January 2008
A Good Gas Attack: Hydrogen From E. Coli
By John O'Dell January 31, 2008The bacteria that helps us digest food – and can sometimes cause food poisoning -- may someday help us fuel our cars and produce energy for our homes. Chemical engineering professor Thomas Wood at Texas A&M University has reengineered a strain of E. coli so that it now produces copious amounts of hydrogen from sugars.There's still a lot of work to be done before anything commercial could come of the research, Wood said in an article on the university's news site.But if ultimately successful his work could result in a relatively cheap method of producing hydrogen for stationary and automotive more
Isuzu: Out of Business Next Year
By Michelle Krebs January 30, 2008Isuzu Motors Ltd. will get out of the U.S. consumer-vehicle market next year. Its exit comes as no surprise as the automaker has seen a steady sales decline for years, causing many to wonder how -- and why -- Isuzu and its roughly 200 dealers were hanging on. Isuzu said in a statement it will end sales of the Ascender SUV and its pickup trucks, both supplied by General Motors, in January 2009. Isuzu's vehicle sales have fallen 93 percent in eight years. The Japanese automaker will post a loss of about $37 million related to its exit from the more
Is the Prototype Honda Pilot a Disturbing Sight?
By Michelle Krebs January 30, 2008By Dale Buss If the next-generation Pilot that Honda actually produces looks pretty much like the prototype the company displayed at the recent Detroit auto show, the new version may not do much to address the model’s sinking popularity. The reason: In a styling-conscious market where sleek crossovers rank as some of the hottest vehicles, the blocky 2009 Pilot might fit like a square peg into a round hole. more
GMC Gets First In-Game Super Bowl Ad
By Michelle Krebs January 30, 2008By Dale Buss GMC will air its first in-game Super Bowl ad Sunday when the General Motors division shows off its new Yukon hybrid in a 60-second commercial during the second quarter of Fox’s broadcast of the game. GMC Marketing Director Steve Rosenblum told AutoObserver the division has “had plenty of ads during the pregame shows†on previous Super Bowl Sundays “but we haven’t had one in-game as far as I can remember.†GM’s announcement that GMC would occupy its single in-game slot Super Bowl Sunday ended an internal derby of sorts for what brand or products would land more
California Gas-Guzzler "Feebate" Measure Held Up
By John O'Dell January 29, 2008A bill that would impose stiff one-time fees on gas-chugging passenger vehicles sold in California while granting rebates to owners of fuel-efficient cars and trucks failed to make it out of the state assembly Tuesday. The measure, AB 493, is now being amended to address the concerns of some lawmakers, according to a spokesman for Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, the Democrat who introduced the bill. It likely will be reintroduced in coming weeks, said the spokesman, who declined to discuss the specific concerns. If it is reintroduced, the measure would receive a new number and would face a new legislative voting deadline of May 30. more
British Motorists Seeing Green as Fuel Costs Climb
By John O'Dell January 29, 2008Toyota Aygo city car is typical of low-emission cars selling well in Britain. Overcome by rising fuel prices and growing environmental concerns, British car buyers are selecting fuel-efficient models in record numbers. So much so, according to a report from the nation's automakers, that cars with the lowest emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are set to outsell gas guzzlers for the first time in modern history. The Brits tax cars according to greenhouse gas emissions – which are directly related to fuel economy – with cars in the least efficient groups charged a so-called road tax more
Edmunds Study: Gas Prices Fuel Hybrid Fever
By John O'Dell January 29, 2008Unless you don't drive or have so much money that rising gas prices don't bother you at all, you've probably thought long and hard in the past year about things you could do to cut your gasoline bills. Chief among them, of course would be to start walking or taking the bus – but, silly us, we live in the U.S., where public transit isn't all that convenient for many, and where walking in most towns and cities is more likely to get you hassled by the police than to get you to where you want to go. So that leaves improving more
Ferrari Reports Sales Record for 2007
By Michelle Krebs January 29, 2008Ferrari reported its 2007 sales worldwide grew 14 percent in 2007 compared with 2006, to about 6,400 cars. It was a record result for Ferrari. Company executives said sales were especially robust in emerging markets. In the Asia-Pacific region sales grew by 50 percent, in the Middle East by 32 percent. In 2007, Ferrari also created a U.S. branch of its financial services unit and invested significantly in its facilities. The company plans to invest $30 million in its facilities this year. more
Maseratiâs U.S. Sales Soar in 2007
By Michelle Krebs January 29, 2008Maserati, which only recently returned to the U.S. market after a long hiatus, touted a 20 percent increase in U.S. sales for 2007. Sales were buoyed by the popularity of its newly restyled Quattroporte and the addition of an automatic transmission to the model. The U.S. is now Maserati's largest market. more
GOP Hopefuls Back California Bid for Local GHG Rules
By John O'Dell January 31, 2008We'll let you decide if they were serious or just blowing smoke in hopes of picking up votes, but all four Republican presidential hopefuls distanced themselves from the Bush Administration's stand on greenhouse gas regulations during their California debate this week If not sounding like bona fide greenies, the four at least sounded unified in a belief that the federal government should back off and allow California to set whatever limits it likes on automotive emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The Environmental Protection Agency's top administrator last month denied California a waiver that it needs to proceed with ths GHG regulation plan. Following more