It's pretty easy to see more than just a passing resemblance between the new Izis from Wallyscar, which is now being shown at the Paris Motor Show, and another famous vehicle. Like the original off-roading Willys, the Izis features body-on-frame architecture and a very small gasoline engine. In the case of the Izis, that engine comes from Peugeot and displaces 1.4-liters, good enough for 75-horsepower, just a bit more than the 60 horses of the classic Willys Go Devil engine.

The Izis is street-legal in Europe, as its Peugeot engine is fully Euro 4-compliant, though the vehicle has a Euro NCAP rating of only two stars. It also has a very short wheelbase and sits well above the ground. Early Jeeps with similar dimensions were more than a bit 'tippy' on the street, as were some early Jeep-like cars from Suzuki and Daihatsu. Having never piloted in Izis, we can't really comment on how it handles, but we bet it'd do rather well off the beaten path.

An electric version is also said to be available. No information on specifications are provided other than a suggested electric-only range of 90 kilometers, or about 56 miles. That's plenty for some fun-in-the-sun off-roading or for daily transportation for city-dwellers.


[Sources: AutoMotoPortal, Wallyscar]

While some sites are busy making fun of its name (yeah, we thought of that too... and you? Does it matter? Comments are welcome), others were busy conducting interviews with Dr. Z. in an attempt to find out when we may see the smart ED in America. The answer is that it's coming, if not next year then shortly thereafter. Daimler hopes to have 1,000 electric smarts running rather silently around the world by the end of next year, and it's distinctly possible that a portion of them will be in the U.S. This is the second-generation of the smart ED, and it is now powered by a lithium ion battery pack that may or may not be supplied by Tesla Motors. The last-gen model used a sodium battery. With the new pack, the smart ED can achieve a range of up to 150 miles -- plenty of distance for the urban use the little car is likely to be subjected to.

[Source: Popular Mechanics / Photo: Inside Line]

In the United States, sales of hybrid cars greatly outpaces the sales of diesel cars; super-size trucks don't count. The leader of the hybrid race globally and in the States is undoubtedly Toyota, but other manufacturers, including Honda, are doing their best to catch up. Despite the fact that the original Honda Insight helped usher in the hybrid age, the automaker has taken a major back seat to its main rival from Japan in recent years. To help combat this issue, Honda is set to revive the Insight nameplate with a Prius-fighting five door hatchback of its own, and it will undercut its competitor by thousands of dollars.

So, what about Europe? Across the pond, hybrid cars and trucks are not nearly as popular as they are in the U.S. There, diesel fuel is priced more attractively than gasoline, and sales of oil-burners are therefore very strong. A recent survey conducted by Honda in the U.K. indicates that 40-percent of those who would not buy a hybrid are put off by their high price. Since the Insight will be the cheapest hybrid available in Europe, Honda hopes to buck the slow-selling trend. We'll see how it works out sometime next year.


[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

It's been rumored and alluded to so many times that we just began accepting it as fact, and now it is: Toyota has confirmed that Lexus will indeed get a version of the Toyota Prius. Based on the third-generation of the Prius hatchback that is set to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus is expected to be a bit less fuel efficient, a bit more sporty and a lot more opulent. We have no idea what Toyota's luxury division will charge for its new hybrid, but it'll definitely be sold for a premium over its Toyota sibling.

A second dedicated hybrid model will join the new Lexus Prius. Lexus officials in Paris for the Motor Show have confirmed that it will not be sold in Europe alongside its upmarket Prius, which will show up in Europe in 2010. The reason? Its carbon emissions will be too high, which doesn't exactly bode well for fuel efficiency. One more salient detail was slipped, the third-gen Prius will emit 92 g/km of CO₂, and a new low-emissions version will have CO₂ emissions of 89g/km, which does indeed bode well for its mileage. We'll see how all of this translates early next year.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced us to its BlueEFFICIENCY line of vehicles, starting off with the C-Class saloons (sedans). At the time, the German automaker promised that the fuel-saving technology would make its way up the corporate ladder, and it has now reached the top rung, the S-Class. MB's new new S 320 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY manages a 10-percent improvement in fuel economy and emissions over the last CDI-powered S-Class model by way of "on-demand power steering," a 7 speed automatic transmission with "standstill decoupling" and low rolling resistance tires. You want numbers? For such a large car, the saloon manages nearly 31 miles per U.S. gallon (7.6 litres per 100km) and 199 g/km of carbon emissions. Still, zero to sixty acceleration is under 8 seconds, plenty fast for modern driving needs. On sale soon in Europe at €70,864.50, just shy of a hundred-grand in U.S. dollars, though conversions don't work like that. Full press release after the break.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

So, Fiat is set to show off a new range of eco-friendly cars in Paris under the PUR-02 moniker. That line will include its retro-fun 500, Bravo and Croma. Although it doesn't seem to fall under the new low emissions branding, a new Panda will also make an appearance in short order. Called the Panda Eco, the new mini people-mover will be powered by either a 1.1-liter or 1.2-liter gasoline-burning engine. Fuel mileage should be over 50-mpg with carbon emissions of just 119g/km. To help make these low consumption figures possible, the Panda Eco will get low rolling-resistance tires and low viscosity oil. Pretty basic stuff, but the Panda was already a pretty small and efficient platform.

Depending on the engine, the new Panda Eco will get to sixty in a leisurely 14-15 seconds, but that's not really the point now, is it? Anyway, the 93 mph top speed will allow you to get where you need to go and travel on any road to get there. The £7,105 asking price is just a £100 premium, and that will pay itself back in taxes alone in just over a year.

[Source: Channel 4]

We met Volvo's good-looking new DRIVe eco-models (so named because they emit less than 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer) earlier this monthy and they now have a "preliminary" price tag. The three diesel models - C30 SportsCoupe, S40 Saloon and V50 Sportswagon - will be shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show and prices start at £15,410 on the road. That's the price for the low-end Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe S, while the highest end V50 1.6D DRIVe SE Lux goes for £21,660. Full price breakdown is available after the jump. Production starts in mid-November and customers can expect deliveries starting January 2. More details on the vehicles are availabe here.

Officially launched at the British International Motor Show in July by NICE Car Company, MyCar was named electric vehicle of the year by GreenFleet this past Thursday in Twickenham, England. Sporting space for two occupants and born of an Italian pen, the tiny car from Hong Kong captured judges hearts by combining a stylish and practical design with low running costs. In the land where it will be sold, the all-electric MyCar gets to forgo congestion charges and road tax and, depending on where you juice up the batteries, can cost as little as 2 pence a mile to operate. Hopefully the prize will inspire an orderly queue of potential owners to form in preparation for the cars arrival to the NICE sales floor sometime next month. Cost of admission into the 40 mph / 40 mile range vehicle is a mere £8,995 ($16,220). The options list is quite interesting and we expect lots of takers for 15 inch wheels, leather, bluetooth and laptop dock.

As with every contest there were winners and losers runners-up. Two notable notables were the Th!nk City and the truck from Modec. The Th!nk City is all-electric and designed to be recycled while Modec is said to be making the first purpose-built electric light commercial vehicle. Although the Th!nk City has yet to go on sale in Britain (soon, we hope) according to GreenFleet there are over 110 copies of the Modec vehicle already on the streets displacing more than 990 tonnes of CO₂ per year.



[Source: GreenFleet]

Trikes are pretty hot these days. Whether they lean or not, using three wheels instead of two is a concept that has been gaining traction in an effort to... gain traction. Three contact patches allows for more rubber on the road, ultimately leading to increased stability and rider confidence, or so they say. When we got the chance to hop on board a trio of Piaggio MP3s, we found that the technology worked exactly as promised, and that experience leaves us wanting to hitch a ride on the new Brudeli Leanster, now available in Europe.

Using a single-cylinder engine and platform from KTM, the Leanster adds a subframe and an entirely new front-end that's been designed to allow the rider to lean into the turns, as with the Piaggio. Harley-Davidson is also planning to enter the tilting-trike wars with a V-Twin powered street machine, but the Leanster is the only one of these machines that allows dirt riding. You'll pay dearly for the privilege of owning one, though, as the price is currently set at €21,000 ($30,677 at current exchange rates). That's a lot of coin for a cycle, but it sure does look like fun.


[Source: Brudeli via Hell For Leather / Pics: Rune Baashus]

Lexus doesn't have a good history with the ads for its hybrid SUVs in Europe. Not too long ago, Toyota got into trouble for running the slogan "HIGH PERFORMANCE. LOW EMISSIONS. ZERO GUILT" in reference to its Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV. The marque is back in the Advertising Standards Authority's doghouse for another ad for the same vehicle. Here's the wording that got banned: "THE LEXUS RX 400h. PERFECT FOR TODAY'S CLIMATE, (AND TOMORROW'S)" Under that text, it says, "Driving the world's first luxury hybrid SUV makes environmental, and economic, sense."

Four complaints brought the ad to the ASA's attention, and the body deemed that Lexus was misleading customers into thinking that the vehicle has low emissions in comparison to all other vehicles. Toyota claims, though, that it was only comparing the SUV with other vehicles in its class. No dice. Because the RX 400h sports 192g/km of carbon emissions, it ain't helping the climate any. The ad was banned and subsequently revised, as you can see in the picture above.

[Source: The Guardian]

Modec is continuing its quest for world domination having made the jump across the Irish sea. In both Northern Ireland and the Republic proper, the electric truck company has good news to report. First, in the Republic the company has announced its official distributor will be the Ohm Group. Already an importer and an exclusive distributor of internationally branded cars and commercial vehicles for the past 35 years, Ohm will operate the franchise under the name "Modec Ireland" and begin the program with demonstrators in Dublin. They join 6 dealerships in London and Modec Netherlands to become the 8th outlet to supply the electric delivery truck.

Speaking of deliveries, Britain's largest retailer, Tesco, has launched a fleet of Modec delivery vehicles in Northern Ireland. The trucks will be used to bring customers' orders straight to their doors. After beginning with a pilot fleet at its Shrewsbury location last year and receiving lots of "hugely positive" feedback from customers, the company continues to reduce its carbon footprint with this latest rollout. Says Tesco manager Maxine Thelwell, "Not only are the new vans carbon neutral and pollution free they are also very quiet - a double benefit for urban environments. The introduction of the Modec vans is the next step in our commitment to reducing energy consumption." That's great for Ireland but we can't help but wonder when they will make the jump across the Atlantic and be offered up for sale as well as for show and tell.

[Source: Modec via Green Car Congress]

We usually know Piaggio for its scooters and the great MP3 three-wheeled scooter, but it also builds a "microvan" based on the Daihatsu Hijet kei-car sized van. The vehicle, which is quite common for garden services in big European cities, uses a 660 cc engine. But there's an electric version as well, which is sold for use in city centers, as well as in Israel. Now the Piaggio Porter electric is also available in the UK, left hand driver notwithstanding, where it's exempt from the Congestion Charge in Central London. The Porter use long life Lead-Gel batteries that offer a range of approximately 80 miles (depending on terrain and driving style) and recharging is either with a standard 8 hour charge through a 13 amp socket or a faster 2 hour charge using 3 phase supply. It's available in 6 body styles: Panel Van, MPV, Pick Up, Big Deck, Tipper and Chassis Cab. Across the range, payload capacities range from 440kg for the electric MPV to 560kg for the electric Big Deck.

[Source: Piaggio UK]

Kia is said to be set to show off a hybrid version of its cee'd hatchback, which is available in many countries that are not named the United States. This isn't the first hybrid that the Korean automaker has developed; the hybrid Rio gets that honor. In the past, Kia officials have indicated that it will unveil a hybrid Elantra for its home market sometime in 2009. Following a year later will be a hybrid version of its Sonata mid-sizer, which we are expected to see at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show later this year.

So far, we don't have many details on the cee'd hybrid, though some are saying it will be a production model for Europe by 2010 after being shown at the Paris Motor Show next month. The car will apparently sport a gasoline engine underhood to go along with whatever hybrid system the automaker is using. We like the look of the interior (pic available at the source link), with its digital-look gauges and what appears to be some sort of "eco-gauge" at the far right. More details when we get them. Thanks for the tip, Miha.

[Source: Kia-World]

It is anything but surprising that Volkswagen will debut a new GTI, the traditional sporting model of its mainstream Golf. What is a bit more surprising, though, is that there will be two other performance editions of the original hot hatch from which to choose, at least in Europe. One of them is the R-model, which should come from the factory with a super-hot 270-horsepower engine along with all-wheel-drive. While that's cool and all, the real shocker comes in the form of the Golf GTD. That model will come to the party with a high-performance diesel engine making 170-horsepower and somewhat more torque. Automotive News claims that the new hi-po diesel will hit the European market in April of 2009. Since we are just now getting diesels from VW in America, we're not exactly holding our breath for the GTD stateside. You can bank on the GTI making it on our shores shortly after the regular gen-6 Golf Rabbit.


[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

We aren't automotive executives, we just play them on the internet. If we were the real thing, one of our first decisions would be to get all the great small cars that are offered overseas into American showrooms. One of those small cars would undoubtedly be the Mazda2. Sales numbers in Europe indicate that buyers love the new little machine, and those figures stand only to climb as the automaker continues to roll out a new three-door model and diesel engines. So, if it's such a solid car, why isn't it sold in the U.S. market? For one reason, Mazda is concerned that having the smaller Mazda2 here could eat into sales of its hugely successful Mazda3. We wonder, though, if having two pretty big sellers isn't better than having one really good seller. Isn't variety the spice of life? In any case, Ford will soon be selling some of its small Euro-cars in our market, and the Mazda shares much in common with them so, in a way, we'll soon be getting our wish.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]