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Ford Motor Company - digital snippets » Ford Cars – text — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:27:38 +0000

When designers at Ford’s product development center sat down to sketch out the new 2011 Explorer, the team had a clear objective: Deliver a sleek, modern package, while maintaining the rugged looks of an SUV. But no matter what direction they took the new design, there was one thing that could not be compromised: craftsmanship. It’s [...]

Tesla Roadster eligible for $38,000 clean energy rebate in Japan

Eric Loveday — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, Green Daily, Japan

Tesla Roadster 2.5 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Less than four months ago, Tesla Motors entered the Japanese market by shipping a dozen or so right-hand drive Signature Series Roadsters across the pond. The base Roadster, which starts at a rather shocking price of 12.8 million yen ($151,500 U.S. at the current exchange rate) has now been approved for the Japanese government's Clean Energy Cash Rebate program and is available at a deeply discounted price.

Qualifying for the cash rebate program means that the Roadster's price will be slashed by an astounding 3.24 million yen ($38,000 U.S.), which certainly makes Tesla's high-performance sports car more appealing. But, with an after-rebate price that remains at $113,500, the Roadster is still a far cry from what we would consider affordable. But hey, it's that way here in the States, too. The Tesla Roadster joins the plug-in Prius hybrid as the only two standard-sized vehicles to qualify for Japan's rebate program. Follow the jump for more on Tesla's raging deal on its Roadster in Japan.

Gallery: 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5

[Source: Tesla Motors]

Continue reading Tesla Roadster eligible for $38,000 clean energy rebate in Japan

Tesla Roadster eligible for $38,000 clean energy rebate in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coda will sell electric sedan in Hawaii in late 2011

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:59:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Coda Automotive

Coda Sedan - Click above for high-res image gallery

Hawai'i is an appealing place to operate and drive electric vehicles (EVs) for four main reasons: range anxiety isn't a huge issue, there are a lot of eco-minded citizens there (some of whom have spending money), gasoline costs an arm and a leg compared to most of the rest of the U.S., and there is a lot of solar energy potential. Of course, this all means that more than one company has announced it would like to sell and promote EVs there, like Phoenix and Better Place, and some estimates are that there will be 10,000 EVs in the islands by 2015. The latest company to try and get into the game is Coda, which announced today it will launch the Coda Sedan in Hawai'i in the third quarter of 2011.

The Sedan will be available to both fleet and regular buyers in Hawai'i, and Governor Linda Lingle said in a statement that having another EV option is important to reducing the amount of oil the state uses every year (most of which comes from Malaysia - PDF):

Coda Automotive's all-electric vehicle is another important addition to Hawai'i's efforts to transition to a clean energy economy. The State of Hawai'i recognizes new electric vehicle technology and the electrification of the transportation sector will play a critical role in helping Hawai'i reduce its dependency on the use of fossil fuels and achieving our 70 percent clean energy goal by 2030.

This is all fine and good, but neither Better Place nor Phoenix are offering cars in a Honolulu dealership just yet. Will Coda beat them to it? We'll find out in around 12 months. Oh, and what's the story with the first electric car in Hawai'i? It's right here.

[Source: Coda Automotive]

Continue reading Coda will sell electric sedan in Hawaii in late 2011

Coda will sell electric sedan in Hawaii in late 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Ford Focus Electric to use liquid-cooled lithium-polymer battery

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford

Ford Focus EV - Click above for high-res image gallery

When the Ford Focus Electric debuts late in 2011, it will now have a feature in common with the Chevrolet Volt besides the LG Chem lithium polymer cells. Ford has confirmed that the Focus will use a liquid cooled battery pack with automatic thermal management just like the Chevrolet.

Ford has opted for the active thermal management in order to help maximize the lifespan and performance of the battery. By stopping the battery from overheating, the system can help prevent the cracks that develop in the electrodes. Those cracks eventually reduce the pack's ability to hold a charge. Conversely, warming the cells when cold will improve the pack's winter performance. When the vehicle is plugged in, the thermal management will use grid power to precondition the battery before charging actually starts.

So far, Nissan and Mitsubishi are the only major EV manufacturers that are sticking with passive air cooling for plug-in vehicles. Nissan has committed to an eight-year warranty, but it remains unclear how well the battery will hold up in regular use in differing climates. Elon Musk certainly doesn't think very highly of Nissan's pack.

Gallery: ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading 2012 Ford Focus Electric to use liquid-cooled lithium-polymer battery

2012 Ford Focus Electric to use liquid-cooled lithium-polymer battery originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Continental: Mercedes Prototype-Spotting, New Ranger for Everyone Else, and Some Thoughts on Lincoln

Jens Meiners — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:04:02 +0000

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

Right now, traveling anywhere between Mercedes-Benz’s Stuttgart headquarters, the company’s Bremen factory, and its Papenburg test track, you are bound to run into camouflaged M-B prototypes. Just last week, I spotted the next-generation SL, the SLK, and the new B-class. All of them appear to continue in the spirit of the current models. The B-class is once again a compact van with a short hood and high seating position. The SL and SLK keep the current models’ proportions, although the SLK in particular will be a more muscular car. The dashboards will look more angular in the future. All of them will come with LED daytime running lights; the SLK gets horizontal front turn signals, similar to those on the current S-class. And while Mercedes toyed with the idea of switching back to a fabric roof for the SL, the company decided to stick with the folding hardtop, despite its packaging disadvantages.

Mercedes-Benz Viano

Here are two Mercedes models that definitely won’t make it to the U.S.: the just-face-lifted commercial vans Vito and Viano, little brothers of the Sprinter. While the Vito is unabashedly marketed to plumbers and craftsmen, the dressed-up Viano harbors upscale pretenses. This five-year-old van, just like the similarly sized Volkswagen T5, actually tries to compete with car-based minivans such as the Chrysler Town and Country in Europe. But the seating position and the steering-wheel placement betray their true nature. The T5, of course, is actually really nice, with the perfect execution I’ve come to expect from any recent VW. The Vito and Viano, on the other hand, are a far cry from any modern Mercedes car—and the face lift, which brings them visually closer to the R-class, changes little of that. Mercedes transporters were always engineered to different aesthetic and ride standards than the brand’s cars, but they are spacious and durable. If you can afford the gas bill, the top-of-the-line, 254-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 (which drives the rear wheels) is actually fun.

New Ford Ranger and a Small Toyota

Current Thai-built Ford Ranger

The U.S.-market Ford Ranger and the Ranger sold in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere are entirely different trucks. Built in Rayong, Thailand, the rest-of-the-world Ranger is a simple and cheaply built truck; now a replacement is around the corner. Badged as the Ford Ranger and the Mazda BT, the new model will be built from mid-2011 on. Will it come to the U.S when the current model is discontinued? Probably not; even the new, Thai-built model would be a major step down from previous U.S. Rangers.

At the Paris auto show in four weeks, Toyota will launch the Verso-S. One of the smallest microvans, it is powered by a 69-hp, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine or a 1.3-liter, 97-hp four. It is tiny, but a clear departure from the organic style of the previous Yaris Verso, which was sold in Europe until 2005.

European Thoughts on Lincoln

Following the April 1998 launch of the Lincoln LS, Ford announced that its upscale brand would enter the European market for the 1999 calendar year. The official press picture of the LS (license plate: K-DM 3418) is a special gem of my collection, as Lincoln’s move into Europe subsequently turned out to be little more than the figment of a few executives’ of imaginations. In the following years, other brands in Jac Nasser’s orbit were always more important than Lincoln, and the money that the brand would have needed was channeled into Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin—all of which are no longer part of Ford Motor Company.

To be sure, Ford tried to make Lincoln more “European.” These attempts included Richard Parry-Jones’s totally gratuitous technical redesign of the big rear-drivers (Town Car, Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria) for the 2003 model year. The land yachts did become slightly more dynamic, although the change wasn’t called for by the brand’s traditional customers, who—in the eternal words of then-Lincoln designer Gerry McGovern (who is now back at Land Rover)—”will all be dead soon anyway.” What’s more, chassis replacement parts which were typically stored by fleet customers became worthless overnight. To top things off, that new chassis ate up the money that was badly needed for a visual face lift of the Crown Victoria, which was previewed by the Police Interceptor concept at the 2003 New York auto show but never materialized in showrooms.

With the new focus on Lincoln and the fact that every other part of the “Premier Automotive Group” has been sold off or is in the process of being closed down, is there an excuse for Lincoln not to thrive? Expectations are high.

Hybrid sales drop off for August; even Prius records a 37.5% decline

Eric Loveday — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Filed under: Hybrid, Ford, Toyota, Green Daily

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

One month of dreary sales does not spell the end of the hybrid, but the numbers reported for August do hint that without a rise in gas prices, sales of hybrid cars and trucks will likely continue to suffer. As a whole, hybrid sales dropped 40.4 percent this August compared to a year ago and even the industry's volume leader, the Toyota Prius, didn't escape from posting plunging sales results. Sales of the Prius plummeted 37.5 percent from August 2009 and dropped off 16.3 percent compared to July's posted numbers. Combined, Toyota and Lexus witnessed a 36.2 percent decline from a year ago, while Ford fared better by posting a 17.1 percent drop in year-over-year numbers.

In all fairness, hybrid sales were boosted last August by the government's Cash for Clunkers program, but this summer's low gas prices continue to bear the burden of the blame for the hybrid fall out. Toyota remains in the number one spot and posted 15,444 sales last month. Ford sits in second place and moved 3,894 hybrid vehicles off dealer lots in August while Honda holds onto third with 3,485 sales. It's getting redundant, but Toyota still leads the hybrid market. Anyone want to make bets on when that will change?

[Source: Green Car Advisor, Autoblog]

Hybrid sales drop off for August; even Prius records a 37.5% decline originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automotive X-Prize: no money until cars pass dynamometer validation tests

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Filed under: MPG, Automotive X-Prize

The on-track testing portions of the Automotive X-Prize are over with, and the vast majority of teams have been eliminated from contention. However, the $10 million in prize money won't be handed out until September 16. Before those checks are signed, the remaining competitors will have to complete a drive cycle on a dynamometer at the Argonne National Labratory. The dyno results will be averaged with the on-track results and the final numbers will have to top the 100 MPGe values originally set as the goal for the X-Prize. If the vehicles don't average 100 MPGe they can't claim the prize money. On top of that, all vehicles need well-to-wheels CO2 emissions of under 200 grams per mile.

The vehicles will be tested for fuel efficiency, range, emissions and hill climbing capability. The latter test will require the vehicles to maintain 55 miles per hour for 15 minutes on a simulated four percent grade.

In the mainstream class ($5 million purse), only the two vehicles from Edison2 made it through the knockouts, but both experienced engine damage during the coast down testing. Because of timing issues, the vehicles couldn't be repaired in time for the Argonne testing but officials are considering allowing them to use previous test results done by Roush Engineering. In the alternative (tandem) class ($2.5 million), only X-Tracer (pictured) remains. There are five teams left in the alternative (side-by-side) class ($2.5 million). We'll see who - if anyone - rides away with the prizes in two weeks.

[Source: Automotive X-Prize]

Automotive X-Prize: no money until cars pass dynamometer validation tests originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 55: 2010 Lexus IS F

Car and Driver — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:55:16 +0000

On Tuesday, we posted an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note. To hear it again, click play above. We sort of gave this one away by running through all eight gears. That, combined with a (sometimes) thundering V-8, can only mean one thing: it was a Lexus IS F.

Like that sound? Download the MP3 and quiz your friends, make your own ringtone, or just lull yourself to sleep with sweet, sweet vehicular ear candy.

2010 Lexus IS F Exhaust MP3 (Right-click to Save As…)

2011 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible – Short Take Road Test

Mike Sutton — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:39:13 +0000

Chevy’s middleweight Corvette makes for a hugely capable convertible.

Currently in its sixth generation as America’s sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette bristles with track-bred performance, unmistakable design, and everyday comforts. Although it hasn’t been entirely modernized—leaf springs, anyone?—General Motors has whittled away at the car’s rough edges for well over half a century, resulting in one of the best all-around performance cars for the money.

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible – Short Take Road Test

2011 Dodge Durango – Official Photos and Info

David Gluckman — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:38:22 +0000

Taking newfound civility to the fringes of civilization.

Don’t be alarmed if you think the 2011 Dodge Durango looks a lot like a stretched Jeep Grand Cherokee with a crosshair grille, because that’s essentially what it is. While the underpinnings are largely shared, Dodge tells us that the Durango is more focused on hauling people—it has three rows to the Grand Cherokee’s two—than crawling over rocks. And so while Jeep boasts about off-road capability, Dodge will play up the crossovery-ness and on-road performance of the Durango.

Keep Reading: 2011 Dodge Durango – Official Photos and Info