Monthly Archives: August 2010

Verso S: Toyota’s back to the small MPV party in Europe

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

11 years ago, Toyota launched an innovative small MPV, the Yaris Verso (left picture). A real MPV, but less than 4 meters in length. It was cheap, fun, and with a huge interior relatively to its modest exterior dimensions. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in City cars, Family cars | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Could the Ford Mondeo be a better car than the Fusion?

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Next Focus will be a true world car. But the current model is not. There are different Focus for each side of the Atlantic, and that is also true for the car above the Focus in Ford’s range. It’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean diesel, Family cars | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Audi A1′s now available in Europe

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Audi is luxury brand, everybody will agree. That makes the German manufacturer going the opposite way of Asian brands. Hyundai is trying to move upmarket (with this Genesis and Equus), and with this little A1, Audi’s trying to appeal to … Continue reading →

Posted in City cars, Marketing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Venturi introduces the 307-mph battery electric car

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

This is no ordinary electric car. It has been officially clocked at 307.7 mph. That is the average two-way speed the Venturi Buckeye Bullet attained at Bonneville, with official certification from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) pending. Actually, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric cars (EVs), Racing | Tagged , | Comments Off

Hear the noisy humming Prius coming

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

You heard it before. It’s about the electric or hybrid car that nobody hears coming. Representatives of blind people have complained several times that these new cars need to get noisier to alert cyclists and pedestrians about their proximity and … Continue reading →

Posted in EVs motors & drives, Hybrids, Safety, Technology | Tagged , | Comments Off

The Honda Jazz hybrid will be unveiled in Paris

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

The Honda Insight is already the cheapest hybrid on the market. The new CR-Z is barely more expensive, but Honda has no intention of going upmarket so far: its next hybrid will be its smallest model, the Jazz. A great … Continue reading →

Posted in City cars, Economy cars, Hybrids | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, the first French hybrid

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Have you ever seen a French hybrid? I did, on many, many, occasions, I even drove a couple in 2004 and 2006, and I think the first time I’ve seen a French hybrid was in 1991. It was a Peugeot … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean diesel, Family cars, Hybrids | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Ford introduces real-time remote battery monitoring

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Ford is working on several electric and plug-in hybrid models for the near future. For all these cars, batteries are the most coveted element. The most expensive single part, and also the most crucial. Every large car manufacturer now has … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric cars (EVs), EVs batteries and BMS, Technology | Tagged | Comments Off

Is Porsche going soft with its future 918 hybrid?

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

When you think of Porsche, one thing comes to mind: racing. First! A Porsche is made for racing. Of course, I know Porsche is making the Cayenne, an SUV. And the Panamera, a sedan. But the heart and soul of … Continue reading →

Posted in Plug-in hybrids, Racing | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Skoda Superb 1.6 TDI, what a small diesel can do

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Unknown in the US, Skoda is a Czech brand that belongs to the Volkswagen group. The Superb is its flagship, it comes as a sedan or a wagon. A rather large car by European standards, it’s about the same size … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean diesel, CO2 emissions, Family cars | Tagged , , | Comments Off