BMW X1 Clean Diesel

Imagine an SUV that is really sleek, luxurious, high torque, and german engineered. You may think expensive and poor fuel efficiency. Which normally you would be correct. Now think of all those things, but with a clean diesel engine that will get you fuel efficiency that destroys the competition in the small SUV segment. Now you just think expensive. Which most likely will be the case, but that is not what this post is about. This sleek, luxurious, high torque, German engineered ultimate driving machine will be in the low 40mpg range. That is IF it even comes to the US.

Clean diesel technology certainly hasn’t soared here in the States over the past couple years. But hopefully will catch on if diesel fuel stays less expensive than petrol. BMW currently offers two 50-state clean diesel vehicles—the BMW 335d sedan and BMW X5 xDrive35d SUV. They both have hefty price tags of $44,725 and $52,025 respectively. The 335d, which provides a city/highway average fuel economy rating of 29 mpg, is eligible for an “alternative vehicle” credit of $900. The X5 xDrive35d, with an average rating of 23 mpg, qualifies for a $1,550 tax credit. Expect the X1 to be in the same price range.

I’ve been waiting for a diesel hybrid for a while now. It seemed obvious that this should have been in R&D since the advent of clean diesel technology. But of course a few years went by. I figured VW would give this a go as one of their first Hybrid models. However, Volvo was the one to step up. Not only is it going to be a Diesel Hybrid, they are going beyond that to a plug-in hybrid model. This is great news.

A car that can get you 30-40 miles daily, purely on electricity. Most commuters will have no problem keeping their car within that range daily. If you do happen to go over, you get the efficiency of a diesel engine which should easily get in the high 30 to low 40 mpg range. Reports say this would be “a reality” by 2012 in the European market. Hopefully soon after in the US.

Go Volvo!

It’s gorgeous, yet beastly. It’s classic, yet innovative. It burns rubber, yet is environmentally friendly. It can destroy most sports cars off the line and you won’t hear any loud tremling exhaust pipes spewing out noxious fumes. It is what every gas guzzling classic car enthusiast turned eco friendly gas sipper could ever want in a car.  It is the 2 SSIC.

Top Speed – 150mph

0-60  – 2.1 seconds!

Range – 75 miles

The overall shape of this new Honda, you could argue is a complete rip off of the Toyota Prius. That may not be a bad thing, for Honda at least. Here are a couple spy shots of the Honda doing some extreme weather testing in the deserts of the south west. Honda would argue that it is more of a relative of their FCX Clarity Hyrdrogen.

Regarless of the look, this thing is sure to get some great gas-mileage if it is supposed to be a better competitor to the Prius. Look for MPG ratings we would peg around 48-55 MPG! Exciting news for Honda as more and more people are convinced Hybrids are the way to go.

Look for this car on showroom floors in late 2009.

The new zero-emissions FCX Clarity hydrogen vehicle from Honda rolled off the production line Monday in Japan and is headed to Southern California.

The FCX Clarity, which is powered only by hydrogen and electricity, emits only water. It is two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car.

Only a select bunch of lucky consumers get to sign a three year lease for the new FCX Clarity. But it comes at a steep price for some. $600 a month, however, the lease covers all maintenance costs and collision protection.

The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker. It has a top speed of up to 100 miles per hour. Not that anyone should be driving that fast.

The car has an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the car’s tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the car. Genepax, the company that invented the technology, aims to collaborate with Japanese manufacturers to mass produce it.

Toyota will start assembling its Camry hybrid cars in Australia in early 2010 and aim to produce 10,000 of them a year, in its latest effort to popularize such fuel-efficient vehicles.

That would make Australia the fourth country to build gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

“We decided to build the Camry hybrid in Australia because Australians are keenly aware of environmental issues including global warming,” Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told a news conference in Nagoya, central Japan, attended by visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.