* Lots of Los Angeles debuts. The Los Angeles Auto Show was the site of 14 world and 30 North American vehicle debuts in mid-November, just before press time (watch for details in our January edition). The auto show is one of the most well-attended media events for its sheer number of debuts by worldwide automakers. While a number of regional, national, and international awards are presented at the L.A. show each year, one of the most significant is the 2008 Green Car of the Year award presented by Green Car Journal. This year the nominations were narrowed to five nominees. They were the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the Saturn Aura Hybrid.
The all-new Malibu lineup for 2008 is impressive, with excellent styling, good engine choices, expanded safety features, and new body construction. The hybrid model, which starts at $22,790, features a 2.4-liter ECOTEC hybrid engine and hybrid propulsion electric system, a four-speed hybrid automatic transmission, as well as an ECO light charge/assist instrument cluster. It is a major player in the burgeoning hybrid market and is expected to increase Chevrolet vehicle sales.
* Mobile electronics on the move. According to SEMA, the mobile electronics market has expanded 67 percent since 1999 in the six-year period ending in 2005 (and when 2006 sales are released, the figures are predicted to be even higher). Retail sales have jumped from $3.3 billion to $5.5 billion. Most of the growth is due to the demand for navigation and video entertainment systems, although audio systems are still the mainstay of the mobile electronics market. Amplifiers, speakers, and subwoofers are still popular items in the segment, which is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2008. Several new electronics products debuted at the SEMA show in November, and more will be introduced at the international Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January in Las Vegas.
* Big dollars for fuel-efficiency research. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced recently that it will award up to $21.5 million for 11 cost-shared research and development (R&D) projects that aim to improve fuel efficiency of light-duty vehicles. The projects will focus on three areas: improving fuel use in ethanol-powered engines; developing advanced lubrication systems; and exploring high-efficiency, clean-combustion engines. "We expect this research to make significant strides toward maximizing an engine's performance in a cleaner, more economical manner," said DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman.
Among the fuel-use category awards, General Motors has been selected for an award of up to $1.9 million to develop a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) combustion prototype engine at its Pontiac, Mich., facility. Robert Bosch LLC will partner with the University of Michigan with an award of up to $1.5 million to implement an integrated hardware-software system for E-85 fuel use. Siemens Government Services in Reston, Va., is negotiating a $3 million project to investigate the potential of a turbo-charged, direct-injection engine operating on E-85 fuel to improve combustion and fuel economy, as well as lowering exhaust emissions. Siemens will partner with AVL Engineering and Rousch Engineering on the project.
Caterpillar Inc. will receive an award of up to $491,000 to develop an environmentally friendly lubricant additive for enhancing an engine's fuel efficiency. Caterpillar will partner with DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, NanoMech LLC, and the University of Arkansas on the effort.
Cummins Engine in Columbus, Ohio, is working on a $2.4 million project to improve fuel efficiency in a state-of-the-art light-duty diesel engine by 10.5 percent, while maintaining Tier 2, Bin 5 low emission levels. Cummins will partner with Chrysler and BP on the project.
Michigan State University and Ford Motor Co. will join forces on a $2 million project to develop advanced, low-temperature combustion designs for diesel engines using biofuel blends optimized for engine performance.
Comment on this article
Send This Link To Friend