The Alfa Romeo 159 Saloon is rated as one of the best family size saloons in its class thanks to good ride and handling characteristics and sweet engines. In a class usually dominated by the Germans, the Italian 159 stands apart with its eye catching design.
Nationwide are thrilled to be able to decrease the rates another £10 a month to £249.95 giving the total reduction to date to be £50.
For more information please click on the following
Alfa Romeo 159 Contract Hire Offers
Posted on June 8th, 2009 under Alfa Romeo, Latest Car Leasing Offers.
Many people love classic cars; but if you’re concerned about your environmental impact, how can anyone enjoy driving one? For some, the answer may be having the drivetrain converted to all-electric power and Duke’s Garage just outside Denver, Colorado has created an “Electric Pony” to show off their abilities to do just that. The classic car dealer and restoration specialist has taken a ‘65 Ford Mustang convertible in need of some extensive rebuilding and rehabilitated both its looks and its emissions output. The pony car is now powered using twinned electric motors supplied with current from a 144 volt lithium ion battery pack under the hood. The seats have been redone using recycled foam and are swathed in a classy hemp herringbone fabric with dark piping, as are the door panels. Finished in a dark olive, the “Electric Pony” is now green inside and out and ready to carry passengers about in style for 50 to 60 miles between charges. Check out their website for lots of pics of their handiwork. Duke’s will offer the service for $15,000 to $20,000, depending on the car and are eyeing a Volkswagen Beetle and Karman Ghia as their next projects.
[Source: Duke's Garage / Denver Post]
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford, USA
Duke’s Garage turns ‘65 Mustang into Electric Pony originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Duke’s Garage turns ‘65 Mustang into Electric Pony - Green Cars
Posted on March 15th, 2009 under Ford, Green Motoring, Seat.
The cars built off of Audi’s B8 platform, including the A4 sedan, A5 coupe and their derivatives, have much too recommend them. Light weight is not among those characteristics. The lowest mass four cylinder front wheel drive A4 sedan weighs in at nearly 3,600 pounds and the V8-powered AWD S5 runs nearly 4,100 pounds. For mid-sized cars of very reasonable dimensions, these are prodigious numbers. Of course, modern safety regulations feed into this as does the continuing proliferation of feature content.
Audi is aware of the problem and is actively working to address it in its next generation of cars. Global product engineering boss Michael Dick talked to Car and Driver in Geneva last week and explained that lighter weight materials would be accompanying downsized powertrains in the next round of models. According to Dick, an early prototype of the next S5 is currently running 880 pounds lighter than the current model (pictured above). The next A6 chassis in 2011 is expected to top the 69 percent aluminum content of the current TT and A4/A5 will have more than that. The new 3.0L supercharged V6 that is going into the S4 that is launching this year will be replaced by an even smaller turbocharged four cylinder unit
[Source: Car and Driver]
Filed under: Audi, Lightweight
Next gen Audi A4/A5 to go on a major diet and get smaller engines originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Next gen Audi A4/A5 to go on a major diet and get smaller engines - Green Cars
Posted on March 15th, 2009 under Audi, Green Motoring.
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid - Click above for high-res gallery
Four months after unveiling the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan In Los Angeles, Ford is now finally shipping cars to the dealerships. Ford originally planned to start production in December 2008, but the collapse of sales last fall meant that there was excess inventory of 2009 models. As a result, the December shutdown was extended and production began in earnest in February. That means that anyone hoping to cash in on the maximum $3,400 tax credit on the hybrid versions will have to act fast. Ford has passed the 60,000 sales mark for its hybrids, which means that after March 31, the tax credits are being phased out. After this month the tax credit drops to $1,700 until the end of September. Between October 1 and March 31, 2010, buyers will get only $850 back on their tax returns. After that you’re out of luck unless the state you live in offers some incentives.
[Source: Ford]
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Filed under: Hybrid, Ford
2010 Fusion/Milan now shipping to dealers get your max tax credit now! originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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2010 Fusion/Milan now shipping to dealers get your max tax credit now! - Green Cars
Posted on March 15th, 2009 under Ford, Green Motoring.
Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Volkswagen Bluesport Concept
Earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn mentioned to a group of reporters that, in his mind at least, electric cars were at least 15-20 years away. Now, Volkswagen of USA head Stefan Jacoby has been quoted as saying it will take even longer. Specifically, it could be as long as 35 years before EVs take a significant percentage of market share away from the tried-and-true internal combustion engine.
Why? To answer, Jacoby asks a question: “What would happen if 50 million new electric customers would plug their electric cars in an electric socket? There is no country on earth that is really properly prepared for electric cars.” Further, Jacoby suggests that emerging markets like China and India will take the longest to eschew fossil fuels.
There are a few power companies that would disagree with that assessment. Regardless, VeeDub’s U.S. head goes on to suggest that the diesel engine is more than ready to pick up the slack on the way to greener motoring, saying that VW’s diesels could get as much as 70 miles per gallon within a decade.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Volkswagen, Green Daily
VW’s Jacoby says few countries ready for electric vehicles originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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VW’s Jacoby says few countries ready for electric vehicles - Green Cars
Posted on March 15th, 2009 under Green Motoring, VW.
Last fall at the Paris Motor Show, auto parts supplier and part-time vehicle assembler Heuliez debuted an electric car called the Friendly. As of Thursday, the three-seat electric vehicles were made available for pre-order on the internet. Three different versions of the Friendly will be available, all sporting nickel metal hydride battery packs that offer a range of between 100 and 250 kilometers (60-155 miles). Starting price is 12,000 euros ($15,500 in the U.S.). A deposit of 10 euros reportedly places the purchaser on a priority ordering list and deliveries are expected to begin in February of 2010.
Earlier this month, Pininfarina and Bolloré put their French electric car up for order as well. Called the BlueCar, this EV will cost €330 per month to lease (no purchases) and will also be good for 250 kilometers (155 miles). What’s the over/under on which one makes it to production first?
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Daily, Europe/EU
Heuliez begins accepting orders for Friendly electric car in France originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Heuliez begins accepting orders for Friendly electric car in France - Green Cars
Posted on March 14th, 2009 under Green Motoring, Seat.
Click to enlarge
Citroën’s new Dispatch 1000 L1H1 2.0i 140 brings to five the number of dual fuel (liquefied petroleum gas, aka LPG, and petrol) vehicles in the marque’s UK line-up. The Dispatch 1000 joins the Nemo 1.4i X and three Berlingo models in sharing this alternative-fueled capability. The new van starts at £12,965 + VAT, making it the most expensive and largest of the Citroën cargo carriers.
The five vehicles (see details after the jump) are considered Ready to Run Dual Fuel vans and are all exempt from the London Congestion Charge Zone charge. The conversion to dual fuel in the Dispatch 1000 was performed by Nicholson McLaren Engines. NME took out the spare wheel and added a 77 litre LPG tank in its place.
[Source: Citroën]
Continue reading Citroën adds dual fuel to Dispatch delivery truck for UK market
Filed under: Citroen, Natural Gas
Citroën adds dual fuel to Dispatch delivery truck for UK market originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Citroën adds dual fuel to Dispatch delivery truck for UK market - Green Cars
Posted on March 14th, 2009 under Citroen, Green Motoring.
Inspired by the success that Germany has seen in boosting new car sales (up by over 20% in that country), the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the United Kingdom drafted a plan and submitted it to lawmakers in the UK that recommended a car scrapping scheme similar to the one recently instituted by their European neighbors.
Apparently, Ford is so sure that the UK government will go along with the plan that it’s adjusted its projected sales figures upward in anticipation of the plan’s impact on the remaining months of the year. Ingvar Sviggum, Ford Europe sales chief, says, “I really expect that the British will introduce a scrappage scheme,” and Autocar reports that other European automakers are also betting on it.
In February, the UK saw a 22 percent drop in new car sales. Some analysts are predicting that March will be even worse, in part due to the expectation that a vehicle scrapping plan is imminent. Sounds like that may be exactly the case.
[Source: Autocar | Photo: Patrick Dockens]
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, Europe/EU, UK
Ford counting on UK car scrappage scheme originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ford counting on UK car scrappage scheme - Green Cars
Posted on March 13th, 2009 under Ford, Green Motoring.
Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Citroen C-Cactus concept
Citroen, perhaps the quirkiest of the big automakers, is reportedly planning to launch a new green brand that it would sell alongside its current models and the future DS line that was announced at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. The first model would be based on the C-Cactus concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007 and would use the underpinnings from the French automaker’s C4 model.
So far, there’s no indication of what the new brand may be called. Possible powerplants currently under consideration for the production C-Cactus reportedly include a fully electric option, a hybrid drivetrain and a small 3 cylinder diesel engine borrowed from corporate partner PSA.
In related news, Citroen’s current practice of releasing a sporty version of each model under the VTS designation will supposedly come to an end. Instead of adding performance, future VTS models will focus on adding premium content.
[Source: iMotor]
Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Citroen
REPORT: Citroen to launch new green brand originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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REPORT: Citroen to launch new green brand - Green Cars
Posted on March 13th, 2009 under Citroen, Green Motoring.
click above for a high res gallery of the 2010 Jaguar XF
At the beginning of this year, Jaguar revamped its powertrain lineup, including the engines in the still fresh XF and the XK. The new direct injected gas V8 and up-rated diesel V6 provide improved efficiency and more power, especially in the case of the diesel. The 3.0L is now available in two flavors, 237 hp and 271 hp for the XF S. The crew at What Car? in the UK have had a chance to try out the XF S and, unsurprisingly, were impressed. The compression ignition XF is rated at 35 mpg (U.S.) with CO2 of just 179 g/km; very impressive for a luxury sports sedan like the XF. The new engines have better low end responsiveness than their predecessors as well as being quieter. Hopefully the success of the new diesels from German competitors will cause Jaguar to see fit to let us have a crack at the new models. We’re not holding our breath though.
[Source: What Car?]
Filed under: MPG, Jaguar
UK magazine tries out the updated Jaguar XF S diesel, 35 mpg (U.S.) originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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UK magazine tries out the updated Jaguar XF S diesel, 35 mpg (U.S.) - Green Cars
Posted on March 13th, 2009 under Green Motoring, Jaguar.
