric car to the U.S. market. Instead, the lithium ion-powered vehicle will only be sold in the European Union. Drafted EU regulations require automakers to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 25 percent within the next two years - and the rules tighten even further down the road. Volvo plans to meet the pending regulations with both electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The automaker plans to roll out 50 electric cars in Sweden over a two-year period, and then deliver 1,000 cars a year once production ramps up.

Volvo's move is interesting as it not a consumer-driven initiative (like wider tires or upgraded infotainment systems). Instead, the automaker is solely trying to satisfy future CO2 emission-related mandates. Reiterating this position, consumers have been receptive to gasoline-electric hybrids, yet Volvo - unwilling to waver from its focus on carbon dioxide mandates - says that particular type of hybrid powertrain adds technology and weight, but it doesn't reduce CO2 by much. With that, the automaker has no plans to make a gasoline-electric hybrid (but the C30 does have a small ethanol-fueled heater, FWIW).

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Volvo C30 EV

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Report: Electric Volvo C30 won't arrive in U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Diesel Beetle, electric Up! coming from Volkswagen

Michael Harley — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:54:00 EST

Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Volkswagen

Volkswagen Up! Lite concept - Click above for high-res gallery

Volkswagen Group of America President, Stefan Jacoby, has confirmed that the next-gen New Beetle, due to hit North American as a 2012 model, will be offered with a clean diesel engine. The current New Beetle was last offered with a 1.9-liter TDI in 2006, but was discontinued the following year due to tougher emissions requirements.

In addition, the U.S. market will reportedly get an electrified version of the Up! hatchback in 2014, but it will not be the gasoline version (the diesel/electric Up! Lite concept debuted at the LA Auto Show last week). Ulrich Hackenberg, head of technical development for Volkswagen AG, says the car will be manufactured in Germany and sold in the European marketplace before it makes its way across the Atlantic.

The complete Up! lineup -- including a hatchback, minivan, and sedan -- all are slated to go on sale in Europe during 2011. but still no word on which models will make it to the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

REPORT: Diesel Beetle, electric Up! coming from Volkswagen originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi twists e-tron 3319 lb-ft torque rating

Michael Harley — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:08:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Audi

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

When introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Audi boasted its all-electric e-tron was fitted with four electric motors producing "230 kW (313 hp) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 lb-ft) of torque." While the e-tron's styling may have raised a few eyebrows, we were notably moved by the quoted torque figure - especially when we considered that the twin-turbocharged Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, one of the most powerful vehicles on the road, makes 738 lb-ft in comparison. We were stupefied by the number, and it set off more than a few debates among our group, but Audi made no attempt to clarify...

The team at Automobile Magazine, initially duped like everyone else, has recognized that Audi was quoting torque measured at the wheels, not at the output shaft - the industry standard. Measuring torque at the wheels takes the multiplication effect of the transmission and final drive gears into account. The resulting figures are generally ten-fold of what they would be at the crank (meaning cars like a 3.6-liter Chevrolet Malibu packs a similar 3,115 lb-ft of torque). Audi's e-tron torque figures are not exactly dishonest, but they are using a completely different evaluation without making mention of it in the press release. Long story short, Automobile estimates the e-tron makes about 252 lb-ft of torque. That is a bit less than the Tesla Roadster's 273 lb-ft.

[Source: Automobile]

Audi twists e-tron 3319 lb-ft torque rating originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2009: Audi e-tron, orange you terribly sad it was repainted

Michael Harley — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:18:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Audi, LA Auto Show

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

We weren't exactly electrified by Audi's e-tron concept when it debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in blazing red paint this past September, but we did like the color. So, when the e-tron reappeared at the LA Auto Show this week wearing orange... bummer.

As a refresh, the e-tron concept uses four electric motors with a combined output of 313 horsepower (and a mind-boggling 3,319 lb-ft of torque) to move its 3,527-pound mass to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. More impressive is its rolling acceleration from 37-75 mph in just 4.1 seconds. The top speed is electronically-limited to 124 mph. According to Audi, we'll see a production version in 2012.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading LA 2009: Audi e-tron, orange you terribly sad it was repainted

LA 2009: Audi e-tron, orange you terribly sad it was repainted originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STUDY: Cash for Clunkers helped Japanese way more than Detroit 3

Michael Harley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:02:00 EST

Filed under: Legislation and Policy, USA

While there is no question that Obama's Cash-for-Clunkers program accelerated vehicle sales this summer, a new report by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute shows the big winners were from Japan, not Detroit.

According to the study, nearly 85 percent of the trade-ins were from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, yet they only sold 39 percent of the new cars moved off the lots. On the other hand, eight percent of the trade-ins came from Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, manufacturers who accounted for 41 percent of new car purchases.

While these numbers may be justified by the large quantity of inefficient domestic trucks and SUVs that were deemed clunkers, customer loyalty also seems to have taken a big shift. About 68 percent of owners who traded in Toyota, Honda, or Nissan vehicles replaced them with another from one of those Japanese brands, while only 43 percent of consumers who traded in Detroit steel purchased another General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler product. The program cost the U.S. taxpayers about $3 billion.

[Source: USA Today]
Photo by dno1967. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

STUDY: Cash for Clunkers helped Japanese way more than Detroit 3 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Follow-up: Toyota may not produce hybrid Yaris after all

Michael Harley — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:23:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota

2009 Toyota Yaris - Click above for high-res image gallery

A Toyota insider is countering yesterday's report that the automaker is planning a Yaris-based hybrid to be built in France. Such a vehicle would be unnecessary, according to the unnamed source.

Today's Toyota Yaris is already a fuel miser. The European variant is currently quipped with a 1.33-liter dual VVT-i engine with start-stop technology allowing the compact runabout to earn an impressive 55.4 mpg (European) combined fuel economy (in the States, we get a 1.5-liter Yaris that is rated at 29/36 in EPA testing). While dropping a hybrid powerplant into a larger vehicle pays back significantly, the gains realized by building a hybrid Yaris would be negligible.

Down the road, it may be a different story as battery technology (one limiting factor) is improving quickly. The advent of lithium ion batteries will boost the case for compact and subcompact hybrid vehicles as the bantam-weight cars benefit from the lighter and more compact power sources.

[Source: Autocar]

Follow-up: Toyota may not produce hybrid Yaris after all originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Tata Nano passes European crash testing

Michael Harley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Europe/EU, Tata

2009 Tato Nano - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Tata Nano, the diminutive Indian four-door econobox rumored to eventually arrive in U.S. showrooms, has reportedly passed current European impact testing. According to Autocar, the offset front and side impact tests took place at the MIRA test center last week under supervision by an inspector from Britain's Vehicle Certification Authority. A spokesperson for Tata said the company is "delighted but not surprised" with the results, as the car had already been tested in India.

Sold only in its homeland right now, Tata seems determined to expand its passenger vehicle business to Europe and North America. With that in mind, the automaker is working to upgrade the Nano to ensure the Lilliputian meets "Westernized" crash standards, including the European NCAP tests, and our own NHTSA requirements.

[Source: Autocar UK]

REPORT: Tata Nano passes European crash testing originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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