Spy shots: New Buick GL8 MPV in the flesh

MPV’s have stayed in the realm of business use in China, where as in Western countries they are used for larger families that require extra space for the road – due to Chinese families being largely nuclear, there is of course not much need for a 7 seater van on every driveway in China (or rather apartment complex car park. The GL8 was originally designed to fill the luxury MPV gap that existed in the Chinese market, but other brands soon cottoned on to Buick’s plan and have recently introduced their own offerings, the new generation of Buick GL8 is set to trump them all. Renderings of the new GL8 have been posted to China Car Times several times already, but this is the first time that internal pictures have been shown. The Buick GL8 will be powered by a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine or a 3.0L V6 engine.-chinacartimes.com

2012 Mazda5 MPV for the US details and price released

Mazda US has released images and details of the upcoming 2012 model Mazda5 MPV. It will be launched during January 2011 with a price tag starting at $US19,990 ($20,360).

The car will be available in three different trim levels: Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. All of the variants will come equipped with a 2.5-litre 117kW four-cylinder engine. The Sport model will get a six-speed manual transmission while the upper variants will get a five-speed automatic.

Safety-wise, every Mazda5 MPV will come standard with ESP (electronic stability program), traction control, ABS and six airbags. It’ll also come with a handy tyre-pressure monitoring feature so tyre pressures are always kept in check; something many drivers forget about.

The entry-level Sport will get 16in wheels, keyless entry, an MP3 compatible stereo, power windows and mirrors and 50/50 split-folding three-row seating. The main features the top spec Grand Touring gets over the Sport includes a power sunroof, leather seats and sat-nav. It’ll be priced at $US24,670 ($25,120) while the mid-range Touring will be priced from $US21,990 ($22,400).

As far as a van goes, it doesn’t look too bad. It’s a shame Mazda Australia hasn’t any plans to introduce the model Down Under. Especially at these prices.-caradvice.com.au

Spy Shots of Ford Focus Electric

Sometime in late 2011, Ford is supposed to start delivering electrified versions of its new Focus to dealerships. While Ford hasn’t given us any “official” pictures of the Focus Electric, these appear to be spyshots of the upcoming electric car.

Upon looking at these photos, your initial reaction is sure to be “So what? Looks like a new Focus to me.” Ahh, but the devil is in the details. While carmakers generally dress their cars up in camouflage to obscure design details, Ford long ago released lots of pictures of its 2012 Focus, and its hot-hatch cousin the Focus ST. So what is so special about this Focus?

Well for one, the lack of an exhaust pipe is a very clear indicator that what we are dealing with isn’t powered by petrol. Also notice that the location of the fuel-filler door has been obscured on both sides by camouflage. Probably because that is where the charging plug will be instead.

The Focus Electric should have a range of about 100 miles when it comes out in late 2011. Of course it will have plenty of competition from the likes of the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, but I have faith that Ford will hold its own.-gas2.org

How Hyundai Will Reach 50 MPG Average by 2025

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra competes against compact cars, but due to its roomy interior, is classified by the EPA as a mid-size car. It goes on sale in December.

The 2011 Elantra was Hyundai’s major debut at last week’s Los Angeles Auto Show. The new Elantra is among the emerging class of small gas-powered cars that achieve better than 40 mpg on the highway. It achieves 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg highway with both the six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

More importantly, the Elantra provides mounting evidence about how the company will reach its lofty goal of achieving a fleet-wide average of 50 MPG by 2025—way ahead of government deadlines.

Putting Gas Engines on a Diet

The Elantra’s Nu engine, developed to replace the 2.0-liter Beta engine from the previous generation Elantra, is smaller and weighs 74 pounds less—helping to achieve an 18-percent improvement in highway fuel economy. The Elantra’s hybrid-like low emissions allow it to be certified as a Partial Zero Emission Vehicle. “We’re trying to find solutions that are friendlier to the environment, but still give the kind of drive that customers expect,” said Mike O’Brien, Hyundai vice-president of production planning, in an interview with HybridCars.com. That’s a huge point for Hyundai as it pushes forward on its MPG goals—to provide fuel economy improvements with “typical” drive feel.

“We’re the first to the market with turbo gasoline direct injection four-cylinder engine that replaces our V6 engine,” O’Brien said. “In fact, it gives better horsepower, better driving performance, and better fuel economy than all our V6 competitors.” The same foundation was applied to the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which employs better aerodynamics, lighter-weight batteries, and more horsepower at levels that beat theFord Fusion Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Nissan Altima Hybrid.-hybridcars.com

Cadillac Unveils Batmobile Challenger

GM's air-powered concept and a car knitted by robot grannies tie for first place at the Design Challenge 10.

We've discussed the LA Auto Show's Design Challenge 2010 before. The concept competition this year featured a veritable host of alien-looking cars, built from the most ridiculous materials possible, using the most unconventional fuels in the market.

Well the numbers are in, and we finally have a winner. Is it the Mercedez Biome or the MaybachDRS? The Honda Air? Mazda's Anorexic Miata? Nope. First place is a tie, and goes to two cars we haven't featured yet: Cadillac's Aera and the Smart 454.

Let's start off with the Cadillac Aera. As the name suggests, it runs on compressed air, just like Honda's entry. However, despite being 200lbs heavier, the its range is 10 times that of the Air. General Motors claims that its highly-efficient Pneumatic Drive System and 10,000 PSI composite air tank will let the Aera go 1,000 miles before refuelling.

Its one-piece frame adopts the polyhedral lattice structure found commonly in nature, like in beehives and clumps of bubbles.  This lets the Aera keep off the weight while maintaining structural integrity. Further weight reduction is achieved with an all-in-one wheel system, which combines propulsion, steering and suspension in a simpler form.

The other winning entry is the Smart 454 by Weight Watch Technologies of Germany. The Smart's claim to fame and accolades is in its construction: the little modular car will be "knit" together out of carbon fiber using WWT's Smart Granny Robots. According to WWT, the proprietary construction method allows them to optimize the Smart's strength and weight.

Both these cars, along with the non-winning participants, are probably the most fanciful concepts their respective manufacturers have created. We might not see any of them in our lifetimes, but it's comforting to know what our automotive future has in store.-tomsguide.com