Brain Carless, Gleaner Writer
Dodge will likely offer a 5.0-litre turbo diesel V8 engine from its long-standing diesel engine partner, Cummins, in the 2010 Ram. This new power plant will join the 4.4-litre diesel from Ford and the 4.5-litre oil-burner from GM in the light-duty diesel truck market. These new diesels will offer more power than their gasolene counterparts, along with 25 per cent better fuel economy.
Veyron GT debuts new year
If you are considering buying the baddest Buggati Veyron look no further. The sportier version will be called the Veyron GT, the horsepower output will be 1350hp. This means that the GT will be the world's most powerful super car and most likely the fastest. The Veyron GT will make its official debut next year. The top speed will go up to 264 mph. But the most impressive numbers are on the acceleration: 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds (a Formula 1 car is 2.2 seconds).
No licence plate?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs currently drives a Mercedes SL55 AMG, but he drives around California with out any licence plates. Jobs own the licence plate APPLE but it has been stolen several times from the car. Only a bar code that represents the manufacturer's VIN sticker is used to identify the car. With plates like that it should fetch a good sum of money on eBay by those tech geeks wanting to buy it. Wonder if I could use the bar code sticker on my car?
Mitsubishi cancels 3-series rival
Mitsubishi had high hopes for its Concept-ZT when it debuted the sedan at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. Mitsubishi had plans on going up against one of Germany's best, the BMW, but Mitsubishi cancels 3-series rival. Mitsubishi concluded that the "business case" for the luxury sedan just wasn't there.
Mitsubishi is certainly capable of making fine automobiles, with glorious illustrations of the EVO X (lots of respect to Doug Gore) and the Pajero, a preferred SUV by Jamaican politicians, but to step into the luxury sports market and take aim at one of its most revered players would have been a bit of a moon shot for the company.
North American 2009 Honda CR-V
The 2009 Honda five passenger crossover SUV CR-V will come in three distinct trim levels, the LX, EX, and the EX-L. The CR-V will be powered by a 2.4-litre i-VTEC engine, producing 166hp at 5800rpm and 161 lb-ft of torque at 4200 rpm mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission; the fuel economy is estimated to be 20/27 city/hwy mpg for the 2WD model. The 2009 CR-V also comes in 4WD as well. The CR-V is a global product sold by Honda. It is sold in 160 countries that include North America, Europe, Asia South America and Africa. The most of any Honda automotive product.
Mitsubishi EVO X, one-make series
Mitsubishi UK will return to the circuit racing with a race-prepped Evolution X competing in the 24-hour Britcar Championship September 20-21, at Silverstone. The car will be driven by former BTCC ace James Kaye, along with two drivers. The Evo X has been prepared by ADR Motorsports.
The power output of the 4B11 EVO X has been raised to 400hp, which will run through the EVO all-wheel drive system. Mitsubishi UK was keen to point out that this venture into circuit racing will not affect any of its current or forthcoming rally campaigns. So this news will make Doug Gore have a few more options on his hand to try and save his current Caribbean Driver Championship. Wonder if we will see the white EVO X on the track of Dover?
Chery hybrid
Chinese automaker Chery has now joined the hybrid gang as well. Chery tested the waters on the home market with a new, inexpensive mild hybrid built off its own A5 platform. The A5 adds a belt-driven starter/generator that runs on just 12 volts and allows for stop/start functionality for its 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. As it currently stands, gas in China costs about half what it does in most other countries, and the government spends billions to keep it that way.
Chery tested the vehicle during the Olympic Games and is apparently now ready to begin selling its first hybrid to retail customers in China at about a third of the cost of the Prius. With pricing like that, the expected 10-15 per cent gain in fuel efficiency could provide plenty of incentive to choose a hybrid. Can we look to see any of these on the lot of New Line Motors?
VW wants to break record for lowest fuel consumption
The couple of John and Helen Taylor, the world's most fuel-efficient drivers, will try again to enter the record books, in an attempt to break the current world record for lowest fuel consumption across 48 states in the United States of America. The car they will be driving will be the all-new 50-state compliant clean diesel VW Jetta TDI fuelled by Shell, which claims to have the best diesel fuel.
The current Guinness world record for the lowest fuel consumption on a nationwide drive is 51.58 miles per gallon. The Taylors have driven more than 2,753 miles through more than 24 states, averaging about 58.78 US miles per gallon.
Approximately 12 official check-in and refuelling stops across the United States are included throughout the duration of the drive, which is slated to conclude September 26 in West Virginia. The Taylors have collected 82 world fuel economy and vehicle-related records from drives in places in Asia, South Africa Australia, Europe North America and the Middle East. They have made a 26-year career out of driving economically and conducting workshops globally on fuel-efficient driving techniques.
Mazda 2.2 CRTD
Mazda has considered placing a diesel engine in its Mazda 6 sedan for its European model in 2009. This is a new DOHC 2.2-litre 4-cylinder common rail turbocharged engine that produces 185hp and 400NM of torque. The fuel economy is rated at 5.6L/100km. This is good news for those who are considering buying the sweet '6'. Mazda has developed the diesel particulate filter (DPF) which is a world-first catalyst activation mechanism that enhances the removal of particulate matter (soot) from the exhaust gases.
The result of this system is that it lowers CO2 emissions and cleaner exhaust gases, and improves overall fuel economy. Now, will our local Mazda dealers be considering importing this sweet "6"? The local refinery would have to step up the production of low-sulpur diesel..
