Bucharest, Romania, May 14-16, 2010 – Fresh from a recent trip to Turkey, ASIMO travelled to nearby Romania this weekend to attend a green driving challenge organized by Honda Trading Romania.

The three day event involved 18 finalists, in nine Honda cars, battling it out to travel 480km around the country using the least amount of fuel. ASIMO had never been to Romania before and during the event entertained the gathered crowds through six special performances.

The cars involved in the ‘GreenChallenge’ were Honda’s latest range of fuel efficient and low emission cars: the Honda Jazz 1.4, the Insight Hybrid and the Honda Accord i-DTEC. The challenge took the teams on a scenic tour of the country, starting and ending in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city.

The challenge attracted huge interest from Honda owners and enthusiasts in Romania and involved 15 local dealers. Over 60,000 people visited the competition website; 8,000 entered; 540 made it through to the semi-finals; and 18 were chosen to compete in the final.

ASIMO was invited to launch the challenge and waved a flag as each team left the start line. ASIMO also helped hand out the awards to the three winners, who had completed the challenge in the shortest time and with the best fuel consumption.

The ‘GreenChallenge’ was an initiative by Honda Trading Romania. Its aim was to highlight Honda’s range of fuel efficient and hybrid cars as well promote the company’s commitment to the environment.

Rüsselsheim. Opel will unveil its Flextreme GT/E concept car at the 80th Geneva Motor Show (March 4 – 14), that will boost the company’s credentials as a leader in green technologies, offering expressive design with efficient environmental performance – and engineered with German precision.

In Opel’s strategy for achieving more independence from fossil fuels, electricity plays a key role. The 4.7-meter long Flextreme GT/E concept illustrates how extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into large or mid-size vehicles, as well as compact cars such as the upcoming Ampera.

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Opel calls this strategy e-mobility unlimited: adapting the highly efficient E-REV drive system – which removes the limitations of battery-only power – to vehicles across all market segments. To enjoy zero CO2 driving emissions Opel-style, the Flextreme GT/E concept shows that size doesn’t matter.

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The purposeful design also enables the Flextreme GT/E to achieve a projected drag co-efficient of just 0.22, which helps it reach a 200 km/h-plus top speed as well as conserve energy and extend its driving range. Stand-out visual features include a low and wide stance, wing-shaped lights front and rear, a distinctive nose and grille, floating C-pillars and muscular, sculptured bodywork.

“The Flextreme GT/E concept shows the shape of things to come from Opel,” says Frank Weber, Vice President, Corporate and Product Planning. “Bold, expressive and highly efficient, it represents the product strategy we will apply to all our future vehicles, large and small, across all market segments.”

Exterior design: expressing efficiency with emotion

The low, coupé-like proportions of the Flextreme GT/E explore the potential for evolving Opel’s new design language – sculptural artistry meets German precision – within an envelope optimized for aerodynamic efficiency.

The clean, frontal styling features a low hood line and an extended nose section, which is clasped by wing-shaped, signature LED headlamps. These are deeply carved into the front fenders and across the hood line. The new trapezoidal grille execution is slim but bold. The prominent wing-shaped chrome bar carries a large Opel emblem, which doubles as a socket for charging the Flextreme GT/E’s battery pack.

The upper section of the grille is used to admit cooling air, the lower portion being covered by a translucent panel. The absence of additional air intakes allows a low frontal area for aerodynamic efficiency and also enables the Flextreme GT/E to meet future pedestrian protection requirements.

The sculpted hood, with an Opel signature central crease line, features narrow longitudinal vents on either side to draw air out of the engine compartment. The muscular fenders and wheel-arches sweep back into the side-body.

In profile, the Flextreme GT/E is distinguished by innovative, stubbed C-pillars. This floating design allows the glasshouse to be extended rearwards under the arching roofline, emphasizing the flowing lines of the side body. The car’s dynamic character is further underlined by a fresh expression of Opel’s signature blade motif, now a swooping swage line from the base of the C-pillar into the lower front fender.

Access to the cabin is enhanced by the adoption of rear-hinged rear doors, an evolution of the Opel FlexDoors concept from the new generation Meriva monocab. To preserve the clean exterior looks, all door handles are replaced by light sensors. These trigger the doors open when covered by the driver’s or passenger’s hand. To reduce air turbulence, exterior front door mirrors are also absent, replaced by small camera pods in the base of the A-pillars.

At the rear, a strong shoulder line embraces sculpted wheel-arches that further emphasize the Flextreme GT/E’s wide, ground-hugging stance. The coupé look is completed by a steeply raked tailgate, carrying wing-shaped LED light units which echo the form of the front headlamps. Like that of the Insignia Sports Tourer, the tailgate has a wraparound design for improved trunk access. Its deep glass screen is slightly convex to improve airflow.

The translucency of the fixed glass panel in the center of the roof is adaptive, allowing sunlight to warm the interior in the cold of winter, but darkening for coolness in summer. A duct at the rear edge of the roof is for additional cooling of the battery and electronic components.

Managing airflow and saving weight

Integral to the Flextreme GT/E’s expressive looks is the efficiency of the design execution. The small frontal area, low roof height (1308 mm) and a flat, enclosed underbody all enable the car to cleave the air with a minimum of disturbance.

A series of measures optimize airflow management. The 21-inch alloy wheels are relatively narrow, to reduce wind resistance, and fitted with 195/45, low rolling resistance tires.  Clear, flush-mounted trim inserts also minimize air turbulence.

The minimal front intake improves airflow around the nose of the car and the underbody sweeps up, venturi-like, at the rear to further reduce drag.

The Flextreme GT/E also explores the potential for active shape shifting.  At speeds above 50 km/h, a vertical panel extends along the body from the air extraction slot behind each rear wheel-arch. These 350 mm-long side spoilers guide high-speed airflow around the rear corners of the car, further reducing the amount of turbulence.

Mass reduction measures for the body include the use of lightweight, carbon composite outer panels, polycarbonate window glazing and aluminum alloy structural components. Compared to conventional materials, these offer a 40 percent weight saving which further contributes to reduced energy consumption and an increased driving range.

Innovative propulsion

The efficient concept also includes GM’s ground-breaking E-REV drive system, already developed for the Opel Ampera. The Flextreme GT/E shows the versatility of this technology by displaying it in a larger, mid-size vehicle format.

Despite its greater size and a maximum speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour, the Flextreme GT/E is projected to offer performance similar to that of the Ampera: a battery-powered driving range of up to 60 km – with zero CO2 tailpipe emissions – and a total range of more than 500 km. Average fuel consumption is estimated at 1.6 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions of less than 40 g/km.

Unlike a hybrid vehicle, the wheels of the Flextreme GT/E are powered at all times by electricity. For typical journeys up to 60 km, energy is supplied by a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack located under the floor and rear seat.

However, unlike a battery-only electric vehicle, the Flextreme GT/E eliminates any possibility of range anxiety through fear of being stranded without power. The small gasoline engine/generator is seamlessly engaged to provide electricity whenever the battery’s supply becomes depleted. In this mode, the driving range is extended to more than 500 km, until the plug-in battery pack can be recharged or the car is refueled.

The motor in the electric drive unit delivers a substantial 370 Nm of instant torque, giving lively performance and projected zero to 100 km/h acceleration in less than nine seconds.

The Flextreme GT/E concept is a further step in Opel’s unfolding strategy for the electrification of the automobile, which includes a wide portfolio of products using battery, extended-range, hybrid and fuel cell technologies.

Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept: Technical Data

-          World premiere for all-new Kia Sportage crossover

-          World premiere of all-electric Kia Venga EV concept car

-          European premiere of Kia Ray ‘plug-in’ hybrid sedan concept

To celebrate the world premiere of the all-new Kia Sportage at the 80th Salon International de l’Auto in Geneva today (Tuesday), Kia Motors Corporation will be displaying three examples of its latest crossover vehicle in Switzerland.

The all-new Sportage heads an impressive Kia line-up at the auto show, where Kia is also placing major focus on its environmentally-friendly ‘EcoDynamics’ sub-brand with the world premiere of the electric-powered Venga EV concept and the European debut of the Kia Ray ‘plug-in’ hybrid sedan concept car.

“Kia’s powerful presence at Geneva will embody three premieres and highlight our brand’s stylish design and world-class engineering. With the all-new Sportage, we have created a five-seater crossover with maximized customer appeal. It is urban-friendly and fully in tune with changing consumer expectations and demands,” commented Hyoung-Keun Lee, President, Kia Motors Corporation.

All-new Kia Sportage – the urban-friendly crossover
With a new bodyshell, new engines and fresh, bold styling that introduces a new kind of dynamic aesthetic, the latest Kia Sportage is an urban-friendly crossover for today’s families – consuming less fuel and emitting less CO2.

Longer, wider and lower than the previous model, the all-new design successfully retains the key SUV features which made the second generation Kia Sportage so popular.

Under the direction of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, the Kia design teams have created a third-generation Sportage incorporating Kia’s new design DNA and many features from the 2007 Kia Kue concept car.

The 4.4-metre long new Sportage is sleeker and lighter than the previous model, with an aerodynamic drag figure of Cd 0.37 (down from 0.40) and a significant weight loss of 91 kg compared with the previous model – enhancing fuel economy and refinement.

When the full range of new Sportage models is ‘on sale’ in Europe later this year, it will be available (depending on country) with four engines (two petrol and two diesel, covering a 115 ps to 163 ps power spread), 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions and two-wheel or all-wheel drive. In Europe, fuel-stretching Start/Stop technology will reduce CO2 emissions to as low as 138 g/km.

All-electric Kia Venga EV concept car
Making its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, the all-electric, zero-emissions Kia Venga EV concept car is the same size as the regular Venga B-segment MPV now on sale in Europe. It features an electric motor with top power of 80 kW and maximum torque of 280 Nm.

Showcasing Kia’s ‘EcoDynamics’ range of fuel-saving vehicles at Geneva, Venga EV includes a twin-pack 24 kWh battery using innovative LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) technology that offers numerous advantages over other battery types, and provides a driving range of 180 km on a single charge.

Under the quick recharging cycle (50 kW), the battery can be recharged to 80 percent of its capacity within 20 minutes. Under the normal cycle (3.3 kW), 100 percent power is attained after eight hours.

Venga EV is a front-wheel drive vehicle with the electric powertrain placed within the existing engine bay, while the battery pack is located under the trunk floor. Venga EV is capable of accelerating from standstill to 100 kph in 11.8 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 140 kph.

Venga EV represents Kia Motors’ continuing commitment to earth-positive transport management and will mark a new beginning in the company’s supply of eco-friendly vehicles.

European premiere of Kia Ray ‘plug-in’ hybrid sedan concept
After making its world premiere at the recent Chicago Auto Show, the 4.4-metre long Kia Ray concept car now makes its European debut at the Geneva Show. This ultra-sleek, plug-in hybrid four-door sedan can run for more than 80 km (50 miles) solely on electric power and achieve a range of 1,200 kilometres (746 miles) on a single tank of fuel, thanks to fuel economy of 1.398 l/100km (202 mpg).

Styled in California, the Kia Ray concept has a futuristic body, which combines sophisticated and sleek lines with functionality and improved fuel economy, and features innovative curved hexagonal roof-top solar cells which provide a trickle charge that helps operate a cooling fan to reduce cabin temperatures when the vehicle is parked.

Clean, flush surfaces, a flowing hood and roof profile, pronounced rear shoulders ending in a higher trunk lid, and careful attention to detailing combine to reduce the Ray’s drag figure to just Cd 0.25.

Under the bonnet, Kia’s plug-in hybrid powertrain features a 1.4-litre Gamma engine fitted with GDI (gasoline direct injection) technology and tuned to produce 115 ps. A 78 kW electric motor is mounted between the engine and transmission, boosting combined power to a maximum of 153 ps. The Kia Ray is tuned to reach a top speed of 175 kph.

Depending on driving conditions, power is sent to the front wheels from the gasoline engine or the electric motor, or both in combination. Inside the trunk, Ray is equipped with a high-capacity LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) battery and cooling system, together with the charger unit and plug-in port.

• Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid – America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan – are luring customers from other brands at a record pace with consideration from import shoppers at an all-time high
• Fusion sales to buyers new to Ford rose to 60 percent of total Fusion sales in February, up from 54 percent in January and 49 percent in 2009; Fusion Hybrid sales to buyers new to Ford increased to 82 percent last month from 70 percent in January and 63 percent in 2009
• Consumers want new features and smart technology, with half opting to buy high series models – Fusion Hybrid, Sport and SEL

NEW CAR BUYERS FLOCK TO FUSION (PDF)

DEARBORN, Mich., March 5, 2010 – The 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid, fresh off a sales record and a string of awards in 2009, are attracting more buyers who are new to the Ford brand than ever before.

The Fusion, redesigned in 2009, saw “conquest sales,” or sales to customers new to Ford, increase to 60 percent of total Fusion sales in February, up 6 percentage points from January and up 11 percentage points from the 2009 calendar year. The percentage of customers new to Ford purchasing the Fusion Hybrid reached 82 percent last month, up 12 points from January and 19 points from 2009.

Fusion competes in a segment long dominated by some of the best-selling cars in the market, including Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima. Sales of the new Fusion Hybrid account for almost 20 percent of total Fusion retail sales and more than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been to customers coming from import brands, including Honda, Nissan and Toyota.

Fusion’s share of the midsize car segment in 2010 has increased to 12.2 percent, up 4.4 points from the 7.8 percent share in the first two months of 2009. Like it did in 2009, Fusion posted the largest share gain in the segment of any competitor.

Winning new buyers in the midsize segment is another indication that American car buyers value the craftsmanship and fuel economy offered across Ford’s lineup.

“It’s extraordinary that a car could set sales records and continue to excel in an environment where overall industry sales in the midsize segment are down 19 percent from a year ago,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of Marketing and Sales and Service.

Since the introduction of the redesigned Fusion in March 2009, the car has set monthly sales records for the nameplate in every month but one. In 2009, sales increased 22 percent to a record 180,671. Over the course of the year, Fusion’s share of the midsize car market increased from 7.0 percent in 2008 to 10.5 percent in 2009. The gain – 3.5 points – was the largest gain for any car in the segment.

Over the first two months of 2010, momentum continued after the Fusion Hybrid, with industry-leading fuel economy, won key awards – including being named North American Car of the Year and winning the MOTOR TREND Car of the Year award.

Ford plans to build on its success in the car market with the upcoming launch of the Fiesta and Focus in the coming 12 months. Both vehicles, offering unmatched features and technology in their segments, are expected to follow Fusion in luring buyers from competing brands.

“This is very encouraging for our upcoming product introductions, because Fusion is the standard bearer for Ford’s product strategy, delivering best-in-class quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology, which of course all adds up to a terrific value proposition for our customers,” said Czubay. “These are the drivers of our share and revenue improvements.”

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient sedan in America. Fusion offers more power, class-exclusive technologies, such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) and Ford SYNC®, and more total passenger and luggage capacity than the Toyota Camry.

According to Fusion Marketing Manager Jonathan Richards, the diversity of the 2010 Fusion lineup is drawing a growing number of customers to the brand.

“There is no reason for customers shopping for a midsize sedan to look beyond the Fusion, because the lineup offers something for everyone – a Hybrid model, a Sport version and a new selection of gas-powered engines paired with a six-speed transmission,” Richards said.

“Fusion Hybrid, Sport and SEL models account for 50 percent of sales,” said Richards. “Data also show that customers are embracing technology offerings such as voice-activated navigation, SYNC and Sony® Audio.”

The Fusion Hybrid delivers an EPA estimated 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway. It also offers innovative new technology – SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide – that coaches hybrid drivers to maximize fuel efficiency.

According to early 2010 survey data obtained in the 2009 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS), the 2010 Fusion Hybrid has the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any Ford vehicle ever. The survey was conducted for Ford Motor Company by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Awards and accolades for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid include:

• 2010 North American Car of the Year
• MOTOR TREND Car of the Year Award
• One of CAR and DRIVER Magazine’s “10Best” Cars for 2010
• One of AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s 2010 All-Stars
• 2009 “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
• 2009 Ward’s Interior of the Year Special Achievement Award for Best Graphic Display for SmartGauge with EcoGuide digital instrument cluster
• Great Car for the Long-haul Salesman by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com
• One of America’s Top 40 New Cars by MOTOR TREND magazine
• Rated the No. 1 Hybrid Family Sedan by CAR and DRIVER in a recent comparison test by the magazine
• 2009 and 2010 Editors Choice for Fuel Sipper by CAR and DRIVER Magazine
• Best Hybrid for the Money in the Midsize Car segment by cars.com
• One of 2009 Top 10 Green Cars by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com
• The Detroit News Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Value”
• 2010 Consumers Digest Best Buy
• Detroit Free Press 2010 Car of the Year
• 2010 Most Environmentally Progressive Car of the Year by Earth, Wind & Power
• 10 Best Engine by Ward’s Auto World
• One of Top 10 Family Cars for 2010 by Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com)