As a Formula One entity, Renault has gone from engine supplier to full manufacturer (having acquired the Benetton team back in 2000) and back to engine supplier (having all but completely divested the team now under the Lotus banner). The French automaker’s competition engine works also powers Caterham and Williams this season, but most importantly, the Red Bull Racing team that is returning once again as World Champions. So whereas previous Renaultsport special edition hot hatches celebrated the company’s own achievements, the latest celebrates Red Bull’s.
Named the Red Bull RB7 edition after last year’s car, the special Clio RS packs a 203-horsepower four mounted to the Cup chassis that would otherwise be an option. The body is painted matte black with yellow highlights, a tone-on-tone checkerboard roof, the requisite special badging and 18-inch wheels done up in a black finish and shod with the same Bridgestone rubber that kept the Mégane Trophy glued to the Nürburgring for its lap record.
Read More »
Following in the footsteps of the Chevrolet Volt and the Honda Civic Natural Gas, the 105-MPGe 2012 Ford Focus Electric has been granted HOV lane access in California by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). CARB not only gave the upcoming all-electric vehicle the ability to let people drive alone in the High Occupancy Vehicle lane but also qualified it for an incentive that affords buyers an extra $2,500 off through the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP).
With an official range of 76 miles, the Focus EV is what Ford calls the “most fuel-efficient five-passenger car” in the States. As it has in other marketing material, today’s press release announcing the HOV designation, Ford is touting ways its car beats the Nissan Leaf (hey, it “only” gets 73 official miles, remember?), as you can read after the jump. For more on the controversial HOV lane situation in California, check out this article from AutoblogGreen contributor Chelsea Sexton.
Californians Can Save $10,000, Cruise HOV Lanes in Ford Focus Electric – America’s Most Fuel-Efficient Five-Seater Read More »
Motorsports is expensive in any form, although there are ways to do it without completely breaking the bank. One of those ways is the relatively new B-Spec class featuring the compact offerings of Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Kia, Mini and more that allows racers to compete in SCCA and Grand-Am racing on a relatively level and inexpensive playing field.
Read More »
Hyundai has unveiled what it calls the most environmentally friendly, conventional-engined vehicle sold on the planet – the all-new i20.
We called the first i20 “one sharply dressed econo car,” and this new model gets a family-familiar hexagonal grille and swept-back, cat-eye headlights and fog lamps. Much of the car’s profile and rear are carried over from last year’s model with the exception of the tweaked taillights and some shiny new shoes.
Read More »
The relentless expansion of M-engineered and branded wares doesn’t just stop at the M diesel quadruplets and the M135i. Here in Geneva, BMW announced the latest line of M performance parts that spans the spectrum from appearance bits to powertrain upgrades.
Read More »
This is the production version of the Ford Fiesta ST, and except for the fact that it’s missing a couple of doors, it looks just like the Fiesta ST Concept we saw at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year. Of course, the two-door version is cooler, which should be all the clue you need that we won’t be getting it in America. Ford is, however, “open to the idea” of bringing it here.
The specs match the concept: 1.6-litre EcoBoost with 177 horsepower and a top speed beyond 125 miles per hour, along with torque vectoring, three ESP stages and Ford’ MyKey – all of which should make it a fabulously good time when it goes on sale in Europe in 2013.
A “pre-production” example will get a showing at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow, and we’ll have a fuller report on it then, but there’s a press release below with more details. Perhaps between the show and 2013, Ford can be convinced to ship it this way when it decides to “say more about our plans for other markets.” Read More »
Daimler’s Smart minicar division will unveil both a battery-electric version of the Smart Brabus special-edition line and a Smart Brabus electric bike at the Geneva Motor Show this year.
The Smart Brabus electric drive Fortwo will be available in 12 countries by the end of the year. Parent company Daimler notes the model will include touches such as 17-inch alloy wheels, an “electric green” interior. The diminutive runabout will deliver about 80 horsepower, though the German automaker hasn’t specified a single-charge range. Read More »
