Nissan is slowly giving up details about the Nuvu, an all-EV concept that will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. According to the Japanese marque, it's a "new vision" about the type of cars we'll be driving during the mid 2010s. It's a small vehicle, only 3 meters (about 10ft) long and can seat 2+1 passengers (the +1 is an additional folding seat). The Nuvu is an all-electric model and, although it's not the model that will be on sale in 2010, it showcases new technologies that will be used for the future production model. No specifications about range or power were given, but Nissan tells us that it's got a 1.98-meter wheelbase (6.5 ft), it's 1.70 meters high (5ft 7in) and 1.55 meters (5ft 1in) wide. The Nuvu also incorporates solar panels in the shape of a branch and leaves on the car's roof to feed some juice to the car's battery. Nissan also said that the car uses natural, organic and recycled materials to create an "airy and roomy" interior. If produced, this sounds like a competitor for the Smart and the Toyota IQ, for sure.

[Source: Nissan]

Click above for more high-res shots of the Honda OSM.

Honda has unveiled a new roadster concept at the British International Motor Show. Named the OSM (for Open Study Model), it shares space with the Honda FCX Clarity and the CR-Z sports hybrid on the Honda stand. Although the press release (found after the jump) does not mention which powertrain defines the prototype as "low emission," it does mention that it's a lightweight vehicle. Honda's intention is to design a car where style meets green credentials. "We're trying to show that low emission cars can be attractive," says Andreas Sittel, Project Leader for OSM. "There is no reason why a car that's more environmentally friendly can't look great too – and be sporty and fun to drive."

[Source: Honda]

BergToys has a great idea for a human-powered children's toy: Moov. The concept is your basic kid's big-wheel or push scooter but the parts of the toy are interchangeable and they allow a child to make several different kinds of vehicles. The creativity of the child is also opened up because they can create vehicles not in the manual. How about a unicycle? Hey BergToys, make one for us bigger kids because I wouldn't mind transforming my mountain bike into a scooter or a recumbent three wheeler. Want one for junior? The website says "We are doing our utmost to complete it a.s.a.p." Can't wait! In the meantime, check out the video of the Moov below the fold.

[Source: BergToys]

Easily the hottest green car at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show was the Sintesi, Pininfarina's hydrogen fuel cell concept. Below the fold is an amazing video of the unveiling of the car. Also below the fold is a quick look inside the car by AutoCar. Autoblog also took some amazing close up shots of the exterior and interior of the car you can see in the gallery below. Hydrogen fuels calls are very far away but Bolloré and Pininfarina did enter a partnership to a build a four-seat, 155 mile range electric in 2010. Will the Bolloré and Pininfarina produce an electric car that looks like the Sintesi? Keep your fingers crossed.


[Source: YouTube, Autoblog]

The GMC Denali XT concept debuts at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show this week. The flex-fuel, two-mode hybrid pickup truck reminds me a lot of Toyota's A-BAT hybrid pickup concept. The Denali XT has a more coupe-ish look and feel than Toyota's A-BAT. As you can see in the video above, GMC uses the paint job to make it look lower than it actually is. The low-slung, car-like look of the pick-up is not an illusion though: the Denali XT concept is based on the same chassis as the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro.

If the Denali XT is ever released (GM management is still deciding), it will not only be the first flex-fuel hybrid but the first hybrid pickup that also comes with direct injection, active fuel management, cylinder deactivation, and has a combined MPG rating of 25 MPG, all while churning out 326 horse power and 3,500 pound towing capacity. The Denali XT is the perfect example of how the new CAFE standards impact vehicle design. I seriously doubt GMC would have done something like this if not for the new CAFE standard.

[Source: YouTube]

Seems the test drive date is not the only thing changing about the Volt. Bob Lutz tells Wired News the Volt will sell for more than the originally estimate of $30,000. How much more? Costs might go down on the second-generation Volt but Bob leaves open a price close to $40,000 for the first-gen Volts. Here is exactly what he said:

WN: What's the target market for the car? Will it be a high-end car, a mid-range car?
Lutz: I've always said I'd like to be able to sell it at around $30,000. The way things look now, it doesn't look like that's going to be possible. It looks like it's going to be more.
WN: How much more?
Lutz: I don't know. You'd like to have it at about $30,000 for the customer, but what I'm hearing from the team is we're not going to get there. They say we might get there on the second generation, and they say if they had a lot more time they might be able to cost-optimize it. I don't want to wait for cost optimization. I'd rather come out in 2010, and if it costs closer to 40 than 30, well, that's too bad.

When will we get to the see the new Volt design? "That I can't tell you. Sooner rather than later. I'll just say that" says Bob. I hope that design change is not too dramatic Bob. I don't know if I can take news of another big change.

[Source: Wired News via GM Volt]

Tom Albert of Alexandria, VA, and Nick Williams of Washington, DC. will test drive fuel cell Equinoxes for the next few months. GM North America Sales VP Mark LaNeve handed over the keys to Tom and Nick at the 2008 Washington Auto Show this week. In the video above, Tom and Nick talk about how they came to be a part of the Project Driveway program. Tom says his wife, Heather, is expecting a baby in two weeks and Nick could not top that explaining he learned about Project Driveway on the internet. If you can't make it to the show but want to know more about GM's fuel cell vehicles, post a question in comments and I will ask on your behalf. The Washington Auto Show is over in just two days, so post your question quickly.

Episode 18 of the Autoblog Green Podcast sees us reminiscing about the North American International Auto Show, recently passed in Detroit. We start with the reconfigured Saturn Vue Hybrid from AFS - the "extreme hybrid" claiming a narrowly defined150 mpg. AFS's claims point up the need for a new way to accurately rate mpg for hybrid and plugin powertrains. We touch on the Chrysler green trio, and Saturn's own Vue Two-Mode - one of three versions of the Vue that will have a flavor of hybrid powertrains (two mode, li-ion/phev, mild).

Everyone in Detroit had a Diesel, too, many displacing 2.2 liters and having four cylinders. We also talk abit about Ford going mainstream with their EcoBoost engine technology rather than trotting out ever larger V8s - big power doesn't always mean big cubes, and EcoBoost is more than small motors with big compressors strapped onto the exhaust manifolds. We wrap up by touching on the news that the ALMS series will see a fleet of Corvettes running cellulosic E85. The rules of the series allow lots of different technologies to run wheel to wheel, so alternative powertrains could be the next area where we see racing improving the breed. 43 minutes, and we're done, thanks for listening!

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In an interview, Ichiro Sugioka, project leader of Volvo's Recharge electric car concept, says PML FlightLink is "currently working exclusively for us." If that was not clear enough, Ichiro adds "all their efforts is going into our projects." The interviewer presses for more information, even mentioning PML's relationship with Lotus, but Ichiro is very clear. You can see this exchange three minutes into the video below the fold.

Why is this notable? Green car fans will recall the PML's in-wheel motors were going to be a key part of the Zap-X. I guess we should have noticed the relationship was probably over because Zap said it had some exclusive rights with PML and then PML started to work with Volvo. Companies don't write press release saying relationships have fallen apart. So, what does this mean for the release date for the Zap-X, the Lotus-designed, affordable, electric car?

Zap never made an exact release date for the Zap-X public, so it's hard to say the date has slipped. I would assume the internal date must have slipped a little bit. While Zap makes great products, they are probably one of the more out-sourced electric vehicle companies. I always imagined Zap, Miles or Tesla would be bought out sooner or later by a large automaker trying to catch up.

This little soap opera makes me think the top automakers just might bypass the middle man and work with the smaller technology companies instead.

Related:

• Volvo could develop a robot that plugs in your car
• Frankfurt Preview: Volvo ReCharge - The Swedes go series hybrid
• Zap! does deal for wheel motors
• Video: 900 miles without a fill up

[Source: Google Video]

The first video below the fold is Mazda's Director of Design, Franz von Holzhausen talking about the Furai concept at the Detroit Auto Show. The Furai is a racing concept that runs on E100 (100 percent ethanol) and the car's design is inspired by the wind. The video includes a look at a really cool pop-up wing in the middle of the Furai.

The second video below the fold is the Furai on the race track with sounds you really have to hear. You will never believe that's corn ethanol making that noise. Also below the fold is a video that takes a look at the inside of the Furai and its very cool steering wheel.

Related:

• Detroit 2008 Preview: Mazda Furai concept
• Detroit 2008 Preview: Mazda Furai completely exposed

[Source: YouTube]

If all of the AutoblogGreen coverage isn't enough for you, you can see all the new cars at the Detroit Auto Show, in a live, one-hour special tonight at 9 PM Est on CNBC.

The video above is a close look at the interior and back of Toyota's concept hybrid truck, the A-Bat. WARNING: In the video above, after CNBC takes a look at the A-Bat, they laugh at a miscalculation in the Chrysler's stampede stunt involving gay ... you have to watch.

This video is an interview with Jim Lentz, Toyota's U.S. president, where he confirms Toyota will show two new hybrids cars at next year's Detroit Auto Show. Jim said this while standing next to Toyota's new non-hybrid SUV, the Venza.

[Source: MSNBC]

Have you heard about Aeromovel, a train that is driven by compressed air? You can see the train (which has no on-board motor) as it uses a sail-like propulsion device on what looks like traditional train tracks in the video above. It's currently in use in Brazil and Indonesia. Below the fold is a video of a vehicle that can only carry one person but has access to a street car's network of rails. Usually, street cars are designed to carry lots of people. Oh, another strange thing about the personal street car concept vehicle is it looks like a flying carpet.

Related:

• Videos: London's Heathrow airport to use driver-less, electric POD transport system
• Video: Car-free city coming 2009
• Video of "naked streets" and how banning stop lights will save gas
• Cool videos: street lamp electric bubble car, Disney's 1958 hovering solar car

[Source: YouTube]

The video above shows us an early look at the Land Rover "baby" LRX concept before it debuts at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show this month. The video includes Land Rover's design director Gerry McGovern saying the LRX "clearly conveys messages that we take sustainability seriously." The LRX is the smallest SUV Land Rover has ever made and includes an green "economy mode" which makes the car's internal lighting literally turn green. The LRX will also have a diesel/electric hybrid power train and gets 40 miles per gallon. Wow, someone give Rover a bone!

Related:

• Move over crossovers, 2008 will be the year of the Super-Mini SUV (Top 10 list included)
• Frankfurt 2007: Land Rover goes all mini
• Land Rover to show driveable hybrid prototype this year
• Study commissioned by Land Rover finds small cars are bad for the environment
• Land Rover going aluminum for next generation Range Rover
• Geneva Motor Show: Details of Land Rover's new CO2 Offset program

[Source: YouTube]

The video above is an interview with the winners of the LA Auto Show Design Challenge, Robocar 2057. The VW designers imagined cars that stand upright, which allows for higher traffic density. On the slipstream highways, things really get interesting as the car rotates to a flatter more aerodynamic position. The cars have spiked wheels that let them drive on the side of vertical highways. The cars also have a wing on the rear that keeps the back aloft. The vertical highway idea reminds me of the magnetic highways in the movie Minority Report. The standing car idea reminds me of I-Real. Below the jump, find a video interview with the director of the Design Challenge.

[Source: YouTube]

Deutsche Welle English has a great video on YouTube called Made in Germany | Top Secret: Experimental Vehicles that includes a look at a DaimlerChrysler hybrid engine still in development. Fire your corporate spies top American automakers and just watch this video above that includes passing a key card locked door with a "no cameras" warning symbol before entering the DaimlerChrysler lab. After making sure the voltage is off, they go inches away from the hybrid engine, take close up shots and the staff just starts talking about it. All the reporter gets is that it's four cylinders before you see them really start to back off on giving out any details.

The video above also includes the design of the cork interior to the vehicle which became the F-700, the DaimlerChrysler concept limo with DaimlerChrysler DiesOtto enging. The video is a little dated because it was uploaded by Deutsche Welle in September 2007 and the F700 was shown at 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. With Detroit Auto Show coming up, I thought it was still very interesting to see how a car made it from sketch to car show floor. The video above is part 2 of 4 and you can watch remaining videos below. Enjoy!

Related:

• Mercedes will debut F700 with DiesOtto engine at the Frankfurt Motor Show
• Frankfurt Preview: Mercedes-Benz F700 concept with DiesOtto engine
• Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F700 research vehicle with DiesOtto

[Source: YouTube]