When the Hyundai Sonata Turbo and the Hyundai Sonata Greenwash Hybrid are unveiled at this month's New York Auto Show, Hyundai exclusively told Jalopnik they believe the two will cancel each other out. "No harm, no foul," we're told. More

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , On Two Wheels KTM electric motorcycle prototype teaser - Click above for image gallery Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has announced plans to show off two new electric motorcycles at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show later this month. KTM had originally planned to have its first electric dirtbike on the market sometime this year , but the global economic downturn forced the company to put its plans on hold for a year. Two versions of a single platform are planned from KTM, one a traditional enduro-style dirtbike and the other employing 17-inch wheels and tires to make an electric supermoto motorcycle. KTM's initial electric concept featured lithium ion batteries and a motor that put out just under 30 pound-feet of torque, but we can't be certain what the production versions will use. At the moment, KTM is calling these two bikes "Near-series prototypes," which we take to mean thinly veiled examples of what we should expect to hit the market in just about one year. Check back March 26th for more as KTM makes these two prototypes official. Gallery: KTM electric motorcycle prototype teasers [Source: KTM via Hell For Leather ] KTM to show off two electric machines at Tokyo Motorcycle Show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Etc. , Aston Martin , Racing Aston Martin Cygnet in Gulf Livery - Click above to enlarge Aston Martin is an automaker with a history that's indelibly linked with racing... not to mention beautiful designs, attractive colors and, um, James Bond. But the British automaker has more recently signaled its intent to be known for offering a lavishly equipped fuel efficient city car that focuses solely on transportation duties and not 0-60 times or top speeds. Mostly. A quick run through the automaker's website shows that it's not willing to let the Cygnet degrade its performance and racing image entirely. To wit, the little urban commuter is pictured in a number of scenarios that don't exactly scream "efficient transportation." For instance, there's an orange-helmeted Stig lookalike posing with the Aston in one scene. Note, too, that the Cygnet can be customized with three different racing paint schemes, two of which focus on the classic British Racing Green of Aston Martin's current racers and a third that shows the Cygnet painted up in iconic Gulf livery. Feel free to check it out for yourself at AstonMartin.com . [Source: Aston Martin ] Aston Martin shows off the racier side of the Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Ethanol , Green Daily Daryl Hannah has promoted all kinds of cars powered by gasoline alternative recently, from her classic biodiesel El Camino to electric vehicles to, lately, an ethanol-powered Trans Am. We'd heard that she was going to convert the bruiser to electric drive , juiced from solar panels on her house, but that plan seems to have been scrapped in favor of the biofuel. Hannah will show off the '79 Pontiac Trans-Am in an episode of the TV show EcoReview that will air on Tuesday, March 23. Haven't heard of it? That's because it's a show produced by Community Television of Santa Cruz County . How cool is that? The episode is called "The Greening of the Auto Industry: from Paint to Fuel," so we expect to see topics we've covered before (paint? check ) and something we haven't, like a comparison of emissions of a car running on unleaded gasoline engine to one burning E10, E15 and E85. If you can't watch the show, you can stream it here when the time comes. [Source: Domestic Fuel ] Daryl Hannah brings ethanol-powered Kill Bill Trans Am to EcoReview TV show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:37:00 EST.

In News Brake: The 2011 Kia Optima is teased ahead of its reveal at the New York auto show, the Amelia Island concours honors the Best in Show, and a test drive of the 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo . . . But Wait, There's More!

Each year in Moab, Utah a gathering of off-road vehicles come to tackle the region's rough terrain as part of the Easter Jeep Safari event that takes part there. The event is now in its 44th year and once again Jeep will be showing off several new stylized concepts, this year grouped under the "Moparized" heading. These are preview sketches of the...

The 2011 Optima will make its world debut at the New York auto show next month.

We're smack in the midst of auto show season, just coming off the back of the Geneva Motor Show and already ramping up for New York. The latest car to be previewed for unveiling there is the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon, due to be unveiled March 31. We told you back in October that Acura had given the TSX Sport Wagon the green light, and speculated...

Filed under: New York Auto Show , Spy Photos , Performance , Wagon , Cadillac , GM Well, it sure looks like it. All credit for this one goes to one Aaron P., who emailed the following to us: So I was walking down Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, and they were shooting a Caddy commercial. There was a covered car, which I thought was the CTS Coupe, but the wind blew off the cover and there was a CTS-V Wagon. I only had time to snag this pic before they put the cover back on but you can see the wagon lines. I hope that means its coming cause that would be an amazing car. Hmm. Seems like Aaron got awfully close for this pic, a curiously *perfect* upskirt teaser, but regardless of the circumstances behind it, reports of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon being given the green light date back to September of last year . It's basically been a guessing game of which show will provide the backdrop for its formal unveiling. With New York the sole remaining major show on the U.S. circuit this year, and Bob Lutz's retirement scheduled to begin exactly one month after that, we'll bet our whole chip stack that El Generalissimo Roberto Maximo goes out with a bang, introducing the CTS-V Sport Wagon at the Javits Center, because the car in the above photo is most definitely a wagon, that is most definitely the "V" badge, and those are the correct wheels. Very badass, indeed. Thanks to Aaron for the photo! Peekaboo: Cadillac CTS-V Wagon spied in L.A.? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Hybrid , Green Daily Capstone Turbine CMT-380 - Click above for high-res image gallery Our posts on the 240 horsepower CMT-380 hybrid-electric sports car powered by a microturbine during the car's unveiling during the LA Auto Show last fall were well-received , so we think there will be some interest in some follow-up information that we found today. The car's 0-60 time is a wonderfully fun 3.9 seconds and it has a top speed of 150 miles per hour. The electric-only range is 80 miles and, with a full fuel tank and battery, the car can go up to 500 miles. The microturbine spins at up to 96,000 rpms (!) and puts out 30 kW. Right now, the microturbine costs around $30,000, but maker Capstone says it could come down to around $3,000 if it went into production. Also, there's an interesting quote from the car's designer, Richard Hilleman (listen to him talk about the car here ). Apparently, he used to work at the Nevada Test Site (think nuclear weapons) and is currently a chief creative director for Electronic Arts. He told the New York Times News Service that: I've been responsible for both scourges of the 20th century -- nuclear devices and video games. Now this. I'm trying to be on the right side of time here, one of those rare cases where I can be politically correct and cool at the same time . Finally. Thanks to Roy B. for the tip! Gallery: LA 2009: CMT-380 [Source: New York Times News Service ] Update on the CMT-380 microturbine hybrid sports car originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .