Autoblog

As if "shift lights" weren't annoying enough... Nissan's new "ECO pedal" has been engineered to encourage good fuel economy with a servo-actuated gas pedal that will push back on the driver's lead foot when on-board computers detect wasteful acceleration. According to Nissan, vehicles equipped with the ECO pedal, and real-time fuel consumption gauges in the instrument panel, have returned a 5-10 percent increase in fuel efficiency. The Japanese automaker says it has plans to begin installing the ECO pedal in models next year, although there is no word on what models, or markets, will get the system. We're betting it's an option unlikely to show up on the GT-R anytime in the near future.

[Source: Reuters]

To feed the insatiable demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, and follow the striking success of the Toyota Prius, the Japanese automaker will introduce a second hybrid-only vehicle in 2009. The all-new model will have a 2- to 2.5-liter engine, suggesting it will be larger than their current popular four-door hybrid (the Prius uses a 1.5-liter gasoline powerplant). The new model will be sold side-by-side with the Prius, Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid. Toyota will also sell a rebadged version under the upscale Lexus brand, where it will join the LS Hybrid, GS Hybrid, and RX Hybrid. Toyota's master plan is to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles annually throughout the world, and considering the market, there's little doubt that the automaker can pull it off. Toyota's next hybrid debut is scheduled for Detroit in January, and we'll be there to cover it.

[Source: Daily Times]

These days it seems more common to overhear comments about a particular car's appalling fuel economy than idle chatter about the weather, which makes sense when a gallon of gas costs as much as a cheap umbrella. For instance, just the other day there was some guy going on about how his car was getting 3 mpg less than just a few months ago and had no idea why. That is until it was pointed out to him that his car's adjustable luggage rack was in its full, upright position, giving his car the aerodynamic efficiency of a cinder block.

That's just one of the points Forbes includes on its list of things to do so you can drive green without buying a new car. Improving your gas-guzzling vehicle's sleekness by losing that luggage rack, ditching that inefficient and egregiously ugly three-foot-tall spoiler and quit sticking your hand out the window are all little things that add up to an appreciable difference at the pump.

Most of the advice is common sense we've all heard before, but Sebastian Blanco, editor of AutoblogGreen, offered a novel suggestion for the list. Reduce your car's weight by only filling up half the tank. One gallon of gasoline can weigh as much as 6.5 lbs. On a 2008 Ford Escape, a half a tank of gas weighs 53 pounds.

Like the Forbes article points out, there's only so much you can do to curb a car's drinking habit, especially if you're driving something like an Escalade. But in smaller, lighter cars, even small steps like this can make a big difference in your fuel bill.

[Source: Forbes.com]

It seems like every carmaker has set themselves the goal of world domination. Toyota's internal master-plan memos leaked out, and then there's BMW nipping right along with lofty goals, too. Here comes Audi, deciding that they'd really like to sell 200,000 vehicles in the US market by 2010. While BMW is the current premium brand champ, Audi thinks it's got the moxie to claim that spot. Audi's perhaps got a case of inflated self-esteem if they think they're going to come out on top, especially considering that competitors are also projecting gains. Taken together, automakers have set out goals for growth that are more ambitious than what the market's likely to do.

Nobody will argue that Audi makes high-performing cars packed with high levels of technology and class-leading appointments. When the conversation takes on a green tinge, however, Ingolstadt seemingly falls short. Audis have been packing on the muscle and the weight, while BMW's been at work discovering ways to decrease carbon emissions and innovate in the name of fuel efficiency. Audi fires back, citing their fleet's CO2 emissions which are lower than Mercedes or BMW, with more tech to come. Tweaked engines, hybrid and alternative-fuel powertrains, and fuel-saving techniques like stop/start and brake regeneration are all coming to the Audi range soon. In the race for the top, someone will inevitably end up on the bottom. Audi just hopes that they can claw up that slope, Quattro-like.

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

Picture it: one minute you're standing on your 12th story patio enjoying the fresh air, and the next you're falling from said balcony. Your first thought is that you're probably a goner. Then, as the ground approaches, you realize that the car below you may break your fall. Your next (and presumably last) thought would probably go something like "Oh great, it's a Smart C...(splat)."

For Slovenian Darko Mirinovic, the above hypothetical has more truth to it than he'd ever hoped. Young Darko, 25, did fall from a 12 story balcony, but he miraculously survived. The Smart car that rested 120 feet below his window broke his fall, and in return Darko broke a bunch of bones. Not surprisingly, doctors were more than a little shocked that Darko survived the fall, even with news of his make-shift safety net. The owner of the Smart car didn't know whether "to be happy or sad" since his car was destroyed, but Darko lived. We hope he had insurance.

[Source: eGMCarTech]

click on image to view 25 pics in our high-resolution gallery

While the new MINI is already bombing around Europe and the U.S. in standard and Cooper S trim, Europeans have had to wait for new versions of their popular MINI One and MINI Cooper D. MINI has announced both models will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, each with their own upgrades. Aside from the new sheetmetal, the MINI One will feature a smaller version of the new MINI motor developed in conjunction with PSA. The 1.4-liter four-cylinder produces 95-hp at 6,000 rpm and 103 ft-lbs. of torque at 4,000 rpm, aided by a version of BMW's variable valve timing technology called VALVETRONIC. The MINI One will return a fairly frugal 49.6 mpg (miles per imperial gallon, mind you) in Britain's combined urban and extra-urban cycles.

The MINI Cooper D, however, is the car for which we here at Autoblog pine. The D, of course, stands for diesel, and the new model will use a 1.6-liter turbodiesel that producs 110 hp at 4,000 rpm and between 177 and 191 ft-lbs. of torque at a low 2,000 rpm. It'll hit 62 mph in under 10 seconds, and reward a light foot with 64.2 mpg (again, imperial gallons) in Britain's cycle. Both cars come standard with six-speed manual transmissions, or one can opt for a six-speed auto with paddle shifters and a sport mode. Starting April, about a month after each car debuts in Geneva, Brits will be able to buy the MINI One beginning at £11,595 ($22,740 USD) and the MINI Cooper D starting at £14,190 ($27,829 USD).

Click here to see our full high-resolution gallery and check out the full press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]