autoMedia Auto News Blog : Green

2010 Green Car of the Year Finalists Announced

Brandy Schaffels — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the Year; for the fifth consecutive year, this prestigious award will be announced at the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show on December 3....(read more)

SEMA: Beyond Horsepower with "Making Green Cool" X PRIZE

Brandy Schaffels — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:23:00 GMT

A real treat for treehuggers was SEMA's "Making Green Cool" section which featured many of the vehicle finalists of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. ...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 11-06-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT

It's the week ending November 6, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each. ...(read more)

Automotive X Prize Announces Finalists

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:50:00 GMT

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize announced the 43 teams that will advance in its international competition to develop a marketable car that achieves 100 miles per gallone equivalent (MPGe). The teams are campaigning 53 vehicles total that have passed expert review for business plans and technical specifications. These vehicles will progress to the performance and safety testing in the spring as they compete for the $10 million prize. In total, almost 100 entries had been submitted for the contest. The finalists represent 18 states, 10 countries, and six fuel types, signaling the contest’s reach and diversity. Cars on hand at Manhattan’s Classic Car Club for the announcement included the narrow Amp Sky, Commuter Cars Tango, and three-wheel Zap Alias. At the event, X Prize also opened the registration for the DASH+ contest. Funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, this parallel competition challenges high schoolers to design the dashboard of the future. School teams can register at FuelOurFutureNow.com , where they can learn more about the related sciences involved in interior design. The qualified teams are listed below, along with their fuel or energy type. Mainstream...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-16-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:24:00 GMT

It is the week ending October 16, and we have browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each....(read more)

Quick Take Test Drive: Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Editor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:17:00 GMT

If you’re looking for great fuel economy, you have lots of choices. There’s a cornucopia of small cars on the market and, if you need more space, there are some larger hybrid vehicles that still turn in impressive numbers at the pumps. But let’s say you want more. How about a good-sized vehicle with wonderful road feel and driving fun? That car is the Volkswagen Jetta TDI clean diesel sedan. If you haven’t been around diesels lately, you might still think they’re the smoky, stinky, slow models that have been around for a couple of decades. But you’d be wrong. Today’s diesel has been to the gym, quit smoking and—with an impressive 31mpg city/40 mpg EPA fuel economy rating—doesn’t drink much either. The Jetta TDI gives you a choice of either sedan or wagon (or SportWagen), and both are handsome vehicles. Our four-door sedan looked very German in its reflex silver metallic. While our TDI sedan test car was thrifty on fuel, there was nothing low-rent about its interior. Like all modern Volkswagens, the design is clean and efficient, and the quality of the materials sets the standard for its class. The best part of the Jetta TDI experience, though, was in the driving. Start up was smooth...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-2-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:38:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 2, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles to check the floor mats and Cash for Clunkers makes it back into the headlines, but we've also got plenty of unusual news sure to entertain the automotive fan.

Cash for Clunkers might be over in the United States, but it lives on in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. AutoBlogGreen says European buyers who trade in their cars to purchase something else offering reduced CO2 or powered by compressed natural gas or electricity receive rebates ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 Euros. That's about 2200 to 5000 US dollars!

The first complete month of sales after the Cash for Clunkers has been tallied up and the predicted result - that auto sales would drop once the government stopped giving free money in exchange for clunkers - didn't exactly happen. In fact, according to John Neff at AutoBlog, nine brands posted positive sales in September versus the same period in 2008 with another three posting only single-digit losses.

Penske backed out of its agreement to buy Saturn, and as a result General Motors has announced it will kill the brand. As GM struggles to sell off languishing vehicle divisions, the latest rumor from LeftLaneNews says Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation is pursuing the tooling and design rights to produce the outgoing Saab 9-5 in one of its Chinese factories. Meanwhile, there's still no word on the status of the sale of Hummer to China's Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company.

Auto show season is upon us! Last month was Frankfurt, later this month will be Tokyo, and in early December, Los Angeles will launch the domestic events. It seems clear that alternative fuel vehicles will be hot concepts this year, and HybridCars has a preview of two plug-in hybrids promised to be on display by Suzuki and Mitsubishi, though I can't wait to see all the far-out and freakish displays that make Tokyo so iconic.

Next week is the inaugural "Heads Up Driving Week," in which the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is urging us all to drive distraction-free for the week. What bad habits will you give up? Coincidentally, this week, According to The Detroit Bureau, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging or using cell phones while driving government-owned vehicles or while driving privately owned vehicles when they are on official government business. Todd Lassa has more on the topic of distracted driving in his blog here at Motor Trend.

In a disappointing twist of fate, I couldn't find anything that made me ROFL at Jalopnik this week, so in order to present some silly entertainment, I'm giving you a link to a video of some "Candid Camera" style automotive pranks. Have a great weekend!

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

Frankfurt: Mercedes-Benz Demos EREV BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS

Brandy Schaffels — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Mercedes-Benz released its own Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motorshow this week. The five-seat, four-door BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS hatchback promises a total range of about 370 miles, of which about 60 can be traveled solely using electricity.

The E-CELL PLUS is part of a trio of BlueZERO concept vehicles, each with its own drive system. Mercedes-Benz feels it won't be just one technology that paves the way to sustainable mobility in the future, so the company is presenting several alternatives.

The first in the trio -- the BlueZERO E-CELL -- was released in Detroit at the beginning of the year. Propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric drive, this pure electric vehicle is projected to be able to travel more than 120 miles on a single battery charge and will be completely free of tailpipe emissions. The third vehicle will be the Hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered BlueZERO F-CELL, promising a range of nearly 250 miles on electric power and also without creating tailpipe emissions.

The E-CELL PLUS revealed at Frankfurt operates in a similar fashion to the highly anticipated Chevy Volt EREV: The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is stored in the subfloor, and can hold an energy content of up to 17.50 kWh. The compact 100-kW electric motor of the BlueZERO E-CELL is powered solely by the battery, which receives range-extending energy from an additional three-cylinder, turbocharged gasoline engine. Installed near the rear axle, this compact engine can produce 50 kW of power to charge the battery while the car is being driven.

During rapid charging with a high-capacity 20 kW connection, Mercedes-Benz claims the high-performance lithium-ion battery of the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can store enough power in 30 minutes to provide a 30-mile cruising range. The complete electric range of 62 miles requires a rapid-charge time of somewhat more than an hour. Charging time with a standard charge cycle at a conventional household outlet with 3.3 kW is approximately six hours.

Like its two sister models, the BlueZERO E-CELL and the BlueZERO F-CELL, the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in less than 11 seconds. To ensure optimum range and energy efficiency, its top speed is electronically limited to about 90 mph. The five-seat compact cars measure about 13.5 feet long, but are spacious enough to carry 17 cubic feet of cargo, or haul 1000 pounds of gear.

Mercedes anticipates producing the first fuel-cell-powered vehicles later this year, and hopes to produce the electric/battery-powered models in 2010. Read more reviews of Mercedes-Benz vehicles here at autoMedia.com.

By Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com contributing editor

Sneak Peek: Lexus LF-Ch Hybrid Concept

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:53:00 GMT

In a few days, Lexus will pull the wraps off this compact hybrid concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Designed in California, the LF-CH will make its North American debut in December at the LA Auto Show. This latest concept hybrid vehicle from Lexus explores a more dramatic package than the brand currently offers. Given that the unique styling is attributed as a key factor the success of the Prius, and that hatchbacks are essential for overseas sales, this is a natural direction to pursue.

Lexus is mum on the powertrain, saying only that it is powered by "the latest generation of Lexus Hybrid Drive technology." It isn’t a big leap to assume it shares its hybrid system with the Lexus HS 250h, teaming a high-efficiency Atkinson-cycle 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, continuously variable transmission, and electric motor, producing a combined 187 horsepower. Directing the high-tech car’s character, the driver could then select between four modes: Normal, Eco, and EV plus a Sport mode that amplifies throttle response.

The LF-Ch concept was designed by Calty Design Research Inc., Toyota’s North American-based research and design center located in Newport Beach. While production intent has not been announced, the company sounds serious about this model.

Calty President Kevin Hunter said, “The LF-Ch concept is the next evolution of the compact luxury vehicle.”

That evolution brings a clean, deceptively simple interior with an asymmetrical dash and abundant premium touches from leather and metal trim. Blue accent lights gives the car a futuristic glow, from the instrument panel to the four bucket seats. The center stack has a simple configuration, looking no more complicated than a traditional single-DIN stereo head unit—a welcomed alternative to the current trend for luxury cars to have a legion of Chiclet-type buttons. The key is a remote touch controller, like that found in the HS 250h, which allows the driver to move an onscreen cursor to operate audio, climate, and navigation systems. Easier to use than competitors rotary dial controllers, this hand-friendly input device is effective, but in the end it can be hard to beat a simple flick of a switch.

We hope to learn more from Lexus once this car makes its debut. Ultimately, feedback from auto show attendees and prospective customers may have a large impact in the car’s production potential.

Read our Lexus HS 250 h review.

Charge! 2010 Prius Plug-in Hybrid Debuts in Frankfurt

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:29:00 GMT

Hybrid powertrain pioneer and marketing wizard Toyota will debut a 2010 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV) concept vehicle next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Toyota has shown and field tested second-generation Prius plug-in hybrids, furthering the development of this third-gen model. (Also see the Fisker Karma plug-in scheduled to be shown in Frankfurt.)

Using lithium-ion battery technology, this plug-in hatchback boasts electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than conventional hybrids. When fully charged, the vehicle will achieve an electric-only range of approximately 12 miles and will be capable of achieving highway speeds in electric-only mode. For longer distances, the PHV concept reverts to “hybrid mode” and operates like a regular Prius. The ability to utilize all-electric power for short trips or hybrid power for longer drives alleviates the issue of limited cruising range encountered with pure electric vehicles.

Toyota will distribute a 500-unit test fleet worldwide later this year, with 150 plug-ins planned for evaluation in the United States. No widespread production has been announced, though this marks a significant step forward as Toyota seeks to further develop the infrastructure and create market awareness that could pave the way for mainstream sales.

Read our 2010 Toyota Prius review and "Plug-in hybrids ready for prime time."

403-hp Fisker Karma Plug-in Hybrid to Get 67 mpg

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:45:00 GMT

Fisker has released a bevy of numbers ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show, where the boutique automaker will make a splash with its four-door Karma next week. (We last saw the Karma at the New York auto show.) The curvaceous plug-in hybrid electric will be touting its fuel economy figures of 3.5L/100km, based on Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) methodology. That translates to about 67 mpg. Calculations developed by SAE estimate carbon dioxide output will be less than that of today's cleanest production cars and 75 percent less than that of competing vehicles, on average, according to Fisker.

Fuel economy is the bragging rights future cars will hang their reputation on. Take the Chevrolet Volt, for example. General Motors created big buzz with a marketing campaign centered around a claimed 230 mpg city rating, 100 mpg overall, based on development testing using a draft EPA federal fuel economy methodology for labeling plug-in electric vehicles. This high claim may come back to bite GM, as it is only theoretically achievable. On the other hand, this figure from Fisker appears quite fair on the surface. Only real-world testing will show how practical the rating is.

However, there is another key figure to consider: horsepower. With 403 horsepower on tap, and supercar-grade torque, the Fisker threatens to deliver serious performance, especially for a green machine. Claimed 0-60 mph times are about six seconds, with a maximum speed of 125 mph.

Fisker expects the Karma will be the first production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) when it goes on sale in 2010, though clearly many companies will be hot on its heels.

autoMedia CARnival 9-4-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:44:00 GMT

It's the week ending September 4, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Cash for Clunkers and Papa John's Camaro remain in the headlines for another week, and David E. Davis says he wishes Jean Jennings was dead, but besides all that, we've also got plenty of other unusual news sure to delight the automotive fan.

Cash for Clunkers rebates undoubtedly fueled robust August car sales, with manufacturers showing increased sales over the same time period a year ago, and even better increases over their sales just one or two months ago. Motor Trend's Todd Lassa shares an astute analysis of these figures, with detailed insights into the best-selling models and manufacturers.

Classic Car Examiner Jim Cherry knows cars have had a long and colorful history on TV from the 1966 Batmobile, to Entourage's Maserati Quatroporte, to Starsky & Hutch's Grand Torino. Knight Rider's Kitt car was so popular that Hasselhoff's series was revived years later in the vain hope of selling more lunchboxes. The right car makes the right statement on TV. They hop things up, express characters' characters, provide dramatic action and provide plenty of merchandising oppoutunities. Check out his slideshow of the top nine classic TV cars at examiner.com

AutoBlog files this under "No Cool, Wacky Deed Shall Go Unlitigated." John Schnatter, Papa John of Papa John's Pizza, put out a $250,000 A.P.B. to find his long lost 1971 1/2 Camaro Z28. Papa John Schnatter says the money was for the person whose name was on the title of the car as a reward for selling the car back to him. When the Sloanes of Indiana helped point Schnatter to Jeff Robinson, the current owner, Schnatter offered them $25,000 for the assist. Now the Sloanes aren't happy about "only" getting $25,000 and want a bigger piece of the pie. More details can be found at this local Kentucky news website. Naughty, greedy people get no sympathy from me. Take your finder's fee and quitchurbitchin...

The Detroit Bureau asks if U.S. buyers are ready to return to Motown and buy American for their transportation needs? According to Paul Eisenstein, that's the rather surprising indication of a new survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. This first-ever survey of motorist intentions found that about 80% of new-car buyers said they would be likely or very likely consider a Detroit product, compared with just 47% who said the same thing about an Asian model, and 46% who'd similarly consider a European offering. The CR survey results show good news for the American automakers, as most respondents said the most important consideration in deciding which vehicle to buy is price, followed by fuel economy, safety, and quality.

It's difficult to find the words to describe the highlight of this segment of "Autoline After Hours" being served at TheTruthAboutCars. Let the headline be your guide: "David E. Davis: Fired for Truth Telling, Wants Jean Jennings Dead." Fast forward 15 minutes in, when David-E wishes a piano would land on her head. Yeah: He says that.

In one article, AutoBlogGreen says Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen, says the Chevy Volt is "a car for idiots," and says pure electric vehicles are "for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are." In another article he denies using those words. Well, of course, he has to, especially now that Audi is revealing an all-electric R8 concept car at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Harrumph.

Honda fans across the internet unleashed "Haterade" on first official Crosstour photos released at Facebook: Honda responds by blaming it on insufficient photography and promises additional photos will come soon. Jalopnik says "We're sorry, but if your vehicle is ugly from 3/4 front and 3/4 back it's just ugly and we doubt more detail is going to change that."

If you've heard the accusations that the rare metals required for production of hybrid car motors and batteries are in short supply and that the mining of such metals is disastrous for the environment, then you'll want to read this report at HybridCars.com which declares such concerns are overblown. In fact, the article states that if domestic and other Canada-based mining concerns go back into production at currently dormant mines, hybrid and electric car production will "not only be on track, it could be done in the United States," within three to four years.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 8/28/09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:25:00 GMT

It's the week ending August 28, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each.

Once again, the biggest news involves the end of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program AKA "Cash for Clunker" rebates, culminating in 690,114 transactions valued at $2.88 billion, with stories galore on its "wildly successful" outcome. LeftLaneNews reports on some of the downfalls of the program, saying the clunkers' Web site crashed several times, resulting in a bottleneck of applications. Moreover, only about a third of dealers have received their first clunkers check, leaving many dealerships with cash flow problems. Consumer Reports shares the environmental impact, saying the average new car bought with the rebates got 9.2 mpg more than the average clunker traded in, for an annual average fuel savings per driver of 277 gallons of fuel or about $720.

Pizza magnate Papa John Schnatter has finally been reunited with his Camaro. In celebration, he gave away nearly 36,000 free pizzas. Click here to read the detailed story of how Jalopnik helped make it happen -- and if you want, you can even browse the gallery of photos snapped by Camaro owners when they used their car as the ultimate coupon.

You wake up in the morning and suddenly everyone is driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Sound freaky? Well, that is exactly what is going to happen in Samoa on September 7th of this year. All Cars All The Time predicts this move will be an epic fail. The Wall Street Journal seems to agree. We suggest travelers stay away until they get their drivers retrained.

Are we there yet? Jaime Case and Chris Hodges hopped into a Fusion sedan provided by Ford, and took off on a six-week pre-wedding road trip around the country to see friends and family prior to signing their marriage certificate. Well, they've finally tied the knot, apparently the road trip is nearly over, and to celebrate the couple plans to change their names.... to Ford. Jeez, I hope Ford lets them keep the car after all that!

Get this: AutoBlogGreen.com suggests watermelon juice could be the next great automotive fuel, saying there's enough watermelon juice available to brew 2.5 million gallons of ethanol, which would displace up to 15 percent of corn or molasses, cut down on water usage, and supply needed nitrogen to the mix. Seems like the perfect use for the 360,000 tons of watermelons left to rot and spoil each year!

Chrysler and Nissan have decided to part ways, scrapping three joint-vehicle programs originally intended to fill yawning gaps in their respective line-ups. With Nissan officials recently telling TheDetroitBureau.com they were still open to working with their Detroit counterpart, it appears that the announcement was heavily influenced by Chrysler's new parent, the Italian automaker Fiat. It also appears Nissan is the loser in the latest developments. A separate agreement calling on Nissan and Chrysler to share transmission remains unchanged.

AutomotiveTraveler.com has snagged spypix of the upcoming 2011 Ford Fiesta -- only not the little Euro hatchback version we've seen so many Fiesta Agents driving! This article features several remarkably clear road shots of the four-door sedan version destined to arrive in American dealerships in the second quarter of 2010. I'd like one in magenta, please?

We all hate sitting in traffic, and in the Los Angeles area, it's notoriously bad. AutoBlog.com shares the results of a study that demonstrates having a GPS system with real-time traffic can save drivers four days per year and reduce emissions by 21%!

If you're writing a research paper on the history of electric vehicles, then look no further than cleancartalk.com which shares everything you ever wanted to know -- but were afraid to ask -- about the electric car. With detailed info from its origins in the 1830s to modern-day options, this article is good reading for green gearheads.

Mark Tapscott may very well be THE founder of the Carnival of Cars concept, and he had the wisdom to include ME in one of his first editions, nearly three years ago! If you want to keep up with Tapscott's current content, favorite him at Examiner.com

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 7-31-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:44:00 GMT

It's the week ending July 31, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. The biggest news was the implementation and nearly immediate suspension of Obama's Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program.

It took less than a week, but reports indicate CARS may have already burned through its billion dollar funding. Passed at the beginning of the month and officially set into motion on Monday, a brief story published last night at AutoBlog indicates that nearly 23,000 cars have already been sold. According to AutoSpies, when shoppers heard that the program could be stalled so the feds could reconcile the backlog of sales and trade-ins, last-minute buyers crawled out of the woodwork to take advantage of last-minute sales opportunities. As explained at Edmunds Auto Observer, however, a great concern to dealers is the that they must destroy the clunkers and provide proof they have been destroyed before they can even apply for the government voucher. If the money runs out, the dealers must honor the deal without receiving the reimbursement.

AutoblogGreen says compressed natural gas-powered vehicles are the invisible children of the green car scene in the U.S. While there are nearly 10 million natural gas vehicles in the world they're not common on American roads. This week's Greenlings column gives the scoop on CNG vehicles in America.

Oh yes, we know that cars are a part of American culture. We grow up in them, live in them, love them, but like the culture they reflect, cars change over time. Jalopnik shares a photo gallery of ten things you experienced your kids probably won't.

After being previewed by a trio of concept cars over the last two years, not to mention being the subject of numerous spy photos in the Southwestern United States and on Germany's Nuerburgring, Suzuki's Kizashi has finally been officially introduced. According to LeftLaneNews, the midsize Kizashi will begin arriving in showrooms this winter in North America. You can get a sneak peek of the Suzuki Kizashi here at autoMedia.com.

It seems we've seen no shortage of crashed Camaro pix in the news lately. Unfortunately, this popular ponycar seems ripe for the wrecking, as demonstrated by video reporting the first crash of a New Camaro in April at Jalopnik and these photos recently published at BangShift after some ~~dumb kid~~ neophyte driver put down nearly 400 feet of rubber and then smashed his dad's '69 Camaro into the neighbor's front yard. Old or new, the car carnage is equally sad, totaling nearly $30k in damages for this young driver.

Haha! Consumers might love those rock-and-rolling Kia hamsters, but apparently, Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia USA, told BNET Auto "We didn't want the hamsters to become the spokesperson for our brand. We wanted to be a more serious brand." As a result, allcarsallthetime reports the only hamsters you'll be seeing in advertising for Kia's new Forte sedan are the ones that customers have chosen to transport themselves. See how the Kia Soul compares against the Nissan Cube and Scion xB here at autoMedia.com.

Are you a gamer? Then you'll appreciate this report from Motor Trend, which declares when "Gran Turismo" for the PSP hits shelves in October, 638-hp of uncompromised Detroit muscle will be its focus. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the star of the cover, a decision made by creator Kazunori Yamauchi to show his support for the U.S. auto industry. They interview Yamauchi about the game, the domestic auto industry, and his view of the automobile's future.

HybridCars asks what fuel-economy numbers will look like on the window stickers of electric vehicles coming to the US market next year: Trying to find the answer could short-circuit your brain, as consumers must learn a new system for evaluating the efficiency of cars that use little or no gasoline, especially since a consistent system hasn't yet been fully developed.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

2010 Lexus HS 250h Pricing Announced

Editor — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:36:00 GMT

The world’s first dedicated hybrid luxury vehicle arrives in dealerships in late August. Lexus announced pricing this morning for the all-new sedan, which starts at $34,200 for the standard model, and $36,970 for the Premium edition. An additional $875 for delivery and handling will apply.

The HS 250h is Lexus’ fourth luxury hybrid and the most affordable. It also offers the best combined Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mileage rating of any luxury vehicle in the U.S., and produces 70 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new car, according to Lexus. EPA estimated city/highway mpg is 35/34, with a combined 35 mpg result from 87-octane fuel.

Read our 2010 Lexus HS 250h complete test drive review, and Vie to Win a 2010 Lexus HS 250h Luxury Hybrid.

~ Deborah Neal, Editorial Director, autoMedia.com