Ahh, the fun you can have when an auto show isn't exactly busy. Today at the Chicago Auto Show, we found a 2010 Toyota Prius spinning on a stand all by itself (see also: Saturn Flextreme in D.C. last week). With not all that much to do ourselves, we set the camera to a slow shutter speed and spent some time with our fisheye lens aimed at the car. Turns out, if you fall into the camp that thinks the Prius looks a little like a spaceship, this might be what you'd see cruising through hyperspace (if it looks anything like what the movies tell us). Have fun looking at these and, if you want plan pictures of the new Prius that don't suggest motion sickness, here they are.

Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

Toyota first began researching hydrogen fuel cells way back in in the '90s, and the Japanese automaker has continually refined the drivetrain and platform that houses it ever since. We got the chance to drive the latest FCHV a few months ago, so we were naturally interested to see what makes these cars tick. Fortunately for us, Toyota put a cutaway of one of the hydrogen-powered SUVs on display here at the Chicago Auto Show. See our gallery below.

In its latest configuration, the FCHV features four separate storage tanks that keep the hydrogen compressed to 10,000 psi. After the compressed gas leaves those tanks, it flows through regulators that reduce the pressure to something the PEM fuel cell stack can process. A fresh fill of hydrogen allows the FCHV to travel up to 350 miles.

In order to keep a full load of electrons flowing to the 90 kW permanent magnet, DC electric motor, Toyota equips the FCHV with a 21 kW nickel metal hydride battery pack, similar to what's used in the automaker's line of hybrids. When decelerating, the electric motor operates as a generator and assists in recharging the battery. Pretty cool stuff, huh?


Live photos copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Almost a year ago, we took a brief look at the new line of 3-wheeled "auto cycles" from TriFun, and the 1/4 Ton EXT model made its debut here at the Chicago Auto Show. Because it features not quite four wheels, the TriFun is considered a motorcycle, despite the fact that it's got a fully enclosed passenger compartment.

The powertrain consists of a fuel injected, 4 cylinder, 970 cc engine from Wuling that's hooked up to a standard 5-speed manual transmission driving the dual rear wheels. This engine should prove to be good and reliable, and TriFun claims it returns an average of 42 miles per gallon.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning and heat and an FM stereo that can play CDs and DVDs. Future plans call for a 4-door sedan, a convertible people mover and even a fully electric version all set to debut in 2010.


Live photos copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Tucked away in a corner of the Chicago Auto Show was a booth from Shell Gasoline, and included amongst the tuner vehicles was a Saturn Vue Hybrid that was converted to run on propane. Other modifications to the vehicle include a free-flow exhaust system and air filter, a belly pan for improved aerodynamics and roof-mounted solar panels. We're not real sure what the solar panels are for, but our best guess is that they would allow the Vue's electrical systems to operate without draining the battery.

The best modification, by far, has got to be the cooking grill that's attached to the rear of the vehicle. We imagine, though it's not spelled out anywhere, that the grill runs off the same propane as the vehicle's engine, making this quite possibly the perfect tailgaiting vehicle. How cool is that?

Inside, the interior has been upgraded with seats that are upholstered with leather and Raphia fiber, GPS navigation and a full custom audio system. The entire vehicle has been lowered by 35 millimeters via new springs and then raised back up with 20-inch rims. See our full live gallery below.


Photos copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

To the uplifting sounds of blues music, Kia took the wraps off the new Forte (get it? It's musical and it means "strong." Someone give the naming department a cookie) at the Chicago Auto Show today. The Forte will be available in three trim levels: LX, EX and SX. You can read details about the sporty SX over on Autoblog; here we'll focus on the EX and more luxurious LX versions, as they get the best mileage ratings.

Both the LX and EX use a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine that produces 156 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque. These trims come with Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) and multi-port electronic fuel injection and use either an optional electronically-controlled four-speed automatic transmission or a standard five-speed manual transmission. The EX and LX are also available with an optional Fuel Economy Package, which adds a five-speed automatic transmission to some low-rolling resistance tires to get, and I quote from the press release, "class-leading combined fuel economy of 36 mpg (highway)." That's less than clear, but a quick call to Kia PR and a look at the spec sheet provides these numbers: The LX and EX get 25 city / 34 highway with the 4-speed automatic and 26 city / 36 highway with the Fuel Economy Package. Kia's Alex Fedorak told AutoblogGreen that using the EPA formula, the Fuel Economy Package Forte gets a combined rating of 31 mpg. That 39 mpg diesel Forte that Korea gets? No such luck for the U.S.

Look for the 2010 Forte at dealerships later this spring or in early summer, and expect more from news, including pricing, on the Forte brand later in the year.


Live Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

What Car?'s Car of the Year, the new Ford Fiesta, was sitting at the Ford booth at the Chicago Auto Show sporting a fresh look. All tricked out to promote the Fiesta Movement, the Fiesta was looking pretty good - and very green. Lime green, that is. The Fiesta Movement is Ford's plan to give 100 people a chance to drive one of these small cars - for free, if you're willing to participate in the "secret assignments" - for six months. While we've seen the Fiesta, in various guises, for what seems like ages at auto shows, we still need to wait a while until the car actually goes on sale in North America in early 2010. Right now, the Fiesta is selling quite well in Europe (see press release after the jump).


Live Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

Last November, a hybrid vehicle paced a NASCAR Sprint Cup event for the first time ever. That car was a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and the race was the last of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. We managed to locate the exact car that was used as the pace car up until the green flag dropped here on the show floor in Chicago. Under the skin, this car is exactly the same as any other 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. That skin, though, makes this particular hybrid stand out from the crowd.

Ford had a pretty good day at that race last year, as it was won by Carl Edwards in a NASCAR-spec Ford Fusion race car. Sure, the two vehicles share absolutely zero components besides the badge on the grille, but we're sure Ford was happy to have its new Fusion sedan bookend the event.


Photos copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Ford has now confirmed that the new Transit Connect small van will form the basis for its first new battery electric vehicle that will launch in the second half of 2010. Ford is very excited about electric vehicles and we first learned that Ford planned to introduce a Transit Connect EV when the company's viability plan was submitted to Congress in December. Since then, speculation has been rife about which vehicle would form the basis for the new EV, with most indicators pointing at either the Transit or Transit Connect. Part of the reason for that is that Smith Electric Vehicles of the UK has already developed battery-powered versions of both of those models.

At a background briefing prior to the Chicago Auto Show, Ford's VP of product development, Derrick Kuzak, revealed that Ford was working with Smith to bring the Transit Connect EV to market next year. While Kuzak declined to provide much detail on the vehicle specs, volumes or pricing, some hints can be gleaned from the Smith EV website. The model sold by Smith as the Ampere adds a 24 kWh lithiun ion-iron phosphate battery pack to the Transit Connect.

The standard 2.0L four cylinder gas engine is replaced by a 50 kW electric motor. Together, these systems yield an expected range of about 100 miles on a charge and a top speed of 70 mph. The Ampere also has a payload capacity of 1,764 lbs. With that kind of payload, even a likely real world range that is considerably less than 100 miles shouldn't do much to dampen the utility of such a vehicle for a lot of customers. At least at first the Transit Connect EV will only be offered to commercial operators. The rest of us will have to wait another year for the Focus-based EV.


[Source: Ford]

Nissan will still be MIA from the Detroit Auto Show in January, but the company's plan to skip the Chicago show the following month has been reversed. Automotive News (subs req'd) is saying that, while Nissan felt it "had reached its intended audience" at the recent LA Auto Show - where it unveiled the Cube - and so wanted to lay low for a while. Apparently, Nissan dealers opposed the absence and now Nissan will participate in the Chicago show while "still demonstrating the fiscal responsibility required by these challenging times."

It's way too early to know what Nissan might highlight in the Windy City, but it's a good bet that the NV2500 concept will be there. There's one obvious option the company could (should, probably) show off to make the point that a Nissan is on the right track: information on the electric cars that Nissan and Renault are working on with Better Place (see projects in Sonoma County, Oregon and the San Francisco/San Jose area). Sure, there might not be any shiny metal to display, but who needs it when you can talk about your zero-emission, soon-to-come cars?


[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

Some people use airport layovers to sleep, read, or get a meal. Sam and Sebastian took the opportunity to record AutoblogGreen Podcast #19. While waiting for a plane to whisk them back home from the Chicago Auto Show, we recapped a few things we saw at the show. It wasn't the greenest show we've seen, but they have the biggest building, by their own admission. A few things left impressions on us, first of which was the GMC Denali XT. The Zeta variant is the first use of GM's Two-mode hybrid system on a passenger car platform. Other exciting GM news is the announcement that ICM and Coskata will be working together to build a cellulosic ethanol plant. Ford came out with a couple of ideas aimed at truck customers that could boost CAFE numbers. The Transit Connect is a right-sized utility van, and their new Work Solutions system could be a stealthy way to improve economy. Honda has hybrids and diesels coming, and Toyota will be trying to add lightness to its fleet. Our interview this time around is with Bridgestone's Dan McDonald about their "One Team, One Planet" initiatives.

Thanks for listening!


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