WheelTronix

Pininfarina states that the Nido EV is the start off of a family of small electric cars. Pininfarina S.p.A. has revealed a running model for a new family of electric vehicles that the Italian company desires to develop for carmakers and utility companies.

Silvio Angori the CEO of Pininfarina said that “the car could help automakers to introduce an EV into their range very quickly. It could also find a market with utility companies and city governments that are looking for an EV that can be tailored to their needs.” He further stated that “Pininfarina is also planning a plug-in hybrid version of the Nido EV with a range-extending small internal combustion engine that would generate electricity for the batteries.”

Pininfarina announced that the production of the Nido EV would be limited to less than 10,000 units a year. This is to avoid becoming a major competitor to electric vehicles that major car companies plan to set in motion. Pininfarina is formulating 3 versions of the Nido EV–a two-seat or 2+2 seat passenger edition as well as a city delivery van and a pickup. The model is a improvement of a Nido idea that Pininfarina first revealed in 2004.

General Motors Co. on Wednesday forsook a months-long attempt to gain European government assistance for reconstituting its Opel and Vauxhall operations, alleging that it required to move ahead and would fund the redevelopment itself.

A week after Germany declined its petition, GM said it was backing away applications for loan guarantees totalling euro1.8 billion ($2.2 billion) from a number of European countries. The car manufacturer said its own bettered finances were an element in the decision.

GM has obtained approximately $50 billion in financial aid from the U.S. Treasury and $9.5 billion from the Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments. It has paid back $6.7 billion to the U.S. and $1.4 billion to the Canadian governments and the remainder converted to equity in the car manufacturer.

Rainer Bruederle the German Economy Minister, cited GM’s ameliorated finances in refusing its aid application, greeted its determination to give up seeking aid. He stated that, “I feel vindicated in my assessment that General Motors has the funds for an Opel restructuring,” Bruederle said. He hailed that GM “seems ready to take its full responsibility as an owner toward its 100 percent subsidiary Opel.”

General Motors (GM) is waiting to develop an electric car for India on its own. It had to cast off its plan for the electric Spark after a break-up with Reva.

Ankush Arora who is the vice-president (marketing, sales and after sales) GM India, said “The country is still not ready for such plug-in hybrid vehicles. The expensive Chevrolet Volt may get few Indian buyers, who are fascinated to drive a green car. It will certainly not be a huge success in a sensitive market such as.”

Arora still further stated that “if India wanted to become a big player in electric vehicles, it needed to increase its supply of batteries. It’s not the technology; it’s the battery that is the key to making an electric solution commercial. We have the technology and will explore every possibility to launch something made for India.”Karl Slym who is the president of GM India said “it made little sense to continue working with Reva after it sold a 55 per cent stake to Mahindra & Mahindra. Because of Reva having (a new) owner, there really is no value for us in doing this India-specific exploration (with it).”

The Treasury Department of the United States is adjusting things in apparent motion to make General Motors public.

The government has borrowed New York-based investment bank Lazard Freres & Co. to assist in the smooth progress of an IPO (initial public offering) for which it will be compensating a respectable $500,000 per month fee if Lazard Freres is competent to take the company public within 12 months. Or else, the periodical fee will be cut in half. The investment bank’s services had antecedently been used by the United Auto Workers union to review GM’s books back in 2007.

Chris Liddell, GM’s CFO said that “Certainly over the next year, there’s a possibility we could do an IPO, but the market’s got to be ready, the automobile industry has to continue to improve and we have to continue to improve.”

When GM went insolvent last year, the U.S. government had furnished it with bailout finances and thus was left as the widely held owner. The U.S. Treasury rendered $50 billion to GM, out of which it refunded $6.7 billion and the balance was changed to 61 percent ownership of the new GM after the auto manufacturer came out from failure last year.

No more than thirty U.S. market only slots were set aside for those BMW devotees, who were resolute on buying the exceptional edition vehicle. After the booking hotlines unfolded this week and within 15 minutes all the thirty vehicles were sold out. Customers who bought the coupe will be delivered their unique cars at the end of this month.

Larry Koch, the Brand Manager for BMW of North America stated thus “The Frozen Gray M3 is a striking work of sculpture, speed, and style, and perfectly marks the 25th birthday of the M3 model. I’m personally thrilled to see that our customers are as excited about it as we are. We filled the thirty reservation slots within twelve minutes and took the names of at least fifty alternates in the first hour.

The 2011 Frozen Gray M3 Coupe will be one of the most unique BMW vehicles ever imported to the US.”
The power specs of the Fomite has a 4.0-liter, 414-horsepower V8 engine with 8 individual accelerator bodies and an 8,400-rpm redline and M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) which reduces the 0-60mph acceleration time to 4.5.

Peugeot is building a brand new sport scar, yes, you read it correctly. Personally I didn’t expect this at all. Peugeot and sports car, is that a combination? Well after seeing the images, I think it is.
The specs are even great too! Who could think about that?! (more…)

Alfa Romeo has inserted 2 new engines for the Alfa Romeo 159 range that is the 1750 TBi and the 2.0 JTDM. These two new engines will help to offer more power, bettered fuel economy and lesser expelling.

The new Alfa Romeo 159 1750 TBi has got its name from its productive saloon root, the Alfa 1750 Berlina.
The new lead injection turbocharged engine acquires 200bhp at 4,750rpm and 5,500rpm and a maximal torsion of 236lb-ft at 1400rpm. CO2 expelling points are 189 g/km – ensuing in a 6-band plunge in company car benefit-in-kind taxation equated to the previous 2.2 JTS engine. The 1750 TBi will gather speed from 0-62 mph in 7.7 seconds, prior to topping at 147mph.

Alfa’s new 2.0 JTDM powerhouse builds up 170bhp obtainable at 4,000rpm with the level best torsion of 265lb-ft quetching in at 1,750rpm and 2,500rpm. It speeds up from 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and then goes on to a high speed of 136mph. CO2 expelling are 142g/km.
Alfa Romeo has brought in a new range structure which features 5 trim levels – Turismo, Turismo Sport, Elegante, Lusso and TI and this is to correspond with the launching of these new engines.

General Motors has announced about its production of C7 Corvette sports car to be starting in 2012 which is in advance of a planned launch in 2013.

Actually the American car manufacturer is apprehensive to take advantage of the interest that would be brought about by the car. This car was actually to be launched in 2014 but has been advanced.

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According to car expert Glass a collapse in the sales of car will most likely be the outcome if the government does not continue the scrappage scheme at least till next summer.

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Researchers at Ohio University have laid their hands on a unique discovery. They claim that cars in the future would be powered indirectly by human waste.

The scientists have opened up a novel electrolysis technique that utilizes human urine, instead of water, as a generator of hydrogen. Actually urine is fertile in hydrogen.

This makes extracting hydrogen from urine easy. It needs only a fourth of the power needed to extract it from human waste than from water.

The largest obstacle to mass yield of hydrogen has been the massive energy cost in production. But since this novel invention they will make hydrogen as the fuel of preference for the car industry.

Vehicles which are powered by Hydrogen have numerous advantages over other zero discharge cars. The time taken for refueling a hydrogen car is very less when compared to recharging an EV.