Automakers Show Off Green, Fuel Efficient Vehicles

By Greg Flakus


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More than 6,700 reporters from 42 nations are in Detroit for the news media preview of that city's North American International Auto Show, which opens to the general public this weekend. This year's show emphasizes fuel efficiency and green technology, but, as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Detroit, there are also plenty of big glitzy cars and trucks on display.

On display in Detroit's downtown Cobo Convention Center are 700 vehicles from all the major automakers, including local companies like General Motors, Ford and Chrysler and companies from China, Japan, and Europe. Around 50 new vehicles are being introduced by various manufacturers.

U.S. automakers are making a big effort this year to go green, showing off many varieties of low-emission, fuel efficient vehicles, including hybrids, fuel-cell cars and vehicles that run on ethanol and bio-diesel fuels. General Motors announced that it has invested heavily in Cosaka Incorporated, an Illinois firm that claims to have developed a cost-cutting technology for producing ethanol, an alcohol fuel produced from plant material.

Most ethanol today is produced from corn, but Cosaka plans on using waste material like corn stalks and wood chips.

General Motors North America President Troy Clarke tells VOA that his company sees a need to move away from reliance on gasoline as the only fuel for its cars.

"The next 25 years, maybe even longer, looks a lot like the early part of the (20th) century in the auto industry," Clarke said. "There will be a lot of different propulsion systems. Ninety-six percent of the vehicles in the United States today are moved by gasoline. We need to diversify that."

Clarke says his industry has been wrongly criticized for being slow to innovate. He says General Motors began developing an electric car many years ago and has also developed other kinds of fuel-efficient vehicles.

"Now we have eight hybrids in the market today," he said. "We have 16 on the way between now and, I think, the end of next year, and we can compete very effectively in the hybrid area. But we really have never given up on our vision of an electric vehicle."

General Motors is still testing a new battery to power the Chevrolet Volt, an advanced electric hybrid that was first shown here last year, but which may not be ready for market for a few more years.

Veteran automotive journalist Paul Eisenstein, who writes for TheCarConnection.com, says car makers use the North American International Auto Show to introduce such innovations and get the word out to people around the world.

"This is a place that the manufacturers come, not just to talk to consumers directly, but to talk to global media," Eisenstein said. "This is a place where they can get to everyone from the small bloggers in the Czech Republic to the big networks here in North America. It is no wonder that virtually every manufacturer in the world is here, including five of the Chinese manufacturers that are trying to get into the North American market over the next couple of years."

While automakers are emphasizing fuel efficiency and reduced emissions this year, they are also showing off a lot of big cargo pick up trucks, sport utility vehicles and gas-guzzling luxury cars. Paul Eisenstein says that is simply a response to continuing demand for those vehicles.

"The reality is Americans like big, they like power, they like performance, they like towing and cargo-hauling and people-hauling capabilities," he said. "So for anybody to say we should stop producing these big trucks and go to produce these small, high-mileage (fuel efficient) cars is ridiculous. The market is there for the big vehicles."

Eisenstein says U.S. car makers are trying to satisfy the demand for larger vehicles, while at the same time trying to meet new regulations from Washington that require them to improve fuel efficiency. That could be a real challenge for an industry that is already struggling to keep up with foreign competition.

The North American International Auto Show began in Detroit as a local event in 1907. The event went international 20 years ago, but it is still organized locally by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association.

Fears Grow Over Meeting 2020 Auto Standards

By Anthony Fontanelle

Automakers are facing a thorny requirement of meeting the 2020 standards which call for the manufacture of vehicles with an average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon. But automakers fear consumers are not willing to pay more for the technology they are required to meet by 2020.

"Gas prices would have to be $13 a gallon in today's world for consumers to demand a fleet where half the vehicles achieved better than 35 miles per gallon," said Paul Traub, an economist at Chrysler LLC.

Traub said that while smaller models have and will become more popular, manufacturers cannot depend on consumers to choose the most fuel-efficient options. "Americans still want to go to Wally World on the weekends, and we don't want to leave our grandmas and dogs at home," he addressed the Society of Automotive Analysts.

While it is apparent that customers are shifting to fuel-efficient cars, the trend is not enough to make all vehicles compliant with the 2020 mileage standard which was mandated by the Congress in 2007. Customer choices are limited to models such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius and General Motors’ Chevy Aveo.

Based on an Autodata report, sales of subcompact models increased 20 percent last year to 351,161 units, but Americans still purchased more than six times as many huge pickups.

Automakers could be forced to meet standards customers do not demand and will not pay a premium for, reported the Detroit News. That means automakers are required to build vehicles that can still carry seven passengers and haul a boat, but meet more stringent fuel economy standards.

As a direct consequence, aficionados will see modified BMW parts and other auto technology which entail more expense on their part. Chrysler estimates such technology would cost $6,000 to $7,000 per vehicle, Traub said. The said view is attested by Bob Lutz, the vice chairman at General Motors Corp.

“In a highly competitive market, car companies are unlikely to be able to pass that cost on to the consumer,” said Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting at IRN Inc., who tracks vehicle sales trends. "If the consumer isn't demanding those massive leaps forward, but automakers are forced to produce it, the automakers will have to absorb those costs.”

Absorbing the cost of fuel-saving technologies cuts into profits, which is particularly difficult for Detroit's Big Three, which are already facing higher labor and health care expenses than their foreign competition, Merkle added.

But not everyone thinks more fuel efficient vehicles will have an average of $6,000 sticker price. The premium will be closer to a $1,500 average, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Some automakers have opposing view. "Consumers are going to change, we have already seen that in recent years," said George Pipas, a sales analyst at Ford Motor Co.

X Prize Foundation Sponsors Competition to Develop Fuel Efficient Automobile

By Greg Flakus

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At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, there are hundreds of new cars on display that achieve high fuel efficiency and reduce pollution. Also on hand are representatives of the private X Prize Foundation, which is sponsoring a competition to create a vehicle that is both super efficient and appealing to consumers. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Detroit.

The competition aims at promoting the development of vehicles that use far less gasoline than those currently on the road. Part of the push comes from environmental concerns and part comes from the fact that petroleum is selling for close to $100 a barrel.

Automotive X Prize Executive Director Donald Foley says backers of the competition want to move the industry away from vehicles that rely on petroleum-based fuels.

"We know that oil is a finite resource and even though the reserves today are considerable, we know that they are dwindling. By having fuel efficient vehicles using less and less of that oil, we know we are going to reduce our dependence on that one form of energy," he said.

The X Prize Foundation is best known for the 2004 competition to design a human-piloted space craft that would leave the earth's atmosphere and return twice within a two-week period. The $10 million prize went to aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who gave financial backing to the project.

The Automotive X Prize is focused on developing a vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon, or 43 kilometers per liter. The vehicles chosen for the final competition will compete in a cross country race in 2009 and 2010 that will test speed, urban driving and overall performance. Competition rules require that a vehicle must comfortably carry four adult passengers, meet U.S. auto safety standards and be ready for a production run of at least 10,000 cars.

Donald Foley says the winning car must have real market appeal. "Our competition is not about concept cars. We want real, affordable, practical vehicles that people want to buy," he said.

Already more than 50 teams from seven nations have signed up to compete. Ulrik Poulsen from Denmark is one of the people with his eyes on the prize. His Connecticut-based company has developed a device using wheel-mounted disks that can turn any vehicle into a hybrid that uses both gasoline and electricity for power.

"They are attached externally on to the rear wheels of an existing vehicle. They can actually be installed in three to four hours, with the vehicle standing on the ground. It does not even have to be on a lift," he said.

Poulsen's team plans to select a light-weight passenger vehicle already on the market and equip it with the hybrid system for the competition. Win or lose, he hopes the competition will draw attention to his product.

That is also a motivation for another competitor, automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin, who has already developed a luxury car that meets the X Prize criteria and which could be available for purchase by the time the competition gets underway next year.

"One of the things that the X Prize is looking for is cars that can get 100 miles to a gallon and can be manufactured. With a little bit of luck, when the X Prize is ready, this car will be coming off the assembly line. So it will go right from the assembly line to the race," he said.

Beyond the monetary award that comes with the X Prize and the profits he may gain from sales of his vehicle, Bricklin says the venture represents something more important. "My vision is a world in which we do not end up buying oil from people who do not like us, for starters, and at the same time have a cleaner world for my kids and my grandkids," he said.

If such a vision comes true, the streets of the future may be filled with vehicles that produce little pollution and transport people and cargo safely and inexpensively.

Bosch's Green Tech Powers Green Autos At NAIAS

By Evander Klum

This year's theme of the North American International Auto Show is going green. With the threat of global warming becoming more and more a concern for the global community, the auto industry has been going in the right direction by developing and using green technologies for vehicles.

The NAIAS is one of the biggest events of its kind. Thus, it is easy to see that it is the event where most major and smaller automakers choose to unveil their newest and cleanest vehicles. According to The Auto Channel, there are more and more vehicles in the event using Bosch's green technologies. The report pointed out that the common diesel rail and gasoline direct injection technologies developed by the German company are being used in many vehicles showcased at the NAIAS.

According to The Auto Channel, the German corporation has been developing green technologies for the automotive industry to help automakers come up with fuel efficient vehicles. A powertrain technology developed by Bosch for diesel engines allowed said engines to achieve fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent compared to gasoline engines. As fuel efficiency becomes better, emission also lowered by as much as 25 percent. As for performance, Bosch's technology allows for production of 50 percent more torque.

Chris Qualters, director for marketing at North American Diesel System for Robert Bosch LLC, said that they have played a key role in the current revival of the diesel engine. "Bosch has played a vital role in the advancement of diesel in the automotive industry," said Qualters. "With the introduction of common rail technology in 1997, Bosch brought a new dimension to the diesel engine market resulting in cleaner, quieter, more efficient and responsive vehicles."

Another one of Bosch's creations is the second generation of the gasoline direct injection system dubbed DI–Motronic. It is being used on the Lincoln MKS and the 2008 Cadillac CTS. This technology developed by Bosch is certainly much more valuable than Dodge bug shields.

Using the DI-Motronic, automakers were able to improve the fuel efficiency of their gasoline powered engines. With the said technology on tap, gasoline engines produce 15 percent less greenhouse gas emission. Injecting the gasoline fuel into the combustion camber like in a diesel engine allows for a more complete burn thus there would be less unburned fuel going out the exhaust system of the engine.

Sujit Jain, the general manager of Gasoline Systems North America for Robert Bosch LLC, said in conclusion: "Although alternative propulsion systems are growing in popularity, conventional internal combustion engines will remain the dominant powertrain option among U.S. light vehicles in the near future. Today's consumers are faced with rising fuel costs and a desire to reduce their impact on the environment. Bosch is committed to developing technologies that meet driver demands while benefiting the environment."

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Think "Green" When You Buy a Used Car

By Terry Bolton

Are there something called green used cars? You might think that terms like "automobile" and "environmentalism" are naturally opposing. You may be right, but most of us need cars in order to subsist in our society and a suitable environment within which we can subsist. So how do we find a way to go subsist in both? Probably that old term "moderation" or in Western society terms, we go green and work together for solutions.

Cars emit things that attack the suitability of our environment for our subsistence. We know this because people hit us over the head with this fact daily. The cars have such harmful gases to emit as carbon dioxide and ozone. One car does little harm, but a billion or so cars has proven to be quite devastating. Then, just imagine what happens to landfills when those billion cars obsolesce or get in accidents.

Thanks to consumer demand for green cars, manufacturers are trying to find less toxic emission solutions. In some places, cars use fuels other than gasoline and diesel. Smaller car models have also helped cut down on how much fuel must be burned and how many materials are used. Just making the cars more durable can help on the materials front.

Go Green Car Tips

1. Don't be lame unless you've got a good excuse. Some people actually drive their car distances of only a block or two. Walking a couple of extra blocks a day could do wonders for the people of nations struggling with obesity issues. Besides, the human body burns fuel much more efficiently than cars do. Take a walk. Ride a bike. Skate. And, please don't sit in your car idling waiting for the parking spot right in front of the door when there is a perfectly good parking spot a couple hundred feet away.

2. Buy only used cars. There are plenty of used cars available that are well-built and have a lot of life left. Buying them new not only creates more use of materials that will at least in part take up landfill space at some point, but it is most often a really bad fiscal move. New cars lose 80% of their value in the first few years. Used cars hardly change in value at all if they're well-maintained. Best of all, there always seems to be a greater number of people trying to sell used cars than the number of people trying to buy used cars.

3. Buy cars that operate efficiently. You would think with skyrocketing oil prices this would be a no-brainer even for those who despise green. Go for cars that have good gas mileage. Go with a hybrid. Retrofit your old car with more efficient systems and recycle the current parts on eBay.
4. Don't buy a car that has more space and/or bulk than you need. SUVs can be great for a family of eight, achieving nice per-person energy consumption and emission rates. For a single man or woman driving around in the city, big cars and trucks rarely make any sense at all.

To learn more about how to find green or traditional cheap used cars online as well as finding used car loans with decent interest rates, in more depth and step-by-step, why not check out these links?.

KPMG Reports Auto Industry Focusing On Green Tech

By Anthony Fontanelle

According to a study conducted by KPMG, an American audit, tax, and advisory firm, the auto industry is focusing on the development of green technology like finding alternative fuel sources. The industry is also set towards the development of low-cost cars and hybrid vehicles which consumers are asking for.

The poll conducted by KPMG included 113 senior executives of automakers and suppliers around the world. According to the survey, 86 percent of the executives believe that consumers will be looking at the quality of a vehicle that they will purchase in the next five years. Close behind, 84 percent of the polled executives said that fuel efficiency will be the main basis that consumers will be considering in their next vehicle purchase.

Seventy percent of the polled respondents believe that safety will be the main concern of auto buyers. Sixty nine percent of the executives also pointed out that affordability will be one of the main factors to be considered by auto buyers the next time that they visit their local dealerships to buy a new vehicle.

"The industry knows where it is and knows where it needs to be," said Daron Gifford, the National Automotive Leader for KPMG LLP. "It needs to produce quality vehicles that are fuel efficient, especially in this economic cycle, and it needs to invest heavily in developing alternative sources of power. We found the execs in our survey more optimistic than past years, and that's largely because the landscape before them is clearer on the direction they need to go."

As the shift in car buying trend continues, the poll asked the executives which auto class will show improvement or decline. 83 percent of the surveyed executives said that they are expecting sales of low-cost cars to increase. The same percentage also predicted that hybrid sales will still increase. Meanwhile, 67 percent of them are saying that car sales will increase in the next five years. Also, 58 percent of the questioned executives said that there will be an increase in the number of crossover that will be sold in the foreseeable future.

As consumers shy away from large vehicles due to the increasing price of petroleum fuel, 47 percent of the respondents said that they are expecting sales decrease for SUVs. 50 percent of the executives also said that sales of pickup tricks will slow down. This tough will unlikely affect the supply and demand for car accessories such as Acura bug shields.

"The auto execs expect heavy investment in new models/products and new technologies in the next two years as well as building capacity in Asia," said KPMG's Gifford. "Not investing puts manufacturers at risk in terms of market and product differentiation, resulting in market share decline."

Biodiesel Fuel

By Dennis James

Many consider biodiesel as the fuel of the future. It is hard not to have heard something about it, because more and more articles discuss its use. Biodiesel is mainly diesel that is not obtained by distilling oil, but from vegetable oil as well as some other sources. The market is settled with diesel cars and the moment to change the crude oil based diesel to the one obtained from natural sources has come.

There are many advantages of using biodiesel for your car over the traditional fuel. In the first place, a notable element is that biodiesel does not harm the environment. It is a lot cleaner to operate a biodiesel based car than a normal one, because the emissions are lower, and the traditional black smoke coming from oil-diesel is gone.

Another great benefit is that you can fuel your vehicle with biodiesel without having to perform any sort of complicated modifications to the engine. There are cases of people mixing biodiesel with traditional diesel fuel, and by doing this, they benefit from the new fuel’s advantage very easily.

The price of biodiesel is a lot lower compared to other fuels. You can even make it on your own and if you have the proper things, you will not have to go to the gas station at all.

Another benefit of using biodiesel to operate your car is that it is also more efficient than traditional fuels. Its cetane cumber is in excess of 100, which will make your vehicle to easy cold start and have a lower noise at idle revs. (The cetane number represents the quality of a certain igniting fuel type and the higher the number, the more efficient that fuel is).

Biodiesel can also extend your engine’s life. Because it has fewer impurities that traditional diesel fuels, it will not clog your filters that easily and in the same its lubricating properties are greater, protecting your engine. The power output of biodiesel will not be affected if you use it as the mainly source of power.

Producing these new fuels is cheaper and cleaner than drilling, refining and transporting traditional petrol diesel. Producing the same quantity of biodiesel compared to regular diesel will require less energy, thus making the entire process cleaner to the environment.

As the sources from which biodiesel is extracted (vegetable oil mostly) can be constantly regenerated compared to the hydrocarbon reserves the planet holds, it is a more viable option for the future. It also keeps the air cleaner, as it has lower polluting emissions. That is why more and more countries in the world turn their attention to biodiesel fuels as a replacement for the ever growing prices of traditional fuels. In Europe for example there are numerous biodiesel equipped stations already and their number continues to rise. More and more car manufacturers try to convert their new models to be able to take advantage of this new fuel. Right now, biodiesel is the best substitute for traditional petrol-extracted diesel fuel. Dennis runs Car Dealer Check which has reviews on Ohio Car Dealers including Toledo Car Dealers.

Environmental Group Sues EPA Over California Decision

By Evander Klum

The call to arms against the increasing threat of global warming has called the auto industry into action. States in the United States are also making steps forward in reducing greenhouse gas emission of vehicles. California is in the forefront of this battle. Its emission standard is the toughest so far in the country. But recently, the state was forced not to implement its own emission standard after the Environmental Protection Agency decided that it should follow the national standards.

The decision of the EPA is met with much criticism especially after the fact that California was originally cleared to implement its own emission standard as long as it is much tougher than the national standard. This criticism has taken a step forward as five environmental groups have filed a case to dismiss the decision of the EPA.

The Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense, International Center for Technology Assessment, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club joined hands to petition the decision. They have their suit in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.

Jim Tripp, the general counsel of Environmental Defense, criticized the EPA saying: "While global warming marches onward, EPA continues to drag its feet. The agency's decision defies the law, the science and the will of states representing nearly half of the U.S. population."

According to The Auto Channel, California's own stringent emission standard is scheduled to take effect on 2009 model year vehicles. The standard will ensure a reduction of 30 percent in greenhouse gas production by 2016. The said program would have been the first of its kind in the United States and is considered by environmentalists to be a positive step in the battle against global warming.

The standards formulated by California is said to be very good for the environment that sixteen other states have adopted or committed to adopt the standard. Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and Washington states would then be supporting California in its fight against the decision of the EPA.

"The Administrator's denial of California's request relies on a flawed argument that the federal courts already have rejected," said Tripp. "We've won before in the federal courts, so we expect to win again this time too."

Karen Douglas, the director of the California Climate Initiative of Environmental Defense, added: "California has long played a pioneering role in clean air efforts. We can and must reduce global warming pollution from automobiles." California's standards would have meant that vehicles to be sold in the state should have limited greenhouse gas emission along with their reliable auto parts such as the Acura clutch.

CTI Symposium Highlights Green Technologies

By Anthony Fontanelle

With the threat of global warming steadily increasing, it can be expected that more and more consumers will look for eco-friendly vehicles. This demand leads to automakers struggling to come up with green technologies which would set them apart from their peers. Laws have been passed too, mandating that automakers should produce environment friendly vehicles.

At the 6th International CTI Symposium in Berlin with a theme Innovative Automotive Transmissions, focus was given to the development of green or eco-friendly vehicle features and the cost it entails. Apart from that, the future of transmission technology in different parts of the world was also tackled. At the said event, experts have come to an agreement that the dual-clutch transmission will be the future of transmission technology in Europe and in the United States. Meanwhile, in India, an auto market steadily growing is expected to create a market for continuously variable transmissions.

Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, the manager for transmission development at German automaker BMW, pointed out the pressure on the auto industry with regards to the development of eco-friendly features. "We cannot imagine the extent of the cost pressure on the car industry at all yet," said Breitfeld. "The development already begins to show: Add the target figures and compare them to the market data - it won't work."

Suppliers echo the sentiments of automakers regarding the issue. Tobias Hagenmeyer, the president of Getrag Corporate Group, a known manufacturer of transmissions, said: "Competition on the car market has reached a global level." Hagenmeyer thus calls out for auto makers and auto parts manufacturers to work hand in hand to develop new green vehicle features. "We have to develop engines and transmissions in cooperation to reduce fuel consumption and emissions and to meet the economic demands."

Today, automakers are credited with about 80 percent of transmission development. Hagenmeyer pointed out that by working together, auto parts manufacturer and automakers will be reducing costs of development. "We envision a common supplier basis, common standards. This creates cost advantages," he mentioned. With companies sharing the cost of developing auto parts like transmissions, they can save a lot. That is not the only advantage as they would be paired with experts on the field which means there is a bigger chance that they will produce better transmission technologies. This approach can also be taken regarding development of other auto components such as a Subaru coupe sedan radiator. Hopefully for the auto industry, the symposium will give them the spark that they need. With the threat of global warming steadily increasing, it can be expected that more and more consumers will look for eco-friendly vehicles. This demand leads to automakers struggling to come up with green technologies which would set them apart from their peers. Laws have been passed too, mandating that automakers should produce environment friendly vehicles.

At the 6th International CTI Symposium in Berlin with a theme Innovative Automotive Transmissions, focus was given to the development of green or eco-friendly vehicle features and the cost it entails. Apart from that, the future of transmission technology in different parts of the world was also tackled. At the said event, experts have come to an agreement that the dual-clutch transmission will be the future of transmission technology in Europe and in the United States. Meanwhile, in India, an auto market steadily growing is expected to create a market for continuously variable transmissions.

Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, the manager for transmission development at German automaker BMW, pointed out the pressure on the auto industry with regards to the development of eco-friendly features. "We cannot imagine the extent of the cost pressure on the car industry at all yet," said Breitfeld. "The development already begins to show: Add the target figures and compare them to the market data - it won't work."

Suppliers echo the sentiments of automakers regarding the issue. Tobias Hagenmeyer, the president of Getrag Corporate Group, a known manufacturer of transmissions, said: "Competition on the car market has reached a global level." Hagenmeyer thus calls out for auto makers and auto parts manufacturers to work hand in hand to develop new green vehicle features. "We have to develop engines and transmissions in cooperation to reduce fuel consumption and emissions and to meet the economic demands."

Today, automakers are credited with about 80 percent of transmission development. Hagenmeyer pointed out that by working together, auto parts manufacturer and automakers will be reducing costs of development. "We envision a common supplier basis, common standards. This creates cost advantages," he mentioned. With companies sharing the cost of developing auto parts like transmissions, they can save a lot. That is not the only advantage as they would be paired with experts on the field which means there is a bigger chance that they will produce better transmission technologies. This approach can also be taken regarding development of other auto components such as a Subaru coupe sedan radiator. Hopefully for the auto industry, the symposium will give them the spark that they need.