Anxiously awaited for almost 2 years, the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt is viewed the most technologically-extreme vehicle an American automaker have crafted. A four-door compact sedan, the Volt displays an unique powertrain allowing an electric motor to drive the car for the first 40 miles before a gasoline engine takes over. Producing the equivalent of 230 miles per gallon city through EPA tests, only major problem with the Chevrolet Volt is how the revolutionary plug-in hybrid is taking its sweet time in becoming available to the public.

As pre-production examples of the sedan has been rolling across North America, the individuals behind the wheel were limited largely to press members and company dignitaries. With production of the Chevrolet Volt planned for the end of 2010, the general automotive driving public is left electrified by the fuel-saving capabilities since the concept was shown in 2007. Making for what is possibly one of the longest publicity teases for a new American car, some Volt seekers are becoming antsy about the continuing wait. With one unofficial website (gm-volt.com) recording 50,000 people expressing interest in the Chevrolet Volt, automotive crowds could be in danger of losing charge for the new car.

Realizing that many media outlets were advertising the Chevrolet Volt as the car that would save General Motors, the auto company heavily leveraged the Chevrolet Volt heavily in their attempt to restructure starting in 2008. It’s advanced powertrain and concern for fuel efficiency made General Motors look meaningful to the future of motoring. In fact, after the public relations nightmare the Detroit 3 automakers created when they each took private jets in soliciting the U.S. federal government for financial aid, GM then-president Rick Wagoner used the Volt to spin the company’s overall publicity driving it into Washington D.C. for the following meeting.

Still promoting the Volt through testing across the United States, including intense driving through an Arizona proving grounds, one thing that appears apparent is that General Motors vehicle preparation for late this year is quite extensive. Considering the stakes and GM’s past track record in pioneering technology (cylinder deactivation in the 1980s and night-vision in the 2000s being among the examples), we will have to forgive the seemingly long wait. With production tooling at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant installed, project engineers are currently hardening the Volt’s assembly and reliability. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt’s dependence on electronics has led special attention be paid to software and technology aspects of the plug-in hybrid sedan.

If the wait for some this vehicle is beginning to weigh too heavily for anxious drivers, there might be a way to indulge in a virtual test drive of a Chevrolet Volt this fall. The Xbox 360 and General Motors has just announced partnering a driving simulation with the new controller-free Kinect device. Within the Kinect Joy Ride, the Kinect device will interpret body motion to grant the feeling of driving the super-efficient vehicle. Even though the Kinect device will not be available until shortly before the release of the real Chevy Volt, the virtual version of the hot electric/gasoline car might still provide the first real opportunity for us to drive the Volt.

Information and Image source: General Motors

© Gearhead Media – Please visit Automoblog.net for more great content.

Related posts:

1. Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Crossover Bows at Beijing 2010
2. Chevrolet Volt To Get 230 MPG Around Town
3. Chevrolet’s Keeping Orlando Out of the U.S.

Yet more evidence that Ford Motor Company continues to go from strength to strength and seems to the American auto brand to beat. Yes, car sales have been almost unanimously down in 2009 compared to 2008, but Ford has justifiable reasons to brag about its December sales figures: They are up a third over December of ‘08 and an even more impressive 50 percent over November. And if you look at the sales figures for Ford hybrids, that looks even better.

The sales figures of Ford’s hybrid lineup for December (that includes the Ford Fusion, Ford Escape, Mercury Milan and Mercury Mariner) totaled 2,843, which was up 147 percent versus a year ago. Hybrid sales totaled 33,502 in 2009, which was a new record, and were up 72 percent against a year ago.

And if you want to feel really good about Ford’s green cred, December was the best month for sales of EcoBoost-equipped vehicles (1,662), and total EcoBoost sales since the mills introduction are now total 4,973. Overall, things look just peachy with Ford, Lincoln and even Mercury sales improving in December.

The Ford Fusion had the most impressive numbers, with December sales increasing 83 percent and set new December and full-year sales records, with 18,852 and 180,671 respectively.

Ford’s full-year sales for 2009 totaled 1.62 million vehicles, which, granted, was down 15 percent from 2008, but when you consider other manufactures were posting sales drops of around 20 percent overall, Ford bled less than most car companies.

What I find most interesting about Ford’s impressive performance over the past year is two things:

1 – When a company pays attention to the product and to engineering, they will be able to sell that product AND will also be in a position to turn down government loans, unlike some other companies (couch-cough General Motors couch-cough). And

2 – The American car buying public can, and will, given the opportunity, buy eco-friendly products from a domestic manufacturer. Yes, I know that the hybrid drivetrains that Ford uses are sourced from Toyota. Yes, I know that in that, and other respects, Ford could do a lot better, but the fact that the American consumer has voted with their wallets in favor of FoMoCo seems like a very bright ray of sunshine to me.

Source: AutoBlogGreen

© Gearhead Media – Please visit Automoblog.net for more great content.

OK all you Civic fan boys with large checkbooks and connections to the home market, get your browsers ready, because there’s going to be a whole lot of JDM parts for you to order up. At this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Honda rolled out a JDM only version of the Civic officially called Civic Type R Euro. But right off the top, let me just say that I’ve always been a little bit puzzled by Honda’s making JDM specific and Euro-market specific and North American market specific versions of these cars (or any other ride that’s sold in all three markets).

From what I can tell, the Civic as a nameplate is so beloved, and the aftermarket and tuner crowd is so smitten with these things, that they will go to great and expensive lengths (at least here in America) to find sources for, and import all the bits and bobs from Japan over here and install them in their stateside rides.

Yes, I do understand concepts like marketing to individual markets, and that, in theory, certain variants of cars will play better in Japan than they will over here (or at least play better at a sales volume necessary to make those bits and bobs profitable), but still … can’t Honda put two and two together and see that there IS a market over here, even if it’s a small market, for stuff like the Civic Type R Euro?

Not selling JDM stuff here (besides legal concerns) is always attributed to things along the lines of ‘we’ve looked into it, but the American car buyer isn’t interested in XXX brand in sufficient number for us to sell it in the U.S.’

Yeah, that’s what Subaru said about the WRX, a car long available in the home market, that “didn’t make sense” to sell over here. Until Subaru did. And they couldn’t produce them and pack them on a boat quick enough.

Anyway, so Honda rolled out the Civic Type R Euro at Tokyo. Honda plans to have the car in Japanese showrooms in November. It’s a three-door hatch that’s built at Honda’s Swindon factory in England and it comes with 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four best described as “rev-happy”. The little mill cranks out 201 HP at 7,800 rpm and puts out 142 lb-ft of torque at 5,600 rpm. The power and grunt gets to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

For some reason, Honda saw fit not disclose performance figures for the Home market-spec Civic Type R hatch, but we understand that it should be like it’s Euro counterpart, which potentially means zero to 62mph (100 km/h) in 6.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 146mph or 235 km/h.

OK, so other than the right hand drive thing, why you keeping it away from America?

Source: CarScoop

© Gearhead Media – Please visit Automoblog.net for more great content.

When Toyota Motor Company introduced Scion to the American car scene in 2004, it had one goal in mind: Sell inexpensive, yet funky cars to the young Generation Y driver as a way to develop their loyalty to the brand. There was the tiny xA, the toaster-shaped xB, and the cute tC. As soon as these cars started rolling off the back of the delivery truck, they rolled right into people’s garages, being a frugal, fun and reliable choice over the competition.

Shortly after the sales numbers started coming in, two very big surprises popped up: one was the most popular model in the line-up was the box-on-wheels xB; the other was the average owner age was 46, nearly twice the age Scion had originally projected.

To us car nuts, it doesn’t really matter who is buying what, but why. What makes the Scion xB hatchback, now in its second generation, such a popular choice for a car? Let us find out.

Riding on a short wheelbase of 167.4 inches and weighing a hair over 3,000 lbs., the $15,650 boxy Scion offers big space for passengers or whatever needs to be transported while offering luxuries to make the journey as comfortable as possible. It has grown quite significantly since its introduction five years ago, a foot in length and a whopping 700 lbs. to be exact, but it is still a very well-equipped car with a lot more substance and equipment.

This particular nautical blue metallic xB comes with the usual fanfare of power everything, cruise control, air conditioning, and keyless entry. Bonus features such as a 160-watt, six-speaker Pioneer stereo, iPod and auxiliary connections, tinted windows, and standard traction/stability control are included in the sticker price, most of them are usually an extra option or not available from Scion’s competition. To really spice up the xB, Scion still offers dozens of different parts to make your Scion unique, from shift knobs and interior lighting to wheels, body kits and engine modifications.

Underneath the hood is Toyota’s 2.4-liter DOHC four cylinder found in everything from the Corolla to the RAV-4. It is a terrific engine and a major step-up from the previous 1.8-liter engine, with good low-end torque for a little engine and is very willing to use all of its 158 horsepower and 162 lb. ft of torque. Providing gear selection is a five-speed manual transmission, which is equally enjoyable with its long, but positive throws and slippery movements. A four-speed automatic with Sequential manual control is available for those who don’t wish to row their own gears.

On the outside, the sheetmetal has gone from simplistic to more futuristic. The front bumper has a more distinct look, with racy-looking vents on the side. The whole front end has been whittled down and rounded off around the headlamps. With the new look, it is still instantly recognizable as Scion’s mobile toaster oven.

The roof gets a tapered look towards toe rear by a gently rising beltline along the side, which leads to a rear end that sits a bit higher now. The rear fenders and doors have a curvy flare in them now which leads to a more protruding bumper with an oddly-placed reverse light marring an otherwise clean mixture of Japanese efficiency and American design.

This combination carries over into the interior of the xB as well, with an interior bigger than most Manhattan apartments. Front and rear passengers are offered copious amounts of room from head to toe in wide, flat seats, with the cargo area measuring a useful 21.7 cu. feet. Fold the rear seats down, and the space doubles. There’s plenty of storage too, with several bins in the dash, door panels and underneath the center armrest.

In regards to interior efficiency, the Scion’s gauge cluster sits dead center in the dash below the windshield. Below the gauges are the Pioneer head unit and two air vents. Finishing out the center console are three large rotary knobs for heat and air control as well as a raised five-speed manual transmission.

Scion fans love the simple design, but I could care less for it. For one, there is too much bland, boring plastic in front of the driver. While the debate rages whether center-mounted gauges are better or not, these are recessed deep into the dashboard, making the already small gauges even harder to see at a glance on the road. Outside of the gauges and stretch to control the sounds coming from the punchy Pioneer stereo, everything else falls into hand nicely, especially the shifter.

My time on the road with the Scion consisted of 265 miles of highway driving and rural back roads leading from Columbus to Norwalk Raceway Park and Cedar Point for the company’s Scion Exposed 2009. This was the perfect opportunity to test the car out in different situations.

On the highway, the ride in the xB was as good as it comes in an economy car. Ride was quite good, with adequate dampening over bumps and a smooth, controlled ride on the freeway. There was little wind noise considering its shape, but a good deal of tire roar from the 16-inch Goodyear RS-As made for some aggravation on the highway.

When the highway was traded for the byways, this squared-off economy car proves to be a very good handling box van. For an economy car with a higher center of gravity than anything else in its class, a torsion beam rear suspension, and its open cabin, the xB handles reasonably well. Toyota does not really produce performance-oriented vehicles, and it is no different with this hatch. However, the xB feels controllable and is very easy to push it hard.

Everything is light to the touch. The steering, brakes, clutch, and shifter all have a low-effort feel to them. This is terrific around town, with a small turning circle and a Honda S2000-like short clutch engagement, it’s easy to maneuver. However, on those back roads, it portrays a somewhat disconnect feel from the road, with no real feeling for what is going on underneath those four tire patches.

For example, the steering is light and quick, but there is no feeling, no understanding of where the car is headed. Same for the four-wheel disk brakes, which offer good initial bite upon pressing the middle pedal, but quickly falls away to nothing as there a significant gap before it feels like the rotors reconnect with the rotors.

A lot of people complained about the second-generation of their beloved xB. While it is a bit bigger, a lot heavier, and has a more eye-catching design, it follows the same trail as the older model: The xB is a reliable vehicle that offers huge space in a small package and a good driving environment. Essentially, this car is like a miniature MayTag refrigerator at an incredibly reasonable price. Combine those attributes with Scion letting owners modify their cars as they see fit and backing everything up with a warranty, this Scion fulfills its promises.

Base Price: $15,650
As Tested: $17,297
Architecture: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive five passenger hatchback
Drivetrain: DOHC, 2.4-liter four cylinder DOHC engine with five-speed manual
Length: 167.4 inches
Wheelbase: 102.4 inches
Mileage: 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway
Weight: 3,020 lbs.