Archive for August 7th, 2008

Design student creates new diesel hybrid Datsun 240Z concept

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Nissan

Once upon a time cars made by the Nissan Motor Co. actually wore the Datsun brand rather than that of the parent company. In 1986 Nissan finally retired the Datsun brand in favor of its own name but not before creating an iconic sports car in the form of the Datsun… »

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Commenter Of The Day: Lost In Translation Edition [Commenter Of The Day]

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

The words are familiar to anyone who can spell NAFTA: “It’s a global marketplace.” Buick is the toast of China, and a French company builds our Japanese Chryslers. We can get German chocolate cake in Mexicantown while we’ve got the Asian flu. Like it or not, more than ever before we are all one, sharing… »

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Driving impressions of the fuel cell Chevy Equinox

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Filed under: Hydrogen, Chevrolet, GM

Here in the Ann Arbor office of ABG we don’t have access to a public hydrogen filling station yet. The only ones around here at the EPA national testing lab, the NextEnergy Center in Detroit and at various automakers facilities. That means that we’re not eligible to get one of GM’s… »

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Bridgestone could begin using rubber from Dandelions

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Manufacturing/Plants, Green Daily, USA

Natural rubber is rather hard to get, as the trees from which it is cultivated from only grow in certain areas and the method of obtaining it is difficult and time-consuming. Synthetic rubber, on the other hand, is not too tough to create, though it generally comes from… »

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Looking To Minimize Stops On Long Road Trips? [Moment Of Zen]

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Let’s hope it’s actually plumbed and functional. Thanks to Narf for the photo!

Original post by Murilee Martin… »

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Project Car Hell, Anglomasochism Edition: Aston Martin DB5 or Jensen FF? [Project Car Hell]

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that’s the coolest… and the most hellish! We had a minor upset yesterday, with longshot Germany defeating PCH Superpower Britain in the Jaguar Versus BMW Choose Your Eternity poll. That’s not quite the headline news that, say, Detroit beating France would… »

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Triac tryouts to begin this October, deliveries in November

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

A little while back we told you about a $20,000 highway-speed electric car promised for the American market by Green Vehicles called the Triac. It seems, as with every other electric car program (except, so far, Aptera), that the launch has been delayed and now a new estimated delivery schedule has been… »

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Can You Afford A Corvette ZR1? [2009 Corvette ZR1]

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

newVideoPlayer(”/affordZR1.flv”, 494, 410,””);If you’re looking to justify the purchase of a 2009 Corvette ZR1, Suze Orman may not be the best person to call. That’s what one potential ZR1 buyer found out when he called into the “Can I Afford It?” segment of Orman’s financial advice show on CNBC.
But Dan, the caller, isn’t exactly… »

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Mitsubishi iMiEV to get tested in California in Q4 2008!

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Mitsubishi, USA

Those folks in America wanting to buy an all-electric Mitsubishi i MiEV sometime in the future now have a reason for increased optimism. The company has just announced agreements with both Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG & E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) to test how the vehicles fare under… »

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WSJ: Chrysler And Nissan Discussing Mid-Size Car Collaboration [Industry News]

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

While we’ve previously reported on the Chrysler/Nissan small-car/pickup-truck mind meld, the Wall Street Journal now says the two companies are discussing collaboration on a mid-size vehicle platform. The report states that the agreement currently under consideration would have Nissan building mid-size sedans that Chrysler would then market under its own nameplate in the US. There’s… »

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