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January 5, 2010

New Caddy Concept to Get XTS Moniker

General Motors Co. confirms that the new Cadillac concept it will reveal next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be called the XTS. Company officials divulged the name on the Twitter social media site.

GM released a teaser shot of the concept car two weeks ago. The company describes the vehicle, which is expected to replace the current DTS and STS nameplates in late 2011, as the latest of a procession of high-profile Cadillac concepts that have included the Sixteen, CTS Coupe and Converj.

GM also plans to unveil the 2011 Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS-V coupe, turbocharged Chevrolet Aveo RS and GMC Granite pickup truck at the Detroit show next week.

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Porsche Mulls Downsized Engine Options for Next Boxter

Porsche AG may offer a new four-cylinder engine in its next Boxster sports car to help reduce emissions, Autocar reports. Boxster model line director Hans-Jurgen Wohler tells the magazine that a turbocharged three-cylinder mill also is being considered.

The downsized powerplants would limit carbon dioxide emissions to about 180 g/km while generating 180-200 hp, Wohler estimates. Power for the current base Boxster comes from a 2.9-liter six-cylinder engine. The Boxster S has a 3.4-liter flat-six.

New emission rules in Europe will require Porsche to reduce CO2 emissions for its 2012 fleet by at least 25% compared to 2006 levels. Now that it has been acquired by Volkswagen AG, however, the brand may be folded into VW’s requirements as a full-line manufacturer to achieve a 120 g/km corporate average.

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Plug-In Mercedez-Benz S-Class In the Works

The next Mercedes-Benz S-Class will include a plug-in hybrid variant, says Thomas Weber, who heads the brand’s product development and research efforts. He tells Autocar the technology would then be spread to other Mercedes vehicles.

Weber doesn’t provide a timeline or other details about the plug-in models. But other “insiders” cited by Autocar claim the hybrid-electric system, when teamed with expected weight reductions and aerodynamic improvements, could allow the plug-in S-Class to get more than 80 mpg with carbon dioxide emissions less than 100 g/km.

Weber says there are no plans for an all-electric version of the premium model because of driving range limitations that would be compounded by the added weight of high-end safety, performance and convenience features expected of S-Class vehicles.

Daimler AG showed the Mercedes Vision S500 plug-in hybrid concept at the Frankfurt auto show in September. That vehicle’s fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions were estimated at 88.3 mpg and 74 g/km, respectively. Daimler said the vehicle’s range in all-electric mode was 19 miles. The drivetrain teams a lithium-ion battery and 44-kW electric motor with a 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline-direct-injection engine.

In the future, all six- and eight-cylinder gasoline engines used in the S-Class will be turbocharged or hybrid GDI systems with stop-start capability, according to Weber. He says the combination is expected to provide 10% more power, 25% more torque and 25% better economy than current powerplants.

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Deadline for Saab Bids Extended to Thursday

General Motors Co. is giving Spyker Cars NV and other potential bidders until Thursday to submit new plans to buy the Swedish marque, according to multiple media reports. If an acceptable bid with the secured financing hasn’t been received by then, GM says it will start the legal process of closing the brand.

GM ended talks with Dutch carmaker Spyker Cars NV two weeks ago, saying there wasn’t enough time to work out the remaining issues by year-end. Spyker has since submitted a new bid that it claims eliminates the need for a $580 million loan from the European Investment Bank.

But GM reportedly is uneasy about the participation of Vladimir and Alexander Antonov, who own 30% of Spyker and control RMC Convers Group, the Russian bank participating in the bid.

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Flying Car Brainstorming Conference to be Held This Month

The U.S. government will host a workshop on January 14 in Arlington, Va., to describe its Transformer program that aims to develop a prototype flying vehicle for military operations. Potential technology partners are being encouraged to start brainstorming ideas for the vehicle.

Sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the program’s goal is to demonstrate a transportation vehicle that can carry as many as four people, navigate moderate off-road conditions and fly with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Such a vehicle is designed to minimize the effects of rugged terrain, bodies of water, road obstructions, land mines and improvised explosive devices.

DARPA says the vehicle should have the proper range and speed capabilities to complete tactical missions on a single tank of fuel. Among the special technologies targeted are adaptive wing structures, composite materials, ducted fan propulsion, flight control systems, hybrid-electric drives and new battery systems.

Several companies have tried to build flying cars in the past. Last year, Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia Inc. tested a proof-of-concept model it hopes to begin selling in 2011 for $194,000. Featuring foldable wings, the street-legal “Transition Roadable Aircraft” is powered by a 100-hp engine that allows for air travel of up to 450 miles at a top speed of 115 mph or on roads at up to 65 mph.

Although the DARPA workshop is free, space is limited and registrations must be received by Thursday afternoon. The poster session will be cut off at 100, with a limit of one per organization.

More information about the program is available online at http://www.sa-meetings.com/TX2010. The password is TX2010.

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Dakar Rally Begins Second South American Campaign

This year’s Dakar Rally began on Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There are 362 vehicles competing in the grueling two-week event, which covers 5,900 miles through Argentina and Chile. The field includes 134 cars, 151 motorcycles, 52 trucks and 25 quad-bikes.

Organizers moved the rally away from Africa last year due to concerns over political instability in the region. As with its previous incarnation, the South American course includes stints through deserts, mountains and other rugged terrain. Entrants from BMW and Volkswagen are favored in the car class.

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Developer Touts Personal Hydrogen Station

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte Ltd. is demonstrating its HydroFill “personal hydrogen station” this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Singapore-based company claims the small refueling and storage device could speed the transition to hydrogen-fueled cars.

The desktop system can be plugged into a standard AC electrical outlet (using an adapter), 60-watt solar panel or small wind turbine. Hydrogen is extracted from a water tank and stored in a solid-filled matrix in refillable cartridges.

Horizon says the cartridges contain metallic alloys that absorb hydrogen into their crystalline structure and release it at low pressures, thus removing safety concerns about storing hydrogen at high pressure.

The company claims its storage method creates the highest volumetric energy density of any form of hydrogen storage-including liquid hydrogen. It takes 60 watts of direct current to produce 2.64 gallons of hydrogen per hour.

Horizon began selling hydrogen-powered toy cars in 2006. The company also is working on a micro-fuel cell power supply designed to extend the off-grid runtimes of cell phones, USB-powered electronics and other small devices.

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