A 1963 Chrysler turbine car and GM's 1950s Firebird jet cars inspired Jay Leno to build another high-tech supercar. This new turbine supercar runs on biodiesel and could theoretically top 245 MPH.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail Test Drive: Is This the Last 4X4?
GM bailed on its mid-size, body-on-frame SUVs last year. There is no Dodge Durango for 2010. The body-on-frame Ford Explorer is doomed. Rumor is that Nissan is even thinking of killing the Xterra. The traditional mid-size SUV may have been the definitive vehicle of the 1990s, but it's an endangered species now. Whistling right past the SUV graveyard is the new, fifth-generation, 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Park the new one next to a 2009 4Runner and they look similar. But every body panel is different and it's a more capable machine than ever before. It's not a wannabe SUV or a crossover done up in rugged duds. The new 4Runner is a full-frame rock crawler. It may still be called 4Runner, but it's not a forerunner of anything now. It's a survivor—maybe the last of its kind.
Hybrid Carmaker Fisker Takes Over GM Factory
Startup firm Fisker Automotive announced today that it will build its next-generation hybrid sedan, with a $528 million loan from the DOE, in a now-closed GM factory in Wilmington, Del. Is this the first step to a new and improved U.S. auto industry?
Published on: October 27, 2009
The Fisker Karma Plug-in 
In what could signal the first step of a radically evolving auto industry, startup firm Fisker Automotive announced today that it will build its next-generation hybrid sedan in a now-closed GM factory in Wilmington, Del. The facility originally opened in 1947 and most recently produced the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice . GM closed the plant last summer as part of its on going reorganization effort.
Vice President Joe Biden, who was a Delaware senator for 36 years, made a fiery speech during the event. "The American auto industry," he said, "is once again going to be the best in the world." Last summer, Fisker received a $528 million loan from the Department of Energy to produce hybrid cars in the U.S. "Folks, we're making a bet and today is the first evidence that the bet is starting to pay off," Biden said, referring to Fisker's loan.
Fisker already plans to debut a plug-in hybrid called the Karma next summer. The four-door Karma uses a lithium-ion battery pack and a GM-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine. The claimed EV range is 50 miles and it will cost around $80,000.
The Karma, however, will be built in Finland. The GM plant—and the loan money—will be used to produce a new, more affordable family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan, known as Project NINA. Fisker says the new car will cost $39,900 after federal tax credits and will roll off the line in three years. The irony here is that Fisker plans to build a competitor to the Chevy Volt in one of GM's old factories. While half a billion dollars is a lot of money, it doesn't go very far when setting up a new car plant. Fisker's success in Delaware depends on how much of GM's old equipment is included and whether the old hardware is transferable to Fisker's new model.
"We don't know what's included in the plant sale," says Jim Hall, an auto analyst at 2953 Analytics, "This is a puzzle; They have a plant, some of it they can use and some of it they can't" he tells PM. "What I'd really want to get is a paint booth, provided it's already OSHA and EPA approved, because that part is really expensive."
Of course, there's the risk that the taxpayer-funded loan may not bear fruit. For Fisker, however, the Delaware plant is a good opportunity because it's already set up to produce a high-volume car. "You can't just build a car anywhere, especially a high-volume car," Hall says, "You need rail capability to get the cars to the railroad and ship the cars around the country. There's a lot of stuff you need to have and its all at that plant."
Fisker plans to build 100,000 cars annually in Delaware.
Vice President Joe Biden, who was a Delaware senator for 36 years, made a fiery speech during the event. "The American auto industry," he said, "is once again going to be the best in the world." Last summer, Fisker received a $528 million loan from the Department of Energy to produce hybrid cars in the U.S. "Folks, we're making a bet and today is the first evidence that the bet is starting to pay off," Biden said, referring to Fisker's loan.
Fisker already plans to debut a plug-in hybrid called the Karma next summer. The four-door Karma uses a lithium-ion battery pack and a GM-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine. The claimed EV range is 50 miles and it will cost around $80,000.
The Karma, however, will be built in Finland. The GM plant—and the loan money—will be used to produce a new, more affordable family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan, known as Project NINA. Fisker says the new car will cost $39,900 after federal tax credits and will roll off the line in three years. The irony here is that Fisker plans to build a competitor to the Chevy Volt in one of GM's old factories. While half a billion dollars is a lot of money, it doesn't go very far when setting up a new car plant. Fisker's success in Delaware depends on how much of GM's old equipment is included and whether the old hardware is transferable to Fisker's new model.
"We don't know what's included in the plant sale," says Jim Hall, an auto analyst at 2953 Analytics, "This is a puzzle; They have a plant, some of it they can use and some of it they can't" he tells PM. "What I'd really want to get is a paint booth, provided it's already OSHA and EPA approved, because that part is really expensive."
Of course, there's the risk that the taxpayer-funded loan may not bear fruit. For Fisker, however, the Delaware plant is a good opportunity because it's already set up to produce a high-volume car. "You can't just build a car anywhere, especially a high-volume car," Hall says, "You need rail capability to get the cars to the railroad and ship the cars around the country. There's a lot of stuff you need to have and its all at that plant."
Fisker plans to build 100,000 cars annually in Delaware.
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