New posts from Gas 2.0!

Honda’s NSX Successor to be Hybrid?
Hyundai Assurance Lets Buyers Bet (and Win!) on Future Tech
This is the Hybrid Van Barack Obama Wants You to Buy (video)
Hardware: Delta’s E4 ULEnV is a Runner (video)

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 02:17 PM PDT

The (Honda) Acura NSX really was a car that really was ahead of its time, loaded with high-tech features that outpaced pretty much everything on the road. And Honda might bring it back…as a hybrid?

Honda, you've got my attention. Honda Motor Company President Takanobu Ito told Auto News that Honda is working to a "spiritual successor" to Acura's former flagship supercar. With a mid-mounted all-aluminum V6, double wishbone suspension, aluminum monocoque chassis, and a passenger compartment influenced by the F-16 jet fighter, the original NSX was a marvel of automotive engineering. Honda has been planning a successor for some time, and while the original design was to be feature a front-mounted V10 engine, times are a-changing. Even exotic car companies like Porsche and Ferrari are getting into the hybrid game, and while Honda's Civic Hybrid posts some pretty impressive fuel economy numbers, the CR-Z hybrid isn't the sports car many were hoping for.

The next NSX will probably be a gas-electric hybrid, with a focus on being as light as possible. It may even employ a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS to provide a brief burst of power. Know what would make it really, really cool though? An NSX NGV, or Natural Gas Vehicle. Honda is the only company selling natural gas car at this time, and a natural gas supercar would really send the message "We're on board with this alternative fuel thing." Or they could pull a Tesla and develop an all-electric supercar for the street and the track. Really the options are endless…it’d be a nice way to separate from the pack of performance hybrids that are on the horizon.

Source: Automotive News

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

Hyundai Assurance Lets Buyers Bet (and Win!) on Future Tech

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 11:57 AM PDT

Hyundai’s marketers are brilliant, inspired people – but let’s set this up a bit before we put on the wading boots, shall we?

I think it’s a given that buying a new car is a tricky sort of thing. This is especially true in these days of rapid technological progress and wildly accelerating gas prices – in 4 years’ time, the automotive landscape may be very different, and that snazzy new 2011 gas-electric hybrid may be passé by the time it’s paid off.

Buying a new car, in other words, is a bit of a gamble.

So, what do you do? Do you buy a gas-engined car and sacrifice chickens to OPEC’s oil gods every third Saturday? Do you buy a bio-capable diesel and make friends with the local fried chicken joint, just in case? Do you buy that super-low emission CNG Civic and figure you’ll always be able to fill it up at Strickland Propane, if not at home? Do you buy that Nissan Leaf you’ve been ooh-ing and ah-ing over, and hope against hope that today’s electronic whiz-bang will still be worth something 3 or 4 years from now? Do you tell the automakers to stuff it and buy a scooter?

Tough decisions, all – made tougher by the constant delays in getting a usable American rail system off the ground – but Hyundai (yes, Hyundai) has just made placing your future tech bets so. Much. Easier.

It’s called “Hyundai Assurance“, and it’s been Hyundai market-speak for their 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty for several years. What’s new, however, is that Hyundai is now guaranteeing the car’s value during months 24 through 48 of a car’s loan. There’s some fine print (which you can check out for yourself, below) but considering Hyundai’s rapid progress in EV, hybrid, and fuel-cell development, parking a new Hyundai in your driveway seems like a good way to hedge your bets in the green technology race.

Here’s hoping other carmakers follow suit.

HYUNDAI ASSURANCE EVOLVES

Renewing its industry-leading focus on consumer protection, Hyundai today announced the introduction of the all-new Hyundai Assurance Trade-in Value Guarantee. The Guarantee is a direct result of Hyundai's sensitivity to consumer preferences and is made possible by the strength of Hyundai's residual values, now among the highest in the industry.

This newest addition to the Assurance suite of programs eliminates concern about depreciation by giving Hyundai owners a guaranteed value for their vehicle in months 24 through 48 of ownership. The program will be applied to all new vehicles purchased on or after May 1, 2011 at no additional cost to consumers. Because of the exceptional quality of its vehicles, Hyundai offers more car for the money now, and more money for the car later, under this guaranteed trade-in program.

All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the complimentary Hyundai Assurance program, which currently includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile power train warranty, five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance and now Trade-in Value Guarantee.

"Hyundai Assurance is a partnership with our owners in their purchase of a vehicle," said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. "Depreciation is the single highest cost of car ownership. While Hyundai's depreciation is now among the lowest in the industry, Assurance will remove many of the barriers and concerns about vehicle ownership. Through Assurance, we share in our owners' investment, and the Trade-in Value benefit extends this partnership from the initial purchase all the way through what we hope will be the consumer's next purchase of another Hyundai."

Hyundai Assurance Trade-in Value Guarantee is valid for all new cars sold through participating U.S. Hyundai dealerships. The guaranteed trade-in value is determined by the Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) forecast of future value. Customers can trade in their qualifying vehicle towards the purchase of a new Hyundai vehicle during months 24 through 48 of ownership. At the time of trade-in, the customer's vehicle will be assessed to determine the current market value and compared to the guaranteed value. If the assessed value is higher than the guaranteed value, the customer will be able to apply that value toward the purchase of a new Hyundai vehicle. If the assessed value is less than the guaranteed value, the customer will be able to use the guaranteed value toward the purchase of a new Hyundai vehicle financed through Hyundai Credit.

At time of trade-in, the customer must show proof of vehicle maintenance at the recommended intervals through authorized Hyundai dealerships. Coverage is only applicable when the current market value of a vehicle drops below the guaranteed trade-in value of the vehicle. Lease vehicles are not covered by the Trade-in Value Guarantee.

Source: Hyundai.

This is the Hybrid Van Barack Obama Wants You to Buy (video)

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 09:25 AM PDT

I feel for President Obama these days. A few days ago, President Barry released his long-form birth certificate, silencing some (but not all) of the ~~nutters~~ birthers’ criticisms in a bid to move on towards more pressing issues. The dialog surrounding the episode, however, reminded me of another “non-issue” that came up earlier this month, when Obama addressed an assembly of wind farm workers, saying …

I know some of these big guys, they're all still driving their big SUVs. You know, they got their big monster trucks and everything. You're one of them? Well, now, here's my point. If you're complaining about the price of gas and you're only getting eight miles a gallon–(laughter)–you may have a big family, but it's probably not that big. How many you have? Ten kids, you say? Ten kids? (Laughter.) Well, you definitely need a hybrid van then.

… which has inspired some writers to described the comment as a modern equivalent to “let them eat cake“, only to ask the question “Why doesn’t anyone make a hybrid van?”.

Here’s the thing: someone does.

It’s called the Toyota Estima, and it’s been in production since 2001. That’s right: Toyota manufactures a 40 mpg people-hauler with snowbelt-friendly AWD, and it’s been available for a decade.

Here’s a quick video walk-around of the Estima (by Lease Japan) for the unitiated.

The real question, then, shouldn’t be why about Barack Obama would suggest a hybrid van. Instead, the question should be about why we can’t have the Toyota Estima. Back in 2008, when Gas 2.0 editor Nick Chambers wrote about the van, his research and questions led him to the conclusion that “Toyota didn't think Americans would buy it because it wasn't a ‘full-sized’ minivan and it didn’t have enough power.”

Before we worry about Toyota being right or wrong about full-sized minivans, I’d like to ask: how, exactly, did the oxymoronic concept of “a full-sized minivan” come to be, in the first place? Surely that is the modern equivelant to “let them eat cake”, right?

Right.

I should probably admit, at this point, that I own a minivan. It is a refrigerator-white 2009 Volkswagen Routan, and I love it. When it comes time to trade it in, I’ll probably get another one. However, whenever I pull it next to another minivan – let’s say a second-generation Dodge Caravan – I notice something a bit jarring: my minivan isn’t “mini” at all. Indeed, the 1994 (2nd-generation) seven passenger Dodge Caravan is 178” long, compared to the 202” length of my VW. The Volkswagen is also significantly wider, taller, and faster than that ’94 Caravan could ever hope to be, too … but something doesn’t jive.

That “something”? By Toyota’s logic, the bigger, faster Routan should have sold rings around the smaller, slower Caravan – but that’s just not the case. In fact, sales of the Routan were so slow, that in January 2009, VW of America stopped production of the Routan for the month of February after 29,000 Routans had been shipped to US dealerships. 11,677 units had sold by July 2009. The Dodge, in its day, sold nearly 10x as many of the smaller, slower Caravans – so, where does that leave Toyota?

Poised to bring the Estima (finally!) to US shores, with ad copy that positively shouts: this is the hybrid minivan the President wants you to own! (Alas, America is just going to have to settle for the five-passenger Prius V. – Ed.)

You gotta admit, it’d be great copy for the 4th of July sale.

Sources: the Truth About Cars, Gas 2.0.

Hardware: Delta’s E4 ULEnV is a Runner (video)

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 05:16 AM PDT

With so many companies rushing into the green-car business in recent years, it can be hard to tell the difference between vaporware (projects that exist primarily in the land of wishes and fairies, with no hope for production) and really real projects that will eventually lead to a marketable product … which brings me to Delta Motorsport and the E4 Ultra-low Energy Vehicle they first announced back in 2007.

The E4? Despite all the talk of Formula 1 materials and cutting-edge technology that smacked of vaporware, the E4 is (happily!) really real. So real, in fact, that the guys at FullyCharged were invited to take a ride in one of the early production cars as part of their tour of Delta’s UK facility. As you can see from the video (below) there are currently 5 E4 cars underway. The first of (it’s hoped) many.

This first batch of Delta E4s is being funded by a research grant from the Regional Development Agency for the East Midlands (in the UK) area. The first run of 5 cars will then take part in a 12 month long Ultra Low Carbon Demonstrator Program supported by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board to prove the low energy vehicles’ viability as real-world cars (which seems to be a few months behind schedule, but moving along).

The philosophy behind the Delta ULEnV is that low energy use, rather than low emissions, should be the primary focus of future tech development, as the company’s spokespeople point out in the project’s outline – I’ve clipped a bit for you here …

The distinction between ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) and ULEnV (Ultra Low Energy Vehicle) is a subtle but important one. Powering an Audi Q7 or a BMW X5 from batteries would turn either into a low emissions vehicle, but we believe this is missing the point since they would still consume a huge amount of energy in any journey. All this energy ultimately has to come from somewhere, even if it's from renewable sources, and we believe that over the next few years a sharper focus will gradually fall on reducing all cars' energy consumption.

… but I encourage anyone interested in Delta’s clever approach to car design to visit the E4 project’s homepage and click around Delta’s site. They have some great projects going on ’round-the-clock, and there is plenty of eye candy there for the gearheads (extra points if you can name the red vintage racer at 0:33 – 0:34 in the YouTube video).