You can make anything bigger and better if you just add a hump, and that's what Mitsubishi has done to its i-MiEV to create the i-MiEV Cargo.

For those who find Ford's Transit Connect simply too monstrous and don't want to pay for gas – like, oh, a commercial concern in Tokyo – Mitsu's battery-powered i-MiEV could be the perfect solution. Growing only in height compared to its hatchback sibling, the thing is tiny but still packs 62 cubic feet of cargo space in its Quasimodo back end – that's a little less than half the Transit Connect's space. That said, we have to wonder how much a full cargo load will negatively effect the i-MiEV's range and overall performance.

Read all about the Cargo's big smallness in the press release after the jump, and have a gander at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.



Photos copyright ©2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

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Mitsubishi has put its plug-in hybrid Concept PX-MiEV crossover concept on a pedestal here at the Tokyo Motor Show, touting the CUV's "environmental and on-road performance," as well as its serial and parallel modes and wireless charging capabilities.

The crossover's design language represents another refinement for Mitsubishi, and although it's markedly less provocative than the newly re-shnozzed 2010 Outlander, it presents a pleasing collection of shapes and could point the way for a future iteration of the softroader. Inside is typical concept car fare for "linking man and car interactively" – which means it's far too cool for us to actually get on the road – but hey, where else are you going to find a cocochi interior with a yoke-style steering wheel?

The real story here is arguably the drivetrain, where Mitsu has combined a 1.6-liter gas engine and a hybrid system with lithium-ion batteries.

In any case, you can check out the PR info after the jump, and visuals in the gallery of high-res images below.



Photos copyright ©2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

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What is reported to be the coming U.S.-spec Ford Fiesta has been photographed during assembly in Mexico, and the minor changes we can glean so far center around the grille. Compared to its European counterpart, the American version gets a much chunkier front end which has pushed the leading edge of the hood back. The Ford emblem is now completely surrounded by the front clip.

Below that, the central opening is larger, ringed with chrome, and the bisecting bar on the Euro version has been moved up and fitted with a U.S. license plate holder. Outside, the single fog light has been reworked into a giant, glass covered alien eye. Make no mistake – it's still hot, and we still can't wait to see it when it's unveiled at the LA Auto Show next month.



[Source: Autoblog Spanish (translated)]

One day children, will be taken to a Museum of Momentous Moments, and there among artist's impressions of the missing link and the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs will be an example of the first Toyota Prius. The placard next to it will declare that it is the car that turned green... green.

The standard bearer for all that makes Mother Nature smile has gone to the next level, adding a plug-in version to its bag of sticks and twigs. It isn't here yet, but whenever it does arrive, the Prius-with-an-outlet will also be the first Toyota with a high-output, lithium-ion battery that can be charged in 90 minutes on a 230-volt circuit. It'll also go 20 km in EV mode and run up to 62 mph on electricity alone. And then it will do your laundry and teach your children how to be quiet on airplanes. Or something like that. You can read all about it in the press release after the jump and check it out in the gallery of high-res photos below.

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Mercedes is working to complete the circle, combining the frugality of its smallest A- and B-Class offerings with the luxury of its S-Class offerings. For the U.S. the S400 Hybrid began the earnest trek down that road, followed by the announcement of the four-cylinder S-Class, and at Frankfurt, Mercedes has introduced the S500 Vision Plug-in Hybrid concept. The home of the pointed star sees it as putting "the luxury class on the road to the three-liter car."

The S500 Vision Plug-in uses the same basic components as the S400 Hybrid: a 3.5-liter V6 mated to a battery. The larger capacity lithium-ion cell with an additional internal clutch is moved to the S500's trunk and is said to be good for 30 km (19.2 miles) of electric-only driving. Daimler CEO Zetsche admits there's a long way to go before the car goes on sale, but for now it promises a 5.5-second 0-to-60 and 3.2 liters-100 km. The new luxury will still stink of money, and of fresh air as well...

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BMW hosted a lengthy press conference during which cars zoomed all around its raised track, and at the end the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept silently took the stage. It's a glass-topped Hot Wheels with two engines, a deep dish seventies-looking steering wheel and matching contoured wheels. Around the back corners the design elements get a little busy, but taken as a whole the EfficientDynamics Concept comes together well. Give it a more demure paint job and its built-in details will stand out beautifully. If this is the real future of eco, then sign us up schnell. Full details in the press release after the break.

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The Audi e-tron concept has a few good things going for it on the outside, like lustrous red paint, some wicked cool taillights, and... well... maybe something else that's escaped us. Sadly, those things are overcome by the chrome baleen job for the front and rear grilles, the too-tricky-by-half headlights, the remnant lines of a blade, and... those... wheels... which look like they were designed by Schick. Inside it's much nicer, with a heart-thumpingly curvy design and a thing-of-beauty center console. Although the steering wheel gives us a hint of pause, the angled gauges make us happy. If Audi can actually get that leviathan powertrain sorted out for production (again, 3,319 lb-ft of torque?!), all would be forgiven. In the meantime, try and enjoy it in the gallery below.

The graphic above has been appearing all over the place -- television, billboards, elevators, baseball games, even people's shirts. It has a blog, Flickr and Facebook pages, and a YouTube channel. What it doesn't have is an explanation. Ad Age lined up the perps behind the online assets and discovered they all have a GM connection, and GM has a news conference scheduled for August 11.

The question is what that news conference will be about and how will the number 230 factor into it? Guesses so far range from the Buick PHEV announced last week (doubtful) to the Chevy Volt's mpg number (uhh, no) to, oddly enough, the Aptera. Feel free to add your own guess to the mix in the comments below... or to wait until Tuesday for the 230 wizard to speak.

[Source: Ad Age]

Next in the line of those clamoring for attention and payouts from Motors Liquidation Co., the company that was given all of GM's unwanted assets, are the environmental and economic redevelopment departments of state governments. General Motors was able to exit bankruptcy without responsibility for a number of factory and land sites that are polluted, and state leaders fear that there won't be any money to clean them up.

Before bankruptcy, GM estimated it had $1.9 billion in liability regarding environmental issues and litigation. Motors Liquidation Co., though, has only about $1.2 billion to manage the entire wind-down of its affairs – and as one might expect, attorneys handling the matter are expected to get a huge chunk of that. The figure to clean up sites in places like Buick City (pictured, before the buildings were demolished), Michigan and Massena, New York has been pegged at $530 million. However, the way it's looking, there won't be anywhere near that much money to get the job done.

The locally affected areas are afraid they will have to pay for the clean ups or simply let the land go unused. There are two big problems with that: many local governments don't have the money for these kind of projects right now, and they can't expect a developer to spend millions to clean up an old mess. If not Motors Liquidation or GM, civic representatives want the government to foot the bill since the current administration orchestrated the deal. No one knows how it will – or won't – be resolved, but the EPA has said that it is in touch with states and Motors Liquidation to "identify any environmental cleanup requirements that existed at the time of bankruptcy."

[Source: Freep | Photo Credit: Plan59]

Japanese tuner Zeus has done quite a job on the Honda Insight, so now you can be green and still feel like a badass. Developed as part of the company's GLMRS Line, the kit consists of front and rear spoilers, grille, and side skirts fabricated in aluminum -- but you'll have to take care of the wheels and lowering on your own time. You can buy the pieces individually or get the whole bunch for ￥134,400 ($1,418 U.S.) unpainted, or shell out ￥207,900 ($2,194 U.S.) for the parts painted to match your car.


[Source: Zeus]