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Today, Daimler AG announced that the leading vehicle manufacturers in fuel cell technology – Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation/Opel, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, the alliance Renault SA and Nissan Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation – gave a joint statement to the development and market introduction of electric vehicles with fuel cells with a Letter of Understanding (LoU). These companies have built up remarkable know-how in fuel cell technology and thus, the signing marks a major step towards the serial production of such locally emission-free vehicles.

The signing automobile manufacturers strongly anticipate that from 2015 onwards a quite significant number of electric vehicles with fuel cell could be commercialised. This number is aimed at a few hundred thousand units over life cycle on a worldwide basis. As every vehicle manufacturer will implement its own specific production and commercial strategies as well as timelines, commercialisation of electric vehicles with fuel cells may occur earlier than in the above-mentioned expected year. Read the rest of this entry »

Five cylinders, plenty of power with four wheel drive – that was the original “ur-Quattro”, a sports coupe which caused a furore around 30 years ago and is also one of the highlights of the 50-year tuning history of ABT. General manager Hans-Jürgen Abt remembers the racing car, which now enthrals car fans in the Kempten showroom and creates a link to the new TT-RS: “Our ur-Quattro is a big banger, a sports machine which played in the Champions league. Quattro technology and performance are in perfect harmony. The TT-RS brings this magical combination back on the road.” Then, as now, a fully-charged 5-cylinder engine provides optimum power. The cool, compact sports car has it, in the truest sense of the word: the ABT version of the ABT TT-RS provides 420 HP (309kW). Thanks to ABT POWER, i.e. a charge air cooler and optimisation of the engine electronics, 80 HP (59 kW) more is put to work. That is enough to catapult the Bavarian super sports car to an electronically regulated tempo of 282 km/h. The athlete from the Alps can thereby manage the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »

Euro NCAP, the organisation that assesses the safety of new cars, today releases the results for eight new cars. Seven cars in this line-up received Euro NCAP’s maximum five star award, whilst one car, the Citroen C3, received a four star result. Two of this month’s top-scorers are amongst the car industry’s most fuelefficient vehicles: the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius 3.

The latest results for the Insight and the Prius 3 show that good fuel economy need not stand in the way of a high level of safety performance. Euro NCAP in particular commends these hybrid vehicles for their impressive pedestrian scores that not only fulfil Euro NCAP’s current five star requirements, but already meet the organisation’s challenging 2012 targets. Pedestrian protection is an area that has long been underprioritised by carmakers. Last year barely 25% of the cars tested achieved more than two stars for pedestrian protection. However with the introduction of a new regulation in Europe this year and a stronger focus maintained by Euro NCAP, the tide is quickly turning. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Italian news agency ANSA reports that three nuns going 180 kilometers/hour (about 112 miles/hour) were stopped by the autostrada (toll road) police in Italy. The driver explained that they were very concerned about the Pope’s state of health. (Benedict XVI fractured his wrist while vacationing in Aosta.)

Although the nuns where obviously agitated over the Pope’s mishap, their explanation was not enough to get the agents to forgive their ticket. The 56-year-old reckless nun was attempting to drive from Torino to Aosta in record time. She was fined 375 Euros (about $529) and had her license suspended for one month.

Another member of the trio had to take over the wheel.

The new General Motors Company began operations today with a new corporate structure, a stronger balance sheet, and a renewed commitment to make the customer the center of everything the new GM does.

“Today marks a new beginning for General Motors, one that will allow every employee, including me, to get back to the business of designing, building and selling great cars and trucks and serving the needs of our customers,” said Fritz Henderson, president and CEO. “We are deeply appreciative for the support we have received during this historic transformation, and we will work hard to repay this trust by building a successful new General Motors.”
Created from the old GM’s strongest operations in an asset sale approved by the bankruptcy court on July 5, the new GM is built on:

• Four core brands in the U.S. and the largest, strongest dealer network in the country,
• A fresh lineup of Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC cars, trucks and crossovers, each with leading-edge designs and technologies that matter to both consumers and the environment,
• A competitive cost structure, a cleaner balance sheet, and a stronger liquidity position that will enable GM to invest in new products, key technologies, and its future,
• A winning culture focused on customers and products.

“One thing we have learned from the last 100 days is that GM can move quickly and decisively,” said Henderson. “Today, we take the intensity, decisiveness and speed of the past several months and transfer it from the triage of the bankruptcy process to the creation and operation of a new General Motors.

“Business as usual is over at GM,” said Henderson. “Today starts a new era for General Motors and everyone associated with the company. Going forward, the new General Motors is fully committed to listening to customers, responding to consumer and market trends, and empowering the people closest to the customer to make the decisions. Our goal is to build more of the cars, trucks, and crossovers that customers want, and to get them to market faster than ever before.” Read the rest of this entry »