2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Coupe
Volkswagen unveiled a sleek New Compact Coupe concept, with a 45-mpg hybrid powertrain and an off-white leather interior with bucket seats for four.
According to Volkswagen, “the New Compact Coupe (NCC) shows, both technically and visually, how Volkswagen envisions a front-wheel-drive hybrid for the compact class that would be implemented when the time is right.”
This is the second U.S. concept debut from Volkswagen focusing on fuel-efficiency. At the Los Angeles Auto Show last month, the automaker unveiled the Up! Lite, a lightweight, high-mileage model with numerous design details all emphasizing efficiency gains.
In the NCC, Volkswagen supplemented its 150-horsepower 1.4-liter TSI four-cylinder engine—employing direct injection and intercooling—with a 20 kW electric motor. The motor is between the engine and seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission.
The electric motor is about the strength of those employed in mild-hybrid systems and functions mainly to boost the TSI engine and help it operate in its most efficient range, though Volkswagen says that this could be considered a full hybrid system as the NCC can operate in electric mode alone when cruising or coasting. When braking, the system recovers energy, storing it in the 1.1 kW-hour lithium-ion battery.
The concept gets a combined fuel economy of 45 mpg, according to VW, yet can reach a top speed of 141 mph or get to 60 mph in just 8.1 seconds—which looks to be a compelling compromise between efficiency and performance.
Inside, there’s an eight-inch touch screen for the navigation system and audio, with chrome trim and bezels used throughout the dash, but the standout aspect of the interior is the Berry White leather used throughout, contrasted with slightly darker Quartz trim details. The interior is said to be good for four adults, while the trunk is a roomy (for a small coupe) 13.4 cubic feet. Overall, it’s about 178 inches long, which puts it just slightly longer than the 2010 Kia Forte Koup.
The NCC, if produced, would likely be closely related to the all-new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, termed NCS (New Compact Sedan) within the company, that’s expected late this year.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt
GM's audacious attempt to leapfrog the popular Toyota Prius, with its green halo, has gotten it more publicity than any General Motors car in decades.
The car is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle. And now we've driven it.
For more than an hour, we piloted a pre-production Chevy Volt around the roads of GM's Warren Technical Center in temperatures that never hit 20 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, we racked up 25 miles, at speeds from a crawl to numbers our hosts asked us not to specify.
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt wins for:
- Normality: This is a car your mother could drive, and she might never even know it's electric
- Near-silence: In electric mode, it accelerates remarkably quietly
- Speed off the line: The smooth, linear 0-30 acceleration may be the car's single best feature
- Instrumentation: The information presentation and graphics are years ahead of the Prius
- Range: Up to 40 miles on the battery, more than 300 miles total using the range extender too
We weren't as fond of these characteristics:
- Looks: A judgment call, but while it's distinctive, the styling feels slab-sided and chunky
- Engine howl: Under heavy load, the 1.4-liter range-extender engine is comparatively noisy
- Rear seat: This is a four-seat compact car; if you're 6 feet tall or more, you won't like the rear
And these are (some of) the outstanding issues, which GM will have to address this year:
- Final engine and motor control software: Finding the right blend of smoothness and efficiency
- Fuel volume: The physical tank is done, but how much fuel it will hold remains up in the air
- Price: The most common question, rumored to be $40,000 before the Federal tax credit
As chief engineer Andrew Farah stressed, our car was 90 percent of the way to the production version--our headlights and taillights were placeholders, for instance--but they're still tweaking a few items.
Still, what we drove was very close to what you can buy in November. Here's how we think it stacks up.
Looks
Styling is a subjective area, and plenty of people don't like the space-age shape and interior of the 2010 Toyota Prius (or its similar looking predecessor).
But to our eyes, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt may have gone too far in the other direction. Its high cowl and slab sides make this short five-door hatchback look tall and blocky from some angles.
That said, it's distinctive, without being polarizing. Which may have been the goal.
Performance: Electric
Unlike the round "Start" buttons in some cars, the 2011 Volt has a rectangular On/Off switch. Press it, the instruments light up, a few whirring noises can be heard, and you're ready to roll.
Because electric drive is smooth and quiet, it's easy to get the Volt above your intended speed without noticing. The 0-to-30-mph acceleration may be the car's most enjoyable feature; it's more remarkable than the 0-to-60 time, which isn't final but will be "less than 10 seconds".
As we found last spring during our drive of a Volt powertrain development vehicle, it's easy to spin the inside front tire when accelerating out of a curve. The traction control prevents too much spin, but allows enough to make the car feel credibly quick.
In electric mode, the Volt is smooth and remarkably quiet. Without engine noise, tire roar and wind noise usually come to the fore, but both are admirably suppressed through careful design. We weren't able to drive the car in freeway conditions, so we can't speak to its high-speed performance.
Performance: Gasoline
In electric mode, the Volt operates like more or less any other electric car engineered by a major automaker. Our only big question: What's it like the when the gasoline engine switches on?
We started our drive with 14 miles of remaining electric range, and as it got down to 0, the battery gauge faded away, replaced by a gas-pump icon with its own range (more than 100 miles on our car).
Critically, though, that meant only that the engine could go on. We braked to a stop, accelerated out of a corner in electric mode ... and then, almost below perception level, felt a slight vibration. The engine had switched on, inaudibly.
Continuing to accelerate brought the engine speed up, and its sound to the fore. It was probably no noisier than a standard subcompact, but compared to the silence of electric drive, it was noticeable.
And then it abated, as we eased up on the accelerator and power demand dropped. As soon as we braked for the next stop sign, the engine switched off. And we repeated the cycle many times.
Flooring the accelerator at speed took the engine from its 1000-rpm minimum to maximum output around 4,000 rpm. (These are rough figures from Farah, since there's no tachometer.) There, it howled, as would any small engine propelling a heavy car under load.
Volt engineers will fine-tune the engine note, further feathering some of the transitions. We expect they'll do everything possible to make the transitions less jarring. The engine note isn't unpleasant, exactly, but it takes some getting used to.
It's also nowhere near as irritating as some cars we've tested with continuously variable constant-velocity transmissions (CVTs), where the engine notes rise and fall constantly and erratically. The Volt's tuning is more linear than that.
That's a benefit of the Volt's design since, as Farah notes, even a depleted battery pack can buffer the power draw--rather than changing engine speed every time power demand changes a tiny amount.
Detroit Electric Holdings And Dongfeng Ink Partnership To Develop EVs in China
The American marketplace may be sluggish right now, but manufacturers and investors are betting big on China. Not only is there a fair amount of money floating around that country--the new home of Hummer and Volvo--but China is also set to become the world's biggest auto market in the very near future. Naturally, foreign outfits are hoping to get in on the ground floor, and some of those companies are talking about electric vehicles.
We've recently seen this transfer of EV technology at work in reverse via the Coda/Hafei partnership, which will likely bring a Chinese-built electric sedan to the U.S. late next year. And another development project is slated for Volkswagen and BYD, as they share technology to create EVs for their respective markets. Now we've received a press release indicating that U.S.-based Detroit Electric Holdings and Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng are working together to "research, develop, market and sell Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs) in China, based on Detroit Electric's advanced electric drive technology."
It's important to note that those vehicles won't just be Dongfengs: according to the release, the Detroit Electric and Dongfeng are in discussion to create a new joint venture company that would provide electric drive technology to other automakers, too. Detroit Electric is pinning some very ambitious hopes on this project and another one with Malaysia's Proton, which will allow the company to sell its own EVs. Between the two, Detroit Electric is hoping to develop and sell 45,000 vehicles in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. in 2010, and a whopping 270,000 just two years later, in 2012. In these meek-onomic times, it's nice to see a little "go big or go home" swagger.
And for readers who aren't familiar with the Dongfeng brand (no need to be ashamed), here are a couple of the company's recent contributions to the marketplace: the Dongfeng Mengshi (which may or may not be a legally licensed version of the HUMMER), and the Dongfeng Coupe (note the accordion-style trunk, designed to accommodate larger objects). Fasten your seatbelts: it's going to be an interesting ride.
[Detroit Electric; press release below]
* * * * *
Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd Enter Into Strategic Cooperation
Wuhan, China, June 19, 2009: Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd announced today the two companies have agreed to jointly research, develop, market and sell Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs) in China, based on Detroit Electric's advanced electric drive technology.
Based upon the strategic agreement signed today, Dongfeng Motor Corporation will test and validate Detroit Electric's patented electric drive technology with the intention to produce and market Dongfeng's Pure Electric Vehicles (PEVs).
The parties are also in discussions to form a joint venture company to manufacture, assemble, produce and supply the electric drive technology to the Dongfeng Group and other vehicle manufacturers.
In addition, the two companies will study and explore the market entry strategy under the Dongfeng and Detroit Electric brand.
Detroit Electric Chairman and CEO, Albert Lam, said: "We are excited at the opportunity to partner with yet another world-class automaker in order to accelerate the wide adoption of Detroit Electric's electric drive technology and propel the PEV industry forward."
"This validation process is a major proof point for the technical leadership and commercial readiness of our electric motor drive technology. We look forward to working closely with Dongfeng and exchange our experiences," he said.
This strategic cooperation with Dongfeng comes hot on the heels of Detroit Electric's March 30 signing of Strategic Licensing and Contract Assembly Agreements with Proton, worth RM1.2 billion (US$331 million) annually.
Those agreements provided Detroit Electric with vehicle platforms and its first manufacturing base, and put it on the fast track to introduce a full line of innovative, practical and affordable pure electric vehicles to the global market.
Detroit Electric targets to sell 45,000 of vehicles across Europe, the United States and Asia by next year; increasing to 270,000 by 2012.
"This cooperation with Dongfeng allows us to work closely with a strong partner in China to explore various ways to enter the world's largest vehicle market," said Lam.
China is committed to alternative clean vehicles and is offering financial and other incentives to encourage the adoption of zero emission vehicles. The country is set to become one of the key markets for Detroit Electric to realize its growth over the next five years.
-End-
About Detroit Electric:
Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd is one of the leaders of the electric car revolution. We manufacture efficient and environmentally friendly, high performance, long range electric vehicles and drive-systems to the global marketplace. Detroit Electric's product plans range from high performance sports cars to stylish sedans capable of driving over 320 km/ 200 miles in a single charge.
Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd invented and patented the Magnetic Flux Motor Technology for the motor drive train. The company also owns the intellectual property for the Motor Controller Programme. Since its launch, Detroit Electric has been dedicated to developing new technologies and establishing strategic partnerships that leverage existing capacities in the marketplace.
About Dongfeng Motor Corporation
Founded in 1969, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (hereafter referred to as DFM), formerly named Second Automobile Works Co., is one of the three giant auto makers in China. Its main businesses include passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, engines, auto parts and components, and equipment. Through over 40 years of development, R&D and manufacturing facilities have been established as well as an extensive distribution and after-sales network, which unfolds a business display of footed in Hubei while radiating the whole nation. The major business facilities are located in Shiyan, Xiangfan, Wuhan and Guangzhou. In addition, several branches are located in Shanghai, Liuzhou (Guangxi), Yancheng (Guangxi), Nanchong (Sichuan), Zhengzhou (Henan), Urumchi (Xinjiang), Chaoyang (Liangning), Hangzhou (Zhejiang), Kunming (Yunnan), etc.
As of 2007, DFM has gained an annual output of 1,137,000 vehicles, a sales income of 164,800,000,000 yuan, 12.94% market share and 121,000 registered employees. The company ranks 20th in the top 500 domestic enterprises and 5th in the top 500 domestic manufacturers respectively. In 2007, the domestic market shares of medium/heavy duty commercial vehicle and medium duty bus reached first; light duty commercial vehicle and SUV secured second, and cars third.
Aligned with the trend of auto industry development in the world market, DFM has defined its position and set a goal to build a centennial DFM, which is capable of sustained growth, an internationalized DFM, which is world oriented, and an open DFM which is capable of independent development. And more aggressively, DFM is also looking forward to becoming the No. 1 in China, internationally weighted auto maker in the world with a convincing profit rate, sustainable development and constant value returning to shareholders, customers, employees and society. Currently, the corporate business has been on a fast-growth track to another achievement that will make greater contributions to the Chinese auto industry.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Video: Jay Leno And The Zen of Zero S Electric Motorcycle Maintenance
A couple of months ago, we posted video footage from a 24-hour race of electric motorcycles made by California-based Zero Motorcycles. And while we loved the concept of the bikes--not to mention their looks and a lot of other things--we were slightly disappointed with their sound. Or rather, the lack thereof. As Jay Leno points out in this video review of the Zero S model, we're not entirely alone...
[JayLenosGarage via Autoblog]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Fisker Set For $85 Million More In Venture Capital Funding
Today Fisker Automotive announced they're inches away from receiving $85 million in venture capital funding to help complete development and bring to production the 2009 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid electric sports sedan.
Sources of new financing are New York's Eco-Drive Partners, California-based VC capitol firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and an as-yet-named European-American investment consortium. Said CEO Henrik Fisker: "this investment is a strong endorsement of our business model and future product offerings in a challenging business environment." The deal is not yet official but Fisker Automotive fully expects it to close by the end of April.
The Karma is slated for production later in 2009 and will retail for $87,900 prior to tax credits. The stunning four-seater uses two electric motors to accelerate to 60 mph in the five-second range and can travel up to 50 miles on pure electric propulsion before a GM-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged four turns a generator to recharge the Karma's lithium-ion battery pack. Total range of the vehicle is said to be up to 300 miles depending upon driving style; fuel economy is a claimed 100 mpg.
Fisker Automotive also hinted at a lower-priced vehicle in the works, something closer to the recently announced $50,000 Tesla Model S.
[source: World Car Fans]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Ford Gets $55 Million Tax Incentive For Electric Development
Today Ford announced it is the recipient of a $55 Million tax incentive - a refundable tax credit - from the state of Michigan. The money will be channeled through the newly formed Michigan Advanced Battery Credits initiative, with the stipulation that Ford use it to continue development of advanced batteries and electric vehicles.
The Michigan Advanced Battery Credits Initiative is an offshoot of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and could provide refundable tax credits to other companies who invest similarly in electric vehicle/battery programs.
This is another (eco)boost for Ford, who just announced that their new UAW deal will not include any Federal money to support its operations through 2009. The blue oval looks quite forward-thinking these days, having just released the award-winning 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and poised to install a whole new generation of fuel-sipping engines across their car and crossover lineup.
[source: Free Press]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Fortunes Brighten For Tesla, Fisker, If Temporarily
The two U.S. electric vehicle startups that have drawn the most attention - Tesla and Fisker - stole quite a bit of attention at Detroit's Auto Show. They can thank Nissan, who pulled completely out of the show in attempts to save money, and Honda, who canceled a press briefing for its U.S. model lineup, also reacting to rough financial realities resulting from a sharp sales downturn in the U.S. and abroad.
Still, the nascent electric car makers are more concept than reality; Tesla has delivered all of 147 electric roadsters based on the Lotus Elise body, and Fisker has yet to deliver any of its visually stunning E-REV sports cars that promise blinding acceleration, prodigious torque, and roughly 100 mpg efficiency.
[source: Detroit News]
What these firebrands need is capital and in this recession, the millions they need to get off to a solid start is becoming ever harder to come by. While their electric sports cars are niche vehicles at best, these are the kind of forward-thinking companies that I'd love to see receive federal funding from the new administration. Perhaps a deal could be worked out wherein their proprietary technology could be licensed in some degree to the Big Three or at least to government service vehicles (post office vans, city vehicles), and in exchange for much-needed infusions of capital, perhaps Tesla and Fisker could even loan their techno-wizards to energy secretaries and DOT policy wonks, free of charge, in hopes of real solutions to green energy and feasible electric propulsion for enormous fleets of green government vehicles.
In my own little dream world, I'd love to see Tesla/Fisker develop a sleek, sexy presidential limousine along with the Department of Defense. Employ lightweight carbon fiber, wrap it in an armor of bullet-arresting kevlar, and power it all by super-torque electric motors (959 lb-ft is the number for the new Karma!! That should suffice). Such a vehicle would truly shame the new GM presidential limo, which strains under the avoirdupois of a GM dumptruck chassis and likely gets economy comparable to a 1978 500 cubic inch carbureted Eldorado V-8. This new, brazen electric limo would be made in America, powered by the genius of a new generation of automotive problem solvers, and would dovetail nicely with the new administration's focus on sustainable, efficient fresh thinking within American industry.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Friday Fluff: The Links That Got Away
It's been a busy week at TheCarConnection.com. Between bailout news, holiday shopping, and random morsels of car-related goodness, a lot of stuff has crossed our desk since Monday. Here are a few of the choicest bits that we haven't been able to cover in full detail:
Toyota probably posts first loss since 1938: In its first year of operations, Toyota lost money. That's to be expected. What's not expected? That Toyota has posted gains for each of the 70 years since. Now, the company is likely to post its second loss ever. Which doesn't sound good at all.
GM goes out for Chinese: GM may (or may not) be in a bad way here at home, but in China, the company has opened up a new production facility. That's...good news, right? Can we stop worrying now?
CNN has slow news day: Otherwise, why would they waste 800 words on an essay entitled "How a shutdown really saves Chrysler money"? Really? A shutdown will cut labor costs and reduce inventory? Does NASA know about this?
There is an upside to this "market correction": Yes, economies around the world seem to be in a tailspin, but look for the silver lining. Although things may totally suck for divorce lawyers, caterers, NASCAR, and your waistline, psychics, OB-GYNs, and stores that sell Spam (the kind in a can) are doing great.
French president Sarkozy is amped about electric cars: Or at least, he's so enchanté with the developers of said cars that he's sitting on a government report questioning their viability. The report, which was meant to be published around the time of the Paris Auto Show, argues that modifications to cars of the combustion engine variety would prove cheaper and nearly as efficient. If you can handle a 129-page PDF in written in technical French, you can read it for yourself.
Mercedes-Benz gets fashionable: Speaking of models (Sarkozy's married to Carla Bruni, remember?), Mercedes-Benz has announced that catwalker Julia Stegner will serve as the face of its fashion division, beginning with the launch of the new CLS Grand Edition during Berlin Fashion Week in January. Said Stegner: "Mercedes-Benz and fashion - they really fit together well. I think Mercedes-Benz cars are chic - just like fashion." Perfect match.
Steve Jobs lets go of the wheel: Apple Anthony Jannarelly is toying with designs for a robotic car called the iMo. It looks kinda like the original iMac, but with two wheels, an electric engine, gyroscopic technology, and the ability to transform. It can even drive and park itself. It looks cute, but we really hope it crashes less frequently than iTunes.
Holy crap, people are repairing their cars: We have it on good authority that people are no longer throwing out their automobiles when the timing belt goes; they are choosing to repair cars instead of replacing them. Apparently, it has something to do with this global economic meltdown we've all been hearing so much about. Unfortunately, indie garages don't always have access to the same repair manuals as dealers do, so a group in Massachusetts is threatening legal action to make that happen. That's potentially good news for Bay State drivers, but, um, should the rest of us be doing something?
Public school drivers' ed was not like this: Lotus has launched its new Lotus Driving Academy, with a stated goal of creating better drivers--not just of Lotuses, but of all cars. Best of all, it's open to anyone with a driver's license! Worst of all, it's in England, which is not where we are.
--Richard Read
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
