Go Diesel!!!! Its Your Birthday!!!! You The MAN!!!!!

With Hybrids becoming all the "Rage" these days, Europe has been riding the red headed stepchild of the automobile world all the way to the bank!

Diesel Engines are becoming even more efficient than Hybrid cars netting close to 50 MPG. But what is a Diesel Engine and why is it so much more efficient. Well a Diesel Engine is very similar to a normal everyday combustion engine with one major difference. Diesel Engines do not employ the use of a spark plug, rather they reply on compression in the engine to ignite the fuel mixture, and this causes a cleaner more efficient burn, thus wasting less gas. And when a diesel engine is combined with a turbocharger, which makes power from the spend exhaust gasses, then these engines can be made as powerful as their regular combustion brothers. Diesel engines are often overbuilt and the lack of an electrical ignition seytem only adds to their reliability.

Volkswagen has been at the forefront with their TDI (Turbo Diesel Injected) with their Golf running around Freeways getting anywhere between 42-47 MPG these owners seem to be part of some secret club.

Now there is again big new from our friends to the east. Subaru plans on bringing a Diesel Powered car over to the U.S. that according to Motor Trend will get near 50 MPG. Too good to be true? No, guess again....with the demand rising for more fuel efficient cars, the Big automakers better cash in before its too late!

http://www.transmitmedia.com/golfTDI
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0801_subaru_boxer_turbodiesel_first_drive/

Nissan Steps It Up With the Infinity G35 Hybrid

The days of hybrid adolescence are far behind us….now every automaker has hybrid offerings that range from daily commuters to trucks and SUV’s. Hybrids were once the prized possession of mundane everyday commuters. Now that GREEN is the new cool….yuppies have jumped at any Hybrid Luxury offering available!

Those offerings are few and far between though! Lexus has had the Hybrid Luxury market cornered for a while now. The Lexus RX 400h starts at $42k and averages 25.5 MPG! The Lexus GS 450h costs a pretty hefty $55k and averages 23 MPG….yuck! And then there is the Lexus 600hL…but for $101k we won’t even go there.

So how come it has taken so long for other companies to branch out into the Luxury hybrid market? Who knows…seems like common sense to me! But now Infinity has stepped up to the plate with a G35 hybrid. The G35 is an enormously popular car in the past…and now with the hybrid available…..it should plant itself as the definition of affordable hybrid luxury!

This Infinity/Nissan will be faster, cleaner, and net better gas mileage than the current G35. Of course it will cost a couple of thousand more but the plus side is this hybrid will net 40% better MPG than the current all-gas powered car…..34 MPG! Take that Lexus….of course we will have to wait for real world testing to authenticate that number! Oh and this car is slated for release in the year 2010. Come on Nissan and get with it….we want this car now!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=130726

Volkswagen Polo Sips Its Way To 60 MPG – In Your Face Hybrids!

The Polo may be a step down from the already lowly Rabbit; but it is a giant step forward in terms of Gasoline powered Efficiency. It has 4-doors, a reasonable price tag, and last but not least: a sweet little engine. Europeans have always known what we Americans have been missing: Turbo-diesel power is the way to go! Not only can you get the best MPG from a diesel car, the fuel burns more cleanly, and adding a turbo increases power by using wasted exhaust gasses.

The little engine that could is a 1.4L, 3-cylinder, direct injected, turbo-diesel. This bad boy pumps out a staggering 79-hp. But when combined with a LRR tires, special aerodynamics, and a manual transmission; the Polo can easily obtain the 60 MPG advertised, eat that hybrids. And the little 12-gallon tank will take you well over 700 miles. Sounds good to me!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116314
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4262351.html

100 MPG Car…..The Future Is Oh So Near!

Forget this 40-50 MPG peanuts…..The real news is that the X PRIZE Foundation has offered a $10 million prize for the first production vehicle to break that golden 100 Mile Per Gallon barrier. This foundation is the same that recently paid…you guessed it….$10 million for the first suborbital space flight a few years back. This foundation is dedicated to offering large amounts of money to make huge leaps for humanity.

Since Space the Final Frontier has been conquered…might as well solve the gas crisis. Damn….why did I skip Auto Shop Class! I could be rich…..maybe not….you can bet that the big auto makers are already on the case. The Announcement was made at the New York International Auto Show a few months back. And even the Mayor Bloomberg gave his 2 cents on the prize. "Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming - and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30 percent by 2030." Please…..by 2030 we are going to be oil free. It always seems like America is a little behind the times. Why shoot for 100 MPG….that seems easily within reach. I mean we already have Electric cars, Vegetable Oil powered cars, and so on running around. Gas is a thing of the past! In 2009 a cross-country race will determine the winner of the Progressive Automotive X Prize. Check out their website for more info. http://www.xprize.org/x-prizes/automotive-x-prize

Source: http://www.knbc.com/news/15686890/detail.html

http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/files/img/auto/index_main.jpg

It’s a Turtle, It’s a Sardine Can……No it’s a SMART Car!!!

So I was returning home from work one day after sitting on the Freeway for 90 minutes…yes to go 33 miles….I love southern California (don’t ever move here!) anyways my neighbor had this little weird neon green thingy sitting in the driveway. Thinking it was some cool new toy I approached him and asked “what the heck is that?”
“It’s a Smart car,” he replied. Smart like good at math and science? No, smart like it does not require much gas, therefore the owner is Smart!

Right now the Smart car comes equipped with a 3-cylinder engine that makes 70hp. And gets about 40 MPG. Nothing really exciting about that…..Oh except for the price….11-13k will get you one of these Prius MPG matching cars.

The really exciting stuff is on the horizon. Smart not only has a regular gas powered model….it also has a Bio-diesel powered car and an all electric car. The Bio-diesel car gets 70 MPG compared to 40 MPG because it has a more efficient engine than the gas powered version (smartcarofamerica). And of course the price tag will be a little bit higher. And there is also a hybrid model that gets 71 mpg.

Beyond these 3 models lies the holy grail of Smart technology. The first all electric Smart car is ready for America. This car features an all electric engine that can go up to 70 miles between charges and cost only $3 in electricity usage (smartcatofamerica). Now I know the Tesla can go 200 miles or something like that….but this is the first of many attempts I’m sure at a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation that is also easy on the wallet.

So next time you’re on the Freeway and see one of these funny little cars running around….don’t laugh…because in 5 years you too will be driving something similar! And remember Chic’s Dig Environmentally Responsible Dudes!! Smart Car of America

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