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Quicc! Diva wins "Car of the Future"
DuraCar Quicc! Diva - Click above for high-res image gallery The Dutch website dedicated to electric and hybrid automobiles, ZERAuto, has been conducting a poll, asking its visitors to rank their favorite ride and offering 12 very nice entrants to choose from. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Netherlands-based DuraCar Quicc! Diva grabbed the top spot and now proudly sports the "Car of the Future" crown, even though it had competitors like the Tesla Roadster and the Pininfarina B0 BlueCar. Putting aside possible nationalistic motivations, it ... Read more →
REPORT: GM execs to meet with Toyota regarding hybrid sharing Jeremy Korzeniewski
2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery Rumors that General Motors may get access to Toyota's proprietary hybrid technology just won't go away. Today, Bloomberg cites two ...
Toyota to build new Prius in Eco-Factory in Japan Sam Abuelsamid
While the argument about whether a Hummer H2 is actually more environmentally friendly than a Toyota Prius has long since been debunked (even if it keeps popping up its ugly head), it does raise a ...
REPORT: U.S. to get four versions of Fiat 500 by 2011, no word on hybrid Frank Filipponio
2010 Fiat 500C - Click above for high-res gallery Fiat is confirming that the U.S. will be getting four versions of the Fiat 500 by 2011. The tiny 500 is the only Fiat model that has been ...
Mulally: Ford's path to profitability based on electrification Jeremy Korzeniewski
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery Ford CEO Alan Mulally says the automaker is on track to return to profitability by 2011, despite posting a record $14.7 billion ...
More manufacturing-plants news
Officially Official: GM to build B-segment cars in Lake Orion, MI 7 days ago on AutoblogGreen
2010 Chevy Spark - Click above for high-res image gallery Following weeks of speculation, General Motors finally made its decision official this afternoon. Its new small cars will be built in Michigan with final assembly taking place at the Lake Orion plant with stampings coming from the nearby ...
REPORT: GM chooses Lake Orion plant to build new small car 7 days ago on AutoblogGreen
2010 Chevy Spark - Click above for high-res image gallery The Detroit News is reporting that sources at General Motors' Lake Orion, MI assembly plant have been told the plant has been selected to build a new small car for the North American market. GM had been considering Lake Orion, near ...
$6.5 billion Chinese hybrid-electric car plant for Mississippi up in the air 8 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Might a $6.5 billion hybrid-electric car factory be coming to Mississippi? Depending on what happens with a lawsuit that has shone light on the previously unknown deal, we think it's a definite maybe. Or maybe not (c'mon, we're bloggers, not soothsayers). Apparently, quiet plans had been afoot to ...
Officially, official: Nissan gets $1.6B DOE loan to build EVs, batteries in Tennsessee 10 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Nissan EV-02 prototype - click above for high res image gallery Nissan has just announced that the Department of Energy has approved its request for a $1.6 billion low interest loan under the ATVM program. The money will be used to update the Smyrna, TN factory to build up to 150,000 battery ...
REPORT: Nissan considering building EVs and batteries in the U.S. 12 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Nissan EV-02 prototype - click above for high res image gallery Earlier this year, Nissan applied for low interest loans under the Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing incentive Program. In order to qualify for those loans, Nissan would have to use it to build something ...
IHS Global Insight report forecasts Dodge Hornet may come by way of Fiat 13 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Dodge Hornet concept - Click above for high-res image gallery So far, the path of the Dodge Hornet from concept to production has been a long and winding road leading to nowhere. We first saw the Hornet way back in 2006, and since then, Chrysler has been searching high and low for a partner to ...
GM and Toyota deny reports of hybrid sharing 14 days ago on AutoblogGreen
2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery Reports have been flying rampant over the last few days that General Motors and Toyota would be entering a joint agreement to share Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology through the two automaker's NUMMI joint venture. It appears the ...
More information on V Vehicle Co.'s Louisiana plant endeavor, high-mpg cars 15 days ago on AutoblogGreen
There was big news out of Louisiana yesterday when new automaker V-Vehicle Co. came out of stealth mode with its announcement that it would start building high-mileage, environmentally friendly vehicles in an idled GM plant. In the hours since, we've found a bit more information about VVC and ...
New automaker V-Vehicle Co. sets up shop in idled GM plant in Louisiana 16 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Wither natural gas? T. Boone Pickens was last heard strongly supporting using the abundant North American fossil fuel as a means of moving the U.S. away from foreign oil. Today, though, the Texas oil man (and almost wind man) was revealed as an investor in a new automotive company called ...
REPORT: New Louisiana auto plant not for Th!nk, will make high-mpg gas-powered cars [UPDATED] 16 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Fisker Karma - Click above for high-res image gallery Plans for a new auto plant will be unveiled later this morning in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. We guessed earlier that the plant would be for the Th!nk CIty EV, but a new report from local newspaper The News Star indicates ...
New Mazda paint system reduces VOC and CO2 emissions 17 days ago on AutoblogGreen
In the ongoing effort to reduce the environmental impact of building cars, automakers are re-evaluating their paint systems (see here). Mazda has introduced a new water-based system at its Ujina Plant No.1 that slashes volatile organic compound emissions by 57% compared to current systems ...
REPORT: New auto assembly plant to be announced this week... perhaps for Th!nk? 19 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Financially struggling Norwegian EV maker Th!nk has been saying for some time that it wants to build some of its cars in in the United States. That announcement could come as soon as this week in Louisana. In a report published in Louisiana newspaper The News Star, factory owner Jim Davison will ...
Toyota will build a car at Mississippi plant, but maybe not the Prius 20 days ago on AutoblogGreen
2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery We've been following the development of Toyota's plant in Tupelo, Mississippi with interest since the automaker first broke ground at the site in 2006, mostly because this is the location where the Highlander Hybrid SUV or Prius hybrid ...
Ford of Europe wins "Green Supply Chain" award for using more barges, trains 21 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Ford of Europe was given a "Green Supply Chain" award thanks to reducing its CO2 emissions along its manufacturing processes. The key factor for Ford in getting this prize was the marque's reduction in truck hauling: Last year, Ford of Europe used 64 percent more sea and river mileage for its ...
GM to select factory for building small cars by the end of June 21 days ago on AutoblogGreen
2010 Chevy Spark - Click above for high-res image gallery General Motors has narrowed down its selection process for its new small car assembly plant to three locations. The Lake Orion, MI plant that until recently built the Pontiac G6 is one possibility as is Janesville, WI which had been ...
BMW expands landfill-methane electrical generation at Spartanburg plant 22 days ago on AutoblogGreen
Since 2002, BMW's assembly plant in Spartanburg, SC has been using methane captured from a nearby landfill site to fuel electrical generators. As part of the current expansion of the plant to support the addition of X3 production, BMW has invested another $12 million to expand power generation from ...
Lamborghini adds solar power to factory, vows to cut range CO2 35% by 2015 26 days ago on AutoblogGreen
In the grand scheme of things, the facilities and products of Lamborghini don't really amount to a hill of beans. After all, the company only has one main factory that produces a few thousand cars a year. While those cars are high-powered and consume a lot of fuel per mile driven, Lamborghini ...
Boston Power plans manufacturing facility for Massachusetts, seeks DOE dollars 26 days ago on AutoblogGreen
The battery makers vying for dollars from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Electric Drive Vehicle Battery & Component Manufacturing Initiative just got a little more competition. Boston Power has announced plans to build an advanced lithium ion battery plant in Massachusetts and is seeking $100 ...
ZAP working on all-electric pickup truck, wants to build in U.S. 28 days ago on AutoblogGreen
In addition to the planned Alias from ZAP, the electric vehicle company reportedly wants to branch into the electric pickup truck market as well. According to the latest in a long line of press releases from ZAP, the company has completed the engineering stage of a project to develop a four-wheel ...
CalMotors launches into the electric and hybrid powertrain market 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
When CalMotors did the electric drivetrain integration engineering for the eRuf project last year, they used an electric motor from UQM. Becoming decidedly more serious about working in the electric and hybrid vehicle space, they now have their own self-branded components for automotive and marine ...
Vancouver 2009: "The main threat to hydrogen cars" are EVs and plug-in hybrids 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Morgan LifeCar - Click above for a high-res gallery By far the most interesting title for a presentation here at the Hydrogen + Fuel Cells 2009 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia was the following: "Threats to the introduction of fuel cell vehicles and how to deal with them." I mean, how ...
EPA will push clean diesel grant money in Ohio on Wednesday 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
In a rare move that probably won't attract the level of controversy or public comments that seem to be standard for EPA announcements these days (e.g.: California waiver), administrator Lisa Jackson will be in Ohio on Wednesday to talk about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grants for ...
VIDEO: Zerocarbonista wind-powered car still being invented 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
It's been a little more than a year since we first started tracking the development of the wind-powered car by Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince. His latest video installment, part 9 of 6 (not a typo), is now available and in it, we catch up on all the latest news and are even assured that the ...
General Motors will build new small car in idled U.S. factory 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Click image above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Spark General Motors announced this morning that it will build a future small car at existing U.S. production facilities beginning at some unspecified date. Also remaining unspecified is the location where the car will be built and the ...
Nissan Japan says green car orders jumped 30 percent in May 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Following the lead of many other countries, the Japanese government recently decided to try and boost sales of green cars with a tax reduction. While the definition of a green car varies, the idea behind the tax rewrite was to promote cars that consume less fuel. In Nissan's case, it also ...
Planar Energy Devices plans to recycle battery factory 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
It goes without saying that we're down with battery recycling, but what about battery factory recycling? Sounds like a pretty good idea to us and, more importantly, it sounds like a good idea to Planar Energy Devices who have plans to do just that. The Orlando-based company is hoping to grab a ...
Sakti3 looks for $15 million grant from Dep. of Energy 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Sakti3, a lithium-ion battery start-up company based in old Detroit got its start in 2007 with the help of University of Michigan professor Ann Marie Sastry. Now, we hear that the company has not only secured $15 million capital for its project, but is also doing paperwork to get an additional $15 ...
Nissan to build EVs at its Oppama assembly plant in Japan 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
As Nissan gets ever closer to Job 1 for its new dedicated battery electric vehicle, the question arises: Where does it get built? That question has now been answered with the announcement that its Oppama factory near Kanagawa will be the initial source of its EVs. Production will start in the fall ...
Chinese automaker FAW announces new-energy (read: hybrid) vehicle factory 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Despite the lackluster sales from rival company BYD, Chinese automaker FAW has announced a new manufacturing plant that will specialize in building hybrid vehicles. Set to be completed in 2012, the automaker expects to build about 1,000 hybrid buses and 11,000 hybrid sedans per year at the new ...
Fiat's partnership with Chrysler could bring the Ford Ka to America 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
2009 Ford Ka - Click above for a high-res gallery To quote the famous Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, "Oh what a tangled web we weave..." In this particular case, the web in question is a global vehicle market with automakers and product lines so intertwined with one another that Fiat's ...
New plant will make litium ion battery packs in Indiana, Senator Evan Bayh to speak at commissioning Friday 1 month ago on AutoblogGreen
Tomorrow at noon near Indianapolis, Senator Evan Bayh will speak at EnerDel's plant for the commissioning of "the country's first commercial-scale production line for lithium-ion automotive battery packs." Expect lots of smiling faces when Bayh helps cut the ceremonial ribbon for the line. EnerDel ...
