Author Archives: Laurent J. Masson

About Laurent J. Masson

Motor Nature, green cars with joy of driving. Hybrids, electrics, hydrogen and biofuels from expert European eyes.

Volkswagen tests its electric Golf in Belgium before bringing it to the U.S.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

The Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-Motion isn’t available to regular customers yet, but after several appearances at auto shows all around the world, the car is being tested in a growing number of locations in Europe. As a German car,

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Rinspeed Dock+Go concept or how to make a small EV more versatile

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht has never suffered from a lack of imagination. His creations always add a touch of burlesque at the Geneva motor show, and this year won’t be exception. At the Rinspeed stand, M. Rinderknecht will … Continue reading →

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Will there be a hybrid version of the new Kia Cee’d?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

Kia Motors will unveil a new generation of its important Cee’d model, at next month’s Geneva motor show. This model has never been offered in the American market, and Kia hasn’t released any plans to change that. But this model … Continue reading →

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Linde group purchases Choren’s Carbo-V technology, to make the best biofuel on the market

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

From vegetable oil to alcohols, there are many biofuels on the market, but none ever looked more promising than the Sunfuel coming from Choren. This is a second generation biofuel. It starts and uses the entire plant, or even agricultural … Continue reading →

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Ratan Tata keeps on investing in turbines at Bladon Jets

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

Everybody remembers the fabulously beautiful Jaguar C-X75 prototype that was the star of the Paris motor show in 2010. Besides its stunning looks, it had something unique: 2 turbines. They came from Bladon Jets,

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Racing at Le Mans in a hybrid, Audi will be there

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

The rumor proved true. Audi will have 2 hybrids racing at Le Mans in June. They will battle with the 2 Toyota hybrids, and that will make 4 hybrids racing. It’s more than we had dreamt! Even more exciting, the … Continue reading →

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MQB: Modular Transverse Matrix, when Volkswagen wants to maximize economies of scale

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

Volkswagen introduced something new this week. It’s not a car, nor an engine. It’s more like a set of common parts for different models. Volkswagen calls it Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB in German). The goal is to lower production costs … Continue reading →

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Big trucks on natural gas, Europe’s going the same way as the U.S.

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

When U.S. President Barack Obama’s unveiled a tax break for commercial trucks that run on natural gas, last week, Americans were not the only ones to listen. Europe has been looking in the field for quite a few years. In … Continue reading →

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The best car for taxi use in Germany isn’t German

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

German magazine Auto Bild did something unusual in its 20th January edition. Instead of writing about cars for private use, it went looking for the best car to use as a taxicab. The choice is wide for German taxi drivers. … Continue reading →

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The Toyota TS030 hybrid, made for Le Mans, to improve racing fuel economy

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Laurent J. Masson

Toyota’s announcement to race a hybrid car at Le Mans 24 Hours raised of a lot enthusiasm, but also many questions. Sure, the Prius is a great car, praised the world over, but it’s a fine road car with average … Continue reading →

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