Golfer Wins BMW i8 With Hole-In-One

English golfing professional James Heath earned more than just the accolades of his peers with a hole-in-one at the BMW International Open in Germany. Heath’s hole-in-one earned him a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, one of the few i8s still left available in the world.

Heath made the ace shot on the 16th hole, and while he finished in a tie for 45th place, the $135,000 BMW i8 put him right up there with the tournament’s biggest winners. The last time the 30-year old got a hole-in-one, he got a pat on the back and that was it, but at the big BMW tournament, he drove away in style (and with a huge grin on his face).

Fabrizio Zanotti ended up winning the tournament, and a check for 333,000 euro, or about $455,000, so he could buy himself a BMW i8 or two for himself…except that the initial production allotment of i8s is supposedly already spoken for. All the money in the world can’t buy a car that isn’t available, and it looks like Heath’s hole-in-one really paid off, literally and figuratively.

Source: Gas 2.

Cadillac Has A Lot To Learn From Tesla

In a recent interview with AdAge, Cadillac CMO Uwe Eillinghaus remains unapologetic regarding the controversial “Poolside” commercial starring the Cadillac ELR. And while he’s also an admitted proponent of vehicle electrification it’ll take a lot more than than a tarted-up Chevy Volt and a controversial commercial for Cadillac to compete with Tesla.

On Tesla, Ellinghaus said;

“Tesla teaches us a message: If you offer cars with an electric drive-train that have superb driving characteristics and a beautiful [interior], they find customers. What doesn’t work is to position a car for people who are tree-huggers and green-wash an entire brand.”

Gee, you mean all it takes to find customers is to build a great car? YOU DON’T SAY!

While I don’t necessarily disagree with Ellinghaus’s sentiment, though he seems to be missing a major point. The Tesla Model S appeals to both treehuggers and luxury car buyers, which is what has made it such a huge success. The polarizing “Poolside” commercial did the ELR no favors with the green crowd, espousing the virtues of hard workwhile deriding Europeans for taking a month off from work each year. As though spending quality time with your family is somehow wrong.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk is ready to offer free Supercharging stations powered by the sun to Tesla customers. That’s value and environmentalism, a one-two punch that has put Tesla on top in very short order. Tesla didn’t “greenwash” its entire brand, and neither is BMW by offering the i3 and i8 electric vehicles. Offering one hybrid does not a green brand make.

With less than 300 Cadillac ELRs sold through the end of May, Tesla has little to worry about from Uwe and the Cadillac brand, at least for now. While some ELR owners seem happy with their Chevy Volt-based hybrids, many dealerships are having to offer huge discounts to move the ELR off of lots. The ELR will not compete with the Tesla Model S in its current form.

The next-generation ELR, however, could prove to be a viable Tesla competitor if rumors of more range and more room are true. But this brings me to my next point; Cadillac is a brand obsessed with copying the success of other brands, and not just Tesla.

The Cadillac ATS was built to compete directly with the BMW 3-Series, even going so far as to do much of its testing on Germany’s Nurburgring. The Cadillac ELR was priced to compete with the Tesla Model S, even though it’s in no way a comparable car. How about an idea that is unique Cadillac, instead of a poorly-conceived (though well-executed) copy?

If Ellinghaus wants to embrace conservatism and relentless work ethic, then by all means that’s what Cadillac should do. But if they want to go after the Tesla crowd, they’ll need to temper their rhetoric with some good old fashioned tree-hugging. The reason the Tesla Model S is so appealing is that it’s a great car that also happens to be green, and Tesla anchors the Model S on both fronts. The Cadillac ELR is an OK car with green credentials that are never even mentioned. The only thing the two have in common is a price point, and nearly every publication agrees that the ELR is overpriced by tens of thousands of dollars.

I do think Cadillac can build a Tesla Model S competitor, but it will have to be a purpose-built electric or hybrid car, and not a thrice-worked-over Chevy Cruze.

Source: Cadillac/GM

Harley-Davidson LiveWire To Star In Next Avengers Movie

The ink is barely dry on the announcement of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle, but already Road & Track is reporting that the LiveWire will have a starring role in the new Avengers movie next summer. Filming is underway in Seoul, Korea at this very moment and observers report seeing a stunt double for actress Scarlett Johannson riding a wicked looking black and red Harley LiveWire on the set.

Even though the announcement of Harley’s new electric bike just happened earlier this week, it is not unusual for companies to arrange product placement opportunities for new models well before the general public is aware of them. And while it’s unlikely the LiveWire will launch as a production model in its current guise, it seems like the Milwaukee motorcycle maker is committing to an electric model.

Look for a major promotional campaign from Harley and the studio leading up to the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015. Harley also plans a nationwide tour for the LiveWire in the coming months to get reaction from Harley fans. Some of that feedback may influence any future EVs from Harley.

The only way I could be more excited about for the next Avengers movie would be if Diana Rigg were appearing as Emma Peel in a cameo role.

Source: Gas 2.

Blast From the Past - A Steam-Powered Chevy Chevelle

The recent obsession with alternative fuels is nothing new, and can actually be traced back to America’s first fuel crisis in the early 1970s. Automakers saw this problem coming, but were still poorly prepared to respond to a jump in gas prices at a time when most cars averaged, at best, 10 MPG. This led so some far-out solutions and ideas, almost none of which made it past the pen-and-paper phase.

However, in 1969 GM commissioned Bill Besler to build a steam-powered Chevy Chevelle…and he did, sawing a 305 V8 in half and stuffing a steam setup under the hood. The engine was converted into a double-acting piston valve setup based on the 1920 Dober concept (explained in this video by Jay Leno) but only produced about 55 horsepower, as the small boiler was also stuck under the hood. Besides being underpowered and lacking air conditioning though, the test car rain admirably, racking up some 5,000 test miles before being donated to Harrah’s car museum in Las Vegas.

The Chevelle SE-124 was built as a cost of between $100,000 and $125,000 at a time when the top-of-the-line Chevelle SS with the 396 V8 could be had for around $5,000. In other words, like many alternatives, it just wasn’t affordable enough to be practical yet. The two-minute warm-up procedure was also inconvenient compared to conventional gas engines, making it a non-starter even if it was affordable.

Not that that has discouraged other automakers or entrepreneurs from attempting to make steam power viable. The Cyclone Power steam engine has made great progress in recent years, and the long-standing speed record for a steam-powered car was finally beaten. As for the Chevelle SE-124? It supposedly still runs, and may even get a bigger boiler for more power and driving range one of these days. It may not technically qualify as a piece of steampunk, but it’d make a great end-of-the-world ride, that much is for sure. There was also a Pontiac Grand Prix called the SE-101 commissioned with a 160 horsepower steam engine, but the setup weighed in at a tremendous 450 pounds heavier than the V8 engine, and with half the horsepower. Suffice to say, it was a non-starter.

As far as the viability of steam power is concerned though, I think it’s better as a conversation starter than a replacement for petrol.

 

Source | Images: KimmelSteam

Audi A3 e-tron Priced at $51,500 in Europe

The first road going Audi plug-in hybrid, the A3 Sportback e-tron, will be released in Europe this winter at a price of €37,900, or about $51,500.

The A3 e-tron combines a 1.4 liter gasoline engine with an electric motor for a total of 204 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque. 0 to 60 MPH comes up in 7.6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 138 mph, and power is transmitted to the front wheels via an Audi DSG paddle shifted unit called the e-S tronic. (Where do manufacturers come up with these bizarro names?) The car is expected to be capable of driving about 20 miles on electric power only using its 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Audi has put extra engineering resources into the powertrain for hybrid duty. To deal with the stresses of stop/start technology, the 1.4-liter engine uses coated pistons and bearings to ensure it is protected even when called into action from cold, while the electric motor is liquid cooled to protect against overheating.

The A3 e-tron should be hitting American shores sometime in the middle of next year after its European launch, and should proceed a long list of electrified Audi vehicles. What Audi will get the e-tron treatment next?

Source: Gas 2.

Plug-in Pickup: the Chevy Watt Daydream

Bob Lutz has gone on record as saying the Chevy Volt should have been a pickup, and he takes every chance he can get to talk up his latest venture, plug-in hybrid pickup builder VIA Motors. Eventually, somebody will build a plug-in hybrid pickup, but what would such a truck be called?

Well some dreamers over at the GM-Volt forums have come up what they’re calling the Chevy Watt, a Chevy Colorado pickup with the drivetrain of the Volt plug-in hybrid. I’d buy it in a heartbeat, as long as the price was right.

After all, think of all the advantages to a plug-in hybrid pickup, and I don’t just mean fuel economy (which would be stellar, mind you). The proposed Chevy Colorado-based Watt could serve as an on-site power generator, running things like air compressors and flood lights without the need for long and dangerous extension cords. Even with an electric range of just 20 miles, fleet operators would see fuel savings on the scale of thousands of dollars every year, per vehicle, assuming average gas mileage in the mid-30s.

Unfortunately, the American pickup market is dominated by conservative suits who don’t want to rile up their bread-and-butter basket of status quo buyers. Sure, Ford is building an aluminum F-150, and Ram now offers 28 MPG diesel engine. But to many pickup buyers and enthusiasts, “hybrid” is a dirty word they want nothing to do with. So for now, the only dealership we’ll find the Chevy Watt at is in our dreams.

Will GM continue to lead the plug-in charge and be the first to market with a plug-in pickup, or will another (possibly foreign?) automaker swoop in and steal their thunder?

Originally published on EVObsession.

Nissan GT-R Nismo UK first drive review

Thunderous new version of Nissan GT-R is, ride quality apart, everything you’d expect it to be, and then some

What is it?

Where do you start when trying to describe a car like the new £125,000, 591bhp Nissan GT-R Nismo? I mean it does so many things that can fry your mind – metaphorically, mathematically and physically, often all at the same time – that you can’t help but be overwhelmed by it, at least to begin with at any rate.

And perhaps the most amazing thing of all about the genuinely amazing new GT-R Nismo is that, fundamentally, it’s based on a car that’s now seven summers old. The original GT-R was launched in 2007. I remember, because I went to Japan to drive it. I also remember flying back to the UK with the outer edges of my imagination in tatters about what it could do.

But this new Nismo version is something else again. Dynamically it represents not just a small step but a leap forwards in every direction, and having driven it on both road and track in the UK, I’m struggling once again to get my head around how it can do what it does.

So what’s new about it? Lots. The 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo engine is basically an extensive chipping job with some upgrades to the key bits of the internals to prevent it from trying to eat itself on high boost. Power rises to 591bhp, torque to 481lb ft, both of which represent fairly slight increases given the £47k price hike compared with the standard 542bhp GT-R.

But the engine is not where the time and money was spent in creating the Nismo GT-R. Instead the car’s engineers focused on improving the bits they knew would make the biggest difference at their holy grail: the Nürburgring. And to make the Nismo GT-R as fast as it could be around the Nordschleife they centred on the suspension, the four wheel-drive system, the tyres and, most of all, on the aerodynamics.

As such, the Nismo has all the usual suspension upgrades you’d expect; stiffer springs, bigger (but lighter because they are hollow) anti-roll bars, ultra trick adjustable Bilstein dampers and a set of phenomenally sticky tyres that were developed bespoke for the car by Dunlop. Even when cold you can tell just from the tread pattern that the Nismo’s tyres are a bit naughty, but get some heat into them and then give them a prod and they feel as soft as a Haribo on a hot summer’s day. Which equals grip, basically, and lots of it.

But what’s made arguably even more difference, certainly to the way the car drives, are the alterations in geometry to both the front (double wishbone) and rear (multi-link) suspension. New links for the wishbones at the front and modifications to the hubs front and rear have, in conjunction with a slightly stiffer bodyshell thanks to new bonding tenchiques compared with the standard car, enabled the Nismo’s engineers to set the car up in a much more aggressive way. We’ll come to the results in a moment.

You can see the new body parts with your own eyes, and whether you like what they do for the GT-R’s appearance or not is, of course, entirely subjective (I personally think it looks fantastic, though I’m not sure what the neighbours would think with one of these things parked on the drive). But what you can’t possibly appreciate until you drive it is how much extra downforce the Nismo’s various new skirts and spoilers help to produce.

Nissan claims as much as an extra 100kg above 100mph; whatever the number and whatever the speed required to generate it, you can feel the thing squeezing itself into the ground, feeling more in control of itself, through pretty much any corner taken at more than 60mph.

What is it like?

Maybe the biggest difference of all in the way the Nismo drives compared with the standard GT-R, is the way it turns in to a corner. Whatever they’ve done to the suspension, especially at the rear you suspect, really does work. You can tell the car has been set up to go round a track as fast as possible because the moment you even think about aiming the nose towards a corner apex, it slices straight into it, and the tail obeys with such immediacy that, sometimes, it even feels like it might get away from you.

At best it feels neutral, at worst a touch oversteery, and at no point – seemingly – does it want to understeer. Anywhere. And on a track that’s precisely how you’d want it to be to get the best out of the stopwatch. Hence the reason Nismo claims – and there’s a video to prove it etc – the car has lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 08sec. On standard tyres, albeit with it the slightly lighter but no more powerful Track Pack option in situ.

Around Cadwell Park the Nismo GT-R still felt big in every way imaginable – it still weighs over 1700kg, after all – but it also felt agile and alive in a way that the standard car no longer does, not compared with the front line competitors at this kind of money, at any rate.

It felt sensational, to be honest, with more of everything everywhere – more straight line performance, more brakes, better turn in precision, more grip; lots more grip. And I climbed out after a day at the wheel grinning from ear to ear, heart thumping, eyes bulging, brain frazzled but also glad that both car and driver were still in one piece. That’s the kind of raw, seductive, unhinged range of thrills that this car can produce on a circuit like Cadwell Park. And you can’t help but be blown away by it as a result.

But on the road, well, that’s another matter entirely – because on the road it now feels at best hyper-sensitive, at worst neurotic. The steering is constantly fidgeting on anything other than glass smooth roads, and is far heaver than normal. And the ride quality has gone from bad to non-existent, even with the electronic dampers set to Comfort. As a result I’d say the Nismo GT-R has become a toy to use only sunny days, and on very smooth roads.

Like a Lotus Exige only more so in some respects, it’s become a car that you’d endure only on the way to a track day, not one you could put up with in everyday use. Which is a shame because the standard GT-R always appealed because it was one of the most usable supercars money could buy.

Should I buy one?

In other areas the Nismo’s price is actually quite hard to justify, most notably inside where it now feels genuinely dated, despite the various new bits of carbon fibre here and there and a pair of seats that offer even more support. But for the 100 or so people who will buy a Nismo GT-R in the UK over the next couple of years, none of this will matter very much.

They won’t care about the bad bits, because the good bits will be the only bits that matter. And there are plenty of good things abut the Nimo GT-R, the fact that it can lap the Nürburgring in a thoroughly ridiculous 7min 08sec being but one of them.

Nissan GT-R Nismo

Price £125,000; 0-62mph 2.6sec; Top speed 193mph; Economy 24mpg (combined); Co2 275g/km; Kerbweight 1720kg; Engine type V6, 3799cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol; Installation Front, longitudinal, 4WD;Power 591bhp at 6800rpm; Torque 481lb ft; Gearbox 6-speed dual-clutch auto

Will There Be Enough Batteries For Tomorrow’s Cars?

The age of  hybrid and electric automobiles is truly upon us, with more than 100,000 such cars added to American roads just last year. In 2013, worldwide capacity for automotive lithium-ion batteries stood at 4,400 megawatt-hours. By 2020, production could increase by more than ten times that amount to over 49,000 megawatt-hours,  according to a report from Navigant Research.

Says David Alexander, senior research analyst at Navigant:

“Li-ion technology continues to improve, as increased energy densities translate into smaller and lighter battery packs with more power. At the same time, leading battery cell manufacturers have built new factories utilizing the latest production techniques, including greater automation and faster throughput. This will lead to a reduction in the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) over the next few years, provided that volumes continue to increase.”

Those rosy predictions aside, demand for electric cars is exploding and the batteries they require are typically bigger and more powerful – up to 80 kWh – than those found in plug-in hybrids, where 4 to 16 kWh batteries are the norm. Will there be enough batteries for everybody? And who will produce them?

Once Tesla’s gigafactory gets up and running, it should be able to manufacture a half million units a year – enough for about 50% of the anticipated worldwide demand in 2020. With the value of the total battery market approaching $25 billion annually by then, plenty of other companies will be vying for that business as well, which means supply should be more than adequate for industry needs in the near term.

But that leaves two questions unanswered. What about technological change in battery technology? And how does the world recycle all those lithium-ion batteries?

One answer may be the cotton battery, which is more environmentally friendly, charges 20 times faster and runs cooler than lithium-ion batteries. Plenty of other research programs around the world are going flat out to develop new battery technology as well. Will the Tesla gigafactory be able to keep pace with changes in the field?  Or will it wind up building batteries that nobody wants?

No one knows the answers at this time. But with $25 billion a year at stake, we can be sure that the pursuit of that market will be intensely competitive. Check back with me in 5 years. Chances are the solutions of the future haven’t even been thought of yet.

Source: Gas2

Why Are Used Nissan Leaf Prices Falling So Rapidly?

Kicking Tires recently reported that the Nissan Leaf is depreciating faster on a percentage basis than any other car in America…and that might just be a good thing. Why?

• Last month, the Nissan Leaf outsold every other electric car manufacturer. That means lots of people are buying an electric car, which is good news for America.
• Presumably, lots of existing Leaf owners decided to get out of their current car and get into a new model with all the latest technical features, longer range and shorter charging times, also good news for America.
• Since the BMW i3 has just gone on sale, some of the used Leafs hitting the market must come from people trading up to the i3. That’s more proof that the electric car market is expanding. More good news.
• Added incentives on unsold new cars at the end of the current model year make buying new more attractive than buying used, which is even more good news for America.

If the market for EVs are expanding, then why are prices tumbling? There are a couple of factors at work here.

• Federal and state incentives can knock $7500 – $10,000 off the price of a new electric. There are no such incentives for used cars.
• Dealers and manufacturers are offering heavily subsidized lease payments to move cars off their lots, while used cars don’t enjoy such heavy promotion
• Electric car technology is changing at a furious pace. Today’s batteries go further, last longer and take less time to recharge than just a few years ago when the Leaf debuted. People always want the latest and greatest stuff and are willing to pay for it. But they are less inclined to come up with good money for technology that is out of date or obsolete.

With all this good news, is there any bad news? I think there is.

According to the report, the average used Nissan Leaf lost 4.2% of its value in May. That’s $819 that flew out of the owner’s wallet while he or she wasn’t looking. Most people just look at their monthly payment and figure that’s what their car is costing them, but in fact the true cost of any car has to include sales tax, insurance, maintenance, repairs, fuel and of course depreciation. In addition, any down payment has to be apportioned for the number of months the car is owned. Put all that together and you could argue that a typical owner is spending about $1300 each month to drive a Leaf.

There is good news for people looking to buy a used Leaf, though not so good news for many current owners.  But with the cost of the cars tumbling, buyers who want an electric car can get one at a steep discount to the original sticker price.

All that depreciation means more electric cars in total will be on the roads, and that truly is good news for America.

Source: Kicking Tires

What American Muscle Car Will Go Hybrid Or Electric First?

I recently expressed my disappointment that the 2015 Mustang is really just more of the same, a fun but inefficient performance car longing for the days when gas cost a dime a gallon. The Mustang ignores a truth all automakers have begrudgingly accepted; electrification of the automobile is the future. Even Ferrari has figured that out.

If the Mustang and other muscle cars like the Camaro and Challenger are to survive as modern day performance machines, they’ll have to eventually embrace hybrid technology, or become such low-volume, high-cost vehicles that their emissions contribution no longer matters. I don’t like to think about that though, as it means the end of the affordable muscle car.

Instead I will wonder aloud…which Detroit automaker will be the first to deliver a hybrid or (gasp) electric muscle car? And no, the Mustang EcoBoost doesn’t count; I’m not convinced an engine running on premium fuel will actually deliver more than the 30 MPG of the V6, especially given Ford’s recent MPG snafus.  I’m also going to leave Tesla out of the equation here, and instead focus on the Detroit-based Big Three.

I’d make the case that the Chevy Camaro has the best chance of embracing electrification before either the Mustang or Challenger, and for one simple reason; the Chevy Volt. GM has made the Volt the centerpiece in their green car lineup, and the plug-in hybrid remains a top seller on the monthly green car sales charts. The Camaro would also be an exceptional platform to showcase a next-gen Voltec drivetrain, so long as it delivers adequate performances. Eventually, a hybrid drivetrain could replace the 305 horsepower V6 engine, though GM’s foray into the eAssist mild hybrid drivetrain seems to have ended with a whimper, not a bang.

A Chevy Camaro with a Volt drivetrain? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, as the Cadillac ELR has the same drivetrain, but 30% more power, up over 200 ponies. While there isn’t a performance version of the ELR planned yet, if GM can make the output more along the line of 300 horsepower, while exceeding the fuel economy of the base V6 engine, who would complain? GM has arguably been the boldest of the three Detroit automakers with its green car plans, and the Volt remains a top contender.

That’s essentially what Ford is trying to do with the 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine, and while there’s been talk of looking into diesel, hybrid, or even electric drivetrains for the Mustang, I won’t hold my breath. Ford has played its cards very conservatively with the 2015 Mustang, and I think a hybrid F-150 is more likely to come before a hybrid Mustang. Then again, Ford did downsize the Mustang in a big way between the 1973 anbd 1974 model years, and 1974 remains as the one and only year to not even offer a V8 engine. Yet the 1974 Mustang II was one of the best-selling model years ever. Ford surely remembers that as well, and it could make such a bold transition again.

As for Chrysler? Well there’s no saying the Challenger is even going to be around long enough to embrace electrification, though Fiat-Chrysler has made it clear its not a fan of either hybrid or electric vehicles. A plug-in hybrid minivan is said to be in the works, but Sergio Marchionne is actually asking people not to buy the Fiat 500e EV. Ouch.

I think its fair to say that the Challenger, or whatever replaces it, will probably be the last holdout of an era long past.

Some people would rather seem nameplates like Mustang and Camaro die before they embrace green technology, but I’d much rather see these legendary cars adapt to a different time then to just disappear. If they are to survive though, it won’t be because of the big V8 engines that are becoming increasingly scarce as automakers find other ways to make performance cars perform. Other automakers like Toyota and BMW are toying with the idea of hybrid sports cars, while Porsche has gone all-in with hybrid tech.

Is America really ready to cede the performance crown like that? I say no, and I also say there’s nothing wrong with the idea of a hybrid muscle car. Eventually, somebody is going to do it sooner than later, though I expect the next generation of muscle cars to be the last of its kind. In other words, don’t expect any hybrid Mustang or Camaro announcement before 2020, and perhaps even beyond.

You can have your cake and eat it too, and as long as there is a V8 engine option, the purists can be kept at bay. For those of us willing to embrace something different though, the payoff could be huge. A 200 horsepower EcoBoost engine paired with a 150 horsepower electric motor that can deliver 40+ MPG and have a limited electric-only range? I’d be on board for that, and Ford might even win me back from Tesla.

Maybe.

u

Chevrolet Camaro SynergyI recently expressed my disappointment that the 2015 Mustang is really just more of the same, a fun but inefficient performance car longing for the days when gas cost a dime a gallon. The Mustang ignores a truth all automakers have begrudgingly accepted; electrification of the automobile is the future. Even Ferrari has figured that out.

If the Mustang and other muscle cars like the Camaro and Challenger are to survive as modern day performance machines, they’ll have to eventually embrace hybrid technology, or become such low-volume, high-cost vehicles that their emissions contribution no longer matters. I don’t like to think about that though, as it means the end of the affordable muscle car.

Instead I will wonder aloud…which Detroit automaker will be the first to deliver a hybrid or (gasp) electric muscle car? And no, the Mustang EcoBoost doesn’t count; I’m not convinced an engine running on premium fuel will actually deliver more than the 30 MPG of the V6, especially given Ford’s recent MPG snafus.  I’m also going to leave Tesla out of the equation here, and instead focus on the Detroit-based Big Three.

I’d make the case that the Chevy Camaro has the best chance of embracing electrification before either the Mustang or Challenger, and for one simple reason; the Chevy Volt. GM has made the Volt the centerpiece in their green car lineup, and the plug-in hybrid remains a top seller on the monthly green car sales charts. The Camaro would also be an exceptional platform to showcase a next-gen Voltec drivetrain, so long as it delivers adequate performances. Eventually, a hybrid drivetrain could replace the 305 horsepower V6 engine, though GM’s foray into the eAssist mild hybrid drivetrain seems to have ended with a whimper, not a bang.

A Chevy Camaro with a Volt drivetrain? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, as the Cadillac ELR has the same drivetrain, but 30% more power, up over 200 ponies. While there isn’t a performance version of the ELR planned yet, if GM can make the output more along the line of 300 horsepower, while exceeding the fuel economy of the base V6 engine, who would complain? GM has arguably been the boldest of the three Detroit automakers with its green car plans, and the Volt remains a top contender.

01-2015-ford-mustang-1

That’s essentially what Ford is trying to do with the 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine, and while there’s been talk of looking into diesel, hybrid, or even electric drivetrains for the Mustang, I won’t hold my breath. Ford has played its cards very conservatively with the 2015 Mustang, and I think a hybrid F-150 is more likely to come before a hybrid Mustang. Then again, Ford did downsize the Mustang in a big way between the 1973 anbd 1974 model years, and 1974 remains as the one and only year to not even offer a V8 engine. Yet the 1974 Mustang II was one of the best-selling model years ever. Ford surely remembers that as well, and it could make such a bold transition again.

As for Chrysler? Well there’s no saying the Challenger is even going to be around long enough to embrace electrification, though Fiat-Chrysler has made it clear its not a fan of either hybrid or electric vehicles. A plug-in hybrid minivan is said to be in the works, but Sergio Marchionne is actually asking people not to buy the Fiat 500e EV. Ouch.

I think its fair to say that the Challenger, or whatever replaces it, will probably be the last holdout of an era long past.

Some people would rather seem nameplates like Mustang and Camaro die before they embrace green technology, but I’d much rather see these legendary cars adapt to a different time then to just disappear. If they are to survive though, it won’t be because of the big V8 engines that are becoming increasingly scarce as automakers find other ways to make performance cars perform. Other automakers like Toyota and BMW are toying with the idea of hybrid sports cars, while Porsche has gone all-in with hybrid tech.

Is America really ready to cede the performance crown like that? I say no, and I also say there’s nothing wrong with the idea of a hybrid muscle car. Eventually, somebody is going to do it sooner than later, though I expect the next generation of muscle cars to be the last of its kind. In other words, don’t expect any hybrid Mustang or Camaro announcement before 2020, and perhaps even beyond.

You can have your cake and eat it too, and as long as there is a V8 engine option, the purists can be kept at bay. For those of us willing to embrace something different though, the payoff could be huge. A 200 horsepower EcoBoost engine paired with a 150 horsepower electric motor that can deliver 40+ MPG and have a limited electric-only range? I’d be on board for that, and Ford might even win me back from Tesla.

Maybe.

Source: Gas2

The Toyota FCV Will Cost $69,000 And Refills In 3 Minutes

The production version of the Toyota FCV has been revealed, and to Toyota’s credit, it has retained much of the concept’s edgy look. While no interior photos have yet been revealed, the Toyota FCV will cost around $69,000 here in the U.S.

Production is set to begin in December, with initial sales limited to the California area, the only place in the country to have anything resembling a hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Toyota is claiming a range of 300 miles between fill-ups, which can take as little as 3 minutes, and 0 to 60 MPH will be in the ten second range.

The $69,000 price means it will still have to compete against the Tesla Model S, though its admittedly less than I thought it would cost. Can Toyota make a case for hydrogen fuel cells over battery electric cars at a time when Tesla is dominating the news cycle? The sole benefit of hydrogen seems to be the fast refueling time, something electric cars have improved by leaps and bounds in the past four years.

Is faster refilling enough to justify the switch to an entirely new and energy-intensive source of fuel? Does Toyota really think the FCV is setting the next 100 years of automotive innovation into motion?

Tesla Model S Coupe Gets Sportier Rendering

If you want a two door Tesla Model S, you have two options; start a letter-writing campaign to Tesla HQ, or plunk down $35,000 on a two-door conversion. It seems like an obvious move on Tesla’s part, especially after this latest rendering adds a hint of sporty flair to the electric car.

Riding lower to the ground and with a more aggressive front fascia, this Model S Coupe rendering by X-Tomi Design hits all the right notes. It’s more aggressive than other Tesla coupe renderings we’ve seen, something performance enthusiasts can appreciate. Elon Musk has been insistent that the Model S is less luxury car and more about performance, and in the P85+ variant drivers can zip from 0 to 60 MPH in about 4.2 seconds. A coupe version could potentially add even more more performance, or even all-wheel drive to the equation.

There have been rumors of a larger battery pack in the works, and Tesla has already added a performance suspension and brake package for the Model S. More performance and fewer doors seems like a winning combination for Tesla, but with most of their resources tied up in the Tesla Model X, it could be awhile.

Source: Gas2

2016 Chevy Cruze Interior Photos Surface

Looking a little bit softer and decidedly more upscale than the interior of the 2014 Chevy Cruze diesel I took on a thousand mile test drive last fall, the interior of the upcoming 2016 Chevy Cruze cuts the button-count down, improves the infotainment experience considerably with the addition of GM/OnStar’s Gen10 infotainment hardware, and ups the airbag count even higher than before (probably).

The newest version of the Chevy Cruze bowed earlier this year in China, which gets “our” 2016 Chevy Cruze – along with “our” 2016 Chevy Sonic – a year early. So, while the photos of the new “butterfly shaped” interior are probably 90-95% indicative of what we’re going to get once the newest Cruze lands, stateside, take everything written about the new Chevys (here, or otherwise) with a grain or two of salt. For now.

What do you guys think? Is the new look and new interior going to be enough to put the 2016 Cruze on top of the ultra-competitive compact car segment, or will Chevy need a few more tricks to take the compact crown away from the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic? Take a look at these pics, then let us know what you think in the comments. Enjoy!

Source | Photos: GM, via WorldCarFans.