Drivers queue in Dongguan, Guangdong province for fuel. (China Daily) The local policies of some Chinese cities are at odds with the ongoing development of a national policy advocating small-engined, alternative and energy-saving vehicles by groups such as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Xinhua (and other press) notes... Read more →
New 40-mpg BMW 520d New entry-level diesels from Citroën and BMW are arriving for different segments of the European market. The new BMW 520d represents the new diesel entry-point to its popular mid-size luxury 5-Series; the new Citroën C1 diesel city car, the product of collaboration with Toyota (earlier post),... Read more →
Detroit Free Press. DaimlerChrysler AG might begin selling Smart city cars in the US as early as 2007 if the market and currency conditions allow, said Ulrich Walker, who heads the division. “The U.S. is attractive for us, and we want to make money there,” Walker said during a briefing... Read more →
Chosun.com. A new Korean electric carmaker, GEO EV, will begin production of its EV1 mini-car in March 2006. The EV1 is powered by a lithium-ion/polymer battery and 26-kW electric motor jointly developed by Korean battery companies EaglePitcher Kokam and VK, and the frame is produced by the French small car... Read more →
ZAP has placed a purchase order for $1 billion worth of Smart Cars with smart GmbH. ZAP is waiting for confirmation that smart GmbH will fulfill it. However, Reuters reports that DaimlerChrysler’s Smart division was unaware of any such $1B order. ZAP says that it has received more than $1... Read more →
Jalopnik reports that a ZAP dealer will deliver the first Smart car refitted to meet US-market standards to a husband and wife in Reno, Nevada on May 17. Read more →
Treehugger reports on Pininfarina’s work to develop a safer small car— one that, as Treehugger puts it, removes the sense that: ...driving in a small car can make you feel like some tiny rodent in a predator-prey relationship... Pininfarina’s resulting Nido (“nest” in Italian) ultra compact car consists of three... Read more →
Car Buyer’s Notebook sighted a diesel version of DaimlerChrysler’s smart car, down from Canada, and snapped (do you snap a digital picture?) a picture. They said it would never materialize on our shores. That it was a fable, a dream that would never come true. They were wrong. The Notebook... Read more →
ZAP has received final approval from the US Department of Transportation for the sale of the ZAP Americanized version of the DaimlerChrysler smart car. (Earlier post) Advance purchase orders for the ZAP Smart Car have climbed to more than $750 million. The letter from the US DOT acknowledged a certificate... Read more →
GoinGreen, a retailer of electric cars in the UK, showcased the new Reva NXG electric concept car in London. GoinGreen has been marketing another Reva EV—the G-Wiz—since May 2004. Created by the Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) of Bangalore, India, the new NXG made its debut last week at EVS-21... Read more →
Advance purchase orders from US auto dealers for ZAP’s Americanized version of the smart car have exceeded $500M. ZAP introduced the “Smart Car Americanized by ZAP” to US dealers in February. (Earlier post.) ZAP owns the technology to Americanize the smart car to meet US emissions and safety standards, and... Read more →
DaimlerChrysler is restructuring, not scuttling, its money-losing smart business unit. The new model, which involves major organizational and product changes, aims to put the city-car brand onto a financially sound basis, with the goal of breaking even in 2007. Among the proposed changes: The intensified development of the successor to... Read more →
ZAP (earlier post) has crossed the $100 million threshold for purchase orders for its Smart Car vehicles. ZAP debuted its Smart Car at the annual convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association Dealers (NADA) in New Orleans, where it booked approximately $21 million in purchase orders. ZAP “Americanizes” the European-made... Read more →
Renault introduced the Zoé, a 3-seat concept city car, at the Geneva Motor Show. The Zoé uses a new 1.2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 73 kW (98 hp) of power and maximum torque of 145 Nm (107 lb-ft). Although Renault did not provide fuel consumption figures, CO2 emissions... Read more →
ZAP (earlier post) has pulled in a second 100-unit wholesale purchase order worth $2 million for its Americanized version of the Smart Car, bringing its total wholesale fleet orders in-hand to $4.98 million. ZAP’s consumer auction of Smart cars on eBay was suspended a few weeks ago, pending completion of... Read more →