They Can Be Taught!

I've been reading up on some of the numbers emerging from the American "Cash For Clunkers" program and I have to admit I find much of it encouraging. It's great to see that many are taking advantage of the governments money to make responsible choices.

The program, for those outside the United States, encourages people to trade in their older, less fuel efficient vehicles for newer, cleaner ones by offering a pretty generous incentive... up to $4500 (US). To get your full share of the $4500 from the government the new vehicle purchased to replace the old one has to get at least 10 mpg fuel efficiency. A lesser improvement will get less incentive cash.

This article on CNN.com is particularly interesting. While over 80 percent of vehicles traded-in were light trucks (SUVs, pickups and vans), 59 percent of the new vehicles purchased were passenger cars, thus proving something I've said for ages.... many people who drive SUVs don't actually need them. They're poseurs.

Also, of the top 5 cars purchased, only one hybrid (the Prius) is among the top 5, and it's outside the top three. People making responsible choices are still buying gasoline powered cars.

In any case, thus far the Cash For Clunkers program has seen an increase of over 35% in fuel economy when the new cars are compared to the older cars traded in. No matter how you look at it, that's a good thing!

What Happens When Cars Go On a Diet?

Everything, including fuel efficiency, get's better.

Who Is To Blame For Inefficient Cars?

What could this car do in 1986 that the vast majority of cars today can't?

It got 50 miles per gallon.... and that was without any sort of hybrid technology, special computers to manage the fuel consumption, or the power of a flux capacitor.

Twenty three years later there are just a handful of cars in showrooms across America capable of getting 50 miles per gallon.

And whose fault is that?

The consumers!

And the government.

And the automakers.

Michael Le Roy blames the consumers in his article printed in The Spartan Daily. I'm only partly inclined to agree. He writes:

"Imagine owning a car that achieved 50 miles per gallon. It would not be some fancy hybrid that would have the newest in battery technology or a special computer to manage the mileage. No this car would be a 1986 Honda CRX.

A Honda CRX is tiny, and despite being more than 20 years older than a Smart Fortwo, it gets nearly equal or better gas mileage.

You might be wondering why modern cars such as the Smart Fortwo and Prius are not getting better gas mileage. Where is the technological advancement over the past 20 years?

A reason why modern cars get poor mileage is because they are just too damn heavy."

At this point I totally agree with him. The cars we drive are definitely too heavy.

"Consumer demand for luxury and government safety regulations have weighed down cars. The combination of couch-like comfort and the safety of a Panzer tank have made cars into fat pigs. All this added weight affects gas mileage and the range of electric vehicles.

Modern sedans weigh more than 3,000 pounds. Keeping with the Honda weight comparison, let's look at the Honda Accord.

A first generation model that came out in 1976 weighed around 2,000 pounds. A 2008 model is 3,200 pounds.

If you look back at the Honda CRX there is no wonder it got great gas mileage. It also weighed around 2,000 pounds, did not have to comply with modern emissions requirements and would be crushed like a tin can when hit by a 4,500 pound modern sport utility vehicle."

Again, good points. But read between the lines... "consumer demand for luxury" is only a part of the problem. Consumers also demand size. Everyone wants bigger and better. People are so self-absorbed they aren't willing to make any compromise. They buy the biggest car with the biggest engine they can afford.

Here in North America the many foreign (read: Euro and Japanese) automakers all offer V6 engines in the cars they sell, while those same vehicles sold anywhere else in the world only come with 4 cylinder engines. In some cases, here in North America we can only get the 6 cylinder model, while the rest of the world has smaller, more efficient options available to them. BMW is a perfect example of this... their 1 Series only sells with the 6 cylinder engine in the US and Canada, while Europe gets a seemingly endless list of engine options ranging from fire breathing performance to frugal & efficient.

And who is to blame for that?

Where I really don't agree with the writer is the "I feel safer in a bigger vehicle" argument, which has been proven a fallacy. And besides being false, it wouldn't even be an issue if those 4500 pounds SUVs hadn't been foisted on the general driving population by the greedy automakers looking to sell their highest profit margin vehicles in the first place.

"We can only blame ourselves when it comes to cars on the market having relatively poor gas mileage. Our demand to tack on stuff such as heated seats, emission equipment and side air bags have greatly diminished gas mileage."

On this point I disagree with Michael. The blame isn't only on the consumer. I blame the automakers for pushing their larger engines on us in the first place. The BMW 1 Series is a car I'd happily consider as my next vehicle IF one of the diesel options was available. 75% of my annual driving in my daily commute, and as much as I'd love to drive the hottest baby Beemer available, that would be a total waste of resources. A diesel powered 1 Series would be the best of both worlds for me... the dynamics that I want, with the efficiency I need. Unfortunately for me, BMW doesn't sell any diesels, nor any small displacement engines, in the North American 1 Series, and the last time I asked they said they had no immediate plans to start.

"If federal law and consumer demand allowed, car companies would happily sell high gas mileage models that are currently sold overseas. Japan has a number of 660cc cars that get more than 50 miles per gallon and are far cheaper than a hybrid. The problem is no American would buy them. American consumers have also ignored high gas mileage, diesel-powered cars.

Car companies are trying to release gas-efficient models. They are not evil corporate entities that wish only to destroy the planet. The automotive industry would love to sell you a 200 mile per gallon car as long as they could make a profit."

Again, I can't agree here. Some companies are just starting to look at offering efficient vehicles in North America, but compared to other countries in the world, the US and Canada (to a lesser extent) are far behind. If the car companies really were trying to release more efficient models, where are all the small displacement engines? Why are most North American models now selling with larger engines than there were a decade ago?

Eight years ago I purchased a Mazda Protege5. The only available engine was a 2.0L. That same year the sedan version of the Protege was available with a 1.6L, and a 2.0L. For the 2010 models that are in dealerships now, the only available engine options are a 2.0L and a 2.5L in either the sedan or the hatchback.

In England, the Mazda3 sedan is available with 1.6L or 2.0L (gasoline powered) engines, and the Mazda3 hatchback is available with 1.4L, 1.6L, or 2.0L (gasoline powered) engines, as well as 1.6L and 2.0L (diesel powered) engines.

So who's to blame? The consumers for "demanding" more, or the automakers for only offering more?

"Even though Chevrolet is not doing too well right now, they do have models coming out that provide descent gas mileage. The 2010 Chevy Cruze will have a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine that Chevy claims will get 40 miles per gallon. That is nearly hybrid territory, all without a battery pack. With a base price of around $16,000 the Cruze will be very competitive, providing the car lives up to General Motors' claims. The car will also be relatively light by modern standards, at 2,900 pounds.

The next Prius will get 50 miles per gallon, but the Cruze will still be the better deal. If the next generation Prius comes in at $22,000, the Cruze will still undercut it by $6,000. That much money will buy approximately 80,000 miles worth of gas for the Cruze.

The automobile industry would like to manufacture lighter and more fuel-efficient models, but currently the only way to do that is to either make them less safe or use expensive composite materials.

Higher prices or less safety - pick your poison."

Now the Cruze is my kind of car... except that it's ugly. But that's just a matter of taste. It's small, light, and is propelled by a small engine using turbo technology to give it some extra power when needed. Turbos are a great thing. They give you power when you need it, but don't add any extra consumption when you don't need it (ie: most of the time you're rolling down the highway with the cruise-control on).

The rest of the world gets it! When will we?

Source: The Spartan Daily

"Greed Is No Longer Good"

I've been meaning to put this link up since forever ago, but have just been so busy I kept putting it off. The link has been sitting, unused, on a tab in my Firefox since the 12th of February.

Autobloggreen.com has an article up with the transcript of a speech given by John Krafcik, the President & CEO of Hyundai Motor America.

He talks about why the automotive business has been so much maligned in recent years and how their actions have caused them to be perceived as "bad guys who care little about our own customers and the world we live in."

No, really?

He goes on to say "Another revolutionary step we can take is to embrace improved fuel economy as an indisputable social good. There's really no point in arguing about the veracity of climate change when you stop to consider the finite supply of oil, and the turmoil that our present consumption habit is fueling in the Middle East. It's abundantly clear that improved fuel economy makes sense for our industry and for our country. [...] As an industry, we need to take a longer term view of our environmental strategies. That means stepping up and getting ahead of the regulators where that makes sense. We think that time is now."

Now that is interesting. And I can't help but applaud an auto exec who has the guts to get on a stage and make a statement like that in public, especially in North America.

The full transcript of his speech can be read HERE.

Go Green: Drive a Porsche!

No really, it's true.

This Porsche 911 gets better gas mileage than my 4 cylinder family sedan!

I'm as shocked as you are. And I'm wondering how I can convince my boss that my next company car should be a 911, so I can save the company money, of course...

Seriously though, German ex-racer Klaus Niedzwiedz proves, once again, that how you drive is as important as what you drive. He was able to hypermile the 3.6L, 345hp sportscar exactly 400 miles (648 kms) on a single tank of gas through city streets, over country roads, and down the Autobahn... all while maintaining an average speed of 52 mph (84 kph), with his top speed being 81 mph (131 kph).

That works out to 42.2 miles per gallon (Imperial), 35.1 mpg (US), or 6.7L/100km.

That's astonishing!

It doesn't hurt that the Porsche employs some high-tech engineering like direct injection, as well as a 7-speed PDK gearbox which enables you to drive 130 km/h while keeping the engine revving under 2000 rpm.

Source.

What Car Buyer's Really Want

According to a Survey done by BMW in Britain... 75% of buyers would not buy a hybrid. Why? Because while 20% of buyers actually do look at CO2 emissions when car shopping, "three quarters of motorists would purchase a lower-emissions car only if it saved them money". Saving money is by no means the same as saving gas.

You can read the full BMW press release HERE.

It's All In The Spin!

Earlier this week when I was looking around the lexus.ca website for the facts & figures used in the previous article I came across the "Lexus Hybrid Drive" section of the site with headings on "Benefits", "How It Works", and "Hybrid Myths". Some of it was well presented and honest, but a few "facts" were so rife with spin I got dizzy!

A few examples:

A Powerful Statement
Lexus Hybrid Drive is an advanced gas-electric hybrid system that delivers significant environmental benefits without sacrificing power or performance.

First... I hate anyone that justifies hybrids primarily by declaring them to be a statement!

Secondly, are the environmental benefits truly significant? As I brought out in my last article about Lexus, in the case of the GS450h, it only uses 4.6% less fuel than it's conventionally powered counterpart. That's hardly significant.

I will admit that it does indeed do so without sacrificing power though. After all, you've got 2 powertrains working together to do the work of one, so of course it will end up being more powerful.

But what about performance? Performance can be measured in a multitude of ways. Since we can assume that these 2 cars will be fitted with many (if not all) identical parts outside of the powertrain, that means "performance" in this case can be boiled down to two things: power, and weight (since the extra motor + the batteries to power it weigh a few hundred pounds).

-GS350
Horsepower: 303@6200
Torque: 274@3600
Weight: 3795

-GS450h
Horsepower: 340@6400
Torque: 267@4800
Weight: 4134

The hybrid does have a slightly better power to weight ratio, which means acceleration will be somewhat better. But since it weighs over 300 pounds more, braking and cornering will suffer. A lot!

It would be like having my ex-wife in the backseat all the time!

Next:

Lexus Hybrid Drive vehicles are significantly more efficient than their non-hybrid counterparts. While fuel consumption is lower for both city and highway driving, city driving requires less fuel because the electric motors are often used exclusively at low speeds.

Yes I will agree that city driving with a hybrid uses a lot less fuel since you spend more time rolling on electric power, as well as having the benefits of start/stop (which conventional vehicles are soon starting to get).

But yet again... there's the word: significant. 4.6%... significant? Not in my opinion.

In the "Hybrid Myths" section:

Hybrids Cost An Arm And a Leg
There is an initial added cost outlay, but it's not nearly as significant as you might think. You'll also benefit from available government rebates, reduced service costs and fuel savings. The Lexus GS 450h gets almost 25% better fuel-economy than its conventional cousin, the GS 430.

The people at Lexus seem to have a very fluid perception of what "significant" means. A 4.6% savings in fuel consumption is "significant", yet a 38% increase in MSRP is "not nearly as significant as you might think".

How stupid does Lexus think their customers are?

As for benefiting from government rebates... here in Canada (after all, I'm reading lexus.ca) there is only one of the three Lexus hybrids that gets that rebate, which is a mere $1000 (on a $55,000 vehicle).

As for the claim that the 450h gets 25% better fuel economy than it's conventional cousin, the 430... it's true, but that's only because they are powered by two entirely different engines! The 430 is powered by a 4.3L V8, while the 450h is powered by a 3.5L V6! Lexus is comparing apples to oranges. There's 2 extra cylinders and nearly 25% difference in displacement between the 2 engines, so of course the bigger one would use more gasoline.

Compare apples to apples Lexus... conventional 3.5L V6 vs hybrid 3.5L V6.

But wait, you don't really want to do that because 4.6% isn't nearly as significant as 25%.

Sorry Lexus.... you've got some very nice looking vehicles, but your hybrids are not nearly as great as you proclaim them to be, and the lack of respect for your customer's intelligence is appalling!

If you want to read more of their nonsense and spin, feel free to visit their hybrid page for yourself.

Lexus Says "Hybrids Aren't Just a Transition Technology"

"They are here to stay."

So claims Andy Pfeiffenberger, the head of Lexus Europe. Perhaps in the future things will be different, but in their current state, hybrids are nothing more than a band-aid. And if what they have now is all they have to offer, Toyota/Lexus is in a very sad state.

For starters, hybrids as we know them now do very little to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. The fact is, they still need gasoline to run. Sure they may use a bit less, but like I said... they're just a band-aid. Hybrids on our roads today are doing little to wean us off gasoline, and nothing to promote alternative energy solutions.

Just look at the hybrid offerings from Lexus themselves:

The GS450h is the hybrid version of the GS350. The 350 is powered by a 3.5L V6 and gets a combined EPA rating of 10.7L/100kms (22mpg). The GS450h is powered by the same 3.5L V6 (I wonder where they got the 450 nomenclature from?) but with the addition of the electric motor puts out a few more horsepower, while consuming 10.2L/100kms (23mpg).*

That's a grand total of 4.6% improvement in fuel efficiency! (And don't forget that they both need Premium pump gas too...)

Wow!!

That figure is even more amazing when you factor in the price. What does the privilege of 4.6% improvement in fuel economy cost you? Try $11,250 in the United States, or $18,200 in Canada!**

Let's do the math on that:

In the USA it will cost you about 25% more to save 4.6% on gas.

In Canada it will cost you over 34% more to save 4.6% on gas.

Andy Pfeiffenberger had better hope Toyota/Lexus can come up with something much better than that if they truly believe that hybrids aren't just a transition technology and really are here to stay.

*Fuel economy figures taken from fueleconomy.org.
**Price differentials based on MSRP, taken from lexus.com and lexus.ca respectively.

Speed matters!

For the sake of science, I've been making a nuisance of myself over the past month and a half. How so? By sometimes driving exactly speed limit... aside from the occasional Prius, I felt like I was about to be run into more often than not. Why was I doing this? Read on.

Common sense dictates that driving slower uses less gas! It's simple logic... if your engine turns less RPMs, then you are therefore pumping less fuel through it and creating less power.

But, exactly how much does slowing down save? (Or conversely, how much does speeding up cost?)

Over the last little while I've been keeping track of how my speed affects my fuel economy. Using a Scan Gauge (an essential tool for all hyper-milers and anyone concerned with saving gas) I've been able to verify just how much (or how little) fuel I use during my daily commute. Unfortunately, there's far too many variables involved in my entire commute to give anything close to accurate numbers for comparison.

However, there's one stretch of exactly 16.0 kms which is generally congestion free. Many mornings I can turn on the cruise control and not have to touch a pedal for the duration. This doesn't always work though, and from time to time my test was binned because I had to either slow down or speed up to avoid getting into, or causing, accidents.

This stretch includes a few curves in the highway, 3 underpasses, 2 overpasses, one long uphill, and another downhill section.

I ran many tests at varying speeds, alternating randomly between 100kph (the posted speed limit), 105kph, 110kph, and 115kph. The speed driven on any particular day was chosen randomly. The randomness was to prevent any one factor from unduly influencing the results. Things like aerodynamic drag (tried not to spend too much time behind any other cars on the highway), temperature (it was marginally warmer when I started running these tests), the amount of gas in the tank (full vs. empty, different weight), etc. were hopefully negated by averaging out multiple tests over nearly two months of trials. Results that were inexplicably high or low (severe headwind/tailwind perhaps) were thrown out.

Below are the results of 5 different trips at each speed, taken on entirely random days over the last 6+ weeks.

100 kph:
6.8L/100km - 6.5L/100km - 6.4L/100km -6.4L/100km - 6.5L/100km.
Average: 6.52L/100km

105 kph:
6.8L/100km - 6.7L/100km - 7.2L/100km - 7.0L/100km - 6.8L/100km
Average: 6.9L/100km

110 kph:
7.3L/100km - 7.2L/100km - 7.6L/100km - 7.2L/100km - 7.4L/100km
Average: 7.34L/100km

115 kph:
7.8L/100km - 7.7L/100km - 8.1L/100km - 7.9L/100km - 7.7L/100km
Average: 7.84L/100km

So what does speed cost?

Driving 5% faster than the speed limit costs 5.9% more in fuel.

Driving 10% faster than the speed limit costs 12.6% more in fuel.

And finally, driving 15% faster than the speed limit costs you 20.25% more in fuel!

I'd like to try higher speeds to see exactly how much fuel consumption increases with every 5kph, but there are consistantly police along this particular stretch of highway as well, in at least four different spots, so going any faster for the sake of this blog just isn't worth it.

The increase is definitely steep though. Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed, and therefore increases fuel consumption sharply. Looking at my numbers above you can do the math and see that 20% faster than the 100kph speed limit will cost roughly 28-29% more in fuel.

So, is driving fast worth it to you? I suppose it depends how late you are.

Or how much money you want to burn.

VW Jetta TDI Sets Guinness Record

Congrats to Helen and John Taylor, who set a new World Record by driving their 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI around the United States (the lower 48) while achieving a record setting overall fuel mileage of 58.82 miles per US gallon. That is 70.64 miles per Imperial gallon, or 3.99L/100km.

The trip of over 9,400 miles used just 11 tanks of gas and cost them only US$653.06.

You can learn more about them and read a journal of their entire trip on their official website.

(Image courtesy vw.ca)

Volvo's DRIVe Technology

I think it's absolutely great when an automaker steps back for a moment, takes a look at the vehicles they produce, and asks "how can we make this just a bit better without sacrificing the car itself?"

That's exactly what Volvo has done with their DRIVe technology, which analyzes a vehicle's efficiency and then optimizes it for economy. Volvo calls it a "holistic approach to eco-performance"... which I find irritatingly haughty sounding, but that's just me. The principles and technology involved are totally sound.

Volvo took their diesel powered C30, S40, and V50 and looked at 4 different areas of each of the cars and optimized them accordingly: they reduced aerodynamic drag, they lowered rolling resistance, they used higher gearbox ratios, and a finally, implemented a more efficient driveline.

The end result: an average increase in fuel economy of about 10% over the equivalent standard models, which were already very efficient cars to begin with.

Take a look at the cars in the picture... aside from the unusual looking wheels you can't really see a difference, can you? It just goes to show that automakers can make a difference when they put their minds to it.

Read all the details HERE at greencar.com.

Monday News Quickies

I don't have a lot of time today to get into everything I'd like... but I did see a few articles over the weekend that I want to highlight.

First of all, Mazda is working on developing synthetic plastics. Since plastic is a petroleum based product, using it to lighten cars (to improve fuel economy) isn't exactly an entirely winning situation since it still would be reliant on oil. By working to develop synthetic substitutes for plastic, Mazda is effectively working on backing away from any reliance on oil. As I've mentioned here in the past, they're also working on a brilliant start/stop technology (much better than the usual way at least...) which I very much hope will be available sooner rather than later. When my current lease it up I'll be looking for a vehicle with start/stop and Mazda would easily be at the top of my list if theirs is out in Canada by then. Finally, they have a very interesting looking 2.2L diesel in the works too. It'll be sold in Europe sometime in '09, paired with their start/stop tech, which makes me hopeful that it will soon after find it's way to North America.

Next, Audi is working on an intelligent system that communicates with stop-lights on the road ahead and informs you as to what speed you should travel so as to arrive at the light when it's green. This is a fantastic idea that has to potential to greatly improve fuel economy by eliminating the constant stopping and accelerating that's associated with city driving. As you're driving down the road towards an intersection, you would know that if you decelerated a bit to 50kph instead of 65kph, the light ahead would be green when you get there, instead of you driving all the way to the light, coming to a stop only to have to accelerate again 3 seconds later. Maintaining a constant flow would pay dividends in your own fuel economy, as well as help improve traffic flow in general.

FIAT has yet another special edition 500 ready to sell... this time styled by Diesel, not fueled by it. Personally I love small, quirky cars like the FIAT 500, and while this particular edition is pretty nice looking, it's only skin deep. (The upcoming Abarth Edition is much more interesting to me.) The Diesel 500 is nothing more than some new colors, a little badging here and there, and some interior refinement. They call it an "Urban Survival Vehicle"... uh, ok. In any case, at least they're standing by their statement that going green means reducing size! (Image courtesy autoblog.com)

Chrysler Engineers Try Something New: Thinking

Using nothing but the power of their brains, engineers at Chrysler have managed to increase their minivan's fuel efficiency by 8%! Yes, instead of just slapping a bunch of random parts together and pawning it off on soccer moms across America, they actually took a few moments to think about what they could do to make their vans a little friendly at the pump.

According to them:

A re-tuned six-speed transmission and higher numerical first gear launches Chrysler and Dodge minivans more briskly than a comparable four- or five-speed transmission. The engine also provides smaller steps between ratios, which means the engine speed changes less with each shift, creating a smooth driving dynamic, with improved fuel economy.

(When they say "the engine also provides smaller steps between ratios" I'll assume they meant that in actuality the transmission provides smaller steps, since engines have nothing to do with gear ratios.)

Yes, instead of trying to fit just one more cupholder into a van which already had more cupholders than seats, they decided to apply a little engineering know-how to make the van go further on a tank of gas. A random side-effect of this usage of their brains is that they made it smoother to boot.

Wow!

Other automakers take note: More Gears = Better Mileage.

I'm surprised nobody came up with this sooner.

Oh wait... sports cars have been using 6 speed gearboxes for years. And Mercedes equips a few of their sedans with 7 speeds...

A Keen Grasp Of The Obvious

"Friends Of The Earth" have done a study as part of their forlesspollutingcars.com initiative and have come up with the following revelation after questioning 5000 people in various Eurpean countries:

Two thirds believe that lowered fuel consumption would allow citizens to spend their money in other ways, which would help the economy.

Wow! That's brilliant! Who ever could have imagined that money NOT spent on gas could subsequently be spent on something else far more interesting?

Getting Better Mileage Is As Easy Changing Your Driving Habits

As I often say, there's no need to sacrifice your driving enjoyment to the tree-hugging hybrid gods just to get better gas mileage. While it's true that commuting in a huge car with a gas guzzling V8 is generally pointless, fuel efficient driving can still make a dent in the economy of that pointless car. Of course, making a responsible choice when buying a vehicle in the first place helps too.

But regardless of what car you drive, changing your driving habits can help keep money in your pocket.

BMW Bringing 3 Series Diesel to NA, But Not The 1 Series Diesels?

According to THIS ARTICLE at autobloggreen.com, BMW has plans to bring the refreshed, diesel powered 3 Series to North America this fall. Or I should say, a single diesel powered model of the refreshed 3 Series. The 6 cylinder 335d looks pretty interesting, especially when you look at the performance numbers: 0-60 just over 6 seconds flat, 265 horsepower, and (the most impressive number) 425 lb-ft of torque!

Even though they're only bringing the diesel over to our shores with an automatic 6-speed gearbox, that torque number alone is enough to ensure that there will be plenty of get-up-and-go no matter which gear you're in.

When you consider those performance figures along with the usual "driver enjoyment" traits that BMW brings to the table with all their models, you've got a solid package. However, when you factor in the fact that this diesel will do all that while also getting a combined fuel mileage of 35 miles per US gallon (42 miles per Imp gallon / 6.72L/100km!!) you've got a potentially great package!

Unfortunately, it seems BMW doesn't have much faith in selling diesels to North Americans quite yet since only only their highest performing diesel 3 Series, the 335d, will sell in North America this fall, because in Europe they also get 4 cylinder diesel 3 Series, the 320d. While it doesn't boast performance numbers that are quite as impressive (177hp, 0-62 in 7.9 seconds) it does get a combined fuel mileage of 49 miles per US gallon (58.9 miles per Imp gallon, 4.8L/100km!!).

The new 1 Series is no better off. When I asked BMW when/if they would bring more variants of the 1 Series to North America their response was:

Unfortunately, there are currently no communicated plans to offer other variants of the BMW 1 Series in Canada. There are many variables that come into play when looking at introducing new models/variants but it is possible that we will see the hatchback/diesel models in the future.

Give it time though. As gas prices continue to rise, so will the demand for fuel efficient cars. And with that will come more of these performance oriented diesels.

Audi Pushing Diesels Over Hybrids

Not only does Audi make the best diesel powered race cars, but they are also very adept at making great diesel powered sedans, coupés, and roadsters. They even make a diesel crossover (in Europe only), but the Q7 is outrageously hideous so I'll just pretend they never stooped so low.

What Audi doesn't make is a hybrid!

Why not?

According to Johan de Nysschen, the boss at Audi Of America, there just isn't really any point for the manufacturer, nor the consumer. Referring to the previously mentioned abomination... er, Q7... he wants to delay the launch of a hybrid as long as possible - if not indefinitely - given today's currency exchange rate and the low projected volumes for the vehicle.

"The price premium of the hybrid under these conditions would negate the savings to consumers, as well as eliminating any profit margin for the automaker."

No surprise there. Nor am I the only person to point out that a hybrid doesn't really save you much coin. They're really nothing more than a high-priced fashion statement.

But I digress...

Back to de Nysschen:

“I'm not pushing engineering to hurry up. We don't need hybrids for all segments for Audi in the U.S.”

“I'd like to see hybrids pushed out two more years.”

Like the other major German carmakers, Audi sees diesels as a better option in the U.S. than hybrids. Given the fact that a hybrid only really shines in slow, stop-and-go city traffic, while a diesel can greatly outperform it on a highway at speed, it makes perfect sense.

(In any case, I believe that large SUVs and crossover should be banned from city centers, or at the very least heavily taxed if they want to be driven downtown already. The last thing any downtown core needs is excessively large passenger vehicles occupied by a single passenger taking up far more room than they can possibly require!)

But I digress... again...

Unfortunately, Audi also recognizes the well-entrenched perception by North American consumers that hybrids are a better solution.

In Europe, diesels account for more than 50% of all new car sales across all the major brands. It's not just an econobox or delivery truck thing anymore for them. Prestige brands like Audi, BMW, & Mercedes all have significant diesel lineups. But in North America it's an uphill battle for them. The market here has been greenwashed into believing that hybrids are unbeatable when the fact is, they aren't. They're merely one way to cut fuel consumption... but by no means are they the only way.

Advertising By Association

Hybrids are cool, right? They're the "in" thing right now. The demand for better fuel economy is increasing exponentially, and since hybrids are perceived as the greenest automobiles around, everyone wants to get on the hybrid bandwagon.

Even if their car isn't a hybrid.

Renault recently announced that they're bring the "micro hybrid" technology called "start-stop" to every model in their lineup by 2010. Great! Shutting down the engine instead of idling at stoplights is a great idea. It's something I do myself at lights I know to be particularly long, especially if I roll up to one just as it's turned red.

But why is Renault calling this a "micro hybrid" technology? There's nothing hybrid about it.

A hybrid, by definition, is "something, such as a computer or power plant, having two kinds of components that produce the same or similar results." Hybrid cars have two different powerplants, both of which are able to propel the car down the road on their own, or together.

BMW has implemented start/stop technology in their conventional gasoline & diesel powered "Efficient Dynamics" cars, and other automakers are working on getting it on their models as well. Mazda developed a start/stop system of their own, ostensibly even more brilliant in that they need neither a battery pack, nor a starter-motor to restart their engines. Their SISS (smart idle stop system) will appear on Mazda models as soon as 2009!

Shutting a gasoline or diesel engine down at a stop is not a hybrid. It's a smart idea, improving fuel economy by up to 10% (or more in city driving) but there's still just one kind of engine motivating that car.

Automakers need to call a spade, a spade and stop trying to greenwash their products, calling them something they aren't!

MPG Test: BMW M3 vs. Toyota Prius

I was going to call this post "Friday Eye Candy" but unfortunately there's a Prius in the video as well.

In any case... take one beautiful sport sedan, the 'bahn storming BMW M3 with it's 4.0L V8 pumping out 414 glorious horsepower and then pit it against every fuel misers darling, the supposedly economical Toyota Prius in a no-holds-barred Miles Per Gallon shootout!

The results:


Ignore the part in the intro where Clarkson mentions that the construction of the Prius is more enviromentally damaging than that of a Land Rover. While there is a certain amount of truth in what he says, it's not quite that simple. (If you want to know the whole story, you can read all about it HERE at thecarconnection.com.)

I'm sure that the Prius drivers of the UK were already several sentences into their hate-mail before the credits rolled, but the fact remains, as he said at the end, that how you drive can be more important than what you drive.

BMW's Efficient Dynamics

BMW's "Efficient Dynamics" is a collection of technologies developed and/or implemented to improve the efficiency of their vehicles without sacrificing what makes a BMW a "BMW". They recently showcased these technologies in North America when they brought the Efficient Dynamics demo car, a 118d, to New York.

The program uses features such as Auto Start Stop (turning the car off when at a stop in neutral to save fuel and reduce emissions), Brake Energy Regeneration (using the brakes to charge the battery to power accessories instead of allowing it to parasitically feed on the engine, again reducing fuel consumption), and Electric Power Steering (which means the power steering only functions when the wheel is actively being turned, differing from a hydraulic system which feeds off the engine at all times).

Other features of the program include a Gear Shift Indicator, so you can shift at the best time for optimal efficiency, active air vents to reduce aerodynamic drag when the engine doesn't need cooling, and RRR (reduced rolling resistance) tyres.

BMW is even working on a hybrid... and if anyone could change my mind about driving a hybrid, it's BMW. In the mean time, you can read more about their Efficient Dynamics at their international website, HERE, and then wait for them to eventually bring it all to the North American market... one day.

In the mean time, hopefully technologies and ideas like these will be adopted by many other manufacturers in their own line-ups. These are all smart ideas, some very simple even, each of which alone makes a small improvement in fuel efficiency, but together can make a significant difference in mileage and emissions at the end of the day!

All without sacrificing the drive.