Motorcycle Meets The Automobile

Here's some food for thought about the future of economical transportation.

The Highway Of The Future?

I have to wonder why the environmentalists haven't embraced this. Could it be because it's a highway, and not a multi-billion dollar mass transit system?

The Automotive Assembly Plant Of The Future — Today...

I've been to about a half dozen automotive assembly plants, but have never seen anything like this one.

VW and Chrysler issue large recalls

Both Volkswagen and Chrysler have announced large recalls to address possible fuel leaks and potential accidental air bag deployments.

Volkswagen is recalling more than 228,000 vehicles sold in the American market, including 2007-2009 model year Golf, Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Rabbit and 2006-2010 New Beetle small cars.

VW says on all of the recalled vehicles except the New Beetle, a small plastic tab in the windshield wiper fluid reservoir could rub against a fuel supply line under the hood. A fuel leak could develop and lead to fires.

Volkswagen is beginning its recall in late January and dealers will either remove the plastic tab or inspect the position of the clamp and adjust it free of charge.

On New Beetles under recall, a fastening clamp on the hydraulic hose of the power steering system could be located in the wrong place and rub against a fuel supply line that could create a fuel leak and cause a fire.

According to VW spokesman Kerry Christopher, there had been no reports of fires, crashes or injuries.

Chrysler is recalling more than 367,000 minivans to address potential accidental air bag deployments in 2008 model year Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. The automaker said water could leak near the heating and air conditioner drain, which could cause the air bag warning light to go off and deploy the air bag by accident.

Chrysler's recall is expected to begin in February and dealers will replace the drain ring free of charge.

Chrysler spokesman Vince Muniga said the automaker was aware of 30 complaints of air bags deploying inadvertently and five injuries since February 2008.

Owners can contact Volkswagen at (800) 822-8987 and Chrysler (800) 853-1403.

Nissan LEAF 2011 European Car of The Year

In a historic moment for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and zero emission vehicles, the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF was awarded 2011 European Car of the Year.

The world’s first mass-marketed, affordable, zero-emission vehicle for the global market beat 40 contenders to win one of the industry's most important accolades. This is the first time in the 47-year history of the annual competition that the award has gone to an electric vehicle. Nissan LEAF’s rivals included vehicles from brands such as Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Dacia, Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and Volvo. The jury included 57 leading motoring journalists from 23 European countries.

“The jury acknowledged today that the Nissan LEAF is a breakthrough for electric cars. Nissan LEAF is the first EV that can match conventional cars in many respects,” said Håkan Matson, President of the Jury, Car of the Year.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “This award recognizes the pioneering zero-emission Nissan LEAF as competitive to conventional cars in terms of safety, performance, spaciousness and handling. It also reflects Nissan’s standing as an innovative and exciting brand with a clear vision of the future of transportation, which we call sustainable mobility. With three other electric vehicles in the pipeline from Nissan – and with the imminent market introduction of four additional electric vehicles from our Alliance partner Renault – Nissan LEAF represents a significant first step toward a zero-emission future.”

Nissan LEAF is powered by a compact electric motor in the front of the car, which drives the front wheels. The AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 ft.. lbs. of torque, enough for a maximum speed of 90 mph. The electric motor is powered by a Nissan-developed laminated lithium-ion battery with an output of more than 90 kW. The car has a range of 100 miles between charges ,making it a viable alternative for many urban drivers.

The vehicle is fully equipped with features such as regenerating braking, air conditioning, satellite navigation, parking camera and advanced on-board IT and telematics systems. Innovative connectivity will allow an owner to set charging functions to monitor the car's current state of charge and the remaining battery capacity, as well as to heat or cool the interior of the car remotely via mobile phone or computer. 

Deliveries in Japan and the United States begin this month. In Europe, deliveries start in early 2011 to Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands. The zero-emission car is currently being built in Japan, but will also be produced in Tennessee, and in Europe when new manufacturing facilities open in late 2012 and early 2013.

Nissan’s innovative thinking extends beyond zero-emission mobility. Under the PURE DRIVE label, Nissan manufactures an extended line-up of environmentally friendly, internal combustion engine vehicles offering class-leading fuel efficiency supported by advanced green technologies. In Europe, the company will soon launch an advanced gas-electric hybrid luxury sedan wearing the Infiniti badge.

Nissan has won the CoTY award in Europe before. In 1993, the UK-built Nissan Micra became the first car from a Japanese automaker to win the accolade and started Europe’s love affair with the little car that continues today with the recent launch of the newest Nissan Micra model.

A Less Than Casual Drive Through The Streets of Paris

Here's a ride she'd never forget.... in a 1968 Ferrari 275 GT (300 HP)

Open up your screen to full size... turn up the volume and try to image doing what this driver does on the early morning streets of Paris... across town in 9 minutes!!!

Once they saw this 1978 video, the Paris Police looked for this driver for years but never found him. Remember, these are public streets with no baracades or driver assistance warnings anywhere. Flat-out driving as fast as you can go in traffic. Pretty amazing stuff that wasn't staged.

Enjoy. Watch it all. You can change your underwear later.

Playing Full Out At Going Green

By Lary Coppola

I have to admit, being raised on big-block, mega-horsepower, gas-guzzling V8s, I was more than mildly skeptical about Electric Vehicles (EVs) — until I actually drove one. I came away a believer that EVs are the future — not everyone’s future — but for a lot of folks, it will be. While the automotive industry has seriously experimented with alternative fuels (remember hydrogen fuel cells?) for the past decade, it seems they’ve finally settled on electricity as the alternative power source.

Just to clarify the difference between a hybrid and an EV, hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, run on a combination of gasoline and battery power, while a pure EV is 100 percent battery-powered. 

Nissan is committed to EVs — so much so, it will offer an EV version of a new commercial van, the NV2500, it will debut in 2011. Company CEO Carlos Ghosn stated without hesitation, "A new era is beginning in the global automotive industry. At Nissan and Renault, we are working together to lead the way to mass market zero emission mobility." Ghosn is car guy in the Lee Iacocca mold. He “gets it” about what consumers want, and his stunning success turning Nissan, and its luxury brand, Infiniti, around by delivering some of the best selling product on the market proves that.

Nissan has put its money where its mouth is, gambling almost a billion dollars over more then a decade that the Leaf will change the way we drive. And make no mistake, EVs are coming — The high-performance Tesla sports car hit the market last year, and 2011 will see Ford debut an electric version of its Focus, along with the long-anticipated Chevy Volt, Mini E, Mitsubishi MiEv, and a plug in version of the Toyota Prius. The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show previewed no less then 20 EVs — some from manufacturers you’ve never heard of.

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