Recently, I wrote the Prius had a "second phase" goal of 37 miles in electric-only mode. In the video above, Hans-Peter Wandt of Toyota says the "step one" Prius in testing can go 60 to 100 kph (100 kph is 62 mph) and that future models will go "beyond" that. The current Prius' top speed in electric-only mode is 35 mph. If Hans means step one is the Prius being tested in France, then that means Toyota has developed an electric engine that breaks the speed limit.

The stage one Prius, currently in testing, does not use lithium-ion and only has a 6-mile range. Does it matter if the plug-in Prius can go 67 MPH if it has a 6-mile range? A powerful electric engine in the first phase Toyota could mean a smaller gas engine, which means lower weight and maybe higher mileage. Even if the phase one gas motor is the same size as the current Prius, the second phase Prius will be able to get 37 miles per charge and go 67 mph.

A Prius with that sort of electric-only range coupled with an electric-only speed of 67 mph is on par with the Volt. It's very possible that we'll hear Toyota start to make the same claims as GM has with the Volt, i.e, the car gets very high mileage, you may never have to use gas, etc. And the "second phase" Prius may even have higher mileage. How is that possible? Remember, the series hybrid model may be less efficient than parallel hybrid model. Also, Hans mentions they are open to other power trains and he even mentions co-generation. Does that mean there is a natural gas Prius or natural gas charger in the works?

[Source: YouTube]

Better late than never, right? It's totally my fault that AutoblogGreen Podcast #12 is so late in coming, but here it is! Episode 12 is a Frankfurt recap show, and John Neff from Autoblog.com joins Sebastian and Sam to talk about some of the highlights of the dual-personality (green and not so green) Frankfurt Motor Show. There's lots of discussion about the coming E-Flex versus Hybrid Synergy Drive smackdown, the 17 new models coming from Mercedes by 2010, many of them diesels, the Volvo C30 Efficiency kicks off discussion about plucking the low-hanging efficiency fruit, and the 'cast wraps up with further punditry about Diesel regs in the US versus the EU. It's a wide-ranging discussion clocking in at 41 minutes, enjoy!

SUBSCRIBE to the AutoblogGreen Podcast in iTunes
LISTEN to the show now
ADD the AutoblogGreen Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator

This is the fourth AutoblogGreen video round up and we've got three more videos from the Frankfurt Motor Show. The above video takes a look at the Opel Flextreme with program manager Frank Weber. Frank says the production version of the car will have the lowest rolling resistance tires ever (they do look very smooth). These types of tires improve fuel efficiency but some think they are not very safe. The above video also includes a look at the Nissan Mixim and asks why they say it's 99 percent evil, 1 percent cute. Below the fold is a video of the Mini Clubman. The video of the Clubman includes a demonstration of the stop and go fuel saving technology. Also below the fold is the Ford Verve concept which may be the next Ford Fiesta.

[Source: YouTube]

We feel really bad for Land Rover. Cross overs are taking over. Green cars are getting all the attention. Laws in Europe and America pushing for higher CAFE and lower CO2 emissions. What's a SUV brand going to do? Make a mini! Land Rover is releasing a sub-compact, which looks like the Range Rover sport but is just a little bigger than a BMW Mini. The picture above is from a 32 second preview video at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Geoff Polites, chief executive of Jaguar-Land Rover, says he does not even "know what gas-guzzling means." Geoff thinks people need to be more inclusive in their criticism of SUVs. "I don't see people attacking coal burning power stations with enthusiasm they attack cars" says Geoff. Geoff thinks the "baby Land Rover" shows the Land Rover brand can be different things and people should not "stereotype" Land Rover.

"Land Rover can be lots of things. You should never stereotype Land Rover, Range Rover or us. There are lots of opportunities available to do other things with those products" says Geoff. Hmmm, Land Rover... sub-compact? It's possible I guess. What do you think? Would you buy a sub-compact made by one of the top SUV brands? How about a sub-compact Hummer? FYI, get anything smaller than a sub-compact and you have a city car.

[Source: icBirmingham]

After reading through Frank's description over at Autoblog of the dance routine accompanying the introduction of the Mercedes C-Class sedan and wagon at the Frankfurt Motor Show, some of us at AutoblogGreen are jealous that we couldn't be there too! It sounds like Mercedes is really pulling out all the stops to beat their green image into us, but what we are most interested in, of course, are the goods which make it green in the first place. Fortunately, Mercedes did not disappoint in that regard.

In wagon form, Mercedes has bestowed their BLUETEC diesel with a hybrid drivetrain. After reading through the (very long) press release, which is pasted after the break, I found no mention of the hybrid system. With no C300 CDI available, we wonder if Mercedes is starting their newly announced trend of using performance-based hybrid badging. If that is the case, this could be the C200 CDI engine coupled with their hybrid drivetrain. Regardless, it was good to read about the 10-12 percent gains in fuel economy available with both gas and diesel engines. Additionally, they have been awarded an Environmental Certificate by the TÜV Technical Inspection Authority in Germany. "Mercedes-Benz is the only automotive brand in the world to have obtained a certificate under the terms of ISO standard 14062 for environmentally acceptable product development." OK, if they say so! As is often the case these days, the increase in fuel efficiency is accompanied by a corresponding increase in horsepower and torque, allowing drivers to have their cake and eat it too. Speaking of cake, you can pack a big one in the back, being that there is up to 53 cu. ft. of space with the seats folded down. Mmm... cake.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz via Autoblog]

These Frankfurt Motor Show vehicles no longer need an introduction. We've been covering them to the hilt and, if you missed what any of them are, you can see last night's wrap-up for more information. What this post is meant to do is provide you with some shiny, high-resolution images to see the concepts for yourself. Consider it our version of a free ticket to the show. We'll keep posting on more details from the IAA today; for now, enjoy the images. My favorite is the mule in the shot of the Volvo ReCharge.



[Source: Newspress]

Man, what a show. We've written about 80 posts about the Frankfurt Motor Show so far, which goes to show that the organizer's theme of sustainability mobility was not just something thrown together at the last minute. The automakers brought the goods to this show, whether it was in concept or ready-for-production form. Thanks to today's insane hoopla surrounding the debuts, though, it was easy to get overwhelmed by the offerings. Heck, earlier today we were posting every 20 minutes or so. I hope many of you enjoyed hitting the refresh button for the latest details, but I know not all of you have that luxury. To meet everyone's needs, here's a recap of every singe car at the Frankfurt Motor Show that we've written about to date. To give you some comparisons, I'm including pictures of each car, along with mpg and CO2 emissions numbers where we know them, and links to individual posts where you can digest more information about these fine examples of sustainable mobility. Here are the vehicles included in this round-up:

• Volvo ReCharge
• Opel Flextreme Concept
• Volkswagen up!
• Toyota iQ
• BMW X6 hybrid
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrids
• Audi A4
• European-spec Ford Focus 2008
• VW Golf BlueMotion
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML 450 Two-Mode Hybrid
• Smart ForTwo micro hybrid
• Ford ECOnetic line
• Mercedes-Benz F700 (DiesOtto)
• Mazda 6
• Citroën C-Cactus
• Hyundai i-Blue
• Nissan Mixim
• Peugeot 308 Hybrid HDi
• Biodiesel Mustang
• AC Schnitzer GP3.10

Click past the jump to check them all out.

Mercedes is bringing the green to the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show with their new sedan concept car, the F700. Remember that DiesOtto engine that we told you about a while back? It's making its debut in this new luxury sedan. To refresh your memory, that engine produces 238hp and 295ft-lb. of torque from just 1.8 liters of displacement using some new technology known to many as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, which "operates in compression ignition mode under light loads and spark ignition at other times" according to our own Sam Abuelsamid. The fuel mileage of the car with the DiesOtto engine is expected to be almost 40 miles per gallon, which is excellent for such a large vehicle.

The new F700 concept is just one of 18 vehicles that Mercedes is expected to showcase, including new Bluetec diesels and hybrids with both gasoline and diesel engines.

[Source: 4 Cars via Autoblog]

On September 11, 2007, Mitsubishi will release the details of its Concept-cX, a clean diesel, Euro V-compliant CUV at the 62nd Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA; commonly known as the Frankfurt Motor Show). Today we got a little preview, in the form of a sketch (above) and a short press release (after the jump).

This is a pretty aggressive-looking CUV, but it's not too harsh on the environment. Under the hood, the Concept-cX has a new high-output, high-efficiency 1.8-liter clean diesel engine, which features a variable geometry turbocharger. In the exhaust system, the Concept-cX has a diesel oxidation catalyst with diesel particulate filter so it's compliant with Europe's Euro 5 emission standards. Inside, Mitsubishi is using "Green Plastic" made from plants.

[Source: Mitsubishi]