Survey: Most Republicans In Favor Of Higher MPG Requirements
Democrats and Republicans might disagree on a lot of things, but it appears that fuel economy regulation doesn't need to be one of them.
According to a new nationwide study, those who identify Republican are nearly as likely to think that we need to put a tighter fuel-efficiency framework in place as those who identify Democrat.
The study, which was commissioned by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and conducted by Opinion Research Corp. last month (of a sample size of 2,000), found that 62 percent of Americans support a 60-mpg standard by 2025. Just 32 percent indicated they're against it.
More than 60 percent of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that they think it's important to decrease oil consumption and that the federal government should require automakers to increase fuel economy—leading up to a 60-mpg standard by 2025.
A lot of common ground when it comes to petroleum independence?
According to the survey, two-thirds of those who identify Republican support the general concept of fuel economy standards while more than half support the 60-mpg standard in the works. General support for higher fuel-efficiency standards in general was at 75 percent nationally and as high as 82 percent, in California.
Compliance with a 60-mpg standard is expected to add cost to new vehicles, yet it would, over time, pay off because of lower fuel costs. The survey even varied the questions to consider this payback for the 60-mpg technology—asking about three-, five-, and ten-year paybacks, along with policies left up to the states, but in each case both Democrats and Republicans supported the policy by more than 50 percent. Support peaked for the shortest three-year payback, with Democrats at 72 percent and Republicans at 62 percent.
Where we get our oil was one of the common worries among respondents. About two-thirds of those supportive of the new standards were concerned about either fuel prices or Middle East oil dependence.
Addressing a common concern: high gas prices and foreign oil
It's already been a year of elevated worry about high gas prices; and according to the survey, 85 percent of Americans are concerned about gas prices while 87 percent are concerned about our oil consumption. The average household expenditure on gasoline is estimated to have risen by more than $1,000 per year from 2009 to 2011, due to rising pump prices as well as volatility that's in part due to a dependence on oil imports.
The non-profit organization, which has been calling for the stricter standard, stresses that any successful fuel economy program must be long-term, to give consumers and the industry time to adapt, and it must accommodate consumer preferences by understanding that while SUVs have the same footprint as lower compact cars they simply can't achieve the same mileage. "Standards for larger vehicles will be more lenient, but every vehicle class will be required to improve at a fast pace," the CFA said in summary, in an appeal to policymakets. "This levels the playing field between auto makers and removes any pressure to push consumers into smaller vehicles."
[Consumer Federation of America]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Half Will Have Four-Cylinder Engine
For 2012 the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is going to get a partial redesign and a sleek new Coupe body style—and, for the first time in years, a four-cylinder engine.
Beginning with the refreshed model that arrives mid-year, M-B is no longer shying away from fours: A new C250, with a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, is the new base model for the U.S., and with M-B anticipating nearly half to be sold with the four, it's the new volume model as well.
M-B expects sales for the new coupe and sedan combined to be incrementally higher than the current sedan.
It's certainly not the first time Mercedes has offered a four-cylinder in the C-Class. In the 1990s, the automaker offered a four-cylinder C220 in the U.S., then later, this past decade, a supercharged C230 Kompressor.
The last time the C-Class was fully redesigned, we were told that four-cylinder models wouldn't be coming back anytime soon—dealerships pushed back, and the customer demand wasn't there. Now it seems just a few years later that's all changed.
Refinement, fuel prices, CAFE make it different this time
Why? Stronger, smoother four-cylinder engines with more appeal; preparedness for higher fuel prices; and a concern about raising the company's fleet fuel economy are all strong reasons to bring four-bangers back.
The new engine in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe and sedan produces up to 229 pound-feet of torque; that's eight more pound-feet than the V-6 it replaces. And with a flatter torque curve, even though peak power is lower than that of the V-6, 0-60 acceleration will be the same, at 7.1 seconds. "So from a customer perspective it's a win-win," declared Bernhard Glaser, general manager for U.S. product, who added that the new engine offers more driving involvement than the outgoing engine—as well as more torque.
"That's just the driving part. The other thing that comes under consideration is the dramatically improved fuel economy—15 percent better," Glaser said. The new engine returns 21 mpg city, 30 highway (24 combined); that's significantly better than the 18/26 ratings of the current 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300.
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be offered in three different models: C250, C300 4Matic, and C350. The 350 still comes with a 3.5-liter V-6, but it's up in power, to 302 hp, thanks to a new BlueDirect direct-injection system (and will boast a five-percent improvement in fuel economy). As before, separate Sport and Luxury models will bring a separate set of equipment, and a different look, to cater to those who want more of a sport sedan or a comfortable, luxury-oriented model.
C250, with 1.8T, is new core model
The four-cylinder is intended to be the new bread-and-butter of the lineup, not a limited-production price leader. "In the C-Class it's going to be our core model. This engine will replace the C300, so we expect it to be 45 to 50 percent of the model mix," said Glaser. "We have very high expectations."
2011 Porsche Panamera, Cayenne: Greener With Auto Start Stop
When you're sitting at a stoplight or stuck in traffic—and you're lucky enough to be behind the wheel of a new 2010 Porsche Panamera or 2011 Porsche Cayenne—you might notice the engine ever so smoothly shut off.
Yes, it's supposed to do that; the feature is called Auto Start Stop. But unless you've driven a hybrid, like the Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion Hybrid, for example, you're probably not very familiar with the idea, or the sensation.
To newbies, it can be a little disconcerting. Will the engine restart quickly enough when you need it? Will the air conditioning and all the accessories work seamlessly? And is the system robust enough to handle potentially hundreds of starts and stops in a particular day? The answer to all those questions is yes.
Big in Japen, sought-after in Europe
In more fuel-economy-minded Europe and Japan, the word is out that start-stop systems can save a lot of fuel in gridlock. There, they've already become quite common, especially in upscale yet fuel-efficient vehicles, with BMW and Mazda among several brands becoming leaders in installation.
While lots of automakers have been talking about start-stop—for years, now—Porsche is the first automaker to widely deploy this green feature in the U.S. in its non-hybrid vehicles—including the high-performance Turbo V-8 variants.
It's tough argument for economics alone, as start-stop doesn't boost the Panamera's EPA fuel economy ratings, but in real-world driving in especially congested stop-and-go conditions or through long series of unsynchronized traffic lights it might reduce fuel consumption (and the emissions from idling) by five percent or more.
The U.S. version of Auto Start Stop on 2010 Panamera models defaults to the 'off' position, and each time you start the sport sedan you need to rearm the feature by pressing the button—something that very few drivers—even if they intend to use the system and save fuel—are going to remember.
2011 models will remember your preference
In the 2011 Panamera that's now already on sale, as well as in the 2011 Porsche Cayenne models, that clunky arrangement changes. Start-stop will now return to its last mode of operation—activated or deactivated—as soon as you start the vehicle, and it will remember multiple modes for different users/keys.
We had the chance to take notes on Auto Start Stop and put it through the paces in both the new Panamera V6 and Cayenne V6. But it's a difficult feature to pin down or explain simply. Sometimes you'll be at a stoplight and the engine will stop; other times in seemingly identical conditions it won't; and sometimes the engine turns off a while after you stop or a while before you take off from the light. According to Porsche, start-stop has a total of 56 variables that affect when start-stop temporarily turns the engine off, and for how long—everything from engine temperature and battery drain to recent driving style.
No matter how abruptly you lift off the brake pedal, the engine starts smoothly, almost without a shudder. How are restarts also so seamless? A Porsche official explained that the start-stop system uses data from the crank position sensor and actually primes the fuel injector for the next cylinder to help assure a quick, smooth start.
If your everyday commute involve lots of idling, yet a Hybrid doesn't quite match what you want, one of these Porsches might be just the ticket for going just a little bit greener.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Gas Prices Are Up…But Small-Car And Hybrid Interest Down?
A continued rise in fuel prices means that people migrate to smaller vehicles and those that get higher fuel economy. Right?
Well that's what common sense might lead us to think, but the Fuel Price Impact Survey from the Tustin, California-based market-research firm AutoPacific shows otherwise.
The firm reports that interest in small cars and hybrids is, surprisingly, fading as pump prices continue to rise. When motorists were asked what they would replace their current vehicle with, just 12 percent in the latest January 2010 survey said that they'd consider a small car (like the 2010 Honda Fit, the very diminutive 2010 Smart Fortwo, or the highly anticipated 2011 Ford Fiesta); that's down significantly from 16 percent in June 2009 and 24 percent in January 2009.
For hybrids, such as the 2010 Toyota Prius, just 11 percent said that they would consider one if they were to replace their current vehicle today, while 14 percent said they'd consider a hybrid last June and 25 percent a year ago.
The trends for SUVs and pickups are quite the opposite, with SUV intention steadily rising—from 16 percent in January 2009 to 26 percent this January with pickups up from 10 percent a year ago to 15 percent this past month.
The perplexing part, at first glance, is that over that entire time the price of fuel has risen about 80 cents a gallon, to $2.69 on a national level, with the most significant increase over the first half of 2009.
What's different about the past year is that although prices have been a bit higher than in the past, there hasn't been the dramatic volatility that spanned from mid 2005 through early 2009. Just in 2007 and 2008, prices swayed wildly, with price trends looking like a seismograph printout. Looking at weekly totals from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, for instance in January 2007 the national average pump price was $2.22. That climbed to $4.13 by June 2008, and in December 2008 it had fallen to $1.71.
Since then it's risen, rather steadily, to $2.76, and there haven't been the steep peaks and troughs that we'd experienced for years leading up to then.
Dan Hall, AutoPacific's vice president, says that we've already seen a trigger point of about $4.00 for people to go into panic mode no matter what, considering vehicles they otherwise wouldn't have, but he says that if prices continue a gradual rise to that mark in, say, another year, we might not see such a pronounced boost for high-mileage vehicles. "What we saw before was in part fueled by volatility," Hall said to The Car Connection.
Car shoppers "are not having the knee-jerk reactions that they were having before," said Hall. Likewise, small-car and hybrid automakers "can't depend on volatility to always be there," he argued, adding that time and time again their studies have found that many buyers view small cars as a sort of compromise.
If not limited by fuel prices, "they go back to the vehicle that really fits their needs," Hall said.
Tell us what you think. Do gas prices really dictate what size vehicle you buy, or whether it's a hybrid or not? Or will you just get the vehicle you need and make other changes?
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2011 Ford Mustang Gets New V-6: 305 HP, 30 MPG Highway
An all-new engine promises to make the base V-6 Ford Mustang a lot more exciting for 2011.
Today (and in advance of the LA Auto Show pressers), Ford officially announced that a new all-aluminum 3.7-liter DOHC V-6 will power the 2011 Ford Mustang, producing an impressive 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet. Two new six-speed transmissions (versus five-speeds for 2010) will pair with the engine, and a limited-slip differential and new suspension settings will help take advantage of the boost in power.
The new 3.7-liter engine in the 2011 Mustang, part of Ford's Duratec family, uses Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and a Direct Acting Mechanical Bucket (DAMB) valvetrain to vary valve control through the rev range (up to 7,000 rpm) and achieve a three percent improvement in fuel efficiency and ten percent more power versus the same engine without this technology. Highway ratings with the new engine will be as high as 30 mpg, and it uses regular, not premium, gasoline.
The engine also gets a number of other measures to improve efficiency, power, and durability, including tuned composite intake manifolds, coil-on-plug ignition, and piston-cooling jets, plus a cold-air induction system and a deep-sump oil pan.
In a press release accompanying the announcement, Ford made special note of the engine sound, saying that engineers have worked to on the engine's breathing with satisfying performance sounds in mind.
Both of the new six-speed transmissions get improvements in addition to their extra ratios. The manual gearbox has a short-throw linkage, while the automatic comes with a "hill mode" that helps to provide more engine braking on steep grades. A lower 3.31 rear axle ratio will be offered for improved performance, especially from a standing start.
With the new six-speed automatic, the 2011 Mustang carries anticipated EPA fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg city, 30 highway with the automatic (up 25 percent versus 2010) and 18/29 with the manual transmission. Also contributing to these improvements are a new electric power-steering system and a host of small aerodynamic enhancements.
To help handle the added power, the 2011 Mustang V-6 gets revised damper tuning and spring rates, plus a new rear lower control arm and stiffened stabilizer-bar bushings; Ford also adjusted the car's front/rear aerodynamic balance to help the Mustang feel more "planted." It also gets larger brake rotors—11.5 inches in front and 11.8 in back.
Inside, the changes include some additional soundproofing and new door seals, plus an upgraded instrument cluster, including a 160-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach. Ford's MyKey system will be offered on the Mustang for the first time for 2011, along with a garage-door opener, message center, and new blind-spot aids for the mirrors.
Beginning in August, a Performance Package will be offered on the V-6, bringing the lower axle ratio plus 19-inch wheels, a strut tower brace, summer performance tires, a sport mode for the stability control, and the firmer suspension from the Mustang GT.
Up through 2010, the Mustang continues with an updated SOHC version of the Cologne V-6, which dates back decades and is otherwise used in the Ranger and Explorer. We drove a Mustang Coupe with that engine just this past summer and found the torquey but uncivilized engine satisfying with the legendary pony car but not very pulse-quickening.
With the 3.6-liter V-6 engine in the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro producing 305 horsepower and getting EPA ratings of up to 18 mpg city, 29 highway, the lighter Mustang should be considerably quicker than the base Camaro while also more fuel-efficient. That's our kind of muscle car.
A hat tip to our fellow High Gear Media site MustangBlog.com for first reporting on this new engine many months ago.
Ford is heavily rumored to have other powertrain surprises in the works for the 2011 Ford Mustang GT, which might take the form of an EcoBoost V-6 version or one with the upcoming 5.0-liter 'Coyote' V-8. We'll bring you more details on that, as well as on pricing and on-sale dates for the 2011 Ford Mustang V-6, as soon as we have them.
--
Stay connected with the latest from TheCarConnection.com, MotorAuthority.com, and GreenCarReports.com as we report directly from the LA Auto Show press previews later this week.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Early Look At 2011 Kia Amanti
The affordable large car segment is starting to get just a little overcrowded, and in a time where customers all around the world are downsizing to smaller midsize models, performance, fuel-economy and overall value is now more important than ever. South Korea’s entrants in this field have been winning plenty of accolades lately, especially newcomers like the Hyundai Genesis, and Kia is working on another large car that by the looks of things will only continue this trend.
The replacement for the Amanti sedan is just around the corner and a concept version has already been shown back at April’s 2009 Seoul Auto Show. Today, we have leaked images that are claimed to be official renderings of the production 2011 Kia Amanti due in the second half of next year. Hopefully the curvaceous and muscular body, LED tail-lamps and sporty profile will help to erase the boring whitegoods-on-wheels look of the current Amanti.
Kia is yet to reveal any official details but the most likely engine options will be the company’s new 2.4-liter direct-injected Theta II GDI four-cylinder, as well as a gasoline V-6.
According to a previous reports outlining Kia’s future product plans, the new Amanti is set to make its world debut in August next year with sales expected in the following month. Incidentally, the underpinnings of the new car will also be shared with Hyundai’s next-generation Azera, which is expected to be launched around the same time.
[Carscoop]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
More Efficient Mazda Engines Coming in 2011
Mazda has flipped-flopped a lot on its powertrain strategies in the recent past, at one point ruling out gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles in favor of clean-diesels and then quickly reversing that decision. Now the company has announced that it will introduce a more fuel-efficient powertrains by 2011 as its latest effort to reach its goal of increasing fuel economy across its model line 30% by 2015.
The new powertrains will include both four-cylinder and rotary engines, with some units expected to achieve fuel economy better than 42 mpg on the highway. The information comes from Mazda R&D chief Seita Kanai who said a redesign of the company's best-selling 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a new six-speed automatic transmission will see city fuel economy increase to 32 mpg from 22. Highway fuel economy would increase to 42 mpg from 32.
The fuel economy gains are expected to come from more direct-injection technology, improved combustion, more efficient transmissions, engine stop-start systems, regenerative brakes, a high-pressure fuel pump and variable intake and exhaust valve timing.
Other details are scarce, but Kanai's North American equivalent, Robert Davis, said the new powertrains cannot be retrofitted to an existing product line. However, the new powertrains are expected to feature across Mazda's entire product line by 2015, with the MX-5 (Miata) most likely to be the first recipient.
Of most interest is the next-generation of Mazda's rotary technology. The company is currently working on a new 1.6-liter twin-rotor design that is said to be more than 30% more efficient than the current unit found in the RX-8 sports car.
Finally, Mazda wants to bring its newer-generation clean-diesel models to the U.S., though first the cars have to be engineered to work with automatic transmissions--a necessity for this market.
[AutoNews, sub req'd]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Hydrogen Fuel News: Science vs. Politics (Guess Who Wins)
Former president Bush devoted chunks of money to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launching research projects across the country. Unfortunately, the Obama administration (specifically Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu) would rather focus on electric vehicles, since EV technology is literally ready to roll. Budgets being what they are, Chu cut hydrogen funding, but constituents who depend on fuel cell projects for their livelihood weren't happy and called their elected officials. Result: congress is forcing the Chu to spend $204 million on hydrogen fuel cells -- whether the Nobel laureate likes it or not. [BusinessInsider]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010 Buick LaCrosse Gets Four-Cylinder
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is getting a new engine option--but GNX fans won't be impressed to hear that the new option is a four-cylinder engine.
The new four-cylinder is a 2.4-liter engine, and GM's fitted direct injection to it to boost power and fuel mileage. Available in the CX model, this engine will put out 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. It will give the LaCrosse estimated fuel economy of 20/30 mpg, putting it in striking range of the four-cylinder Honda Accord in the mid-size segment.
In the LaCrosse, the four-cylinder will be teamed with a six-speed automatic--a nearly identical installation to the one found in the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, which shares mechanicals with the new LaCrosse. GM adds the four-cylinder gives the LaCrosse a miserly edge not found in the Acura TL or the Lincoln MKZ, in case you're wondering which other vehicles they see as key competitors.
Upmarket versions of the 2010 LaCrosse will get a 3.0-liter V-6 or a 3.6-liter V-6. The 2010 Ford Taurus, by comparison, will make do with just the base 3.5-liter V-6 and the SHO's EcoBoost V-6.
The 2010 LaCrosse CX won't be the brand's only four-cylinder car. A 2012 Buick Century is a distinct possibility--a new compact sedan based on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has been spotted by spy photographers, wearing distinctive Buick cues from the shield badges and grille down to a brand-unique steering wheel.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
As Federal Government Holds Back on Hydrogen, California Remains Buoyant
To much of the general public, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles remain a novelty from a distant future. And hydrogen advocates haven't done a very good job in demonstrating fuel-cell vehicles to those outside of Los Angeles or Sacramento. It might pique the interest of more than a few gearheads to see how quickly fuel-cell vehicles can be refueled and what respectable long-distance capabilities they have compared to EVs.
But with hydrogen stations clustered in the Los Angeles region, longer drives have been difficult to implement. This year, fuel-cell advocates, eight automakers, and their vehicles have taken to the road, with the Hydrogen Road Tour, which TheCarConnection.com caught up to in Portland. Going from Chula Vista, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia, the tour has plenty of hands-on stops along the way, and the general public is invited to most events. Making it all possible is a mobile refueling truck provided by PowerTech Labs, a company out of Surrey, BC.
Many fuel-cell critics say that, cost of the vehicles aside, hydrogen is what big oil wants as it will keep us relying on their established infrastructure. Yet oil companies as well as individual stations have been reluctant to invest in hydrogen facilities because the cars simply aren't out there in numbers yet. That's begun to change—with about 300 fuel-cell vehicles out in service (they've traveled, altogether, more than 2.5 million miles on California roads)—but not as quickly as expected. Earlier this decade California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger envisioned, by 2010, a California with 150 or more hydrogen stations in the state, including a hundred stations along the stretch of Interstate 5. Of course by then it was anticipated that thousands of hydrogen cars would have been delivered. To date, and GM is leasing and testing 100 fuel-cell Chevrolet Equinox SUVs and Honda has delivered seven of its FCX Clarity sedans.
The real cost of these vehicles is tremendous, but the National Hydrogen Association (NHA), an advocate, points out that projected vehicle costs have been reduced by 75 percent.
In revised projections, there will be 700 fuel-cell vehicles in California by 2011 and 4,300 vehicles by 2014, with a 50,000 target for 2017. And by far, Southern California has the largest number of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, and there's an effort to create hydrogen communities in Santa Monica, Irvine, Torrance, and Newport Beach.
California will stay on course toward a future of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, according to remarks last week from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger's speech seemed a response of sorts to the federal government's decision just three weeks earlier to make massive cuts to federal funding for fuel-cell projects, with Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu explaining that hydrogen vehicles are still 10 to 20 years from viability, with a comprehensive infrastructure or hydrogen economy even more distant.
Although we can't say that Schwarzenegger was aiming to criticize the federal budget decision, he did take issue with the federal government's record of abandoning renewable energy and alt-fuel vehicles when the price of oil goes down. California has invested $24 million in hydrogen and fuel cells since he took over the state's top office; that's been matched with about $300 million per year from the auto industry, with automakers investing up to a billion dollars each to develop their respective vehicles. And that's all small change compared to the state of California's $24 billion (yes, with a 'B') budget deficit.
"We, of course, not only celebrate hydrogen-fueled vehicles, we also celebrate electric cars, battery cars, biofuel cars and all of this, said Schwarzenegger. "We don't want to choose the winners; I think the market will decide that."
The so-called Hydrogen Highway—a plan to implement hydrogen infrastructure—has been one of Schwarzenegger's pet projects since taking office in 2003. California now has more than a third of the hydrogen refueling stations in the U.S., with 26 in the state and 62 total in the U.S., with seven more new public-access stations coming online in California by the end of the year. The plan, with Shell, is to build a chain of hydrogen fueling stations from California up to Vancouver, in time for the Olympics, and then to continue to Alaska. From here on, the emphasis is on public-access stations, and primarily stations that are open 24 hours a day.
Tours like this, showing fuel-cell cars as practical vehicles that can travel long distances and refuel quickly, go a long way toward swaying public opinion and getting people interested in the cars—so that the infrastructure might quickly follow.
What do you think? Is there still a hydrogen future in our lifetime?
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
