It has been a while since we have heard of the F-Cell vehicle but today Mercedes has announced that the car is dangerously close to hitting dealerships. In fact, Mercedes says the hydrogen burning F-Cell will be made available in the United States sometime next year. Furthermore, they have let us know that the car will feature 136hp, 290nm of torque and a top speed of 105MPH.

As of now there is no telling where Mercedes plans to debut their F-Cell or at what price but considering the limited availability of hydrogen fueling stations, we’re going to assume it won’t be very widespread.

via jalopnik

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If the Wall Street Journal is anything to go by, Chinese automaker BYD may be looking to release an all electric vehicle in the US as early as next year. This goes against the company’s previous claims that America would be seeing an all electric vehicle in 2011.

The vehicle in question is the e6 five-seat crossover that will reportedly sell for around $40,000 and sprint from 0-62 mph in 10 seconds and reach a speed of 99mph all while maintaining a range of 186 miles.

There’s not telling if we will be seeing this car hit dealerships across the nation or just a limited launch. We’ll keep you posted.

via autoblog

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The entire auto industry is doing everything they can to please the market who is currently focused on getting the greenest technology they can. Toyota for one has decided to pursue the hydrogen path and hopes to have their first vehicle hit the scene sometime in 2015.

However, they don’t plan to just release a hydrogen powered vehicle onto the market, they hope to take the market by storm. In fact, AutoBlogGreen reports that when Toyota’s first hydrogen burning vehicle hits the market, the price will be so low that it will “shock” the U.S. auto industry.

Just how low will that be exactly? It’ll take a very low price to shock most of the market. Let’s hope you came up with something good, Toyota.

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2010 Lexus IS-C Convertible

In the thick of its U.S. marketing campaign for the 2010 IS C, Lexus is working hard to produce enough cars to meet consumer demand. Presently about 1,200 cars are departing the Kyushu factory each month, but according to a Lexus official, that is just barely enough.

The IS-C was introduced last October at the Paris Motor Show, and now that the hardtop convertible has finally reached the U.S., Lexus is carefully handling the supply, reports Wards Auto. The 2010 Lexus IS 250C pricing starts at $38,490 for the manual-equipped version, while the auto goes for $39,660. The 350C, only available with automatic, starts at $43,940.

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2010 BMW X1

BMW has announced that the all-new X1 SUV is projected to go on sale in the United States in 2011. The Bavarian car maker said that precise details on the U.S. market version including engine and drivetrain configurations will be brought out closer to the time of launch.

The X1 (X3’s smaller brother) will arrive in BMW’s European dealerships this fall with a selection of four engines, including a 258HP straight six gasoline and three 2.0-liter four banger diesels with 204HP, 177HP and 143HP. In a first for a BMW SUV model, the X1 will be available in rear-wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive configurations.

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Fiat 500C Convertible

The new Fiat 500C convertible stands out with its automated sliding soft-top with an integrated glass backlight and built-in center high mounted stop light. The lining for the roof is a weather resistant canvas that is available in three different colors, red, ivory, and black, and has been fashioned to match the car’s exterior colors, which now has two new entries – Warm Grey and Pearl Red.

Now that Fiat has formed an alliance deal with Chrysler, there is a good likelihood this model may come to the U.S.  The 500 hardtop is all but confirmed for a U.S. launch, but don’t expect to see the cars in local showrooms for another year at least.

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Now exactly how the two above vehicles will help the US Air Force I don’t know but apparently that’s who they were created by and why.

The white Mustang featured on top is dubbed the X-1 and features everything from a full jet cockpit and ejector seat to a flight stick styled shifter knob. Autoblog reports that the body has been widened all around to accommodate for the largest tires you can throw at it. What everyone cares about though is under the hood which is a 500HP, V8 engine outfitted with nitrous.

The second vehicle, entitled the Vapor is a heavily modified Dodge Challenger looking to be the stealthiest vehicle on the block. It apparently features an infrared thermal camera along with a display that covers the entire front windshield, a command center themed cockpit with 3 large LCD screens for surveillance, solid carbon fiber wheels and the added feature of two mufflers for a quitter ride.

Now what i’m wonder is, are all these features street legal?

You can see more pictures along with two promotion videos here.

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Fiat 500

Many Americans have been hoping the popular Fiat 500 minicar would come to the US but a lack of interest in small cars has largely held it back. Now, with Fiat’s alliance with Chrysler, the Italian auto maker has a gateway to the profitable U.S. market and the first model to arrive will be the 500, although it’s launch is 18 months away.

The Fiat 500 will be sold in Chrysler dealerships, and according to Richard Gadeselli, Fiat’s vice-president of communications, it will be the only Fiat-badged model in the U.S. Marketplace. Fiat is hoping to enjoy similar success with its 500 as BMW did several years ago with Mini.

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Hyundai Equus

Hyundai has developed a new large luxury sedan called the Equus, which it is selling in its home market of South Korea as well as a few choice markets around the world. Latest reports suggest that the car could eventually be sold in the U.S. as a rival to the Mercedes Benz S-Class and Lexus LS however, the Hyundai is expected to be priced around $50,000. This information comes from a Hyundai insider, who disclosed that the Equus will almost certainly arrive in U.S. showrooms within the next “two or three years”.

Hyundai used last month’s New York Auto Show to help gage the public’s reaction. Apparently the event proved so successful that Hyundai now plans to bring 100 examples to showcase in dealerships all around the country. The first cars should arrive by the middle of the year, Hyundai spokesman Oles Gadacz told USA Today.

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It was recently announced that the US government is, yet again, stepping in to help a US automaker from ceasing to exist. The latest news surrounds Chrysler who apparently has $6.9 billion worth of debt owned by banks like Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase.

To make a long story short, the US Treasury is in talks with the creditors behind that debt to cancel it in exchange for $2 billion in cash.

Now this may not seem like a very good deal, but with the state of the economy and the seemingly grim future for Chrysler, this may be in the creditors best interest.

Read (NewYorkTimes)

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The technology is far from being here but vehicle manufacturers are aggressively pursuing autonomous radar-based obstacle detection systems increasing the safety of both drivers and pedestrians.

“Vehicle manufacturers are mainly interested in active safety as a new differentiator,” says ABI Research Practice Director Dominique Bonte. “However, avoiding accidents has a huge impact on traffic congestion levels, the reduction of which remains the primary goal of ITS.”

Toyota is planning to add a millimeter-wave radar system to some of its car models in Japan in 2009. The driver is warned about potential side and front collisions and when a crash is imminent automatic braking, seat belt retraction and air bag deployments are initiated. In the US a similar pre-collision system will be available on the 2010 Toyota Prius as an option. A similar feature was announced by Hyundai at CES. However, the current automotive slump will delay the adoption of active safety as a standard option across all brands.

To realize the benefits of integrated traffic management ITS requires vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. While many successful tests based on the Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) protocol are ongoing in Japan (ITS-Safety 2010 project), Europe (ERTICO, CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium) and the US (DoT’s IntelliDriveSM project), full rollout is not expected before 2015.

(Source) Press

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