Start stop
This spring, Kia will debut its "idle stop and go" system on the Cee'd small car in Europe (coming to to other markets and models in 2010). The technology shuts down the Cee'd's engine while at a standstill, much in the same way a gas/electric hybrid vehicle works, and can boost fuel economy up to a 15 percent in the city.
Orange juice
A new line of tires that mix rubber with orange oil, making them 80 percent petroleum free and lighter, which improves fuel efficiency, can now be seen on race tracks in the U.S. Yokohama's dB Super E-spec tires can be seen on the cars racing Thursday and Friday in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the first race in the Patrón GT3 Challenge series.
Au natural
Hybrids? Diesels? How about natural gas? Mercedes-Benz is strongly considering a compressed-natural-gas (CNG) version of its B-Class small car for North America, says trade newspaper Automotive News. Honda is the only major automaker to offer a CNG vehicle in the U.S. with the Civic GX.
Sources: Wheelbase Communications, ARA
Leave a comment