Mazda is set to unveil a car in Paris next month, the Kiyora. It’s smaller than the Mazda2 minicar and is being labeled a “city car” with “bold, futuristic styling.” It could possibly be labeled the Mazda1, in fact, and would be competing with the comparable Volkswagen Up and Toyota iQ.
Whereas compacts were once “the” […]
Posted on September 4th, 2008 by Shorty
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Since blogging didn’t happen last week due to that nasty complication called “life,” I’ve been busy catching up, starting with Wired’s interactive article, “The 10 Most Wired Cars of the Geneva Motor Show.” (You can find the information elsewhere, but this one has drool worthy photos.)
First off, get used to “blue” meaning green:
- BlueMotion from […]
Posted on March 11th, 2008 by Shorty
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Project Green Freedom
Now here’s an interesting idea in the realm of alternative fuels and combating global warming. It’s sort of the, “We put it in the air, now let’s take it out and use it” approach. The Los Alamos National Laboratory is undertaking a project called Green Freedom to develop a way to take CO2 […]
Posted on February 26th, 2008 by Shorty
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Clean burning diesel is all the rage these days. A committee reviewing the old 2001 list of fuel efficient technologies for the NTSA just declared the once maligned fuel as both efficient and worthy of meeting clean air standards.
Personally, when I hear “diesel,” I think “truck,” but the Loremo AG has blown that stereotype all […]
Posted on February 21st, 2008 by Shorty
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Last week I had occasion to spend some time researching the CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport.) It’s a fascinating two-seater fueled by compressed natural gas being developed by nine European partners (with BMW in the mix) at the University of Bath. The specs are respectable. It’ll make 60 mph and accelerate from […]
Posted on January 22nd, 2008 by Shorty
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Automotive News has produced a list of their top 10 concept vehicles for 2007 including predictions of their chances of ever hitting the road. The full article is here, but since it may require a subscription, the basics of the list include:
Volkswagen space up! blue - A four-seater mini mini-van. Fuel cell with an electric […]
Posted on December 31st, 2007 by Shorty
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The Detroit Auto Show is going to be a hot bed of premieres and introductions in January. One of the more interesting concepts that will be on display is the Mazda Furai (according to the press release that’s “fu-rye” and it means “sound of the wind.”) Working in concert with British Petroleum, this baby is […]
Posted on December 17th, 2007 by Shorty
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Design students at MIT are taking the idea of a City Car a little farther and making their two-seat electric vehicle foldable. With lithium-ion batteries supplying the power, the City Car, weighing in between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds, wouldn’t just fold up, it would stack — just like shoping carts fitting together — as many […]
Posted on November 7th, 2007 by Shorty
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Lots of concepts coming out of the Tokyo Motor Show this year, including an intriguing offering from Toyota dubbed the 1/X. Apparently this is the future of the Prius line, promising twice the fuel efficiency up to a lovely 92 mpg.
Alot of that high performance is due to weight loss. The 1/X is trimmer than […]
Posted on October 28th, 2007 by Shorty
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In testament to my true overall geekiness, I would absolutely love to drive a SmartCar. The closest thing folks of a like mind here in the States are going to be able to buy, at least for awhile, is the FlyBo-EV. The compact, electric car will go on sale in Saginaw, Michigan in coming weeks, […]
Posted on September 10th, 2007 by Shorty
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