Generally, a car produced in 2008 will be cleaner than a similar car produced in 2000. This is due to advances in all sorts of areas (exhaust emissions control, weight savings, powertrains, etc.). A car rental company called Auto Europe is really stretching the environmental value of a new car with its latest campaign to rent Peugeot 308s for 45 days. I mean, the announcement is titled, "Go Green and Save on Fuel and Rental Costs with Auto Europe's Peugeot Open Europe Lease Program." Sure, the technology in a new 308 means it's cleaner than older Peugeots, but renting a car for a month and a half - in Europe where it's often not hard to find good public transportation - doesn't seem like the best way to "Go Green and Save on Fuel." Especially not for $39 a day ($1,755 over the 45 days), plus ~$7 a gallon fuel costs. You can ride a lot of buses and trains for that kind of dough.Posts with tag peugeot
Auto Europe tries to sell 45-day leases of the Peugeot 308 as "fuel saving"
Generally, a car produced in 2008 will be cleaner than a similar car produced in 2000. This is due to advances in all sorts of areas (exhaust emissions control, weight savings, powertrains, etc.). A car rental company called Auto Europe is really stretching the environmental value of a new car with its latest campaign to rent Peugeot 308s for 45 days. I mean, the announcement is titled, "Go Green and Save on Fuel and Rental Costs with Auto Europe's Peugeot Open Europe Lease Program." Sure, the technology in a new 308 means it's cleaner than older Peugeots, but renting a car for a month and a half - in Europe where it's often not hard to find good public transportation - doesn't seem like the best way to "Go Green and Save on Fuel." Especially not for $39 a day ($1,755 over the 45 days), plus ~$7 a gallon fuel costs. You can ride a lot of buses and trains for that kind of dough.Continue reading Auto Europe tries to sell 45-day leases of the Peugeot 308 as "fuel saving"
Rumormill: Citroën planning new subcompact minivan
French magazine Autoplus has published pictures of what the new subcompact van from Citroën might look like. Currently, Citroën offers three people-movers: the large, eight-passenger C8, the Xsara Picasso and the recent C4 Picasso (in both short- and long-wheelbase versions).
Citroën is adding a new member to the minivan family which should measure in at under 4 meters. The new model, due in late 2009, is going to be built on the Citroën C3/Peugeot 207/Citroën Nemo platform. It will share components with the quite-unsuccessful Peugeot 1007 (pictured above) and will compete directly with the Renault Modus. Expect the whole array of PSA's HDI engines to power the model.
[Source: Autoplus]
PSA looking to offer new three-cylinder low CO2 engines
PSA Peugeot Citroën, already Europe's leader in low CO2 emissions, is planning on introducing a new line of small-bore three cylinder engines. It seems that the French automaker is keen on keeping their eco-friendly reputation, as this information comes shortly after we heard that PSA plans to make its Stop & Start system standard across its line. Their one liter three cylinders are expected to offer from seventy to one-hundred horsepower. PSA's "aim is to offer the market vehicles with CO2 emissions below 100g/km with no additional technology." We would imagine that this line of engines, especially when equipped with stop/start technology, will be quite the fuel misers. Currently, there's no word on what vehicles these engines are slated to be installed in.To make their ambitious goals a reality, PSA is setting up two manufacturing sites to build the engines. The first operational facility will open in 2011 and have a capacity of 600,000 engines per year.
[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]
Intelligent Energy and PSA Peugeot Citroën unveil H2Origin
Click on the image for more high-res shots
Based on a Peugeot Partner Origin van, the H2Origin zero emissions urban delivery technical demonstrator (that's a mouthful!) has just been unveiled by Intelligent Energy and PSA Peugeot Citroën. The delivery van is powered by electricity and gains additional juice by way of a 10kWh hydrogen fuel cell system from IE. Together, the batteries and fuel cell can offer up a range of 300 kilometers (over 180 miles). In order to accommodate refueling needs, the empty compressed hydrogen tanks can be exchanged with fresh tanks. Without the fuel cell, range would be cut by two-thirds. Full press release after the break.
Gallery: PSA Intelligent Energy H2Origin
Continue reading Intelligent Energy and PSA Peugeot Citroën unveil H2Origin
Peugeot to designers: "Imagine a Pugeot for the megapolis of tomorrow"
Click on the image to enlarge
Tomorrow usually just means tomorrow... as in the next day that you wake up. Sometimes, though, the word tomorrow takes on a slightly different meaning, as it does for the 2008 Peugeot Design Competition. Think of a time in the not-too-distant future. What does the city look like? How do people move around? If you're thinking of something that looks similar to today, maybe you're not quite right for this particular contest. According to Peugeot, a company with a history of quirky designs, judges will be looking for "a concept car to be designed for use in the centre of the great urban cities of the future, while embracing the key values of the 21st century and at the same time, bearing all of Peugeot's recognized styling clues. Submitted entries must integrate all the four dimensions specific to this design competition: environmental friendliness, social harmony, interactive mobility and economic efficiency."
Today's urban settings hardly look like what Peugeot describes, so we're looking forward to seeing what young designers have in store for the future. FYI: 2007's winner is pictured above. Full press release after the jump.
Gallery: Peugeot P.L.E.A.S.E. Concepts
Continue reading Peugeot to designers: "Imagine a Pugeot for the megapolis of tomorrow"
Peugeot to create a diesel hybrid Le Mans car, possibly racing in 2009!
Peugeot may well be the first team to run a hybrid vehicle at Le Mans and it looks like it will be a diesel, too. New Peugeot CEO recently told the French paper L'Equipe that a diesel-hybrid prototype is currently under development and that it may make some trial runs as soon as this June at Le Mans. Collin also said the car would begin racing in 2009. Peugeot Sport team manager Serge Saulnier, however, is being a little more cautious, acknowledging that a diesel hybrid is in the works. However, Saulnier would not confirm when the car would appear in public. Peugeot has already shown several diesel hybrid concepts based on production 307s and 308s and has acknowledged that they are planning to introduce such a powertrain in the next few years. Toyota may also be making a return to Le Mans as soon as 2010 possibly with a gas-electric hybrid. Let's just hope they bring some of these cars over to the American Le Mans Series and really spice things up.
[Source: AutoWeek]
Peugeot releases new transmissions for the 308 which increase efficiency
The 308, one of the toughest competitors in the European compact hatchback market, is getting some improvements that increase efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.
First of all, the Peugeot 308 will be fitted to a new 6-speed manual transmission which allows lower rpm at cruising speed and increases mileage. If you add Michelin's Fuel Saver tires to this transmission mated to the highly praised 110 HP 1.6 HDi, the 308 gets about 52 mpg U. S. and produces 129 g/km CO2. However, there's also a second transmission option: a 6-speed Electronic Gearbox Control which removes the need for a clutch pedal and changes speeds in 0.4 seconds. This also creates greater fuel efficiency, which means that, when mated to the 90 HP version of the 1.6 HDi, the mileage stays at 52 mpg, but CO2 emissions go down to 120 g/km. And, last but not least, there's a third transmission that Peugeot is installing in the 308: a 6-speed automatic with tiptronic-like controls for the most powerful diesel available, the 136 HP 2.0-liter HDi. Finally, a new base-entry low-polluting gasoline engine model has been added to the line up: a 1.4 liter VTi good for 95 HP.
Currently, Peugeot is selling up to 7 versions of the 308 which produce 120 g/km CO2. All PSA models are guaranteed to work with biodiesel mixtures up to 30 percent (B30).
Gallery: Peugeot 308
[Source: Carpages]
British National Farmers Union takes delivery of B30-capable Peugeot 308
The National Farmers Union in Britain has just taken delivery of a new Peugeot 308 that is being fueled by B30. The biodiesel being used in the Peugeot is produced from locally-grown canola and used cooking oil. Jonathan Scurlock, the NFU chief renewable energy adviser will be using the 308 as he drives around the country on official business. The fuel is being supplied by Harvest Energy and is produced entirely from local sources in England. The company is trying to demonstrate the sustainability of locally-grown crops for biofuel production. While the net energy benefit of canola biodiesel is debatable, it does have some definite advantages such as no sulfur which provide cleaner emissions than petroleum diesel.
[Source: Peugeot]
Continue reading British National Farmers Union takes delivery of B30-capable Peugeot 308
Next-gen Mercedes small cars could pick up current MINI motors
Although rumors of late have gone back and forth about whether Mercedes-Benz and BMW would collaborate on a platform for the next generation A/B class and MINI, the latest report has a new direction. AutoBild is now reporting that Mercedes will develop their own platform but use a direct injected version of the engine that PSA developed for the MINI. Other recent reports had BMW looking for a new engine partner for the next MINI, so it's unclear if Mercedes will just take BMW's place in the partnership with PSA or join in as a third party. Mercedes could also partner with Fiat on the platform which would underpin both of their smaller cars. The only thing we know for sure right now is that we don't know anything.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Frankfurt 2007 videos: Fiat ecoDrive, Peugeot Flux, Chevy Trax
Above is a video all about the Fiat ecoDrive. It's a USB device that logs how you are driving and with the help of Microsoft, takes over the world. Actually, that was Plan A. Plan B is to log how you are driving, transfer the data to your via USB and PC software will give you tips on how to lower CO2. It will be in most Fiat cars soon. Below the fold is another video with great highlights from the Frankfurt Motor Show including a concept hydrogen roadster by Peugeot called Flux. The video also mentions the contest Chevy is having where you vote for one of three small cars and they will make it. I added a video of the Trax because it's clearly going to win.
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Frankfurt 2007 videos: Fiat ecoDrive, Peugeot Flux, Chevy Trax
Peugeot 908 livery unveiled - View our gallery
We have shown you the Peugeot 908 racecar a few times now, and even video of the machine on the racetrack. Now, we can show you the official livery of the vehicle. Interested? Check out the gallery, hosted over at Autoblog.
The reason that this vehicle is here on the green side of things is the diesel engine which powers it. Similar to the Audi R10 racecar, the hope is to take advantage of the fuel mileage benefits of the diesel engine over its petroleum-fueled competition. Audi did this to good effect last year, dominating the racetrack when it was on the grid. Peugeot hopes to do the same this year.
Two diesel powered racecars on the track this year, hydrogen powered racers, ethanol and hybrid powered rally cars. Maybe it's not so hard to be green after all?
[Source: Autoblog]
PSA, QinetiQ, and Ricardo create the Efficient-C diesel/electric hybrid - Plus Gallery
click photo to enter high-res image gallery
In response to the UK government's Department for Transport issued its Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge (ULCCC) to the auto industry in 2003, Ricardo teamed up with PSA Peugeot Citroën and energy storage specialists QinetiQ to create the Ricardo consortium. The team came up with the Efficient-C, an efficient C-class automobile.
The Citroën Berlingo compact MPV was chosen as the demonstrator vehicle. According to project leader Dave Greenwood, this vehicle was chosen "to show that the technology can be applied to a basic family car and that it does not require advanced streamlined carbon-fibre bodywork or any limiting of practical utility... I think that diesel hybridization is the only currently available technology-based solution capable of bringing a significant breakthrough in terms of consumption and CO2 emissions in the European market."
Continuing, Greenwood added, "We chose a 1.6 litre HDi engine, almost identical to the standard unit in the Berlingo, as our starting point, and linked it to a 288 volt, 23kW motor generator."
Other specifications are standard for the hybrid class of vehicles. A 288 volt lithium-ion battery with a DC\DC 12 volt converter for the remaining 12 volt accessories, and regenerative braking. Breaking from the pack, instead of a CVT transmission, an automated 5 speed manual was chosen.
At this time, the only remaining hurdle is the price. The system costs three thousand pounds more than the standard diesel model. They are hoping to release the vehicle only after the price can be reduced. Click here for the rest of the story from Autospeed in Australia, and here for our gallery.
Gallery: PSA Efficient-C
Related:
[Source: Autospeed]
Diesels coming Mitsubishi's way via PSA Peugeot Citroën
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and PSA Peugeot Citroën have announced that they have signed an agreement that will see PSA Peugeot Citroën supplying Mitsubishi with diesel engines. The agreement is an extension of an existing arrangement struck between the companies last year to develop a new SUV platform. We covered Mitsubishi's interest in entering the clean diesel market in our powertrain technology wrap-up.
The state-of-the-art 2.2L common-rail, direct-injection diesel engines will be delivered to Mitsubishi from mid-2007 on. Offering great environmental performance including a particulate filtration system, Mitsubishi is planning to add the engine as an option towards the end of the year in its new Outlander SUV which goes on sale in Europe this month. The new Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser models will also utilise the engine when they are launched mid-year.
Related:
[Source: Mitsubishi]
Continue reading Diesels coming Mitsubishi's way via PSA Peugeot Citroën
Peugeot Moodif squeezy design concept
I'm not too sure of the actual relationship between Iliya Bridan's squeezy Moodif design concept, and the Peugeot motor company, but its an interesting idea either way. Perhaps Iliya chose to brand his creation as a Peugeot because they're more likely than anyone to make a vehicle with these looks?
While still well in the realms of computer generated models, the Moodif is said to be created and inspired with future technologies and benefits in mind. The main design element of this futuristic hornet-esque design is the central flexible, rubber-clad shaft that can be stretched or contracted by 88 centimeters / 34 inches to aid the driver in squeezing into tight parking spaces. This same mechanism also allows the front of the vehicle to swivel up to 18.5 degrees for more manoeuvrability.
Visually, the rear of the car is like one large rubber bumper with a fake exhaust pipe positioned in the centre emitting only water as this concept is apparently a hydrogen hybrid.
[More photos after the jump]
Related:
[Source: Yanko Design via HybridCarNews]
Anti-SUV group protests French automakers at Paris Motor Show
Last April, a handful of representatives from European and U.S. groups campaigning for more fuel-efficient cars gathered in Brussels to form what they're calling a global 4x4 campaigns network (or 4x4Network). The purpose of the gathering was to share experiences and knowledge in their common environmental cause and to plan joint action for the future. A couple of the more notable member organizations are Jumpstart Ford from the U.S. and the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s based in the U.K.
The group took their first public action recently at the Paris Motor Show where activists wore green helmets and stood between the stand of French automakers and the public. According to a press release, the green helmets symbolize the environmental equivalent of the blue helmets worn by the international peacekeeping forces which seek to prevent the escalation of armed conflicts.
The protest was a reaction to announcements of new 4x4 models made by French car manufacturers. According to 4x4Network, the move signals a failure of voluntary agreements with the EU to reduce carbon emissions. Blake Ludwig from the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s says that "the fact that the French car manufacturers are willing to market yet more SUVs, despite rising fuel prices and falling sales of these cars, is indicative of the lack of strategic insight within the automobile industry in general."
The press release doesn't specifically name the vehicles 4x4Network was protesting. A handful of SUVs debuted in Paris such as the new BMW X5, Land Rover Freelander and Mitsubishi Pajero, but the only French SUVs announced to my knowledge were a Peugeot that will use the Mitsubishi Outlander platform and the Renault Koleos which is slated to get a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder diesel engine. I'm also slightly confused as to why the group is focusing on French automakers. The press release does say that "French manufacturers have so far concentrated on making small and efficient cars," but I'm not sure why a history in efficiency should single them out in a public protest when other automakers continue to sell polluting SUVs in large quantities.
While I champion the underlying cause of the group (i.e., more fuel-efficient cars), I'm not sure I understand their actions. Hopefully, they'll release additional information revealing a bit more detail.
[Source: 4x4Network via ITV Motoring News]
