If you have been watching The Jay Leno Show, the guest appearances are sure to be one of the most anticipated segments you would want. Guests are normally celebrities or famous personalities. But a car? Apparently there is a new twist on the next show via NBC. This time it is not a human celebrity but a car celebrity. And that car celebrity is the electric Ford Focus.

The appearance of the electric Ford Focus is actually part of the “Green Car Challenge”. Jay Leno will make use of the electric Ford Focus as the official vehicle that will be driven by the rich and famous and find out who can lap a track at the quickest time. With the Ford Focus scheduled to be unveiled by 2011, this may be a good teaser and publicity gimmick to build on the fortunes of Ford Motors.

The prototype vehicle that will be used on The Jay Leno Show was developed by Ford in partnership with Magna. Tune in to NBC and watch the Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m./ 9p.m. central and see which personality can drive the electric Ford Focus the fastest!

(Source) Automobile Mag

Tags: car challenge, celebrities, famous personalities, ford focus, ford motors, fortunes, gimmick, green car, guest appearances, Jay Leno, jay leno show, m central, magna, NBC, new twist, prototype vehicle, publicity, segments

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A new kind of car may be headed your way and it may not be the usual alluring vehicle you see today. Known as the MDI AirPod, the design is something that certainly needs a lot of improvement but it is really the concept that matters for now.

The MDI AirPod is a three-seat vehicle that runs on compressed air and was originally displayed last autumn. It has a range of 137 miles on a 46-gallon tank and will be priced around $7,500 when it rolls off the production line in the next two years.

What makes this vehicle unique of course is that it doesn’t rely on electricity or hydrogen to fulfil its claim of being a “zero emission” car – instead it uses air. However, much of this air would be produced from the energy from coal or gas fired power plans unless more renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal powers can be used. The compressors could then use this “clean air” to fill the AirPod and drivers could claim to have zero impact on the environment.

No official release information has yet been announced, but the MDI Airpod is expected to be rolled out in select European cities where high speeds are not an issue within 24 months.

(Source) The Green Car Website

Tags: airpod, car website, compressors, electricity, geneva motor show, geothermal, green car, Hydrogen, mdi, renewable energy sources, solar wind, zero emission

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The bad news is that Toyota Australia is scaling back in production but the good news is that they are not announcing any immediate job cuts. That is for now. The global car industry is in a deep downturn and figures released this week show February was the worst month for car sales in Australia since 2003. Sales were down 22 per cent from last year.

Toyota’s Max Yasuda has told ABC1’s Inside Business the company is hoping its new green cars will help generate a recovery in the market early next year.

“Our first priority, even in these difficult times, is to keep our workforce … to keep our jobs,” he said.

He says federal and state governments should commit to using the green car when it is released.

“This is the most serious challenge that we’ve faced … in the 50-year history of Toyota Australia,” Mr Yasuda said.

“I think we have to invent something that we have never done before in terms of production system as well as … in terms of how to sell a car.”

(Source) ABC News

Tags: bad news, car industry, car production, car sales, difficult times, green car, green cars, how to sell a car, state governments, toyota australia, workforce, yasuda

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If you are among the SUV buffs, here is a great guide you can bank on before making any purchase. Consumer Reports has named the top picks for 2009 that included two new models–the Toyota Highlander and the Chevrolet Avalanche, as top choices for midsized SUVs and pickups.

Having proven reliable in its first year since a major redesign, the top-rated Toyota Highlander dethroned the Hyundai Santa Fe, last year’s winner in the midsized SUVs category, while the improved reliability of the new Chevrolet Avalanche helped it to replace the Chevrolet Silverado as top pickup.

Despite the arrival of more gas/electric hybrids, the Toyota Prius remains Top Pick in the “green” car category for the sixth straight year. The Prius’s 44 overall mpg is the best Consumer Reports measured in any five-passenger car.

Here, by category, are the 2009 Top Picks.

SMALL SEDAN: Hyundai Elantra SE. The Elantra SE ($18,695) is a comfortable, roomy small car that provides good fuel economy, a quiet and nicely finished interior, and plenty of features for the money. Only the SE version comes with standard electronic stability control, which is absent on many other small cars.

MIDSIZED SUV: Toyota Highlander. The Highlander ($26,000 to $41,000) is a very refined and versatile vehicle. It provides a comfortable and quiet ride, a nicely finished interior, three rows of seats, and decent fuel economy for its class. The Highlander Hybrid’s fuel economy, 24 mpg overall, is among the best of any SUV in Consumer Report’s Ratings. First-year reliability has been excellent.

PICKUP TRUCK: Chevrolet Avalanche. The Chevrolet Avalanche full-sized crew cab ($36,000 to $47,000) is one of the most versatile and comfortable pickups that Consumer Reports has tested. Its unified bed and cab helps give it a solid feel and a comfortable, quiet ride. Its innovative partition, between the cab and the bed, can be folded to allow longer cargo to extend into the back of the cab.

BEST OVERALL VEHICLE: Lexus LS 460. With a road test score of 99 out of 100, the Lexus LS 460 ($64,000 to $77,000) is Consumer Reports’ highest-scoring vehicle. It provides a luxurious, uncompromising driving environment, with a supremely comfortable ride and a roomy, well-finished, and exceptionally quiet interior. The LS is brimming with electronic amenities, yet the controls are easy to use. Its 380-hp, 4.6-liter V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission deliver smooth, quick acceleration and relatively good fuel economy.

FAMILY SEDAN: Honda Accord. The Honda Accord ($21,000 to $31,000) is a roomy, well-rounded sedan that’s easy to live with and enjoyable to drive. It offers a comfortable ride, agile handling, and efficient, refined four- and six-cylinder powertrains. Electronic stability control is standard, and crash-test results are impressive.

UPSCALE SEDAN: Infiniti G37. One of the highest-rated sedans tested, the G37 (33,000 to $36,000, formerly G35) combines sportiness and luxury in a very appealing package. It has a very lively powertrain, agile handling, a comfortable ride, and a nicely appointed interior. For 2009, it also has a larger, 328-hp, 3.7-liter engine and a seven-speed automatic transmission, which improves fuel economy.

FUN TO DRIVE: Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Miata ($22,000 to $29,000) is a true sports car at a reasonable price. With quick, precise steering, a crisp-shifting manual transmission, and balanced handling, it virtually tied the Porsche Boxster in test scoring, but it costs about half the price.

SMALL SUV: Toyota RAV4. Thanks to a larger and more powerful four-cylinder engine and other upgrades for 2009, the RAV4 ($23,000 to $30,000) narrowly outscored the Subaru Forester to remain our Top Pick for the third straight year. It provides agile handling, a roomy and quiet interior, a comfortable ride, and an optional third-row seat. The four-cylinder version gets the best fuel economy of any automatic, nonhybrid SUV CR has tested.

MINIVAN: Toyota Sienna. The Sienna ($26,000 to $38,000) offers a spacious, versatile, and comfortable way to carry up to eight people. Consumer Reports found that the quiet, well-finished interior rivals that of some luxury sedans. Electronic stability control is standard. This is the only minivan available with all-wheel drive.

GREEN CAR: Toyota Prius. Despite the arrival of more gas/electric hybrids, the Prius ($22,000 to $24,000) leads this category for the sixth straight year. The base model’s 44 overall mpg is the best Consumer Reports has measured in any five-passenger car. The interior is roomy and versatile, and reliability remains excellent. A redesigned Prius will arrive in early summer.

(Source) Press

Tags: chevrolet avalanche, chevrolet silverado, electric hybrids, electronic stability control, fuel economy, green car, hyundai elantra, hyundai santa fe, lexus ls 460, small cars, top choices, toyota highlander, toyota prius, versatile vehicle

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The future of motoring lies in the hands of people who will still be on hand in the future and these are the upstart students and kids today. And to prepare for that, most of them are putting great minds to work as we can see in the EcoCar designs lined up at the Washington Auto Show.

EcoCar is sponsored by the US Department of Energy and General Motors along with the California Air Resources Board. It is a three-year competition that gives engineering students the chance to design and build advanced vehicles with cutting edge automotive technologies.

Of the 17 teams participating in the challenge, eight produced extended range vehicles; six chose plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; one chose a full function electric vehicle; and two chose fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

At the end of the competition, the vehicles will be judged on criteria including environmental impact, fuel consumption, consumer appeal, safety and quality of workmanship.

(Source) The Green Car Website

Tags: automotive technologies, california air resources board, consumer appeal, ecocar, electric vehicle, fuel consumption, green car, hybrid electric vehicles, washington auto show

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