We have heard all about these European hypermilers who manage to churn out 45-50mpg U.S. in production cars, usually with high-technology turbocharged diesels. However, British TV station Channel 4's motoring website 4Car has carried out real-world fuel economy tests on eight low-emissions cars (5 diesels, 2 gasoline and one hybrid) and has found out that they didn't meet the official mileage and CO₂ emission figures. Although the EU driving cycle is more theoretical than real-world driving, the difference is quite stunning. For instance, the worst offender was the Ford Focus Econetic, which got 11mpg Imperial (9mpg U. S. or almost 1l/100 km) worse in the Channel 4 tests than the official numbers whould have us believe. Moreover, higher fuel usage means that these cars pollute more than expected, and means they should fall in a different Vehicle Excess Duty (Road Tax) band and the driver should pay a higher rate. Follow us after the jump for the complete list and their press release which explains their evaluating method.

[Source: 4Car]

Yesterday a National Hydrogen Road Tour kicked off in Portland ME. A motley collection of ten hydrogen fueled vehicles from a variety of manufacturers will be making their way from Maine to California over the next two weeks. The cars including the VW Tiguan HyMotion along with cars from BMW, Honda, Toyota, GM and others will be making 31 stops in 19 states along the way. Not all of the vehicles will be driven the entire route. General Motors for example will bring out its Project Driveway Fuel cell Equinox in the cities where that program is running, New York, Washington and Los Angeles. BMW will be using the mono-fuel (hydrogen only) version of the Hydrogen7 and is planning to cover the entire route. The tour is being sponsored by the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the Departments of Energy and Transportation and the National Hydrogen Association to promote hydrogen as a way to promote hydrogen's potential as a fuel. VW's John Tillman is writing a tour blog as they cross the country in the Tiguan. The VW press release is after the jump.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Researchers are competing to meet a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy: Improve fuel economy 10 percent by converting wasted exhaust heat into energy that can help power the vehicle. That's not a trivial improvement: 10 percent savings would amount to more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the U.S. alone.

So this is where a group of researchers have created a metallic device which is attached to the exhaust pipe, producing electricity from the otherwise wasted heat: a thermoelectric generator, a device that uses temperature differences to create electricity. When installed on a Chevy Suburban, it improved by 1mpg (which is 5 percent). The generated electricity was used to reduce the load on the alternator, therefore using less fuel through reduced parasitic losses. A Suburban produces 15 kilowatts of exhaust heat energy during city driving, which is enough to power three or four air conditioners simultaneously. When cruising between 50 and 60 mph, the generator can produce about 800 watts of power, which is enough to power the GPS device, the DVD player and potentially the water pumps. This device will be installed in a 2009 Suburban and a BMW to check how effective it becomes in real life.Thanks to my friend Chuck for the tip.

[Source: Associated Press]

In Germany there is a long history of small aftermarket companies that specialize in taking production vehicles from one of the big German automakers and transforming it into something special. That something special usually amounts to taking cars that already have a healthy amount of power and making it an insane amount along with some body modifications and suspension upgrades. AMG (now owned by Mercedes) and Brabus specialize in tuning cars from Stuttgart while Alpina's focus is on BMWs. Alpina's latest effort is based on the 3-Series coupe with propulsion coming from a version of the 2.0L dual turbo diesel in the 123d. The D3 Bi-Turbo gets only a slight bump in power from 204 to 214 hp. Torque however swells from 295 lb-ft to 332 lb-ft. That's good enough for a sub 7 second 0-60 run while still getting a combined 43.6 mpg (US) with CO2 emissions of 143 g/km (all with the manual transmission). Attractive new wheels and lower air dam give the D3 a distinctive appearance from a run of the mill 3-Series as well.


[Source: Alpina]

The Kinetic Energy Recovery System will indeed be affixed to the powertrains of Formula 1 cars in 2009. The issue of whether the hybrid system should be delayed was recently brought up, with Renault calling a meeting of all the teams together to discuss the problem. It seems that BMW, Honda and Williams were all ready to go with their systems, as these three manufacturers voted in favor of the KERS technology for the '09 racing season. In fact, Honda has already successfully track tested its system and sees no reason why it can't be made safe. Even BMW believes it can have its system ready in time, despite the jolting wake-up-call that one of its mechanics recently got from a test-car equipped with the high-voltage system. Because a consensus is needed in order to change the previous decision, the KERS system appears to officially have the green light for '09.

[Source: autosport.com]

A grey 520d station wagon delivered in Munich and owned by Dr. Thomas Leske has become the 1-millionth BMW with EfficientDynamics. The choice of the model was significant, because BMW has also announced a 177hp 520d model with CO₂ emissions under 140 g/km for next Fall (at least in Germany). This model is is also Euro 5-compliant, and uses 5.1 l/100 km (46 mpg U. S.) as a sedan, or 5.3 l/km (44 mpg U. S.) for the Touring wagon. Moreover, a 2009-model 330d was also announced with BluePerformance (that is it uses an AdBlue NOx reduction system) which is Euro 6 compliant, the mandatory anti-pollution ruling for 2014. BMW claims that thanks to EfficientDynamics, its lineup of cars burns 25 percent less fuel than in 1995.

[Source: BMW]

For many motorists, V8 means the quintessential type of engine. Power and a beautiful roar from under the hood are its typical signatures, but it's also a synonym for high fuel consumption and a general sense of being dirty. Nevertheless, there are a certain number of V8 engines, and not only diesels, which spot decent fuel consumption and German site Auto-News has gathered them. Coming from a German source, it doesn't spot any small-block Chevy but besides Teutonics, there are three members from the Toyota family and a Briton. Curious? Follow us after the jump for the complete list.

[Source: Auto-News.de]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 BMW 3-Series

Earlier this morning we were tipped that BMW would be delaying its 335d until some time next year. According to BMW, this is not the case. While we were attempting to get a hold of a Bavarian spokesperson ourselves, we were beat to the punch by Kicking Tires, who confirmed with BMW spokesman Tom Plucinsky that the vehicles will begin production in September and go on sale in the U.S. in November of this year. The machines will be marketed as 2009 model-year vehicles. A short time after the 335d reaches a showroom near you, the X5 xDrive35d will show up, still likely in November. The official debut of the car in North America will be at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show.

Related:

• BMW confirms fall launch for U.S. diesels, racing to beat Mercedes
• BMW estimates US spec 335d will achieve 23/33 mpg

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW 123d

We've reviewed a number of high-mileage and alternative fuel cars that can't be purchased here in the USA. Why bother wasting time on such unobtainable machines you might ask? It's because the number of high mileage cars available in this market is relatively small compared to elsewhere in the world. Even more scarce are high mileage cars that are fun and interesting to drive. Until we get to buy more hybrid, electric and diesel-fueled cars here, we will keep bringing you samples of what the rest of the world has to offer. With that in mind we bring you the BMW 123d. BMW introduced the 1-series to the U.S. market for the 2008 model year, but only with six-cylinder gasoline engines. Across the pond buyers have the choice of three variants of a 2.0L four-cylinder diesel engine with various power levels. Automotive supplier Bosch tossed us the fob (no premium cars use actual keys anymore) to a 123d for a week. Read on to find out what it was like.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

One of the primary safety concerns with hybrid and electric cars (aside from thermal runaway of the batteries of course) is the potential for shocks with a high voltage battery on board. Formula One teams are currently developing kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) which provide hybrid drive capability for introduction in the 2009 season. Most are thought to be working with a flywheel based system but BMW-Sauber at least is rumored to be developing an electric hybrid. Several teams have had incidents with their systems including the Red Bull team that had a fire at their factory. A mechanic for the BMW got a nasty shock when he approached the car as it came into the pits during a recent test session and was knocked to the ground. Safety issues like this are one of the reasons why automakers take so much time in developing production systems. The BMW-Sauber F1 team are not amateurs and have an annual budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars. If you plan on trying any DIY hybrid or electric drive projects make sure you are very careful with the batteries!

[Source: YouTube, via autoblog]

Although BMW's Formula 1 team has had its fair share of troubles getting the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to work properly, those minor setbacks may not be enough to stop the Bavarian automaker from using a similar system for its line of high performance M Division vehicles. The sophisticated hybrid system uses a high-speed flywheel to store energy which would otherwise be lost while braking which is then fed back into the driveline when the vehicle next needs to speed up. Besides being more efficient than battery storage, the KERS system is significantly lighter, coming in at just fifty-five pounds in racing configuration. On a production car, the KERS system could be combined with a much smaller battery and electric motor for true full-hybrid operation.

If these rumors hold true, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA) goal of letting racing perform the research and development for new car technology would be achieved. We'll just need to wait and see how effective the innovative hybrid system proves in Formula 1 before making any judgements.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport - translated]

Cleangreencars.co.uk has awarded BMW as the "cleanest premium manufacturer" in Great Britain. Their report found that total model range CO₂ emissions from January 2008 to June 2008 at BMW averaged 161.64g/km. BMW's competitors all achieved worse figures. For instance Audi and Mercedes were 177.36g/km and 192.85g/km respectively. Lexus, with its hybrid-based model line-up, managed an average of 194.85g/km, while Jaguar topped 200g/km and Porsche recorded 275.64g/km. BMW's MINI brand had an average of 139.64g/km.

According to BMW's press release (which you can find after the jump), both the EfficientDynamics and the MINImalism program have reduced emissions while keeping up driving dynamics. BMW also said that it's preparing NOx storage capability within a catalytic converter on certain models in the near future and that it was finalizing drivetrain configurations to meet the likely EU6 legislation due to come into effect in 2014.

[Source: BMW]

Introduced last year, the BMW 1-series Cabrio included a diesel version in its lineup. For the 2009 model year, BMW has announced (in Europe, folks) that the 1-series will sport two additional engines: The 123d sports a 4-cylinder, 2-liter unit good for 204hp goes from 0 to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds, uses 5.4 l/100 km (44mpg) and emits 144 g of CO₂ per km. As an entry diesel, there's the 118d model. It will include the same 2-liter engine but with a single turbocharger tuned for 143hp. It still manages a 0-62 mph figure in 9.5 seconds, while burning 4.9 l/100 km of diesel fuel (48mpg U. S.), as well as keeping CO₂ emissions under 129 g/km. . The car features other improvements such as a new iDrive interface, a better screen, better navigational system and guided tours, not to add Bluetooth compatibility and several other goodies. (Thanks to Jan for the corrections).



[Source: BMW]

We're not sure that a bigger MINI Cooper is exactly what the buying public at large has been waiting for, but it is exactly what they might get. We would certainly hope that the small-size MINI would remain in the line, though that would certainly negate whatever savings BMW is hoping for by collaborating with Fiat on the project in the first place. Fiat will be using the platform for the next Grande Punto, due in 2011. MINI would not use the platform until 2012 at the earliest, followed up by Alfa Romeo's planned MiTo successor a year later. Also on the docket is a new Fiat-sourced 1.6L four-banger, which would be the third 1.6L engine used by BMW for the MINI in as many platforms.

It sounds as if BMW would like to save a few million euros in the development cost of the next MINI so it can continue building its larger rear-wheel drive passenger cars and *ugh* sports activity vehicles. What's more, the expected costs to hit future targeted fuel economy standards are rather staggering. This being the case, despite the huge sales potential of the MINI brand, it could well be playing second fiddle to the larger machines from its parent company in this case.

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

Click the 2009 BMW 3-Series for a high-res gallery

Last week BMW released photos and technical information for the European version of the refreshed 2009 3-Series. Now we have US specific data for the upcoming diesel powered 335d. The power numbers haven't changed since the initial announcement in Detroit last January with 265 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque. What we finally have now is some estimated mileage figures for the US version of the car. BMW is estimating that the 335d with a 6-speed automatic will score 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. Those numbers are 21 and 18 percent better than the less powerful gas fueled 328i (19/28 mpg). Relative to the more powerful but less torquey 335i (17/26 mpg), the mileage is 35 percent better around town and 27 percent better on the highway. The numbers derived from the new 2008 EPA test procedures for diesel engines are thought to underestimate real world results by about 15-18 percent so 335d drivers will likely see results somewhere in the 28-30 mpg range. That's consistent with the 27 mpg we saw with the BMW 535d we reviewed last winter.


[Source: BMW]