General Motors Co. says all Chevrolet and GMC V-8-powered trucks will have variable valve timing in 2010.

GM launched the technology, which enables continuous control of valve operation to cut emissions and boost fuel economy, in 2002 with a 4.2-liter inline-six truck engine. The first car application came two years later with the 4.6-liter Northstar V-8 engine. Since that time, usage has spread more rapidly through GM cars than trucks.

The addition of VVT to 4.8- and 5.3-liter mills completes the rollout in the small block V-8 truck lineup, which also includes the 6.0- and 6.2-liter powerplants that added VVT in 2007. All of GM’s inline five- and six-cylinder truck engines already have VVT, but the small block 4.3-liter V-6 doesn’t have the technology yet.

Teamed with cylinder deactivation on the 5.3-liter V-8, VVT helps the 2010 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra full-size pickup achieve a U.S. EPA rating of 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, which GM says is best in class. By comparison the Ford F-150 with a 4.6-liter V-8 is rated at 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway, and the Toyota Tundra with a 4.6-liter V-8 gets 15/20 mpg.

VVT requires the use of a cam phaser, which attaches to the end of the camshaft. The dual equal cam phaser electro-hydraulically controls cam position with the help of a sensor and the engine control module.

Ireland’s Barreiro Holdings plc says its battery-based PulseMoto power unit is more than twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine, with an energy efficiency of 42% vs. 17% for a gasoline engine. The company hopes to eventually increase efficiency to 80%.

Using electrical pulses from a standard 12-volt battery to power hydraulics, the system extends a series of springs. When released, the springs transfer stored energy via planetary gears to a flywheel that in turn can power generators, pumps or motors for stationary or mobile applications.

The system, which is scalable from 1 hp to 200 hp, offers the traditional benefits of all-electric power regarding low emissions, maintenance and noise. Other purported advantages include a significantly longer driving range and, because it isn’t being continuously drained, an extended battery life.

The PulseMoto can be teamed with Barreiro’s new CoRo generator. The system improves efficiency some 30% by rotating the stator in one direction and the rotor in the opposite direction. Motor speed can be reduced by 50%, lowering the amount of rotations needed and saving wear and tear on the bearings.

Founder Manual Barreiro developed the system over the last decade. The company says it has some 2,000 orders for generators in southeast Asia and is talking with U.K. companies about licensing the technology in Europe.

Mazda Motor Corp.’s next-generation MX-5 Miata roadster will be smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient than the current model, Edmunds.com reports. It says the vehicle, which is due in 2011, will deliver at least 50 mpg-more than double the current 23-24 mpg rating-and could approach 70 mpg.

Edmunds didn’t reveal its source for the information or indicate how such a dramatic improvement would be achieved. But part of the gain would come from a nearly 300-lb weight reduction that will put the 2011 model at 2,200 lbs, according to the car data Web site.

Power will come from the all-new SKY-G four-cylinder engine that Mazda announced earlier this fall at the Tokyo auto show. The gasoline-direct-injection engine will displace between 1.3 and 1.5 liters and generate about 150 hp, according to Edmunds. It says Toyota Motor Corp. has been talking with Mazda about using the engine in its own vehicles.

Roush Industries Inc. plans to launch a new lifestyle club for owners of Roush-tuned vehicles that would replace the current Roush Owners and Enthusiasts Association (ROEA) run by volunteers The Livonia, Mich.-based customizer, which says there are about 16,000 of its vehicles currently on the road in the U.S., will provide more details about the club during a Webcast planned for next Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST.

Roush says running the club will enable it to better communicate with and serve customer needs. It promises a high level of interaction with Roush employees and an open forum for information about the vehicles, parts, engines and other things that make up the Roush experience. Various activities also will be held during the year.

Membership sign-up is expected to begin in January. Annual dues are $35. One of the first orders of business is to select a new name for the club.

Images of the new rear-drive flagship model that Kia Motors Corp. is rumored to be developing appear to have surfaced this week on the Internet.

Kia officials, however, have not confirmed the existence of such a vehicle. They suggest the sketches, which were shown by Kia’s design chief Peter Schreyer at a recent conference in Seoul, could be of an early iteration of the upcoming K7 (Cadenza in the U.S.) that is due to replace the Amanti next year.

If it comes to fruition, the larger so-called K9 model would likely share a platform with parent Hyundai Motor Co.’s Genesis sedan and be positioned above the K7. Previous reports said the new model will be launched in the U.S., which would serve as a trial for other markets. Power likely would come from the 4.6-liter V-8 used in the Genesis.

Kia has been working to raise its image with each new model it introduces, including the recent Soul hatchback and Forte compact. The front end of the car in the sketch is similar to that of the Forte.