City fuel economy for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid almost doubles the city efficiency of the non-hybrid Fusion.

The Toyota Prius and other hybrids are great for eco-geeks who hold fuel efficiency, low emissions and high-tech auto technology as sacrosanct—and all other car features as sacrifice. But drivers looking for a smooth, comfortable ride—with a modicum of style and performance—might as well forget hybrids. So goes the opinion of many auto journalists who ding hybrids for lackluster driving characteristics, squishy brakes, and clunky transitions between gas and electric power. But that was before Ford introduced the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, a family sedan that offers 41 mpg in the city—and more importantly, some fun behind the wheel.

USA Today emphatically stated, “The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best gasoline-electric hybrid yet.” Cars.com said, “Fusion Hybrid is a significant step forward for the technology, particularly for family sedans.” And Car and Driver said the Ford Fusion Hybrid “wipes the floor with the Toyota Camry Hybrid.” Comparisons with the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid (only available in eight states) make sense. They currently are the three leading hybrid contenders in the mid-size family sedan category. The Toyota Prius hatchback—with its unique aerodynamic design, slightly smaller interior, smaller engine and 50-mpg rating—will probably appeal to a different buyer.

There are many new fords, but Fusion is a great car.

Shifting to smaller and lighter-weight vehicles is about the quickest and easiest way to reduce the environmental impact of our cars. But compact cars have never been big sellers in the United States. Could Americans be seduced to downsize their vehicles with an attractive and sporty compact hybrid?

First unveiled two years ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, the sporty two-passenger Honda CR-Z Hybrid is back again in Tokyo in 2009. This time, Honda is closer to a production model—about “95 percent” of the way according to company officials. Honda has committed to introducing a range of small hybrids, with both the CR-Z Hybrid and Honda Fit Hybrid due out in 2010. It’s too early for mileage or pricing info, but we expect mpg in the high-30s and a price tag in the low $20,000s.

The Honda CR-Z’s 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine is mated to Honda’s proprietary Integrated Motor Assist technology and a six-speed manual gearbox. That would make the CR-Z the only hybrid on the market with a manual transmission.

Light, sporty and futuristic are the keywords. The design features an oversized front grille with small openings on each side of the front panel. The CR-Z clearly borrows its overall shape from the Honda CRX sports car, a version of the Civic that was produced from 1984 to 1991. The CRX used a small and light profile to translate directly into sporty and speedy. “CR-Z” stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero,” which is meant to signify the company’s desire to give birth to a new era for compact highly efficient vehicles.

The third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius, officially unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January 2009, went on sale in April. The updated Prius is bigger and more powerful. The engine grew from 1.5 liters to 1.8 liters—giving a boost in horsepower from 110 to 160, and thereby reducing zero-to-60 time by a full second. In addition, the body is about four inches longer and about an inch wider. Despite the added power and size, the 2010 Toyota Prius becomes the only vehicle available today to offer 50 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving.

Toyota achieved this level of fuel efficiency by keeping the vehicle’s weight down, maintaining the best aerodynamics of any production vehicle in the world, and re-engineering the powertrain to extend the range of all-electric gas-free driving. (Despite rumors over the past year, the new Prius does not offer plug-in capabilities and continues to use nickel metal hydride batteries, rather than switching to lithium ion batteries.)

A fleet of 12 Toyota Priuses in London have been fitted with GPS-linked speed limiters to measure how drivers respond to having their speed controlled by a computer rather than their own feet.

For now, the trial is local to London, run by Transport for London, the agency that manages the city’s roads, buses, subways and trains. The agency is using its own fleet of Priuses for the test and will add a bus and a taxi later this year.

The experiment, which Transport for London also says will help determine whether accident rates can be reduced by the technology, uses a black box that combines GPS location data with a speed database and overrides the electronic throttle if the driver pushes past the posted limit.

It would seem laudable, except that some see sinister motives at work. The test is linked to road tolls, and the idea has a strong resonance with control-freak politicians and bureaucrats, who like the idea of charging and controlling Europe’s motorists at every opportunity. Speed limiters linked to digital maps of speed limits raise the specter of speed control by decree of the European Commission. Big Brother is, without a doubt, lurking in Europe’s collective mind.

The trial has being going for just more than a month, and so far, the evidence is generally anecdotal. “Most drivers didn’t like the idea at first,” said Chris Lines, Transport for London road safety chief. “But some start to like it. It saves them getting speeding tickets.”

Downsides? “The main thing they notice is the big queue of vehicles that builds up behind them sometimes,” Lines noted.

Drivers in the trial get a switch to choose how the speed limiter operates. Advisory mode gives a dashboard warning when the speed limit changes. Voluntary mode overrides the throttle so it slows the car and prevents the driver from speeding.

One potential problem is that GPS signals fade in the shadow of tall buildings in big cities. Lines admits that this does happen, but the system is programmed to assume that the limit is unchanged until the signal reconnects.

Like many road-safety campaigners, Lines is very persuasive with his argument. “There are 200 people killed and 2,500 seriously injured on London’s roads each year, and it costs £1.2 billion [about $1.9 billion],” he said.

But the jury is still out on whether taking control of a car’s accelerator is the right way to solve that problem.

For more Car news, road tests, photos and insight, click here.
]]> http://all4ferrari.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/londons-gps-based-speed-limit-trial-puts-big-brothers-foot-on-the-gas-pedal/feed/ 0 mrniceguy6061 http://all4ferrari.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/new-bentley/ http://all4ferrari.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/new-bentley/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:35:54 +0000 mrniceguy6061 http://all4ferrari.wordpress.com/?p=43 ]]> entley is one of the featured marques at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and the British luxury-car maker will use the event as the stage to roll out the successor to the Arnage.

On Wednesday, Bentley released a second teaser photo of the new car. It shows a slanted C-pillar and a curved body-character line flowing into the rear quarter-panel.

Pebble Beach will see the reveal of the new car and its name on Aug. 16. For now, Bentley calls the car the “grand Bentley.”

Bentley says the new car will capture the “1920s grand spirit of the Bentley boys.”

For more Car news, road tests, photos and insight, click here.

1. William Bill Gates III – Microsoft founder, net worth $50 billion.

Vehicles owned – 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible, 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe

2. Warren Buffet – Investor, net worth $42 billion

Vehicle owned – 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series

3. Ingvar Kamprad – IKEA founder, net worth of $28 billion

Vehicle owned – 1993 Volvo 240 GL

4. Paul Allen – Microsoft co-founder, net worth of $22 billion

Vehicles owned – 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe, 1988 Mazda B-Series Pickup

5. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud – Nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, net worth of $20 billiion

Vehicles owned – Infiniti FX45, Hummer H1, Volvo XC90, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Daewoo Matiz

6. Michael Dell – Dell founder, net worth of $17.1 billion

Vehichles Owned – 2004 Porsche Boxster; 2005 Hummer H2

7. Lawrence Ellison – Oracle founder, net worth of $16 billion

Vehicles owned – 2006 Bentley Flying Spur, Bentley Continental GT

8. Jim Walton – son of Wal-mart founder, Sam Walton, net worth of $15.9 billion

Vehicles owned – 2002 Dodge Dakota Pickup, 2000 Acura Integra, 1998 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, 1999 Chevrolet Silverado Pickup, 1959 Cadillac

9. Alice Walton – daughter of Wal-mart founder, Sam Walton, net worth of $15.7 billion

Vehicle owned – 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch

10. Steven Ballmer – Microsoft’s CEO, net worth of $13.6 billion

Vehicle owned – 1998 Lincoln Continental

After 11 months of development. The AC Schnitzer TENSION: Street Version was borned. Of course the Street Version could not be 100% copy of the concept model.

The ventilation of the power plant is actively supported by sufficient cooling air flow from its large air outlet. Because of the front skirt, the TENSION Street Version looks much lower and yet, it improves downforce on the front axle while speeding on the highway.

The bodystyling is completed by the AC Schnitzer sports mirrors and the combination of two colour paintwork, thats Alpine White with Anthracite Metallic.

Depending on the regular M6, you may choose to fitted the new AC Schnitzer 5.1-liter engine in your Tension Street Version. The new engine car boosted into a mere 411 bhp. The top speed also rises on average by around 20 mph.

The good news is, the DBS 007 edition was not exclusively built for James Bond, Aston Martin company will built another 300 units for the public.

The DBS is a car that between the DB9 and the DBR9, which was design for racing at Le Mans. The DBS will not as extreme as the DBR9 but will be more extreme that the DB9. Using the the 6.0-litre V12 engine, which is used by the DB9, the DBS can produce a mere 500hp++. Suppose the engine is only producing 450hp but the company has upgraded the engine to more than 500hp.

The car is is lowered by 25mm and rides on with the chromed 10-spoke 20-inch wheels. But the wheels may not make production.The top speed of the DBS is expected to be over 320km/h. and remember, the machine guns and rockets are not included in this car when you purchase it!

The interior will be more cool than the DB9 with its quilted leather and race-style bucket seats with the DBS logo and some features specially for James Bond. The leather and wood of the DB9 are replaced by plenty of carbon fibre for more sporty-looking.

There’s also a pistol shaped slot in the glovebox but probably won’t make production.

The concept sketch of the DBS.

Another old Aston also will star in Casino Royale.

The iosis-X are ready to went into production. Ford company has announced that the iosis-X will start produce in 18 month’s time.

The interior design was inspired by extreme winter sports, with four racing bucket seats floating over a glass floor, you will feel like you are in a glass-bottom excursion boat. Thanks to the creative Curic Kemel, the interior design of the iosis-X.

The most cool feature of the iosis-X is the floating side “skid plates” wich are separated from the body panels. The unique tyres are build by Continental according to the design.

Looking for more photos and details? You can go to autoblog.com.

A ”X”treme concept by Ford

The Ultimate Aero TT will display itself at the recent SEMA 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. At more than 5 million US dollars each, the Ultimate Aero TT is probably a new record holder for the most expensive car on the world plus the fastest production car on the world.

Below is some nice photos of the Ultimate Aero TT that i found from its official site.