Filed under: MPG , Ford Ford Transit Connect - Click above for high-res image gallery Following yesterday's announcement that Canada Post would acquire 1,175 Ford Transit Connects for its fleet, DTE Energy has acquired 19 of the vans as part of its sustainability efforts. DTE Energy is one of two utilities that dominate the Michigan market for electricity and natural gas. DTE Energy is currently using the first batch of vehicles to deliver inter-office mail as well as deliver equipment and materials from warehouses. The Transit Connect is rated at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway by the EPA which is the primary reason for DTE to choose it. The Transit Connect is replacing full-size vans and pickups in these initial applications and is achieving double the real world mileage. Some of the service personnel that use the Transit Connect are on call so they take the vehicles home. Having an enclosed vehicle like the TC provides extra security for parts and tools as well as extra convenience for reaching everything. If the initial pilot phase works out, DTE will likely add more Transit Connects to its fleet. With the recent announcement of the compressed natural gas Transit Connect taxi , it wouldn't be surprising to see DTE use the same fuel in many of its own vehicles in addition to using the Transit Connect Electric when it goes on sale later this year. [Source: Ford] Continue reading DTE Energy testing Ford Transit Connect to improve sustainability DTE Energy testing Ford Transit Connect to improve sustainability originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Spy Photos , Coupe , Hybrid , Performance , Ferrari , Luxury The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is due for a major overhaul and the next generation 2+2 is expected to grow in size, be available with all-wheel drive and come packing Ferrari 's new HY-KERS system. Caught cold weather testing near the Arctic Circle, the 2012 model is sporting a longer wheelbase and redesigned front and rear fascias, along with a massive hood bulge. Power is expected to be provided by an Enzo-derived V12 putting out around 530 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, and delivering grunt to a modified seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox found in the 458 Italia and Ferrari 599 HY-KERS concept . Although the fitment of all-wheel drive remains a rumor, there's a significant chance that the next 612 will be equipped with Ferrari's new hybrid system, complete with lithium-ion battery pack and three-phase electric motor to put out an addition 100 hp. If we're reading our tea-leaves properly, we'd expect the new 612 to be unveiled early next year with sales beginning in late 2011. Gallery: Geneva 2010: Ferrari 599 HY-KERS [Source: World Car Fans ] Spy Shots: 2012 Ferrari 612 successor spied originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Performance , Wagon , Hatchback , BMW 2012 BMW M5 Touring - Click above for high-res image Master photochopper Jon Sibal has put digital pen to virtual paper to render up the next BMW M5 , but unlike his previous F11 'chops, he's applying his skills to the yet-to-be-confirmed Touring version of the mid-size bahn-burner. As Sibal points out in his post, BMW has an on-again, off-again history when it comes to five-door versions of the M5, with the E28 and E39 only available sans-hatch, while the E34 and outgoing E60 have been available in five-door form. There's a good chance that the F11 version will be made, nixing the current model's V10 powerplant in favor of a 570-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 pulled from the X6 M . However, the chances of the hi-po hatch making it to the States is virtually nill, as the 5 Series Gran Turismo is set to take the standard Touring's place in the U.S. market. So does that mean a M5 GT could be in the works? Here's hoping, and maybe Sibal will render one up in the meantime. Gallery: 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring [Source: JonSibal ] Rendered Speculation: 2012 BMW M5 Touring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

In today's News Brake: We've got a vision of the Porsche Panamera convertible, a Ferrari auction helps Haiti, and Mario Andretti and Bobby Rahal celebrate the legends ... But Wait, There's More!

Tomorrow is this year’s vernal equinox, the official end of both winter and snowpocalypse. Which can only mean one thing: it’s time to unpack your summer ride. Show us a picture! More

Filed under: Hybrid , Toyota Last week, we told you about an incident in New York involving unintended acceleration in a 2005 Toyota Prius . This accident occurred just after the high-profile case involving Jim Sikes and his Prius in San Diego , but, unlike that incident, where the car eventually came to a complete stop, the Prius in New York crashed into a stone wall with the driver suffering minor, non-life threatening injuries. Now, after a full investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ruled that this accident was simply caused by driver error, rather than a faulty brake system. NHTSA delivered this message to reporters: Information retrieved from the vehicle's onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open. Toyota spokesperson John Hanson says that the accident is being looked over by the Harrison, NY police department, and that the automaker will not comment until the investigation has completed. And, while Toyota did join in with the investigation of Sikes' Prius, it is not clear if the automaker will take a closer look at this second incident. [Source: USA Today ] Feds suggest driver error may have caused runaway Prius in NY originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Motorsports , MISC , Racing McLaren MP4-12C GTR Longtail renderings - Click above for high-res image gallery When a world-championship racing team unveils a new supercar, some inevitable questions are bound to follow. In the case of the McLaren MP4-12C , people want to know if the company plans on racing it. Seems like logical enough a question, especially considering that McLaren's racing experience extends beyond Formula One, most notably the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where a McLaren F1 GTR pipped the prototypes to claim overall victory. According to McLaren chief Ron Dennis, the company is not planning their own racing campaign for the MP4. But having learned from the F1 project, which was never designed as a race car but was later adapted to the purpose following demand from racing teams, Dennis suggested that the company could offer and support competition spec versions of the car for privateer entries. While it remains a question mark as to which series the car might be best suited, neither the FIA GT1 World Championship nor Le Mans (and its associated series around the world) would seem out of the realm of possibility. Maybe those renderings of long-tail MP4-12Cs weren't so far-fetched after all. Gallery: Rendered: McLaren MP4-12C GTR [Source: Autosport ] McLaren could develop racing version of MP4-12C for privateers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Performance , Hatchback , Alfa Romeo , Rumormill 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Click above for high-res image gallery Coach Sergio Marchionne has asked his temperamental star player, Alfa Romeo , to raise its game . Working to help that happen, the coach hasn't stopped tinkering with the gameplan, trying to get Alfa out of another quasi-bust sales cycle. It's been said the Giulietta has will " reinstate the marque's reputation for fine handling and performance," and if it does, a properly handling sports car accessible by the masses ought to help restore Alfa's reputation and coffers. The Giulietta given the task is one implanted with a the 1.75-liter, turbocharged TBi engine with Multiair. However, that engine currently makes 200 horsepower in the Alfa 159, but for the Giulietta application, Autocar is reporting that it will be additionally boosted to 235 horsepower. Getting that power down in a front-wheel-drive car is likely to be a trick, so plans reportedly call for the Alfao to be aided by a new electronic differential and active dampers, as well as a dual-clutch transmission. Will all of this make a car that can truly challenge the Volkswagen Golf / GTI - or the Ford Focus family? Fiat claims the current hatch already bests those other two, not that that matters - Alfa has to actually make this spicier variant and let the customers decide which one has the chops. We will gladly admit that right now, though, it at least looks good on paper. Gallery: Geneva 2010: 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Photos by Noah Joseph / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery When Tesla and Tag-Heuer unveiled a special edition version of the electric Roadster at the Geneva Motor Show a couple of weeks ago, they promised a further announcement this week when the car appeared at the Baselworld watch show. As part of Tag-Heuer's 150th anniversary celebration and Tesla's efforts to promote the Roadster , the special car is going on 24,000-mile round-the-world road trip called the Odyssey of Pioneers that will last eight months. Leonardo DiCaprio, who was one of the early buyers of the Roadster, is driving the first stint in the two-tone sports car. The car will make stops in 150 towns and 15 major cities in Europe, Asia and North America along the way. The trip will tracked along the way with a special website http://odyssey.tagheuer.com/ although it doesn't appear to actually be live yet. Gallery: TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster [Source: Tesla] Continue reading Tesla and Tag-Heuer kick off round the world Roadster tour Tesla and Tag-Heuer kick off round the world Roadster tour originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Motorsports , Convertible , Performance , Maserati , Celebrities , Luxury Fernando Alonso with his new Maserati GranCabrio - Click above for high-res image gallery What do Formula One drivers drive in their downtime? Well, when you're a two-time world champion like Fernando Alonso, you get to drive pretty much whatever you want. That is, assuming the team you're driving for isn't owned by a specific automaker. Then you'll need to drive whatever the provide you with. And in Alonso's case, notwithstanding his solo 2001 debut season with Minardi-Cosworth, he's pretty much only driven for automaker-owned teams: Renault , McLaren- Mercedes , then back to Renault and now Ferrari . While at Renault, Alonso drove a Megane RS that was later offered for sale on eBay. When he moved to McLaren, he got his finely-honed hands on an SLR 722 . Now that he's at Ferrari, you'd expect him to be driving a new 458 Italia or a 599 GTB Fiorano, right? Almost, but not quite. Ferrari's sister company Maserati has announced that Alonso has acquired a new GranCabrio - to be sold Stateside as the GranTurismo Convertible, lest we be confused. The Spanish driver - who's already off to a great start, having won his first race with the team to which everyone said he always belonged - picked one out in (very) dark gray with a two-tone beige and bordeaux interior with a matching canvas roof.