The Obama administration has been working on cracking down on fuel efficiency standards for some time now, but they have finally released the tab the automotive industry will have to pay to meet the 54.5 mpg standard by 2025.

The regulation, one of the biggest in U.S. history, will run $157.3 billion, in addition to the 2012-2016 requirement costs of $51.5 billion to get fleets up to 34.1 mpg. Light trucks will suck up $44 billion, while the rest of the $113 million increase will go towards passenger cars.

Where does this leave the consumer? Out about an extra $2,023 on average per car, a figure that can hit up to $2,800 depending on who releases the figures.

No prediction has been made from the Obama administration on the impact on sales numbers the change will have, but according to some analysts the only reason there would be a decline is if people didn’t see the value in paying extra for the fuel economy. The Obama administration’s side is that the benefits outweigh the costs by saving at the pump, but base this fact on ‘lifetime’ fuel savings.

Costs to each brand are as follows: General Motors Co. $37.8 billion, FoMoCo. $29.4 billion, Chrysler-Fiat $9.7 billion, Toyota Motor Corp. $23.2 billion, Honda Motor Co., $15.3 billion, Nissan Motor Co, $15 billion, VW $1billion, Hyundai Motor Co, $8.2 billion, and Kia up by $1.4 billion.

Mitch Bainwol, president & CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the administration “must consider that technology breakthroughs will be required and consumers will need to buy our most energy-efficient technologies in very large numbers to meet the goals.”

“Automakers have already invested billions of dollars in new technologies, so consumers now have many choices when shopping for fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Bainwol, who heads the group representing GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, VW and seven others.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: Detroit News

Earlier in the year, much of the news hitting everyone’s desk in the auto industry has been related to the Obama administration’s CAFE fuel efficiency mandate for 2025. Word is that the administration is now delaying the 2025 CAFE mandate of 54.5 mpg. However, not much detail has been released.

“Given the historic nature of this joint rule between EPA and DOT, as well as the necessary coordination with California, it was recently determined that additional time was needed and we expect to issue a proposal for MY 2017-2025 vehicles by mid-November,” NHTSA spokeswoman Lynda Tran said.

Because the current mandate has been delayed, experts are predicting a new proposal by mid-November of this year.

“We are working to complete these historic fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution reduction standards which will save consumers money, help protect the air we breathe and strengthen our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” Tran said.

- By Chris Chin

Source: Detroit News

President Obama has just come around to making a historic agreement in which thirteen major automakers have agreed to meet a 54.6 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy goal by 2025. This decision was made after a couple weeks of long talks to see if automakers can achieve the new CAFE requirements without too much financial risk.

The President was joined by General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar/Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo as well as the United Auto Workers and California state officials.

“This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said President Obama. “Most of the companies here today were part of an agreement we reached two years ago to raise the fuel efficiency of their cars over the next five years. We’ve set an aggressive target and the companies are stepping up to the plate. By 2025, the average fuel economy of their vehicles will nearly double to almost 55 miles per gallon.”

Standard for fuel economy weren’t the only topics of discussion during this agreement as a new standard for emissions has been released as well. Companies will have to meet the equivalent of 54.6 mpg or 163-grams/ mile of CO2 for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025.

“These standards will help spur economic growth, protect the environment, and strengthen our national security by reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Working together, we are setting the stage for a new generation of clean vehicles.”

The new targets are projected to help American families save nearly $1.7 trillion in fuel costs with an average fuel savings of over $8,000 per vehicle by 2025. Additionally, it will help our country reduce our oil consumption by saving a total of 12 billion barrels of oil.

So far many automakers seem happy with it except Volkswagen.

Read statements from automakers after the jump (we will keep updating them as they come in).

General Motors: General Motors has agreed in principle on proposed fuel economy standards from 2017 through 2025. This proposed rule presents a path forward that greatly improves fuel economy while preserving customer choice and future industry growth. GM plans to pursue the technical challenge ahead and to lead in delivering new fuel-saving technologies in cars and trucks customers want to buy and can afford.

Chrysler: Chrysler Group supports in principal the agreement on proposed fuel economy standards from 2017 through 2025 under a continued National Program. We remain committed to the goal of a single, national, and coordinated program that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance our country’s energy security. We appreciate the Obama Administration’s leadership in bringing together stakeholders to reach agreement on a set of principles.

Nissan: Nissan Americas today announced its support for the U.S. government’s proposal to set new nationwide greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks between MY2017 and MY2025.The Obama Administration has committed to continuing on the path of a harmonized national greenhouse gas and fuel-economy program for passenger cars and light-duty trucks. Nissan endorses this “one national program” approach as essential to future technical innovations across the automotive industry.

BMW: The BMW Group is in agreement with the direction outlined today by President Obama and his Administration on proposed new fuel economy standards for the period 2017 – 2025. The proposal is a result of extensive negotiations between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and will result in one national standard for regulating future greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy.

Volkswagen: Volkswagen does not endorse the proposal under discussion. It places an unfairly high burden on passenger cars, while allowing special compliance flexibility for heavier light trucks. Passenger cars would be required to achieve 5% annual improvements, and light trucks 3.5% annual improvements. The largest trucks carry almost no burden for the 2017-2020 timeframe, and are granted numerous ways to mathematically meet targets in the outlying years without significant real-world gains. The proposal encourages manufacturers and customers to shift toward larger, less efficient vehicles, defeating the goal of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

- By: Chris Chin

Image Source: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

In case this news has somehow evaded you, Obama is asking automakers for some major leaps in fuel economy standards. The White House proposals are now aiming to require a 54.5 mpg standard average fuel economy.

In contrast to previous reports, it seems that while some details are still being worked on, most automakers that were opposing the plan, are now in favor of it. As of yet, none have made their stance on the matter official, but The White House is getting some support form Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, among other.

Due to the numerous technical, and otherwise, issues that arise from the proposal, all of the automakers are still working with the Obama Administration in attempts to reach some more neutral territory.

The Association of Global Automakers CEO Michael Stanton comments that “These are challenging new standards, and many important details still need to be worked out as the proposal moves through the federal regulatory process.”

If this proposal goes though, cars in general will all be going through major changes, but trucks and minivans will see the most drastic differences. One positive that may come of this is that it gives the industry a hard shove towards electric vehicles.

Some automakers are still unlikely to sign off on the proposal, such as Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen, as they are unhappy about the drastic changes and the possibility of multi-million dollar fines.

As of now, the proposal is at a 5% annual efficiency increase for model years 2017-2025. Light trucks and SUV’s will initially have a lower goal of 3.5%, which will increases from 2022-2025. In cases of extreme difficulty, such as the Ford F150, more leniency will be received.

Targets are still being reviewed to see if there are ways to cut down manufacturing costs, Wile early targets may be easier to hit, the ones further down the line are asking for a huge change over what we have today. New targets will be issued in September.

California has played a vital role in those matters. It has been said that if they did not endorse the deal automakers would have never seen it.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: Automotive News

Several senior auto executives met up with the White House on Friday in order to talk about the latest fuel economy standards. The proposed fleetwide target average of 56.2 mpg by 2012, according to analysts, are proving to be very difficult both financially and technology, especially since cars have continued to get bigger and heavier.

One of the downsides to the 56.2 mpg standard is the potential for car prices to jump by as much a $2,100 or more. So the purpose of the meeting was to figure out whether the current standard is sensibly feasible and if not, work slowly towards a balance that automobile manufactures can achieve without risking too much financially and politically.

That said, one of the ways that automobile manufacturers can get an easier break at meeting the fuel economy standards is by requesting credits. For example, the current 56.5 standard says that majority of the major automobile companies have to increase overall fuel economy for their products by 5% on average per year, which for some, like producers of trucks, can be a lot. As a result, the administration is content with allowing for a 3.5% increase for light trucks between 2017 and 2021 instead of the aforementioned f5%.

“Automakers are eligible for a mileage and emissions credit if they switch to cleaner air conditioning fluid before 2016. The plan would give them the same credit again after 2016, even if they had made the switch,” said Dan Becker, the director of the Safe Climate Campagin. “Another would give a disproportionately large break to companies that make electric vehicles, allowing them to sell additional nonelectric vehicles that give off more emissions than the electric vehicles save.”

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Detroit News

In efforts to come to a reasonable agreement on the 56.2-mpg by 2025 proposal, the White House is starting to bend a bit. To offer some flexibility to the automakers, the White House is willing to give them more time to make the improvements on crossovers and pickups.

This change to the proposal directly addresses the issues automakers had initially cited. It will help with both easing the burden of hitting the 2025 target, and maintaining more jobs.

Another offer to gain the support of the automakers is to lessen the fuel economy improvement requirement for light trucks from the 5% requirement for cars, to a lesser 3.5%. Yet this change may result in more problems. Since Detroit automakers build so many of these popular light truck models, production for the smaller models could be impacted. A viable option for automakers to save is to ship the production to locations outside the U.S.

On the other side of the issue is the support of the environmentalist groups and the state of California. Either can be lost with the loosened numbers.

The UAW and Detroit automakers met to discuss their concerns. Contracts between the UAW and Detroit automakers are expiring as of September 4, and the UAW was seeking to take advantage of the recent upswing in sales the domestic brands have been experiencing with better security.

First quarter earnings for the Detroit Three have been reported as follows: Chrysler reached $116 million, Ford reported $2.6 billion, and GM brought in $3.2 billion. Second-quarter earnings are soon to be released and bound to have an impact on White House and UAW negotiations.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: USAToday

American travel has been declining for the past two months as a result of high gas prices. Although in April Americans drove 250.5 billion miles, travel was still down 2.4 percent.

As for the upcoming holiday weekend, AAA is predicting a decline in travel by 2.5 percent as well. AAA director for the company’s Travel Services, Glen MacDonell comments “AAA is projecting a slight decline in the number of Independence Day travelers mainly due to fuel prices being approximately one dollar per gallon higher than last year… Increased fuel costs are also responsible for a shift in the demographics of the typical Independence Day traveler as higher prices impact lower income households more significantly.”

The first four months of the year shows travel numbers down about 7.1 billion miles. As for April, the North-Central region, consisting of 12 states, have travel numbers that fell a total of 3.5 percent, down to 55.9 billion.

Although travel was up January and February, nationwide March saw a decline of 1.4 percent.

Gas prices may have fallen recently, but the Energy Information Agency says the national average is up $0.91 from last year. AAA predicts the average to hold somewhere around $3.65 per gallon for Independence Day weekend.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: Detroit News

The U.S. Department of Energy said on Tuesday that U.S. gasoline prices fell to their lowest level in seven weeks and diesel fell just below $4 a gallon for the first time in two months. The national price for regular unleaded gas fell 5.5 cents over the last week to $3.79 a gallon, the agency said. Diesel prices fell 5 cents to $3.95 a gallon.

Consumer demand for gasoline in the U.S. last week picked up by 3.1 percent, the MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse report said on Wednesday. However, week-on-week demand over the last four weeks was still down by 2 percent over the same period last year.

“The overall demand picture has not changed that much over the past couple of months with demand remaining down 1 to 2 percent year-over-year for the four-week moving average,” said John Gamel, a gasoline analyst at MasterCard Advisors.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Reuters

FoMoCo’s CEO Alan Mulally recently headed out to Capitol Hill to meet with legislators and other government officials of the Obama Administration. During his visit, Mullay told Capitol Hill legislators that multiple U.S. standards put a burden on automakers and consumers.

“We’re not talking about specific numbers,” Mulally told reporters at the Capitol after meeting with more than a dozen House members.

Ford’s Mulally said that he was pushing for a “unified standard across all the states.”

Mullay also had a meeting with Bill Daley, the White House chief of staff, and David Plouffe, senior adviser to Barack Obama. According to a Ford’s spokeswoman, Mulally visit was a ”regular check-in meetings with government officials where (Mulally) will underscore the importance of American manufacturing to the U.S. economy.”

During his meeting with House members, Mulally said that if the Congress is serious about pushing alternative energy policies, the effort needs to be unified behind one technology. The move will allow automakers to be easily innovative, Mulally said.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News

The EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have unveiled new fuel economy and environment labels that will appear on new vehicles starting with 2013 models. Automakers may also voluntarily adopt the new labels earlier for model year 2012 vehicles, the government said.

The new labels include rating for electric-vehicles and plug-in hybrids but drop the early proposed letter grading system of a vehicle’s efficiency. Earlier, automakers fought back against letter grades, saying that it would deter customers looking to buy large vehicles that had poor grades.

Nothing really new on the sticker – you still have the traditional focus on miles per gallon and annual fuel costs, however a new Smartphone QR Code has been added, which will allow buyers to quickly download a vehicle’s fuel-economy information to their phone for comparison with other vehicles.

Hit the jump for the video to see how it all works.

- By: Omar Rana

As I’ve just before, this whole trend and push to make cars more economical has resulted in a decrease in driving fun. But at the same time, it’s inevitable since times are changing. For example, a research poll conducted by Opinion Research Corp. and commissioned by the Consumer Federation of America showed that 62% of Americans support Obama’s mandate requiring manufacturers to meet a 60 mpg standard by 2025. The survey was based on 2,000 Americans with a margin of error of minus-plus two percentage points.

“Rising gas prices nationwide have ratcheted up support for stricter standards and electric and hybrid vehicles,” said Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, “The average household is expected to spend more than $3,000 on gasoline this year, compared with just under $2,000 in 2009.”

As a result, manufacturers have been resorting to introducing electric vehicles, which is not news to us. But they’re not going to be as prominent as their sales suggest since it’s estimated that electric and hybrid powertrained cars are only expected to make up less than 10% of sales in the US car industry through 2016, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

However, two-thirds of Americans also think that state governments should remain responsible for setting vehicle emissions standards instead of one federal standard.

To me, receiving this kind of information makes me ponder some questions. Is the enthusiast crowd really shrinking to such an extent that manufacturers no longer see a major market in it? Because lets face it, in order for cars to be more economical, they need to sacrifice performance and well, that kills the fun, especially since cars are becoming heavier and bigger. And if a supposed percentage of the population supports the fuel economy mandate, well, it sounds like our kind are slowly falling off the face of the Earth. At the same, 2000 Americans is a minute number compared to the mass population that is able to buy a car. Maybe I’m just stuck with a conservative mindset and don’t want to accept the fact that times are changing.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Detroit News

Earlier this week, we wrote that federal regulators were considering imposing incrementally increasing minimum fuel-efficiency standards over the next few years, eventually reaching 47 mpg – 62 mpg by 2025. The plan would increase car costs by about $770 to $3,500.

A trade group that represents Detroit’s three automakers as well as Toyota, is urging the administration to reject the efforts.

“A significant increase in fleetwide fuel economy — six percent annually — is both technically feasible and cost effective for consumers,” a group of 18 Senators, led by Senator Dianne Feinstein, wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“Fuel economy and greenhouse gas targets should not be arbitrary numbers, chosen before the necessary analyses are completed,” the group’s interim chief John Whatley wrote in a letter to LaHood and Jackson made public today. That “would circumvent the rulemaking process and undermine the ongoing collaborative effort to set sound standards.”

Automakers claim that forcing such changes could result in job loss at the rate of 14%.

The proposed measure will have implications to the tune of $51.5 billion over five years. On the other side of that coin however, is the fact that 1.8 billion barrels of fuel will be saved over the lives of those vehicles.

-By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

Shell

Shell Oil will meet with the federal government this week to propose an ambitious plan seeking permission to drill up to 10 exploratory oil wells beneath Alaska’s Arctic waters. The company has led the way  for five years to convince regulators and environmentalists and server courts that it could drill in the region without causing harm to  polar bears and other wildlife while safeguarding air quality for residents. Shell said that it could also respond quickly to any spill in the region.

The area is believed to hold vast reservers of oil, potentially enough to fuel 25 million cars for 35 years.

Nonetheless, BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster a year ago has put a negative view on new offshore drilling.

The issue will be a tough test for President Obama, who has promised to put safety first following the BP spill. He has also reaffirmed his support for offshore drilling amid voter worries about rising gasoline prices.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: NYT

Audi R8

Often taken for granted by drivers, the headlight has been rapidly evolving with new technologies that make it more than just a lamp, but a distinct design feature. Premium vehicles, such as those made by Audi, have shown us the design possibilities that LED lights offer, while the use of xenon HID lamps are rapidly expanding in the luxury and near-luxury segments.

Both lights emit a much more natural light that simulates daylight much better than traditional halogen bulbs.

According to IHS Automotive, global LED headlamp concentration is still expected to be minimal, with less than 100,000 units in 2013, in a 20 million vehicle market. Fourth-generation halogen lamps are expected to continue to dominate the mass market for the foreseeable future, due to their cost effectiveness and reliability.

The whole cache with LEDs comes in the fact that they make it much easier for manufacturers to effectuate design change. “The basic shapes of vehicles have not changed much in the past 15 years, but in details like lighting you can particularly see design progress,” one automotive analyst said.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News

2009 BMW 335i fuel-economy sticker

New cars have had fuel economy information on window sticker for quite sometime, but buyers searching used car lots hadn’t had the luxury of such information until now.  The EPA is now providing old fuel economy stickers for used car buyers and sellers through its website fueleconomy.gov.

The estimates are not new however, but based on originally published figures, adjusted for the 2008 standard, which accounts for higher freeway speeds, use of AC, and faster acceleration.

EPA research shows that fuel economy only decreases about 2% over the first 15 years of wear on a properly maintained car.

Four out of every five cars sold in the US are used cars.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Consumer Reports

2012 Ford Focus

FoMoCo announced today that its all new 2012 Ford Focus delivers an EPA estimated 40 mpg on the highway, keeping up to par with competitors such as the Chevrolet Cruze Eco and the Hyundai Elantra. EPA estimated city fuel-economy comes in at 28 mpg for the new focus.

We should make one thing clear here – the EPA-certified rating of 40 mpg is only on Ford Focus models with the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, similar to as what Chevrolet does with the Cruze Eco. On the other hand, the new 2011 Hyundai Elantra gets 40 mpg across the board.

Click here for more news on the Ford Focus.

“Our customers tell us that fuel economy is the top reason for purchasing a Focus,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “The all-new Focus meets that demand with great fuel economy, class-leading technologies and features, exceptional standards of craftsmanship and driving dynamics typically reserved for larger, more expensive vehicles.”

The 2012 Ford Focus is now the fourth vehicle from FoMoCo that delivers an EPA-certified rating of 40 mpg or more.

Refresher: The 2012 Ford Focus is powered by 2.0L DOHC inline 4-clyinder unit with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), direct gasoline injection and E85 flex fuel capability. The engine produces 160-hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. With the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, the Focus delivers an EPA-certified fuel-economy rating of 28/40 mpg (city/highway). The 2012 Focus is offered in S, SE, SEL and Titanium trim-levels with prices starting at $16,270.

2012 Ford Focus:

Press Release:

All-New Ford Focus Officially Certified at 40 MPG with Features, Technology Competitors Can’t Match

• The all-new Ford Focus is certified by the EPA at 40 mpg highway with a six-speed automatic transmission, which is overwhelmingly preferred by American drivers
• Ford Motor Company now has four nameplates with an EPA-certified rating of 40 mpg or higher, more than any other full-line manufacturer
• The outstanding fuel economy of the Ford Focus is complemented by available class-exclusive technology and features usually found only on larger cars
• Ford data show that fuel economy is the No. 1 purchase reason for Ford Focus customers

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 25, 2011 – The all-new Ford Focus with the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package delivers an EPA certified 40 mpg on the highway to go with its array of smart technologies, exceptional standards of craftsmanship and retuned suspension for a total driving experience not found anywhere else in the segment.

The new Focus is certified by the EPA at 40 mpg highway and 28 mpg city through its advanced six-speed automatic transmission.

Some competitors utilize a manual transmission to achieve their highest fuel economy ratings, though sales of vehicles with automatic transmissions account for more than 90 percent of the market.

Focus becomes the fourth vehicle in the Ford Motor Company vehicle lineup with an EPA-certified rating of 40 mpg or more.

Affordable fuel economy

With the EPA certification of Focus, Ford continues to deliver on its promise to make fuel economy affordable for millions of consumers. Today, Ford Motor Company has 12 vehicles including cars, utilities and crossovers in the U.S. that lead their sales segments for fuel economy – a number no other automaker matches.

With the new Focus, four 2011 models achieve at least 40 mpg – the Ford Fiesta SE with SFE package (40 mpg highway) and the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (41 mpg city). No other automaker offers four nameplates with EPA-certified ratings of 40 mpg or more, according to the 2011 EPA Fuel Economy Guide .

Here’s how the Ford Focus SFE compares with current 2011 model year competitor products with automatic transmissions:

High fuel prices coming? Focus ready for challenge
That exceptional fuel economy could be vital in the months ahead. The Department of Energy is offering a somewhat bleak forecast at the gas pumps. Gas prices, now at a national average of $3.22, according tohttp://www.nationalgasaverage.com, could go as high as $3.50 a gallon, and there’s even a slim chance they could go higher – maybe even above $4.

The all-new Ford Focus answers that challenge with content that builds off the mid-range SE model four-door sedan with the PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission.

The engaging driver appeal of the new Ford Focus is magnified by an advanced powertrain. Focus is fitted with a completely new 2.0-liter gasoline direct-injection DOHC four-cylinder engine that combines high-pressure direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. This engine delivers more power than the current 2.0-liter Duratec® unit featured in the North American Focus, while contributing to fuel economy gains of more than 10 percent.

To maximize its performance and economy advantage, the engine is mated with the latest dry-clutch six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. A high-efficiency dual dry-clutch design, the transmission alone can help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 9 percent compared to a traditional four-speed automatic.

The SFE package also includes 16-inch steel wheels with aero wheel covers, active grille shutters, high-efficiency tires, four-wheel disc brakes, rear spoiler and a special SFE badge.

Unlike other competitors, the Ford Focus employs full active grille shutters. Active grille shutters help optimize aerodynamics by using vents to control airflow through the grille to the cooling system and engine compartment.

If air is required to cool the engine, the vents are opened. If no airflow is needed the vents are shut, contributing to significantly reduced aerodynamic drag.

Mounted in the grille aperture ahead of the radiator, the active grille shutters feature motorized horizontal vanes that can rotate through 90 degrees to block the airflow. Automatically controlled by the car’s electronic control unit, the vanes can be rotated into 15 different positions – from fully closed to fully open – depending on the amount of cooling air required.

When fully closed, the reduction in drag means the active grille shutters can reduce CO2 emissions by 2 percent.

As an additional benefit, the system keeps the vanes closed as long as possible when starting from cold, so the engine reaches its most efficient operating temperature more quickly. This also helps reduce fuel consumption.

Great looks, smart technology and true performance
The dynamic Focus exterior is reinforced by a modern, cockpit-style interior with a stylish center console.

The most significant interior innovation is the available SYNC® with MyFord™, which includes a sophisticated voice control system for vehicle functions, connected Bluetooth® devices, MP3 players and a wide variety of external media.

The interior combines functionality with outstanding craftsmanship. The cabin’s bold and contemporary graphics, the sculptured shape of the soft-touch instrument panel and the choice of superior trim materials combine to give occupants a premium-class experience.

Focus interior space rivals larger vehicles, with more shoulder room than an Audi A4 and more front headroom than a Toyota Camry. The second row of Focus provides more hip room than the Audi or Toyota.

The original Ford Focus brought new levels of driving agility to this segment of cars. Now Focus raises the benchmark to target class-leading driving quality, blending communicative steering with significantly improved ride quality.

- By: Omar Rana

Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion Concept

Volkswagen AG is aiming really hard to launch a 100 mpg Golf in the year 2020 – that is if the world doesn’t end in 2012, which it won’t. Anyway, this Golf will meet the new outrageously-stringent EU fuel economy regulations.

During an interview with our friends at Autocar, Senior VW sources said that it will be the greenest Golf ever made, which suggest that it will be a blue-e-motion type car that will hopefully achieve an average CO2 rating of about 75g/km.

The new EU regulations, which are similar to our US CAFE requirements, demand that makers must average just 95g/km by 2020. This puts a heavy load on many manufacturers’ shoulders.

Click here to read more news on the Volkswagen Golf.

The green Golf 8 will feature much of the technology showcased in the XL1 concept and will expectedly use a next-generation version of the two-cylinder hybrid powertrain.

The engine will feature improved combustion technology with new materials that will hopefully increase the engine’s power density while also minimizing fuel consumptions.

The biggest issue for the German make though is making the Golf lighter and aerodynamic for this application, considering that the weight is crucial to achieving the projected fuel economy figures that VAG established.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoCar

2011 Ford Fiesta

FoMoCo has announced that it wants to match the fuel-economy figures set by Volkswagen and its BlueMotion variant vehicles. Global product boss Derek Kuzak said the key to frugality continues to be the main focus during the development of Ford vehicles.

Kuzak and his team are tackling issues such as weight, low rolling resistance and aerodynamics along with further engine technologies to make vehicles as efficient as possible.

Now we’re guessing that means sacrificing some performance as the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion is powered by a 74-hp 1.2L engine. Along with some fuel-saving technologies, the Polo BlueMotion averages 85.7 mpg or 71 mpg in U.S. terms.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar