New York Leads on E.V. Issues, but E.V.’s Have Yet to Follow

A new study places New York among the world’s most proactive cities trying to ease the way of electric vehicles, but leadership has its pitfalls. The study (PDF) was produced by the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy research group and think tank, along with partners including the International Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Electric Vehicles Initiative.  The study analyzed 16 cities and regions to gauge their readiness to absorb E.V.’s. Ben Holland, program manager for the Project Get ...

Submited at Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at 6:59 am by admin

Porsche Releases Test Photos of 918 Hybrid Hypercar

On Tuesday, Porsche announced that testing of its long-awaited 918 Spyder hybrid was under way. The plug-in supercar is slated to go into production in September 2013 and, according to a Porsche media release, the first customers to meet the $845,000 price of entry can anticipate delivery before the end of next year. Only 918 vehicles will be produced. Reached by telephone, Gary Fong, a Porsche spokesman, stated the tally of preordered models was not available. Accompanying Tuesday’s release were photographs ...

Submited at Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 6:00 pm by chuck

Wheelies: The Fraternité Edition

May 15, 2012, 10:52 am By THE NEW YORK TIMES In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web: • French President François Hollande was chauffeured to his inauguration Tuesday in Paris in a Citroën DS5 Hybrid4 hatchback. The car, which is powered by a diesel engine and electric motor, is positioned as Citroën’s competitor to the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. Nicolas Sarkozy, the outgoing president, was chauffeured from the ceremony in a Citroën C6 sedan. ...

Submited at Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 3:00 pm by samantha

In a Global Marketplace, Toyota and Volkswagen Make Room for Niche Vehicles

Though the world’s major automakers have optimized their efficiency and profitability by producing global vehicles that can be sold worldwide with minimal changes, specialization still plays a role in the automotive marketplace. Toyota recently introduced the second generation of its Pixis Epoch, a microvehicle for the home market of Japan, while Volkswagen unveiled a compact ambulance at the 2012 RETTmobil emergency vehicles trade show in Fulda, Germany, based on its Sharan minivan. The 2013 Pixis Epoch, which is built for ...

Submited at Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 9:59 pm by madison

Ferrari Driven by Gotham Dream Cars Employee Strikes and Kills Motorcyclist

May 14, 2012, 2:34 pm By JONATHAN SCHULTZ A Ferrari F430 from the fleet of Gotham Dream Cars, an exotic-car rental company with offices in Englewood, N.J., and Miami, struck and killed a motorcyclist Sunday in East Rutherford. According to a report from The Record of Bergen County, two employees of the company were returning to the parking lot of MetLife Stadium, site of the Dream Car Sprint Program, from a nearby gas station when Joseph Ferretti, driving one of ...

Submited at Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 6:59 pm by madison

Syd Mead: A Hollywood Futurist With Roots in the Car Business

A designer of vehicles and environments for films like “Blade Runner,” “Aliens,” “Tron” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” Syd Mead is also a virtuoso of gouache painting. Through June 30, a rare show of his work is on view at BravinLee Programs in Manhattan. The show is called “Future (Perfect),” the parenthetical element suggesting the problematic and ambiguous nature of the worlds of tomorrow depicted in the artist’s visions. Mr. Mead has roots in the vehicle industry.

Submited at Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 4:59 pm by Alina

Monday Motorsports: Jimmie Johnson Delivers 200th Cup Victory to Rick Hendrick

One driver ended two ignominious streaks Sunday night at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Jimmie Johnson, the overall Nascar Sprint Cup champion in five of the last six complete seasons, snapped a 16-race winless streak. His victory also ended the drought for the team owner Rick Hendrick, who had sat on 199 career Cup racing wins since Johnson’s victory last October at Kansas Speedway. Johnson led more laps than any driver but faced threats late in the evening. After a ...

Submited at Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 3:59 pm by madison

Reviewing the Lexus GS 350

May 11, 2012, 8:25 pm By THE NEW YORK TIMES In Sunday’s Automobiles section, Lawrence Ulrich reviews the 2013 Lexus GS 350, the midrange luxury sport sedan from Toyota’s luxury subsidiary. Lexus redesigned the GS for the 2013 model year with an eye toward making it a distinctive choice in the marketplace, not just a sensible one. Its new spindle grille may scare off shoppers wooed by Audi’s interlocking rings, Mercedes-Benz’s three-pointed star or BMW’s twin-kidney grille, which would be ...

Submited at Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 4:00 am by hilman

Honda Crosstour: Conceptual in Name Only

Introduced on Wednesday, April 4: 2013 Honda Crosstour Concept. What is it? A midcycle refresh of the Honda crossover, formerly part of the Accord family. Is it real? Honda calls it a concept, but apart from some auto-show brightwork, it is, for all intents and purposes, your 2013 Crosstour. What they said: To impart a more rugged character to the Crosstour, Honda simplified the fussy front end, added a visible skid plate, tacked on two-tone cladding and squared off the ...

Submited at Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 7:01 am by chuck

With Atlantic, Fisker Seeks Out Calmer Seas

Introduced on Tuesday, April 3: Fisker Atlantic sedan concept. What is it? An plug-in hybrid sized and kitted up like a midrange Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. In Fisker-speak, the Atlantic was the automobile formerly referred to as Project Nina. Is it real? Yes and no. Insofar as the Atlantic has been central to Fisker’s growth strategy without actually being produced or sold, yes. But it’s not exactly rolling down production lines, either. What they said: “You know we don’t waste ...

Submited at Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 7:00 am by samantha