Auto Blog

Posted on 05.16.2008 09:24 by Simona
Filed under: Audi | sedan | luxury cars | Audi A6 | future cars

Dominique Laure, who is the owner of several freight companies in Loire-Atlantique and Gironde in France, has decided on a new benefit for his staff. Instead of salary raises, he will provide low CO₂-producing car at €1 per worked day to his workers. So, 100 out of his 130 employees will pay €250 per year to drive a new, cleaner car. There is a little catch, though.

Mr. Laure has two reasons for this unusual benefit. First of all, it makes financial sense for his companies. Each €2,000 raise would cost him €3,500 because of the extra taxes he would have to pay for that increase. The cars, in comparison, cost him €1,080 each instead, including the car’s depreciation, maintenance and bank expenses. The employee and the employer sign a contract in which the employee rents the car from the company at €5 per day, while the employer pays the employee €4 to include advertising for one of Laure’s companies on the vehicle. In the end, the cost to the employee is €1 per day.

The chosen model is a Renault Clio with a small diesel engine that produces less than 120 g/km of CO₂. Thus the second reason: Laure states that these cars allow his workers’ to reduce their carbon footprint, since they mostly drive trucks at work.

[Source: Autoplus]

Pat Cadam started Pat’s Garage in San Francisco about 25 years ago and worked exclusively on Honda and Acura vehicles at first. In the 1990s, Pat and his mechanics found themselves in an unusual position because they enjoyed working on some of the new-fangled Honda EVs while other people were slightly afraid of them. The Insight, for example, became a shop favorite, soon followed by the Prius. In 2006, Cadam partnered with Nick Rothman and Green Gears to focus even more on eco-vehicles like hybrids (another San Francisco-based shop, Luscious Garage, has a similar mission but adds a woman’s touch).

Cadam first heard about the possibility of converting hybrids to plug-in vehicles in his shop about two years ago. He investigated the options and concluded that Hymotion’s nearly plug-and-play model would be the best for his garage. A few business meetings later, and Green Garage began doing prototype conversions. The garage has done about 65 conversions in the last 18 months, starting with small government fleets and utility fleets (e.g., Google, Wisconsin Public Power, Austin Energy). Most, but not all, of the vehicles have been Priuses; Green Gears has also done proof-of-concept conversions of Escape hybrids. The data from these test units helped Hymotion launch their $10,000 production Prius conversion packs, which officially began shipping two weeks ago. Green Gears installed the first three production units into Priuses belonging to UC Davis.

Today, each Prius conversion takes around four hours, but Green Gears sets aside a day each time they do one. This is because the mechanics do additional testing with each unit and then spend time on driver education - notifying the new PHEV Prius owner about the 35 mph limit for EV-only mode, for example, and telling them how to maximize fuel use even at highway speeds (hint, it involves lots of coasting). These sessions have led Cadam to prepare an eco-driving course, with tips that people who don’t have a plug-in or a PHEV can use, that Green Gears will offer in June.

Cadam says that the onset of official plug-in hybrids coming in the next few years doesn’t mean his shop will be out of the conversion or green car business. Like Kim Adelman, Cadam sees OEM PHEVs as just more eco-car to work with, ones that offer a huge possibility for maximizing fuel efficiency.

Listen for yourself (9 min):

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS6 Avant

If there’s anything the 580-horsepower Audi RS6 Avant isn’t lacking, it’s power. But according to AutoTelegraaf, Audi plans to launch a “Plus” version of its insane estate towards the end of the RS6 life cycle. According to the Dutch site, Audi insiders said that a new “Plus” version would go on sale sometime in 2011, just as the A6 is about to get a mild facelift. The “Plus” will supposedly receive tweaks to its suspension and engine, with the V10 producing 613 horsepower.

This wouldn’t be the first time Audi offered a “Plus” variant of the RS6. The original, C5-based RS6, built from 2002 to 2004, got a boost in output during the last three months of production, netting an additional 30 hp (from 450 hp to 480 hp), through the use of a remapped ECU and two additional radiators mounted behind the intercoolers. The Plus version also benefited from standard DRC, 19-inch wheels and a sports suspension that dropped the wagon 10mm. Production was limited to just 999 units.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via WCF]

When it comes to scooter rumors, The Scooter Scoop’s premonitions seem to always come true. So, we’re pretty excited to see that our good friend Steve is reporting that the Yamaha T-Max is slated for a 2009 introduction into the United States market. For those unaware, the T-Max falls into the maxi-scooter category, boasting a displacement of 500ccs. Currently, the market is dominated by Suzuki with its Burgman scooter in both 400cc and 650cc sizes. Honda’s offering is the Silver Wing, which is available with a 600cc twin-cylinder engine. Yamaha’s largest scooter currently offered in the states is the Majesty, which struggles to compete with “only” 400ccs of displacement. For what it’s worth, Kawasaki has so far chosen to stay out of the scooter game. Though the T-Max only has an extra hundred ccs, the European motoring press has been singing the top-level Yamaha’s praises ever since it was first introduced a few years back. We look forward to finding out ourselves if they’re right, and seeing what Yamaha rates its fuel mileage at.

[Source: The Scooter Scoop]

Click above for high-res gallery of TT Clubsport Quattro spy shots

When Audi debuted the TT Clubsport Quattro Concept at the Wörthersee 2007 enthusiast meet last May, it was officially a design study. Apparently some folks at Audi determined that the concept was worth studying further, as spy photographers have captured what appears to be a production version based on the current TT. While most of the styling cues have been toned down to fit the current-gen TT, the speedster treatment remains the same with a short, pillarless, wrap-around windshield, high roll bars behind the seats and serious fender flares at all four corners. Other changes include larger side mirrors, an additional brake light out back and the use of actual door handles where the concept only showed bare sheetmetal. That concept was powered by a 300-horsepower TFSI four-cylinder, though we don’t know what powerplant resides under this TT’s hood. Judging by the racing-style seats and large, many-spoked wheels, however, we suspect that it’s pretty potent.

[Source: KGP Photography]

Click the image above for more classic movie car pics

It’s no secret that we’re passionate about cars, and we’re pretty sure you feel the same way. We’re also big fans of the silver screen, especially when a great car or truck is a big part of the plot. The movie mavens over at Rotten Tomatoes feel the same way, and they’ve compiled a list of the top 50 movie cars in the history of motion pictures.

The list is chock-full of classics from movies like Bullitt and Vanishing Point, but there are also a lot of hidden gems, like Pepe the Little Mule from Romancing the Stone, or the 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe from Mad Max. One omission that we would have like to have added was Gary’s red Ferrari Mondial from Weird Science, but while we could argue forever which vehicle should rank where, we’d say this is a pretty darn good list. We’ve posted Rotten Tomatoes’ top five movie cars after the jump and some of the classic movie cars in the gallery below, but it’s definitely worth checking out the entire list. RT even added some great honorable mention vehicles, as well. Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!

[Source: Rotten Tomatoes]

Rotten Tomatoes top 50 movie cars:
5. Goldfinger 1963 Aston Martin DB5
4. Speed Racer Mach 5
3. Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Charger
2. Herbie 1963 Model 117 VW Type 1 Beetle
1. Back to the Future 1981 De Lorean DMC-12