Aston Martin builds some of the fastest, most desirable and undoubtedly most beautiful cars in the world by following a very simple formula. Front engine, rear-drive coupes (and sometimes sedans) powered by the biggest, most powerful engines available. As you would expect, fuel efficiency has historically been of very little concern.

Nowadays, though, that formula for success has a major flaw in that a line-up full of gas-guzzling machines doesn't make the populace (well, at least large portions of it) or the government particularly happy. Hence, Aston Martin has decided to offer another kind of vehicle entirely, one that hopefully will allow it continue merrily selling its favored line of supercars. Explains Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez:

First, we need a more sustainable product line-up... Second, we need to satisfy demand where we know it exists... Thirdly, we need to bring the company's fleet carbon emissions down. The Cygnet is perfect for that. This is just a small, stylish and efficient runabout: it doesn't need batteries or flywheels to be that way. So it's not pretending to be something it's not.

Is that a good strategy? Well, the matter certainly up for debate. Feel free to do just that in our comments.



[Source: Autocar]

Here in the United States, Mercedes-Benz's product portfolio starts off with the C-Class sedan. Those familiar with the alphabet may realize that there are at least two available letters before 'C' that would theoretically allow the German automaker to offer something a bit less expensive before graduating up the ranks to the likes of the E-Class and S-Class, in all their assorted variations.

Wouldn't you know it, Mercedes has seen fit to fill those two pre-C-Class slots with an A- and B-Class across the pond, and we've been hearing rumblings for quite some time that one of these models might make its way Stateside before too long. Those rumors continue today with this report from Automotive News, which suggests that a compact car and a small SUV may soon be in the offing in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz plans to launch the next version of its B-Class in Europe in 2011, and that's the likely candidate for conversion to be sold here in the States. Included amongst the powertrain options will reportedly be some kind of fossil fuel alternative, perhaps either an electric version or one powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

So, when might we expect all this to go down? Depends. Says Joachim Schmidt, sales and marketing chief at MB, "The behavior of Americans depends on fuel prices. Nevertheless, we see a trend also toward fuel-efficient cars."



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

What's the world coming to when two of Italy's most storied supercar manufacturers – we're talking Ferrari and Lamborghini here, in case you couldn't tell – are planning to launch hybrid automobiles? Well, actually that'd be three of Italy's most storied automakers, now that rumors of just such a Maserati are making the rounds on the Interwebs.

We'd agree with the boys at Inside Line when they suggest that Maserati will likely borrow hybrid technology from fellow Fiat-owned Ferrari, especially since the two business units already share a number of drivetrain components. If that's the case, the three-pointed Trident brand could potentially get a version of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that Ferrari showed off on its 599 HY-KERS earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show.

Word has it that Maserati is also joining Ferrari in its quest to shed a few unwanted pounds on its automobiles, which will have dual benefits for both brands – namely, improvements in both performance and fuel efficiency. Now there's a win-win scenario if we've ever heard one.

[Source: Inside Line]

This much we know: Subaru is ready to get into the hybrid marketplace. This much is a given following numerous rumors and reports that the Japanese automaker, which is currently tied at the hip to Toyota, wants to have its first hybridized vehicle on the market by 2012. Further, Subaru showed off its Hybrid Tourer concept at the Tokyo Motor Show late last year.

Here's what we don't know: What vehicle will Subaru use to introduce the world to its hybrid drivetrain? Initial speculation put the fuel-sipping technology into the larger Legacy platform, if for no other reason than the fact that the Legacy is Subaru's flagship sedan in the States. What's more, the aforementioned Hybrid Tourer concept wasn't exactly a little car.

Now, though, Road & Track is reporting that the next-gen Impreza, due quite fortuitously in 2012, will be Subie's first hybrid. We'd be shocked if Subaru's hybrid tech wasn't borrowed from Toyota, which is undoubtedly the world leader in hybrids, and it seems equally as likely that Subaru's favored flat-four Boxer motor would be featured. Besides that, we're in the dark.



[Source: Road & Track]

Generally speaking, we don't like the idea of being Supercritical. Being critical is bad enough without super-ing it, right? Apparently, though, being Supercritical with fuel is a good thing, as a company called Transonic is reporting that it has managed to boost the efficiency of an internal combustion engine in its testing by 50 to 75 percent.

Naturally, we take all such amazing-sounding performance claims with an appropriately large grain of salt. According to this article from the Society of Automotive Engineers, though, the technology sounds legit. As much as we'd love to be geniuses that are capable of explaining exactly how Supercritical Fuel Injection works, we're not. So... here's what Michael Frick, Vice President for Engineering at Transonic, has to say:

A supercritical fluid is basically a fourth state of matter that's part way between a gas and liquid... People might remember from chemistry class that there's a triple point on the [temperature vs. pressure] phase diagram of water, for instance, at which water exists simultaneously as ice, water, and vapor, but few know that there's another critical point at and around which a fluid will exhibit gas-like and liquid-like properties.

Well now, that helps, right? Well, here's the important stuff:

Supercritical fuel injection facilitates short ignition delay and fast combustion, precisely controls the combustion that minimizes crevice burn and partial combustion near the cylinder walls, and prevents droplet diffusion burn.

So, there you have it.

[Source: Society of Automotive Engineers via The Kneeslider]

Despite what your eyes may be telling you, the car you see above is not a Pygmy Fiat 500. It is, in fact, the questionably named Rinspeed UC? (pun intended – get it, questionably named... ha!), which the company says is short for both Urban Commuter and the phrase, "You See?". In person, the latest concept from the quirky design house appears much more green and iridescent than it does in the press photos, as you can see from our live image gallery below.

Buried underneath that flashy clothing you'll find a lithium ion battery pack from LiTec that sends power to an electric motor with 95 pound-feet of torque that pushes the little urban runabout to a top speed of 68 miles per hour. A full charge is said to be sufficient for a range of about 75 miles.

Also take note that there's not a single scratch on the UC?, though that wouldn't really be a problem since the car comes with StickerFix, "a modern, high quality adhesive DIY repair system that uses patented AkzoNobel paint technology in combination with a specially developed vinyl sticker." Clever, no?

No, Wankel is not really a verb. At least, not that we know of. But it is the last name of the man who designed the rotary engine, and we think our man Felix would be more than pleased with the latest application of his barrel-shaped internal combustion powerplant. In case you missed it before, that would be as the range-extender buried inside Audi's new A1 e-tron electric vehicle, which is currently on display at the Geneva Motor Show.

As we told you before, Audi's smallest e-tron features a 12-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack that feeds a steady stream of electrons to a front-mounted electric motor with 102 peak horsepower. The aforementioned Wankel rotary engine features one lone rotor, displaces 254cc and sits just aft of the battery pack under the rear seat. Why a Wankel? Audi says the complete package weighs in at just 154 pounds and puts out a nice, steady stream of power at a constant 5,000 RPM. Check out our gallery of live images from the show floor in Geneva below.




Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

In addition to the interesting electrified A1 e-tron concept, Audi is also showing off a hybridized version of its range-topping A8 sedan at this year's Geneva Motor Show that it claims offers V6 power levels with four-cylinder fuel efficiency and emissions. Backing up that claim are reported power figures of 245 horsepower (45 of which can be supplied from the electric motor) and 354 pound-feet of torque. The run to 60 is said to take about 7.5 seconds and fuel mileage comes in at 38 miles per gallon on the EU cycle. That's about a 20-percent improvement over the standard A8.

As a full hybrid, the A8 design study can run on electricity only for up to 1.2 miles at speeds of 40 miles per hour or less. Above that, the 2.0-liter TFSI engine takes over. A lithium ion battery pack of unknown capacity resides in the trunk, but Audi makes sure to point out that there's still over 14 cubic-feet of space back there for storage. The German automaker also makes pains to assure that the A8 Hybrid is still "an extremely dynamic car" – one that just so happens to return good fuel efficiency.

Check out our gallery of high-res images below, and be sure to note the Prism Silver paint with Spectra Flair (yes, really) rainbow effect and 21-inch two-color wheels. Also, check out the prominent hybrid badging on each front fender along with the door sills (illuminated, naturally) and inside on the new Powermeter in the instrument cluster. Still want more? Click past the break for the complete press release.



[Source: Audi]

Read more →

It was just last week that Lexus dropped all the details on its upcoming new CT 200h (click here to refresh your memory), and now, as promised, the Japanese automaker has officially unveiled the hybrid hatchback at the Geneva Motor Show. Naturally, we snapped off a series of live photos for your viewing enjoyment.

Interestingly, while Lexus has yet to confirm which markets the CT will enter, our men on the scene report back, "Lexus executives were adamant about a near-simultaneous global launch a year from now. In their own words, the United States and Japan will receive the CT 200h, even if it was developed as an euro-centric model. First deliveries should begin in Q1 2011."

Until we get official confirmation on that point from Lexus, take that information and file it firmly in the rumormill folder, but it could mean good things to come for those interested in a fuel efficient premium hatchback to go up against Audi's diesel-powered A3. Stay tuned, there's plenty more on the way live from the show floor in Switzerland.

Daimler looks to be bolstering its presence in the electric vehicle sweepstakes with a newly announced deal with China's BYD to develop EVs for the booming Chinese market. According to Dieter Zetsche, Daimler chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz:

Daimler's know-how in electric vehicle architecture and BYD's excellence in battery technology and e-drive systems are a perfect match. Thus, we will be able to participate in the potential growth of electric mobility in China, currently the largest auto market of the world.

China passed the United States as the world's largest automobile market last year, and BYD is arguably the leading Chinese automaker when it comes to battery and EV technology. Remember, too, that Daimler entered into a partnership with California-based Tesla Motors for the development of electric vehicles, taking a nine-percent stake in the startup automaker in the process.



[Source: The Wall Street Journal]