RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- GM’s Lutz: all-electric Chevrolet Volt will appear, admits weather impacts performance
- Video: BMW showcases its M Power Meter iPhone app with the X6 M
- GM stops Hummer production until sale to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong goes through
- Video: Opel honors Rallye Kadett B Sprint with special edition Corsa Color Race
- Japanese electric cars could sound like horses to warn pedestrians
| GM’s Lutz: all-electric Chevrolet Volt will appear, admits weather impacts performance Posted: 16 Jan 2010 04:53 AM PST  General Motors had a pretty busy Detroit Auto Show, and one of its main executives, Bob Lutz, was giving out statements left and right about various cars, plans and anything in between. During his talks with reporters, he also admitted that an all-electric Chevrolet Volt will appear in the future, saying that the technology is “trivial” given the expertise GM has acquired with the regular Volt, which can go up to 40 miles on its battery power before a 1.4-liter gasoline engine kicks in. The GM executive also admitted that weather will be playing a significant part on the amount of charge the batteries will be able to store, as during these recent winter months when temperatures dropped, many Volt test cars saw their range drop to under 30 miles, causing quite a few complaints. “It varies a lot more than the range variation with a gasoline-powered car depending on your driving style,” Lutz revealed, saying that he got only 28 miles from a Volt in winter conditions. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
  |
| Video: BMW showcases its M Power Meter iPhone app with the X6 M Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:59 AM PST  I’m sure plenty of BMW fans were quite thrilled when we revealed that the Bavarian company has released an M Power Meter application for the iPhone, as it allowed drivers of either a BMW car or not, the possibility to chart their speed, acceleration, forward or lateral G and many other things, for free. Now, the company released a promotional video, in which the M Power Meter app is running on an iPhone while a driver takes it and a BMW X6 M around the track. While he didn’t reach blistering speeds, it’s a nice demonstration of how the app works. Hit the jump to see the video. Source: BMW Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
 |
| GM stops Hummer production until sale to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong goes through Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:48 AM PST  Besides trying to sell/wind down Saab, General Motors is also in the process of selling its Hummer brand to the Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, which plans to revive the big SUV brand. But until the deal goes through, the US company announced that the manufacturing of the H3 and the H3T at its Shevreport, LA plant will stop on Monday, seeing as how dealerships have over 2,100 H3 models on their lots, which will be plenty until the contract will be signed. The company also revealed that once the Chinese corporation takes control of Hummer, the plant will once again be working at full capacity, as Sichuan Tengzhong will pour big money into marketing the Hummer brand and try to spark some interest in it. Whether or not it will work is still anybody’s guess. Source: The Detroit News via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
 |
| Video: Opel honors Rallye Kadett B Sprint with special edition Corsa Color Race Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:33 AM PST  Going retro is cool these days, and Opel decided to honor one of its most prestigious performance models, the Rallye Kadett B Sprint, with a special edition of its Corsa compact hatchback. But even though it will be reminding plenty of nostalgics about the sports model, its modifications are purely cosmetic. First off, the Opel Corsa Color Race will be offered in one of three colors: Sunny Melon yellow, Casablanca white and Magma red. Plenty of performance vinyls will be offered in patterns like checkered flags, the hood and the roof will be painted black, a new discreet wing has been fitted in the rear and the car is sitting on a set of 17-inch wheels. There are also plenty of inserts on the inside of the car, depending on what color will be chosen on the exterior, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Panorama sunroof and special stitching on the seats.  All of these go-fast accessories will be paired with a set of reasonable engines, including a 1.4-liter gasoline unit in either 87 or 100 HP flavors, and a 1.7-liter CDTI turbo diesel, which outputs 130 HP and does 52.3 mpg US (4.5-liters/100 km). Prices start in Germany from €15,560 ($22,500). Hit the jump to see a video with the iconic Kadett and the its new age Corsa brother. Source: CarScoop Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
 |
| Japanese electric cars could sound like horses to warn pedestrians Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:14 AM PST  Electric vehicles are the future, at least according to quite a few manufacturers which are busy researching new types of drivetrains in order to achieve the zero-emissions goal. But a pretty hot topic concerning electric cars is their low noise output, which doesn’t warn pedestrians or bicyclists about their presence, and in case they don’t check when crossing, accidents could happen. We’ve already seen politicians demand that noise emitters be outfitted to such cars, and the Chevrolet Volt hybrid model has already showcased its “chirping” system. Now, the Japanese government is debating the necessity of such a system, which might set a minimum noise output level for any car manufactured in the country, so that small children or elderly people with hearing problems will be safe. Nissan is already one step ahead of the government and revealed that for its future electric and hybrid models, like the Leaf, a sound system with noises heard in nature will appear, containing sound bites of rivers, birds or even the noise horses make with their shoes on the street. But as much as some people might prefer the sound of a forest or a horse to be emitted when a car approaches them, it seems that the Japanese government might choose a regular combustion engine noise (Aston Marin please?) to be emitted by electric or hybrid models. What sound would you like such cars to emit? Leave your choice in a comment below. Source: The Telegraph via Automarket Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
 |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Rpmgo.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |