Skoda's Superb Greenline becomes the Czech Republic’s official EU Presidency vehicle

The most eco-friendly version of Skoda's flagship model, the Superb Greenline, is to be used as the official vehicle by the Czech Republic government to transport EU ministers and delegations visiting the country. Overall, VW's Czech subsidiary has provided the government with 27 vehicles. The first event to see the Superb GreenLines in action is this weekend's EU-US summit that will take place in Prague and will be attended by US president Barack Obama as part of his first official visit to Europe. However, don't expect to see Obama riding one of the Skodas.

Skoda Auto PR Manager Radek Spicar comments: "We are pleased that the Superb GreenLine is to be used as the official vehicle when Barack Obama visits the country. We are aware of his positive attitude to environmental protection and giving environmentally-friendly vehicles political support is very important in terms of increasing the number of such vehicles in general."

"We are really pleased that the vehicles will also be used to transport the EU environment ministers in Prague - this is surely going to be seen as an example worth following," he concluded.

According to Skoda's official data, the Superb GreenLine which is equipped with a 105HP 1.9-liter turbo diesel emits a mere 136 g/km and has an combined fuel consumption of 5.1 lt per 100 km or 46.1 MPG (US).

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2007 LA Show: VW Space-Up! Blue Fuel-Cell Concept

The third installment of Volkswagen’s up! concept goes by the name space-up! blue. Concisely, the space-up! Blue is a fuel-cell powered version of the 5door space-up! prototype that appeared at the 2007 Tokyo Show in October. The LA Show car uses an electric motor which delivers 61 PS, turns at up to 10,000 times per minute and generates a maximum torque of 120 Nm.

The zero-emissions space-up! blue draws its power from an array of twelve lithium-ion batteries with a total energy capacity of twelve kilowatt-hours (kWh). These batteries have a 65 mile (105 km) range before needing recharging. According to VW, the space up! blue can go up to a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) while it sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h in 13.7 seconds.

The cars batteries can be replenished either via an electrical outlet or by the Volkswagen high-temperature fuel cell. In the latter case, the prototype’s range is extended an additional 155 miles or 250 km, making it possible to drive up to 220 miles or 355 km in total on a single charge. Interestingly, VW’s microvan also utilizes solar panels on the roof which help supply up to 150 Watt of energy to the battery.

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Official: BMW to Unveil Green Sports Car Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show

In what could be described as a 'hot-cold shower' type of announcement, in addition to confirming their decision to pull out from Formula One racing at the end of the 2009 season, BMW officials also revealed today that the Bavarian automaker will swipe the covers off an all-new 'green' sports car concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The announcement was made by Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development, at the press conference on the realignment of the German firm's motor sports activities.

"Sustainability is becoming increasingly important," said Draeger in his speech. You will see a product of sustainable development at the IAA in Frankfurt in a few weeks in the form of a concept car. The BMW EfficientDynamics Vision will demonstrate how efficient a sports car can be. It will also prove that sustainability does not apply to the drive train alone, but to design and materials as well".

"Anyone who takes a closer look at this concept car will understand the direction in which we are developing our technology. And it will become evident that we will have to dedicate more human and financial resources to this type of development work," Draeger concluded.

Although Draeger did not get into any specific details, previous reports suggest that the concept sports car study may very well act as a teaser for a production model that could hit the market as soon as 2012 rivaling the likes of the Audi R8 and Porsche 911.

It has also been reported that BMW's 'green' supercar will be a two-seater mid-engined coupe equipped with the latest fuel-saving technologies from BMW's Efficient Dynamics programme including direct injection, brake energy regeneration and stop-start systems plus enhanced aerodynamics.

As for the EfficientDynamics Vision's looks, your guess is as good as ours, but hopefully we'll see something in the likes of Idres Noah's independent concept study which you can check out in detail here.

[BMW Concept Photos: Idries Noah]

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New Peugeot 207 Economique with Aero Tweaks and Engine Mods Returns 61.8MPG - 3.8lt/100km

Sometimes, a few tweaks here, a few tweaks there, are more than enough to create an ultra fuel-efficient vehicle with extremely low emissions. Such is the case with the new Peugeot 207 Economique. First shown at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the Economique is based on the recently facelifted 207 hatchback. It is powered by a 1.6-liter HDI diesel with 90HP that benefits from specially developed engine management software and the addition of an EGR heat exchanger to cool the re-injected exhaust gases.

Peugeot also fitted the Economique with a modified five-speed manual gearbox with a higher final drive ratio than the standard 207 hatchback while the supermini rides on low resistance Michelin 185/65R15 VLRR (Very low rolling resistance) tires.

Furthermore, Peugeot's engineers lowered the ride height by 5mm and added a special aerodynamic package that consists of a new lower bumper trim and deeper side extensions, optimized air intakes, under tray covers and special wheel trims plus a two-part rear spoiler. As a result, the 207 Economique has a drag coefficient of only 0.274, compared to the standard 207 HDi 90 hatchback of 0.30.

The French automaker claims that the 207 Economique returns an average fuel consumption of just 74.2mpg UK (61.8mpg US or 3.8lt/100km) with C02 emissions of 99g/km.

The new Peugeot 207 Economique will go on sale in the UK in October and will be available in two trim levels, Economique and Economique + with prices starting at £12,995.

[Source: Carscoop]

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Obama signs Cash-for-Clunkers bill into law, countdown to start begins

President Obama has taken pen to paper and signed off on Cash-for-Clunkers, a law that could help the auto industry shake its year-long funk. The Transportation Department now has 30 days to determine the rules and regulations for Cash-for-Clunkers, placing the start of the program at the end of July.

The law as it was signed will give the power to decide which vehicles will be eligible for the program to the dealers. The dealers will also be in charge of scrapping the older vehicles, which must be less than 25 years old to be eligible for federal funds. Clunker-eligible cars must be also owned for at least one year to qualify for the program. Those eligible for Cash-for-Clunkers will receive up to $4,500 towards the purchase of a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. To get the full $4,500, those new cars must be at least 10 mpg more fuel efficient than the older model they replace, and trucks must be 5 mpg more efficient. Among the details of the law still being worked out is a plan to ensure that dealers are, in fact, scrapping the vehicles and not reselling them.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd | Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty]

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Auto Task Force says no more money for auto bailouts... probably

To date, the U.S. government has reportedly given General Motors, Chrysler, their financial institutions and various industry suppliers about $80 billion in taxpayer money, and Congress wants to know when we're going to get that money back. The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing with the Auto Task Force for the first time to discuss the state of the government loans, as well as whether or not taxpayers will ever be paid back.

According to task force senior adviser Ron Bloom, there is "a reasonable probability" that some or all of the money will be paid back, but he was by no means "highly confident" that the money would be returned to taxpayers. He does, though, see "reasonable scenarios where taxpayers get their money back."

Bloom was a bit more certain, however, about the prospects of the auto industry receiving still more money from the government. Bloom said that it was the Obama administration's "absolute intent" not to provide future funding to the bailed out automakers, but he followed that with "never say never." That's far from a guarantee, but it would appear that more money doesn't seem to be in the plans.

During his testimony, Bloom also reiterated that the administration was a "reluctant shareholder" in the automakers, and that the government intends to get out the car business as soon as possible. When Alabama senator Richard Shelby (R) pressed for a timeline for the government to exit GM ownership, Bloom admitted that there was "no specific target" set.

[Source: The Associated Press via MSNBC | Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty]

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Obama Announces 35.5MPG Average for 2016 and National Standard For Tailpipe Emissions

The Obama administration today announced tougher fuel mileage standards and tailpipe emission limits forcing automakers to meet a fleetwide average of 35.5 miles per gallon (6.6lt/100km) by 2016, four years sooner than what Congress required in 2007, when it called for an average standard of 35mpg by 2020. Under the new plan, passenger cars sold in the U.S. will be required to travel on average 39 miles per gallon while light trucks will have to return a combined figure of 30 mpg by 2016.

According to a senior administration official, the new program will add an extra $1,300 to the price of producing a vehicle (compared to the $700 forecasted by the Bush administration's 2007 fuel efficiency proposal) but it is expected that consumers will bank around $2,800 over the car's life from fuel-savings.

The new regulations are said to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 900 metric tons.

"The status quo is no longer acceptable. We have done little to increase fuel efficiency of America's cars and trucks for decades," Obama said in an address from the White House.

"As a result of this agreement, we will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years," Obama added. "And at a time of historic crisis in our auto industry, this rule provides the clear certainty that will allow these companies to plan for a future in which they are building the cars of the 21st century."

[Via: MSNBC & Detnews (photo:flickr)]

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