Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, GM
Click either image to view full gallery of the production Chevy Volt
Ed sent us the top pic pilfered from the Transformers Live Action Blog and judging by the roofline, headlights and taillights, you're looking at the first picture of the production Chevy Volt. Not proof enough? Click on the image above and look closely at the metal plate in front of the sideview mirror. It's emblazoned with the four letters that spell out GM's savior. The Volt it is. Our boys at AutoblogGreen have already called upon the General's minions for a comment, but no response has been delivered to our inbox... yet.
UPDATE: We've found view video of the production Volt on the Transformers 2 set here. Also check out screen grabs like the one above that show the production Volt in full view in our gallery below.
[Source: Transformers Live Action Blog]
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Filed under: Convertibles, Sedans/Saloons, Audi, Rendered Speculation
The blokes at Car say they've got the scoop on the upcoming Audi A7, including a convertible version depicted in the rendering on the right. Power is rumored to start with six cylinders across the range, with a V10-powered S7 and a twin-turbo V10-motivated RS7. Expect a variety of transmissions to be on offer as well, including manuals, automatics and dual-clutch gearboxes with six or seven speeds, along with the availability of quattro all-wheel-drive.
Sources have suggested that, while Audi will be behind the game in bringing a four-door coupe in the Mercedes CLS mold to market in the first half of 2010, it's got another segment-busting trick up it's sleeve: a full four-door convertible. And according to Car's illustrators, the A7 cabrio will feature a full retractable hard-top. Many have toyed with the idea of a four-door convertible - most recently arch-rival Mercedes with the Ocean Drive concept from Detroit '07 - but Audi may be the ones to actually revive the long-lost segment. Parade detail, here we come.
[Source: Car]
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Mazda
The Chevy Volt is unique in that its engine is really just a generator that produces electricity for the batteries, which then power an electric motor that turns the front wheels for propulsion. While the Volt powertrain is pretty spectacular, it may not be unique for long. British car site AutoCar is reporting that Mazda is not only interested in a similar setup for a future plug-in hybrid, but it already has a working prototype on the road. Mazda engineers told AutoCar that a battery pack charged by a rotary engine is already being used in a Mazda5 mule, and that management is encouraged by the early results but wants to see battery costs go down before proceeding. If Mazda is working on a series hybrid like the Chevy Volt, that means its owner, Ford, would have direct access to the same technology. We do, however, find it odd that Mazda would use a rotary engine in this setup. While the Wankel engine is very compact and light, it's not very efficient and sucks oil, at least in the RX-8. When it comes to plug-in hybrids, though, we're with AutoblogGreen in saying the more the merrier.
[Source: AutoCar]
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Etc., Green
A number of factors are conspiring to create a situation that recently would have been unthinkable: the United States as a supplier of gasoline to world markets. According to Booz & Company, those factors are the rise of biofuels in the West, the introduction of plug-in electric and other alternative fuel vehicles, and the growth of the really cheap car, like the Tata Nano. The United States imports oil to feed its gasoline habit, but the U.S. has refining capacity that developing nations cannot match. The U.S. is also lowering its reliance on traditional gasoline due to the price, states' mandates on switching to biofuels, and the dawn of mass market alternative fuel vehicles. This adds up to the United States importing oil, and then selling it to nations like India and China to feed their larger appetites for gasoline.
In the middle of all of this are the refineries, who made predictions for today's business plans two decades ago. Sure, no one is crying for them -- they need extra pages to include the zeros on their profit statements -- but they have to start figuring out who's going to need which products and how they are going to deliver them. And, by refining company standards, they need to do it quickly, which is a method of operation they aren't well versed in.
[Source: Green Car Congress via Kicking Tires; Photo CC 2.0 - National Archives]
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