Cars
John Reed
Wed Apr 03 2013 17:59:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Fiat hopes sex sells with 500e: "Stop Global Warming, Start Global Hotness"
In the 1983 Chevy Chase film "National Lampoon's Vacation," sexiness (at least of the female variety) was personified by Christie Brinkley driving a Ferrari 308 that got about 15 miles per gallon. Nearly three decades later, Fiat brand chief Olivier Francois is pitching a kinder, greener sexy.
Speaking at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday afternoon in front of a screen that read "Stop Global Warming, Start Global Hotness," Francois used every innuendo he could find to put distance between what he called the "busy, shiny, goofy, blocky" aspects of green living and the battery-electric Fiat 500e that the Italian automaker will start selling in California by mid-2013. He then showed a clip of a couple of test drivers take the 500e out on a racecourse only to get derailed mid-track by an impromptu make-out session. Another 500 ad featured a clever scorpions taking the top off a supermodel.
"Isn't ugliness the worst kind of pollution," Francois asked rhetorically in front of images that included the nearly-triangular EV the Kewet Buddy. You can watch this all unfold below.
The 500e will have a 111-horsepower motor that Fiat says will deliver at least an 80-mile single-charge range. The model will also have three color packages and an interior with electric orange accents for those that can't contain themselves. As for pricing, Francois, when asked after his presentation, maintained the company's silence on the subject.
John Reed
Wed Feb 27 2013 20:27:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
In this Video we tear into a 2nd Gen Prius Transmission part by part and do our best to explain what everything is. The video was shot with (2) Video cameras, one was a DSLR with a max 5min record window. We did not have a camera man, so I had to run back every 5 min and restart the camera, somewhere along the line I bumped the white balance and all of the videos where blown out grrr. Next time I will have to find a camera guy to help with things :)
John Reed
Thu Feb 21 2013 20:31:08 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
I'm not usually one for supercars, but this McLaren P1 is going to be a hybrid. An electric motor will grant you an additional 176 hp instantly and help decrease shift times by quickly dropping engine speed when downshifting.
Cool.
John Reed
Thu Feb 14 2013 03:59:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Tesla now delivering 60-kWh Model S. A Tesla Model S for hoi polloi? Not quite, but the luxury electric vehicle maker apparently has started deliveries of its "middle-ground" sedans fitted with 60-kWh batteries, Green Car Reports says, citing threads from the online Tesla Motors car club.
Tesla hasn't yes confirmed 60-kWh Model S deliveries, which has a base price of $62,400. That's a $10,000 "discount" from the 85-kWh versions already on the road. The trade-off is a single-charge range that's about 75 miles less than the 285-mile range of the top-of-the-line battery. For buyers who want to spend even less, the better news is that Tesla's 40-kWh version should start deliveries by the middle of 2013, offering a single-charge range of about 145 miles (and no Supercharging) for another $10,000 less.
Earlier this month, Automotive News reported that Tesla was on the verge of hitting full production capacity of 400 new vehicles a week, about double Tesla's pace three months ago. The Model S won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award last November.