TMR News and Features
Working in collaboration with Germany’s Fachhochschule Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences, RMIT University researchers have unveiled Australia’s first hydrogen-powered race car.
The car will be bidding for the title of world’s fastest hydrogen-powered racer when it attempts to break the Guinness World Records mark for speed by a vehicle of its class in early 2009.
Powered by an internal combustion motorcycle engine that has been modified to run on hydrogen, the hydrogen race car is expected to reach speeds of up to 170 kmh in its world record bid, to be held in Germany next year.
Could Toyota be working on a two-seater drop-top sports car based on its upcoming iQ minicar? The blokes at Auto Motor und Sport certainly think such a project is in the works, and have published a rendering of what they say is a brand-new retro-styled mini-roadster from the Big T.
Self-made billionaire and one of the largest private shareholders in Ford, Kirk Kerkorian, has decided to cut his losses and sell a chunk of his stake in the beleaguered manufacturer. The news comes at the worst possible time for Ford, whose share price has tumbled as falling large car sales and an ever-deepening economic crisis deliver blow after blow to the North American automotive industry.
MINI’s first entrant into the increasingly popular eco-car segment has yet to make its first official outing at the upcoming LA Auto Show, but to give us a small taste of things to come, BMW has released the first batch of info and pics of its new plug-in electric city car.
It came to my attention last week that Audi has been working hard to turn the recent Luxury Car Tax (LCT) increase to their sales advantage. Audi you see (they’re not stupid there in Audi HQ) has been through the Australian Government’s new ‘green car’ legislation and found that any car under $75,000 that produces a combined fuel-efficiency figure of 7.0 L/100km, or less, is exempt from LCT. Read Article
Whereas Mazda’s Kiyora Concept uses old-tech methods to bring down emissions and fuel consumption, Nissan has elected to take a different tack with its own futuristic city car concept, the Nuvu.
Mazda’s latest instalment in its long-running Nagare-inspired series of concept cars, the Kiyora, has made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show.
Intended to represent the future direction of cars as being safer, greener and lighter, the Kiyora is also designed to combine these attributes in a package that is not only interesting to look at, but enjoyable to pilot through the crowded urban streets of the future.
BMW has lifted the lid on its latest eco-friendly version of the 7 Series sedan - and there’s not a single hydrogen tank in sight. Unlike the current darling of the environment-conscious celebrity set, the BMW Hydrogen 7, the 7 Series ActiveHybrid uses a far more viable petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain to deliver its fuel economy gains.
Then again, with a twin-turbo 300kW 4.4-litre V8 thrashing away under the hood, the 7 Series ActiveHybrid certainly won’t be giving the humble Prius anything to worry about in the green stakes.
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