U.S. Government Buys 1 out of 4 Hybrid Models Produced by GM and Ford

Hybrid vehicles have been on sale for more than a decade now, but despite all the efforts, they have not yet won broad acceptance in the United States. Two years ago, President Obama’s administration set out to to simultaneously support auto workers and a national transition to fuel efficient technologies by heavily investing in a government fleet of hybrids. According to a report from Bloomberg, Uncle Sam bought almost one out of every four hybrid cars produced by Ford Motor and General Motors since President Obama took office in early 2009.

The outcome, though, wasn't what they would have wanted it to be, as hybrid sales remain on a downward slope for the third consecutive year. Nevertheless, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will continue to buy hybrid vehicles in the hope that the public will eventually follow suit.

“At some point, the reality is that for this technology to be accepted, it needs to be done without a government crutch,” said Jeff Schuster, director of forecasting at J.D. Power & Associates in Troy, Michigan. “But without a huge gas-price increase or further government demand, the natural demand just isn't to be there.”

In the first two years of the Obama administration, GSA bought some 14,584 hybrids, or about 10 percent of the 145,473 vehicles acquired by the agency the same period. In 2008, hybrids accounted for just 1 percent of total government fleet purchases. Most of the cars were bought from Ford and GM. The prices for these models ranged from $23,072 to $47,079, with the report claiming that the government paid an average of $5,281 less for the cars than dealerships sticker prices.

According to data acquired by the news agency, GSA purchased about 14 percent of Ford Escape hybrids and around 29 percent of all Ford Fusion hybrids manufactured since Obama took office. In the past two years, the U.S. government bought only 17 Prius models and 5 Honda Civic hybrids.

The eco-friendly fleet purchasing trend will continue in the future with the GSA announcing that it will add all-electric vehicles such as GM’s Chevy Volt to the government fleet. President Obama has set a goal of 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015 and has committed more than $11 billion for this purpose.

A recent J.D. Power report said global sales of hybrids are expected to rise from 954,500 units this year to 5,2 million in 2020.

Source: Bloomberg / Businessweek

All-New Buick GL8 Minivan Fully Revealed, Only for China

After selling more than 330,000 units of the original Buick GL8 since 1999, General Motors unveiled an all-new version of its MPV model featuring several key improvements and innovations, destined exclusively for the China market. Built by the firm's Shanghai GM joint venture, the new GL8 is said to offer an "unmistakable Buick experience" - always according to the automaker.

“The new GL8 was developed by Shanghai GM in cooperation with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai with the specific needs of our customers in mind”, said Terry Johnsson, Shanghai GM Vice President of Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. “It offers everything that consumers have come to expect from Buick, including a dynamic, smooth, quiet and comfortable ride. Like its predecessor, the new GL8 is the right product at the right time.”

Based on the 2009 Buick Business hybrid concept model and boasting the “classic waterfall grille”, the GL8 features several sharp edges running from front to rear, giving it a modern look. Large, tear-shaped headlamps cut into the fenders, while LEDs incorporated into the tail lamps and rear bumper.

With a wheelbase measuring 3,088 mm (122 inches), the MPV provides a spacious cabin for up to 7 passengers. Being a luxury oriented people carrier, the GL8 features all the usual amenities such as genuine leather seats, panorama sunroof, electric sliding door and lift door, high-quality Bose sound system, 7-inch touch screen up front and 10.2-inch HD display for the next two rows. OnStar is also on the menu.

The engine range kicks off with a 2.4-liter Ecotec four-pot and tops out with a 3.0-liter V6 SIDI direct injection powerplant. A six-speed automatic is standard on all variants.

For enhanced safety, ESP will do its best to prevent accidents and certain models can also be specified with 6 airbags.

The new GL8 will hit the Chinese market in January 2011, for a retail price of between RMB 288,000 and RMB 388,000 [US$43,300 - 58,300]. In parallel, Shanghai GM will offer an updated 2011 model of the current generation, featuring the 2.4-liter engine and six-speed automatic, targeting the upper-medium segment. General Motors claims that this dual-model strategy will result in better market coverage.

By Csaba Daradics

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Fiat to Supply Opel with Commercial Vehicles Made in Turkey

In this day and age, automakers are either buying each other up forming new groups or constantly deepening their cooperation with their counterparts. The Fiat Group, which recently acquired a 20% stake in Chrysler, is now expanding its commercial vehicle joint ventures to include GM's European Opel and Vauxhall units.

The Italian company, which has a joint venture for larger LCVs with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group, has signed a contract agreement with GM to supply vehicles comprising of several variants to Opel starting from December 2011. The new model will replace the German firm's Combo light commercial vehicle, keeping the same name. The range will include a number of derivatives, such as cargo vans, passenger vehicles and chassis cabs.

The new Opel Combo will be based on the same platform as the current Fiat Doblo models, with production to take place at Fiat's Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey where the Doblo is manufactured. According to the announcement, the project calls for an initial supply of up to 6,000 vehicles in 2011, and gradually increase to at 250,000 units per year.

The new Combo will be sold by Vauxhall and Opel dealers in Europe and other markets outside of North America starting in January 2012.

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VIDEO: 7.4-liter V8-Powered Polaris ATV from Hell

In general, Polaris is regarded as one of the best ATV makers in the world. However, not everyone agrees with their engine choices. For example, these folks had the crazy idea of fitting a GM-sourced 454 cui (7.4 liters) big block V8 on one of the firm's four-wheelers, thus creating the ATV from Hell. The Chevy engine with the dual Holley carburetors is matched to a 350 Turbo Transmission. Just hearing the V8 burble gives you the goose bumps. Check out the video after the break to see this beast in action.

By Csaba Daradics

*PS: If you liked this story, you may also want to check out the Subaru Impreza WRX STi-powered ATV

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2011 Vauxhall Antara Facelift Prices Start Under £20k in the UK

Following the reveal of its Opel counterpart in mainland Europe, Vauxhall has released pricing and specifications on the UK market Antara facelift, which boasts a barely noticeable makeover and a refreshed engine lineup. Prices for the updated SUV now start from £19,995 for the 2.2 CDTi (163PS) Exclusiv front-wheel drive model, which according to Vauxhall, represents a saving of £2,835 over the outgoing base version.

On the outside, styling changes for the 2011 Antara include the updated front grille with the new Griffin logo, enhanced by fog lights finished with chrome bezels on SE models, new 19-inch alloy wheels and modified rear lights.

Inside, the new Antara's cabin features a revised centre console with extra storage and higher-quality materials, in addition to improved instrument graphics and better interior lighting.

The 2011 model's revised Euro-5 compliant engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI turbodiesel in two states of tune with 163HP or 184HP. The 163HP version is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual transmission only or all-wheel drive hooked up to either a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. The more potent 184HP variant also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. All transmissions have been revised to improve efficiency.

The Vauxhall Antara will not be offered in the UK with the revised 170HP 2.4-liter gasoline engine of its Opel sibling.

GM Europe's engineers have also re-worked the SUV's chassis with revised spring and damper settings.

Finally, Vauxhall has improved safety and comfort features with the addition of an electric parking brake, a Hill Assist System as well as a "shift-up" fuel economy indicator on all models.

"At less than £20k, the new Antara is set to be highly competitive in today's SUV market," said Peter Hope, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "Its lower emissions, higher output diesel engines and refreshed design will offer renewed appeal to both retail and fleet customers."

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Chevy Volt Rated at 93mpg on Electric, 60mpg in Hybrid Mode and 37mpg on Gasoline

The official fuel economy numbers for GM's long-awaited Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid are in. Given that the Volt uses two energy sources, electricity from the grid, and gasoline from the pump, with the mix depending on how far you drive and how often you charge the battery, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) released three mileage ratings.

When driven in pure electric mode, the Volt has an MPG equivalent (MPGe) equivalent of 93 miles per gallon [equal to 2.5 lt/100km]. The EPA determined this figure by using a standardized formula that converts kilowatt-hours of electricity to gallons of gas.

According to the EPA, with a fully charged battery, the Volt has a driving range of 35 miles, which is less than the 40 mile range GM had previously announced.

Once the battery is drained and the 1.4-liter gasoline fueled engine / generator kicks in to motivate the Volt, the car is rated at 37 miles per gallon [6.4 lt/100km]. Finally, the government agency determined that when using both its batteries and gasoline engine, the Volt will get 60 miles per gallon [3.92 lt/100km].