In order to meet the increasingly stringent demands of fuel efficiency regulations, Mazda is rolling out some new green technologies that will be featured in future cars.  Car and Driver's article is here.  A short summary: We like Mazda’s strategy for the simple reason that stuff like stop/start, energy regen, and diesel engines can be added without greatly affecting the fun-to-drive appeal of the company’s cars, nor will they add huge levels of cost.  Sounds good to me.  

I realize that I will never own a Rolls-Royce.  People say you should never say never.  Well I am saying it here.  I will never ever own one.  And the reality is, if you are reading this, you probably won't either.  People who are able to buy a Rolls-Royce rarely find themselves on the internet looking for car deals.  But one can still enjoy looking.  So without further ado, I submit to you the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom

What's going on here?  Are these cars possessed by demons?  According to the New York Times, "Federal regulators said Wednesday that they had received 10 reports of Toyota vehicles accelerating unexpectedly after they were repaired at dealerships." It seems that Toyota has an even longer road ahead of them if reports like these keep coming out.  See the full article here.

Yes there are 100 different cars out there that can be considered "green."  This is evidence that fuel efficiency has passed way beyond fad stage.  See Yahoo!'s list here, where cars are ranked according to their green rating. 

Being that I've had a taste of greatness, albeit a disappointing one, by owning a Landrover Discovery, I think I will feel incomplete until I have one of these.  Of course I know that's not true, but could it be that I would be maybe a little closer to complete?  Check out the video from Roadloans.com.  

 

Honda has a new concept to be shown at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show.  The 3R-C3, not to be confused with this, is described as a "revolutionary three wheeled battery electric vehicle concept shows what a future minimal urban transport vehicle for one person might look like. The battery electric drivetrain is mounted low in the three wheeled chassis, therefore keeping the centre of gravity low and thus improving stability."  I think it looks like one of the motorcycles from Tron, which at the end of the day, is pretty cool.  It will be featured alongside the FCX Clarity.  See the press release here.  

You probably won't find these strange cars at your local KIA dealer, but they are worth a look.  My son's favorite is the sharkmobile...of course it is!  Here's to free time, extra cash, and insatiable passion!

 

Flip through this 32 page online document to learn about which cars are fuel efficient and which ones are not.   Learn more about fuel economy at the US Department of Energy (DOE) website. 

 

One would think that this list would be chock full of SUVs.  However, "in 2009, only two SUVs made it onto the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy's annual list of the least fuel-efficient automobiles." 

Check out the 10 smallest cars in the world.  Aren't they cute?  I want to pick them up and play with them!  Today's economic and environmental concerns have been big players in pushing the development of smaller vehicles.  For obvious reasons, they are much more popular in densely populated urban areas where driving is limited, but they don't make a lot of sense for the more dominant long distance travel of most sprawling American cities.  I've seen one in real life.  I'm convinced that it is the only one in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.