Plug-In Hybrid, Hydrogen, Range Extended Electric, Battery Electric Cars Included

Five nominees have been identified for Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM), which acknowledges a vehicle that best envisions the road ahead. One of these five finalists -- the Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, Honda FCX Clarity, MINI E, or Mitsubishi i-MiEV -- will be honored as the 2009 Green Car Vision Award winner during a press conference on Public Policy Day February 3, at The Washington Auto Show in Washington D.C.

"Vehicles offering dramatically improved environmental performance are crucial to helping us move beyond today's challenges of oil dependence and growing environmental impacts," says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com ( http://www.greencar.com/ ). "While not yet widely available in new car showrooms, these vehicles each inspire in important ways with their advanced powertrains, use of cleaner or more sustainable fuels, vastly improved efficiencies, or a combination of these attributes."

Unlike concept cars, which tantalize us with wild designs or features that may or may not ever make it to the highway, these five vehicles are real. They are either in limited production or in demonstration programs now, or are in development and on the road to commercialization.

Dispelling the myth that innovation will only come from outside the traditional automotive industry, four of the 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM) finalists are products from major auto manufacturers. The fifth is from a new car company, Fisker Automotive, headed by Henrik Fisker, formerly director of Ford's Global Advanced Design Studio and before that president of BMW division DesignWorks USA.

Chevrolet's Volt is a range-extended, plug-in electric car with a scheduled introduction in late 2010. The Fisker Karma, to be shown in production form next month, is a plug-in hybrid luxury sedan that's set for sale in late 2009. The FCX Clarity, Honda's innovative hydrogen fuel cell sedan, is in very limited production and being leased to a small number of consumers now. The recently unveiled battery electric MINI E will be leased to 500 select consumers in three states. Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars are on the highway in a demonstration program with Southern California Edison and PG&E.

"The advanced technology vehicles now available at new car showrooms, like highly efficient gasoline-electric hybrids, are the result of visionary work that occurred years in advance of their introduction to the market," says Cogan. The five nominees for Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car Vision Award(TM) are exceptional examples of innovation at work."

The award-winning Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment since its launch in 1992. As part of its mission, the magazine hosts events, produces ride-and-drives of advanced and clean fuel vehicles, and conducts various outreach efforts to educate consumers on better and more environmentally positive vehicle choices.

The 67th staging of the Washington Auto Show: The Automotive Seat of Power will bring more than 700 new cars, trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles from over 42 domestic and import automakers to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Feb. 4 -- 8, 2009. Supporting its growing 'green' theme, a wide array of advanced technology and clean fuel vehicles will be displayed in a Green Car Pavilion and throughout the show floor. For more information visit the Washington Auto Show online at http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/ .

Source: Green Car Journal

Improved Gas Mileage in Trucks

After purchasing eight 4x6 boards, you pull your four-door sedan up to the loading dock at Lowe's. In disbelief the loading foreman looks at your car, "You want me to put these in that CAR?" As you help him stack the boards in the car, you realize that he's right and it's going to take a second trip to the store in order to get your entire purchase home. After two round trips to Lowe's you have to wonder if it's worth it to own a truck. Do gas prices scare you away from owning a truck? Maybe they wouldn't if you knew more about the improved gas mileage in trucks today.

All-New Toyota Prius to Make World Debut at 2009 North American International Auto Show

TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. will stage the world premiere of the all-new 2010 Toyota Prius at a press conference at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The all-new Toyota Prius, with a substantially revised Hybrid Synergy Drive system, will deliver improved mileage, improved performance and a host of innovative new features.

The press conference will be held on Monday, January 12 at 11:30 AM Eastern Time in the Riverview Ballroom in COBO Center and simulcast live to the Toyota display area at the show. A video clip of the press conference will be available for viewing following the event on the Toyota.com website.

Source: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.

STOCKHOLM, December 8/PRNewswire/ -- Sweden hosts a world-class automotive cluster represented by leading global brands such as SAAB Automobile, Scania, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Group alongside some 1,000 suppliers.

Delegates from Sweden's automotive industry will be present at the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Willingdon in Kochi on 12 December to meet representatives from India's automotive industry. The aim is to strengthen the Swedish automotive cluster with further investment and expansion.

Since the mid-1990s, the Swedish Government and automotive industry have invested some $2 billion in developing The Green Vehicle, The Safe Vehicle, The Intelligent Vehicle and The Connected Vehicle, both in the passenger and commercial vehicle space.

"Sweden can be a world leader when it comes to creating the solutions needed to adapt future means of transport. These solutions are already in demand globally," says Robert Karlsson, head of automotive at Invest in Sweden Agency.

Lean, green, efficient vehicles

Sweden spearheads research in hybrid technology for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Over a five-year period, some $40 million will be invested in a joint venture between Volvo, SAAB, energy company Vattenfall, the Swedish State and the Swedish Energy Agency to develop next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicles that will reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Safety at the core

Sweden has a long tradition of safety thinking for cars, trucks, buses and roads, and was the first country to establish a zero vision for traffic and road safety. This has resulted in many groundbreaking road safety technologies, helping the Swedish automotive industry to achieve world-leading status.

The SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers University of Technology is a research unit where 22 partners from academia, industry and society cooperate in the design of future vehicle and traffic safety systems. SAFER covers several research disciplines and encompasses both traffic and vehicle safety in real environments.

Connected vehicles of the future

Striving towards a zero vision without traffic casualties requires tight integration between drivers, vehicles and road infrastructure. Real-time information on road surfaces, traffic situations and emergency calls, as well as remote diagnostics of vehicle conditions are examples of the capabilities of a connected vehicle.

The $31 million Vehicle ICT and Telematics Programme aims to strengthen the international competitiveness of the Swedish automotive industry by concentrating complex system engineering efforts and resources.

Intelligent, cost-effective vehicles

The increasing involvement of vehicle electronics and embedded software is the single biggest technological trend within the global automotive industry, according to Hans Hentzell, president of the Swedish ICT Research Institute.

The emergence of vehicle electronics systems enables use of cost-effective platforms and systems that are easily adapted for different scenarios.

"A major difficulty lies in designing interfaces in complex vehicle systems. Sweden offers a unique situation with internationally competitive automotive and telecom industries with significant development located in Sweden," adds Hentzell.

The Swedish government and automotive industry is investing some $1.4 billion into advanced vehicle technologies over a 10-year period.

Existing Sweden-India collaboration

There are already partnerships in place between India and Sweden. When Tata Motors bought Jaguar-Land Rover earlier this year, it gained access to a common platform used during development of new vehicles, which is largely built on Swedish vehicle electronics technology.

Source: Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA)

The World's Cleanest, State-of-the Art Diesel Vehicles Embraced for Efficiency, Performance, and 600 mile Cruising Range

When Academy Award Nominee Naomi Watts celebrated her 40th birthday in Los Angeles this fall, her partner Liev Schreiber ("X-Men," "The Manchurian Candidate") surprised her with a spectacular present; a Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC. Liev and Naomi are among the actors and musicians to discover the exceptional performance, efficiency, and 600-mile cruising range of Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC, the world's cleanest, state-of-the-art diesels.

In addition to Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts, fellow BlueTEC drivers from motion pictures and television include "Desperate Housewives" star Kyle McLaughlin; "Sex and the City" siren Kim Cattrall; Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe Winner Gary Oldman; and "Phantom of the Opera" star and singer Emmy Rossum.

"My ML320 BlueTEC has all the power and luxury you'd expect of a Mercedes-Benz, plus the efficiency and low environmental impact of an economy or even hybrid vehicle," says Emmy Rossum. "BlueTEC really is the best of both worlds."

Also from the world of music, pop superstar Gwen Stefani and her husband, musician Gavin Rossdale, have a BlueTEC parked in their driveway, as does singer Josh Kelley (husband of "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl).

Seven-time Grammy winning artist Alanis Morissette chose the fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC for the video of "Underneath," the first single and video from her latest album, "Flavors of Entanglement." In the video, Alanis is sitting at a bus stop wearing a "Save the Earth" t-shirt and distributing fliers to encourage concern for the environment. When a Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTEC passes by, Alanis salutes the Mercedes driver in appreciation for their environmentally aware choice.

"Making green choices on a local level is important in creating global change," says Alanis. "I'm glad that Mercedes-Benz has introduced a great option with BlueTEC."

BlueTEC has also starred in some of the hottest television shows this season, including "90210" (CW), "The Amazing Race" (CBS), "Privileged" (CW), "Starter Wife" (USA Network), and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (NBC).

Source: PRNewswire.com