2008 LA Auto Show Green Car Preview
November 11, 2008 by admin
We will be covering the LA Auto Show during the press days on November 19-20. Until then we have lined up preview of some of the Hybrid and Electric cars that will be on display.
This years show could prove to be a real turning point in the future of the automobile as electric cars, hybrid cars and other high mpg designs become the showstopping stars. Pointing the way towards a clean-tech future that enables cars to remain as part of the personal transport solution.
2010 Lexus RX
Toyota officials confirm to TheCarConnection.com that the new Lexus RX is coming to the Detroit show. The refinement and the overall driving satisfaction of the 2008 Lexus RX 350 crossover should carry over, as will a hybrid option. Other tech details, including engine displacement and transmissions, won’t be released for a few weeks. The new RX will measure in at about five inches longer than the current crossover, for better backseat leg room.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
This may be the only car from an American auto manufacturer debuting at the 2008 LA Auto Show that highlights what strides the American auto industry is taking towards improving fuel efficiency. Ford claims it will get 38 mpg in the city and do better than the Camry Hybrid on the highway (>34mpg). The Fusion Hybrid will also show off some new technologies, including the ability to travel at speeds up to 47 mph on electric power alone, and will use the new SmartGauge technology (see below).
Toyota / Scion iQ
With lower carbon dioxide emissions than the Prius — around 159 grams of CO2 emitted per mile by the 1.0 liter gas engine and 166 g/mile for the diesel version — not only does the iQ deliver on fuel economy, but its straight-up conventional engine is a pollution winner too.
Volkswagen Lightweight Coupe/Roadster Concept
It’s been styled under Walter de’ Silva and borrows from VW’s vast parts bin to keep development costs low. This project is resurfacing for “the fifth time in [five] years” so hopefully the project will reach fruition this time, possibly to be assembled in Germany by VW’s longtime partner Karmann. Two other concepts were built but never made public.
A similar idea was the Concept R at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show, designed by Peter Schreyer, and, at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show, the spartan Eco Racer. The latter was an R&D exercise rather than a full-fledged design concept, though. The new roadster has been described as an economy-minded Lotus Elise, designed to be stylish and lightweight but offering genuinely sporty performance in combination with class-leading fuel economy.
It will be based on a midengine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Among the four-cylinders said to be under consideration for the new car is a 170-horsepower, 1.4-liter Twincharger TSI gasoline engine and a new 125-hp, 1.6-liter TDI common-rail diesel power plant, both mated to a a seven-speed double-shift gearbox. The new car could be expected to be an under-2,200-pound model that would combine GTI-style speed, which would mean a 0-60-mph time under 6.9 seconds, and Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion fuel economy.
VW is said to have collaborated with Audi on an aluminum space frame construction. The rumored car has been described as a cut-priced R8 and could use more powerful Audi engines like the new EA888-based 211-hp, 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine and an upcoming 204-hp, twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter TDI common-rail diesel instead of the more frugal VW power plants. Here’s hoping.
Also at the show will be the Green Car of the Year award, given by Ron Cogan’s Green Car Journal. This names the vehicle that most advances the cause of efficiency, while reducing the auto world’s environmental footprint. Five finalists will be named between now and the delivery of the award in mid-November.
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