Author: Christopher DeMorro

As I’ve said before, the Volt is without a doubt the most important car in GM’s future lineup–with the ability to do wonders for the General’s tarnished image. GM executives have even said they don’t expect to turn much, if any, of a profit in the first generation of the Volt. Hence the Cadillac Converj, a coupe concept based on the Volt that could be sold upmarket, helping recoup some of that lost profit potential.

But the Converj has reportedly been killed, despite near universal praise for its bold looks and Voltec technology. Apparently all the extra equipment Cadillac buyers have come to expect would have halved the Converj’s all-electric range.

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The jury is still out on Cash for Clunkers here in the US, though new car sales seem to have improved in the past months.

But in Germany. where a similar cash for clunkers program began one year ago, car sales plunged off of the proverbial cliff, posting almost a 30% decline last month compared to February of 2009. And analysts are predicting that 2010 new car sales could drop as much as 30% for the entire year, compared with 2009.

This news does not bode well for the German auto industry, but will the same apply here? Did Cash for Clunkers really rob from future sales? Or did it help kickstart our economy?

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As a sister car to the Chevy Volt, the Opel Ampera has its work cut out for it. Europe already has lots of fuel-efficient cars and many European companies are planning to roll out their own electric or hybrid vehicles soon. So GM has to drum up a lot of attention for the Ampera.

What is the best way to get attention for an upcoming car? Why, drive it across country and blog about it, of course.

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A lot is riding on GM’s Volt. While General Motors is now a sleeker, streamlined version of itself, devoid of a lot of dead weight, the automotive heavyweight still has a lot to prove to the average consumer. The General was not long ago known for its gas guzzling SUVs; now it is trying to remake its image as something more well-rounded. While Chevy has performance on lockdown with the Camaro and Corvette, the Volt is the all important Ying to the performance Yang.

So when Ed Whitacre took over as GM’s CEO, he thought it important to get the Volt on the road and in the hands of consumers as soon as possible. But rushing a car this important is never a good thing, especially a car this important.

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Truth be told, I’ve never had a rental car experience. But for frequent flyers, tourists, and those who just don’t own cars, rental cars offer a bit of personal mobility for a price. Avis is one of the largest rental car companies in the world with operations in North and South America, Australia, and many other places. It has also licensed the Avis name to Avis Europe, which recently announced it would be partnering with Renault to provide its rental car customers with electric vehicle options. Will this transition eventually come our way?

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Ah the recession. Is it over, almost over, or not even close? That all depends on who you ask.

If you ask INRIX, a leading provider of traffic information, traffic congestion is on the rise. And as the economy improves, traffic congestion will get worse. Traffic congestion as an indicator of economic improvement? Well… why not?

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Ford has made many improvements in bettering its fleet average fuel mileage in recent years. But lest we forget, it was the Ford Explorer that helped create the SUV craze. And it wasn’t long ago you could buy the monstrous Excursion from any nearby dealership, a road behemouth more suitable to Lord Humongous than suburban soccer moms.

Consumer Reports recently did its annual round of real-world gas mileage numbers. The 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat ranked as the vehicle with the worst tested gas mileage, getting on average just 10 mpg.

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The first great explorers of our planet were sailors. You had to be a brave soul to voluntarily embark on any seafaring journey. Scurvy, storms, and sharks were but a few of the terrors that awaited would-be sailors, who had to cross thousands of miles of ocean relying solely on wind power to get them to their destinations. Shipping has never been as clean and green as it was during the Age of Sail.

Today, most ships are used to haul goods moreso than people, and rely on heavy-oil burning engines. A huge container ship can emit as much pollution as 50 million cars. But on Thursday PlanetSolar unveiled the world’s largest solar-powered ship. Relying on about 38,000 solar cells, the PlanetSolar ship can achieve a top speed… of 9 mph. And that would be fast enough to make it the fastest solar ship to cross the Atlantic ocean.

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I love driving. For me it is calming. An exercise in unlimited freedom. All I need is a car and some cash, and I can be a 1,000 miles away in a matter of hours. It is… liberating.

But not everybody feels the same.

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The Honda CR-Z hit markets today in Japan, and should make it to North American and European markets later this year. At $25,340 it is a bit pricier than the Prius and Insight, but arguably better looking as well. It is also the only hybrid in the world to offer a six-speed manual transmission as an option. While underpowered and overweight, it is a stylish breath of fresh air in the hybrid market.

Mugen, an aftermarket tuning company formed by the son of Honda’s founder, has released images and details of its first body kit for the CR-Z. While this kit offers more in the way of looks than performance, it is yet another step-up in the looks department.

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The Honda CR-Z hit markets today in Japan, and should make it to North American and European markets later this year. At $25,340 it is a bit pricier than the Prius and Insight, but arguably better looking as well. It is also the only hybrid in the world to offer a six-speed manual transmission as an option. While underpowered and overweight, it is a stylish breath of fresh air in the hybrid market.

Mugen, an aftermarket tuning company formed by the son of Honda’s founder, has released images and details of its first body kit for the CR-Z. While this kit offers more in the way of looks than performance, it is yet another step-up in the looks department.

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Has the Hummer brand become too toxic to sell? After months of negotiations between General Motors and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd, a Chinese company, it appears as though the deal has fallen through. Speculation points at the Chinese government regulators unwillingness to grant approval to the deal.

While GM has said it is considering two previous offers on the brand, it also said it was getting ready to wind the brand down. This news comes around the same time the military announced that it winding down its Humvee fleet and preparing for a modern replacement.

Is this really the end of the Hummer era? Or will GM and its suitors find salvation for Hummer like it did for the spunky Saab brand?

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Has the Hummer brand become too toxic to sell? After months of negotiations between General Motors and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd, a Chinese company, it appears as though the deal has fallen through. Speculation points at the Chinese government regulators unwillingness to grant approval to the deal.

While GM has said it is considering two previous offers on the brand, it also said it was getting ready to wind the brand down. This news comes around the same time the military announced that it winding down its Humvee fleet and preparing for a modern replacement.

Is this really the end of the Hummer era? Or will GM and its suitors find salvation for Hummer like it did for the spunky Saab brand?

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I have been following the saga of the HumanCar for a few years now. The idea was interesting from the onset, a plug-in electric vehicle that forced “drivers” to use a rowing motion to provide forward propulsion.

Of course, calling it a car is a stretch. There is no windshield, no roof, and the body is little more than a plastic mold fitted over a bike-like chassis. With a top speed of 30 mph on level streets, it isn’t going to get you anywhere in a hurry either. But it does combine mobility en masse with a bit of exercise, something most Americans (including me) could use.

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I have been following the saga of the HumanCar for a few years now. The idea was interesting from the onset, a plug-in electric vehicle that forced “drivers” to use a rowing motion to provide forward propulsion.

Of course, calling it a car is a stretch. There is no windshield, no roof, and the body is little more than a plastic mold fitted over a bike-like chassis. With a top speed of 30 mph on level streets, it isn’t going to get you anywhere in a hurry either. But it does combine mobility en masse with a bit of exercise, something most Americans (including me) could use.

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Back in November, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association held its annual show where all sorts of companies put on displaying their new products. These ranged from simple fuel additives and in-car audio equipment to entire built-from-the-ground-up cars. But while there was a heavy emphasis on power and style, a few hybrids managed to sneak in and make waves.

Among them was the Toyota Aerius kit, by Five Axis Designs. Five Axis teamed up with Toyota to produce the kit, and they are now offering a modified version for public purchase, giving some aggressive styling to the Prius while maintaining its low drag coefficient.

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Back in November, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association held its annual show where all sorts of companies put on displaying their new products. These ranged from simple fuel additives and in-car audio equipment to entire built-from-the-ground-up cars. But while there was a heavy emphasis on power and style, a few hybrids managed to sneak in and make waves.

Among them was the Toyota Aerius kit, by Five Axis Designs. Five Axis teamed up with Toyota to produce the kit, and they are now offering a modified version for public purchase, giving some aggressive styling to the Prius while maintaining its low drag coefficient.

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Land speed records absolutely fascinate me. While drag racing is fun and practical for most of us, land speed records require a lot more planning, power, and endurance. One of the most enduring records of the past century has been that for the Stanley Steamer, which set the land speed record of 127 mph back in 1906. It stood officially unbroken  until last year, when a team of British engineers sent their Steam Kettle steam-powered car to a 148 mph run.

Now one American, Chuk Williams, is working on bringing that record back to America, according to Wired Magazine.

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Land speed records absolutely fascinate me. While drag racing is fun and practical for most of us, land speed records require a lot more planning, power, and endurance. One of the most enduring records of the past century has been that for the Stanley Steamer, which set the land speed record of 127 mph back in 1906. It stood officially unbroken  until last year, when a team of British engineers sent their Steam Kettle steam-powered car to a 148 mph run.

Now one American, Chuk Williams, is working on bringing that record back to America, according to Wired Magazine.

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Last year I was a little taken aback when Koenigsegg teamed up with NLV Solar to showcase the Quant at the Geneva car show. While some Koenigsegg supercars supported biofuels (and actually made more horsepower on them), they never struck me as much of a green company. The car they designed was definitely influenced by their line of supercars.

Well the Quant has returned to Geneva in 2010, and is more than just a pretty concept sitting on a pedestal. Though their current relationship with Koenigsegg is unclear, NLV says they should have a running prototype up this year, with a full production model slated for 2012.

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