The best deal for a Los Angeles commuter is the $25,200 Toyota Camry hybrid that only costs $200 more than the gas-powered Camry XLE. The hybrid gets 34 mpg, and the gas model gets only 22 mpg. The owner of the hybrid breaks even after 18,292 miles. For Los Angles commuters who log 15,000 miles a year, that’s just a little over a year of driving.
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It emits water from its exhaust fit for drinking and glides along in near silence. It is one of the world’s first hydrogen cars and, according to its makers, the future of motoring. It also costs half a million pounds.

“We started working on fuel-cell technology in 1996,” said Brian Johnston, the senior project engineer for electric and fuel-cell vehicles at Nissan. “In this prototype, there is a hydrogen tank under the back seat, a fuel cell under the driver’s seat and it takes 3-5 minutes to fill up. It is a reasonable fuel choice for the future.”
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As Detroit’s automakers rush to develop vehicles powered by electricity, they find themselves reliant on foreign sources for the advanced batteries that will make such technology available to everyday consumers. While much of the science has been developed in U.S. labs, Asian companies have a two-decade head start on actually making rechargeable batteries.

That gap concerns U.S. automakers, which often have to shop Asian manufacturers for the most expensive parts of today’s hybrids and their first generation of plug-in vehicles. The batteries for General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet Volt will be made in either South Korea or China, depending on which supplier is chosen, and likely will cost more than $10,000 per vehicle.
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From a distance, fourth-generation Altima, which debuted for 2007, looked like a restyle of its immediate predecessor. It was much more than that, as it was based on a new chassis architecture, Nissan’s “D” transverse-engine, front-wheel drive platform, with improved rigidity and suspension design. Engine choices were the standard-for- the-class inline four or V6, both with a little more personality than competitors, and available with (depending on model) a six-speed manual or continuously-variable transmission (CVT).
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They are honing new technologies, refining designs and scouring the Earth for fun, fuel-efficient cars they can build or sell in North America. From Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford F-150s to small cars engineered in Europe and Asia, every vehicle is being rethought as fuel prices skyrocket and new fuel-economy rules loom.

Haunting their efforts is the ghost of failures past. Detroit’s automakers reduced emissions and fuel consumption in the ’70s and ’80s, but at the cost of style, performance, quality and reliability — the things that make a car desirable and keep a car company in business.
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Besides, the company also got shareholders` nod for raising the company`s borrowing limit to Rs 200 billion. The company will raise Rs 72 billion through three simultaneous but separate rights issues to part-finance its USD 2.3 billion buyout of Jaguar and Land Rover.

The company also received approval for increasing the authorized share capital to Rs 39 billion, comprising of ordinary shares aggregating to Rs 7 billion, and `A` ordinary shares worth Rs 2 billion and convertible cumulative preference shares worth Rs 30 billion.

Under its rights issue program, it would issue `A` ordinary shares carrying differential voting rights for up to Rs 20 billion on rights basis. `A` shares would have voting rights at the rate of one vote for every 10 `A` ordinary shares.

Except the voting rights, the `A` shares would rank the same as the ordinary shares of the company and the holders would be entitled for dividend, bonus issue among others.

Shares of the company closed down Rs 5.45, or 1.33%, at Rs 404. The total volume of shares traded at the BSE was 96,848 (Tuesday).

Blindspot Barrier
I’ve noticed this in other cars too, but on turning my head to check the blind spot for approaching traffic, I instead got a great view of the car’s interior B-pillar. This isn’t just a design flaw, it’s hugely dangerous.
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The Detroit-based manufacturer, which produces marques such as Cadillac, Chevrolet and Vauxhall, is considered by analysts to be in danger of bankruptcy as soaring petrol prices put motorists off buying its pick-up trucks and 4×4s.

GM announced yesterday that it was reducing its white-collar payroll costs by 20% through a two-year pay freeze and a programme of voluntary redundancies.

In a radical move that risks the wrath of unions, GM is scrapping health insurance for many of its retired workers and their families from next year.
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Roger Fleek’s ZENN car was one of the most popular vehicles at the show. The car’s name stands for Zero Emission No Noise. The tiny auto powered by six batteries is capable of traveling 35 mph for up to 50 miles on one charge. While the cars are capable of higher speeds, federal law keeps them off U.S. highways since their owners don’t pay the gas taxes that fund the roads’ upkeep, Fleek said.
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While in many ways the vehicle looks similar to gas-powered cars, the Renault Megane’s engine includes an electric battery, and the car notably does not need an exhaust pipe.
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