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Volkswagen L1

GadgetManiac — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:49:51 +0000

Volkswagen unveiled the L1 concept car at IAA 2009. The L1 has a 2 cylinder 0.8 liter engine which propels the 838-pound CFRP-bodied L1 to an outstanding 240 mpg. A second, cramped passenger sits directly behind the driver. Not for the claustrophobic. There are 50L or 1.76 ft³ of trunk space. The L1 has been in development since about 1998 – limited production starts in 2010 and you might be able to buy one by about 2013.

The TDI, E-motor and 7-speed DSG are located at the rear, and they combine to create the most fuel efficient road-legal car hybrid drive in the world. Proof of this are its 1.38 litre per 100 kilometres fuel consumption and 36 g/km CO2 emissions. Serving as the primary drive source is a completely redeveloped two-cylinder turbo-diesel with common rail direct injection (TDI). It is operated in two different modes depending on the load conditions. In the standard “ECO” mode, the 800 cm3 TDI develops a power of 20 kW / 27 PS (at 4,000 rpm); in “Sport” mode – used to reach top speed, for example – the car’s power rises to 29 kW / 39 PS (at 4,000 rpm). The TDI’s maximum torque is 100 Newton-meter (at 1,900 rpm). Naturally, the L1 also has a Stop-Start system that automatically shuts down the engine when vehicle has stopped and restarts when the accelerator or E-pedal is pressed.

Volkswagen says the L1 is the “most fuel-efficient automobile in the world”, a claim that is probably true, notwithstanding the Chevy Volt .

While the fuel efficiency claim may well be true, it does not make up for the fact that the L1 is one fugly vehicle and looks like a cross between a coffin and a hearse. We’re considering nominating the L1 for inclusion in some future list of 100 Ugliest Cars.

Sure, the VW L1 emits a mere 36g/km of CO₂ (which is astonishing in view of the fact that joggers emit about 78g/km), has a drag coefficient of 0.16 (that’s about ½ the C_D of an average car) and might well save the world etc, but there’s no fun in driving these things. We here at GadgetManiac suggest you get either a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, or an Audi R8 or a BMW 135i M Sport coupe (our 3 current faves), before tree huggers succeed in getting sports cars banned.

Breakthrough for the 1-Litre Car Volkswagen presents the most fuel-efficient automobile in the world – VW news release, September 15 2009

Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

GadgetManiac — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:58:09 +0000

IAA 2009 also saw the introduction of the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. 6.5 liter twelve-cylinder 661 bhp engine. Maxes out at 205mph.

…starting price about 1.6M USD.

Ferrari 458 Italia

GadgetManiac — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:42:09 +0000

The Ferrari 458 Italia supercar had its first public showing at IAA 2009. 570 CV (562 bhp) direct injection 4,499 cc V8 engine. 0-60 mph in 3.3 sec.

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700

Birge Basik — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:29:12 +0000

Here’s the first official shot of the 9700 (codenamed Onyx), T-Mobile’s first 3G BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the successor of the well known BlackBerry Bold.

For starters, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 rocks the same optical track pad seen on the BlackBerry Curve 8520. That means slipping from menu to menu is easier than ever but apparently RIM’s preloading it with the Amazon MP3 store, so that’s slightly interesting. T-Mobile says 9700 will support UMA Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail, and corporate email. They also confirmed that it will have TeleNav GPS Navigator and Amazon MP3 store pre-installed. From what we can tell, it’s due in early November, but pricing is still unclear – we hope that RIM and T-Mobile have saved the best surprise for last.

Other leaked specifications are below

New Trackpad
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
UMTS/HSDPA
480×360 resolution screen
Wi-Fi (802.11g)
OS 5.0
QWERTY keyboard
3.2 megapixel AF camera
Bluetooth

Chevy Volt Gets 230 MPG City EPA Rating

GadgetManiac — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:21:05 +0000

General Motors today announced that their Chevy Volt electric car will get more than 230 miles per gallon in city driving…or approximately 1 litre per 100 Km.

Terrific…that’s almost as good as the Nissan Leaf which is EPA rated at 367 MPG and on the same order of magnitude as a walking human, estimated to achieve about 912 MPG.

In view of the fact that the most fuel efficient car on the market today is the Toyota Prius at 48/45 MPG city/hwy, GM has either achieved some tech breakthrough to achieve a 5x performance improvement or is practising some variant of Enron-style accounting by claiming miles driven electrically as miles driven via gasoline.

Chevrolet Volt Expects 230 mpg in City Driving – GM press release, 2009-08-11

Honda RA-X Concept

GadgetManiac — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:54:39 +0000

Putative auto designer Xuacu Pérez Quesada gives us the Honda RA-X, a full-scale mock-up of a potential new sports car for Honda.

Very nice inspired design, and the website has more views of the RA-X. …oh wait…uhh…it kinda looks like a foreshortened Lambo with a Veyron nose.

Never mind…more dubious material from the Italdesign Giugiaro powerhouse.

Honda RA-X – Final 3D model of a new Honda sportcar

The 100 Ugliest Cars

GadgetManiac — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:40:39 +0000

The Daily Telegraph complements their list of most the 100 most beautiful cars published March/2008, with the opposite, i.e. a list of the ugliest cars of all time. Telegraph readers voted as follows…

1 – Pontiac Aztek (above) received the most votes

2 – Fiat Multipla
3 – SsangYong Rodius
4 – Austin Allegro/Vanden Plas
5 – Porsche Cayenne
6 – AMC Pacer
7 – Ford Scorpio
8 – Hummer
9 – Austin Princess/Ambassador
10 – Chrysler PT Cruiser
:

…somewhat reminiscent of Time Magazine’s The 50 Worst Cars of All Time, and yes the Aztek is on that list as well.

The 100 ugliest cars – The Daily Telegraph, 29 Aug 2008

Lamborghini Estoque

GadgetManiac — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:00:33 +0000

Lamborghini introduced their new Estoque at 2008 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris a few days ago. Lamborghini president Stephan Winkelmann states that the Estoque is a ‘prototype’, and it’s “for everyday use”.

Not a bad-looking sports car considering it’s an AWD four-door four-seater. The front-end grill and air dams define it as a Lambo for sure, but the side view bespeaks a different influence…Jaguar C-XF perhaps?

2009 Lamborghini Estoque – SuperCars.net

GM Turns 100, Gets Electrified, Introduces Chevy Volt

GadgetManiac — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:10:10 +0000

General Motors was a start-up company 100 years ago today on September 16, 1908. Happy birthday GM!

GM celebrated by officially launching the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The Volt’s 400-pounds of lithium-ion batteries gives it a range of 40 miles, enough for most urban commuting. The car’s 1.4-liter gasoline/E85 engine provides extended range by powering the electric drive unit while recharging the batteries. A full gas tank, together with a fully-charged battery will take you about 400 miles.

The Chevy Volt will be available late 2010. ~$35K before a potential $7,500 green tax credit.

Chevrolet Volt Leads General Motors Into Its Second Century – GM press release, 2008-09-16

Toyota iQ Urban Car

GadgetManiac — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:03:44 +0000

With a length of 2,985mm and height of 1,500mm, with 3+1 seats, the forthcoming Toyota iQ micro urban car is even smaller than the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car.

AutoblogGreen has some nice new pics of the diminutive Toyota iQ, 1 of which is shown above, and must be close to a life-size depiction of the thing.

And LeftLane is reporting that the iQ’s 1L engine may be cut in 1/2 to make room for a plug-in hybrid engine with a range of 15 miles in electric mode.

At a price of 1,300,000 yen, the Toyota iQ is about 6x the price of the Tata Nano. The iQ gets about 50 mpg, while emitting only 99g of CO₂ per Km.