CNET TV has a video report from the Geneva Motor Show on the CNG Porsche boxer clone we told you about recently. Below the fold is a promotional video specifically for the compressed natural gas roadster. You won't find any updates to the news we know about this vehicle - except, perhaps, that it made it safely to the show, but now you can watch the car in motion and feel a little bit like you've ridden in it yourself. Also, if you can read German, you'll notice that the "producers" of the video are No Particulates Less CO₂. Nice, huh?

[Source: CNET TV, YouTube]

BRA GmbH, PGO Automobiles and gasmobil partnered to create PGO Cévennes Turbo-CNG roadster, a car they will introduce at the International Auto Salon in Geneva (March 6 to 16). They are taking pre-orders now and may take the car into production as a series depending on demand. Interested? The projected price for this car is €48,000 (US$70,000).

The roadster has a top speed of 210 kph (130 mph) and does 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds. It has a 4-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, 6-speed manual transmission and a maximum output of 110 kW (150 hp) at 5,600 rpm, with maximum torque of 210 Nm (155 lb-ft) at 2,300 rpm. As for fuel economy, it gets 6.7 liters gasoline equivalent/100 km, or 35 miles per US gallon and has a range of 450 kilometers (280 miles).

But who cares about fuel economy with a beauty like that, huh? There is a video below about what looks to be the classic version of the PGO Cévennes. I can't tell: The entire thing is in French. Still worth a watch for any roadster fan.

[Source: Treehugger, Green Car Congress, YouTube]

The United Kingdom's Environmental Transport Association (ETA) annual awards have named the Honda Civic Hybrid Britain's greenest car for the second straight year. Finishing ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa 13.CTDi and Toyota Yaris 1.4 Diesel, the Civic won out for its superior combination of engine size, fuel consumption, noise pollution and safety impact on pedestrians.

The award for Greenest Off-Roader went to the Toyota RAV4 diesel and the Greenest Luxury Car award went to the Jaguar XJ 2.7 diesel. The wrong end of the list was dominated by luxury brands including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin, proving that making a car really fast still requires a lot of petrol.

Top ten green cars:

• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi
• Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D Manual
• Renault Modus 1.2 16V VVT
• Daihatsu Sirion M300
• Citroen C1 1.1
• Toyota Aygo 1.0 Manual
• Peugeot 107 Manual
• Daihatsu Charade Manual
• Fiat Panda 1.3

Top ten worst cars:

• Lamborghini Diablo Roadster
• Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster
• Ferrari Supermerica
• Ferrari Scagliatti
• Bentley Azure
• Bentley Arnage RL
• Aston Martin Vanquish
• Aston Martin DB9 Manual
• Bentley Continental Flying Spur
• Ferrari F430 Spider

Analysis: Small, light vehicles get great fuel economy and are unlikely to mow down pedestrians while large, fast sports cars are made to go even faster by using bigger engines that suck more fuel. That's why the Tesla Roadster is such a revelation - a fast, sporty vehicle that runs on electricity and has zero emissions. By the looks of this list, it will have the other sports cars beaten hands down for environmental performance for a while yet.

Related:

• Cameron Diaz in the Tesla Roadster = porn?
• Honda Accord Hybrid to pace Indy series for 2007
• Ecorazzi highlights Q'Orianka Kilcher and her Honda FCX with video

[Source: AutoTrader.co.uk]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the KTM X-BOW.

Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has spent over 50 years building fast, austere motorcycles aimed at performance purists. Moving beyond their ready to race bikes however, KTM has announced that they're bringing their first four wheeler to market which will make its first public appearance at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Reminiscent of the Ariel Atom, the KTM X-BOW roadster is a four wheeled motorcycle track car for the road which looks something like a cross between a Lotus Elise and a go-cart. It employs a 70 kg carbon fibre monocoque chassis design, the same safety technology used in Formula One racing, which provides the driver with outstanding rigidity and safety. Matched with the the race-tuned suspension and a compact, modern four valve FSI engine, 0-100 km/h times are under 4 seconds. Not surprising considering the entire vehicle weighs just 700 kg / 1,543 lbs.

Similar to the Hypercar concept, the KTM X-BOW utilises high-tech, light-weight materials to reduce the size of the engine and offer better performance; it's just in this case that performance is translated into speed, not lower fuel economy. The carbon fibre monocoque used has until now been reserved for the highest levels of professional racing and super cars. But through a new construction and production process developed with Italian racing car specialist Dallara, the cost to mass produce such materials has been cut from the traditional price of US$500,000 plus to less than US$100,000.

Analysis: Reduce the weight some and you can reduce the weight even more. For example, the X-BOW is so light that it doesn't need power steering. If KTM achieve their desired 500 units per year output, mass produced carbon fibre automotive construction will be one step closer.

Related:

• Interview with Michael Brylawski of RMI, part one - History of the Hypercar
• How long until we get one? A short history of the ultralight RMI Hypercar
• Brisbane Motor Show: BMW's new 3 Series Convertible

[Source: Gizmag]