Citroën's entry in the medium-large car segment is the C5. This sedan, which competes against offerings such as the VW Passat, gets updated with a couple of Euro V-compliant powertrains that reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. First, the C5 gets the 1.6-liter THP turbo gasoline engine, which was co-developed with BMW and can be found in other PSA offerings as well as the Mini. This 163 hp unit replaces the 2-liter 143 hp unit and burns 7.1 l/100 km (33 mpg U.S.). The new diesel features a particulate filter and is a 2-liter 163 hp unit that manages to burn just 5.6 l/100 km (42 mpg U.S.) when mated to a manual gearbox and 6.9 l/100 km (34 mpg U.S.) when mated to an automatic.

[Source: Motor Pasión]

In many cities, garbage trucks can wake up entire neighborhoods with the sound of diesel engines. When the new Volvo FE truck goes on sale (expected to take place in 2012), waste management companies will be able to opt for a truck that produces no noise, at low least some of the time. The FE truck is a parallel hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, and can operate using just the electric motor and lithium-ion batteries at low speeds; the diesel engine starts up when more power is needed or the battery is flat. The spec sheet is impressive: there's a 7-liter 300 hp engine mated to a 3-phase 120 kW motor, fed by 600V lithium ion batteries. Volvo states that this set-up manages to reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent and, in start-stop driving, drops noise levels a few dB for sleeping neighbors.



[Source: Volvo]

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The UK's Minister for Transport, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new color-coded label that would help identify the most fuel-efficient cars right in the showroom. This label will also include information about the car's CO₂ emissions, estimated fuel costs over 12,000 miles and MPG. This label was created by the British Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and, although it's not mandatory yet, 94 percent of British car dealers have signed up to display it on new and new-ish cars. That's right, these labels are designed not only for new cars, but for used vehicles as well, with information available for cars dating back to 2001 (check the mock-up here). Dealers can register to use the system either individually at www.vca.gov.uk or through their manufacturer. Read full press release after the jump.

[Source: DfT]

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The Basque Government in Spain has announced an agreement with Repsol to install recharging points for EVs at gasoline refueling stations. These EV stations would be safely separated from gasoline pumps but will be installed near already existing infrastructure. The plan was announced by Repsol's CEO Antoni Brufau, the Basque Prime Minister Patxi López and the Director of the Basque Institute of Energy, Bernabé Unda. Repsol is Spain's largest gasoline distributor and the world's 15th largest oil company. The Basque country is also the site of one of Mercedes' van manufacturing facility in the city of Vitoria. The Basque government also announced that Mercedes was set to build all-electric vans in this factory.

[Source: EITB]

Some people love their profession so much they decorate their cars to show the world how they earn their beans. Such is the case of the owner of a New York taxi company who lives near Monaco and operates mostly hybrid taxis in the Big Apple. Apparently, he has a few beans to show off. The car in question has been painted in the iconic yellow and black taxi cab colors and was exhibited at the French Côte d'Azur where it caused a bit of a sensation. It won't be used to ferry customers around, but that option might still be coming some day to Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

If you think that crossing la Défense square on foot is tiring, you'll be glad to know that you might soon be able to do it while sleeping. How, you ask? Because Paris' largest business district is going to test self-guiding NEVs on the square soon. Hervé Bonnat, Director of the Etablissement Public de Gestion de la Défense (EPGD), the public group that manages la Défense, has announced a test involving several Cycab models, self-guiding NEVs developed by the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA, National Institute for Automatics and Computer Research). The Cycab navigates with GPS and uses lasers to stop before hitting obstacles. It seats two and speeds up to whopping 30 km/h (20 mph). Don't scoff. That's plenty to cross the square, which is 1.5 km (0.9 miles) across. Not much time for a nap, though.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

According to Alain Visser, Opel's head of sales and marketing, Opel needs a minicar to compete. However, developing a new minicar is a huge expense, and even though Opel has set aside €250 million for this car, the company would like a partner. It's not unusual: Ford and Fiat share the Fiat Panda/Fiat 500/Ford Ka platform; Toyota and PSA share the Toyota Aygo/Citroën C1/Peugeot 107 structure. Opel has already a similar model, the Agila (shown above), which is jointly made with the Suzuki Splash but it's a little big for the minicar segment. As for possible powertrain hints, Magna/Opel has confirmed that it would have an electric powertrain available as soon as in 2012.

[Source: Automotive news (subs. req'd)]

The French pro-EV association, Bientôt Electrique (which means "electric soon") is offering a kit, guaranteed for two-years, that converts a regular Toyota Prius into a plug-in hybrid. The kit can be obtained without a battery for €1,499. If you want to add to the Prius' standard battery, a 2 kW battery + kit is offered for €2,550 and the 4 kW battery + kit is €3,550. Bientôt Electrique will install it for €349. The battery is installed in the trunk and the two power levels allow the car to go either 15 or 32 km (9 or 20 miles), respectively, in all-electric mode. According to the Bientôt Electrique site, two daily recharges allow a driver to run 120 km (75 miles) with average consumption of 2.5 l/100 km (94 mpg). Since the batteries are expected to last 2000 cycles or about 120,000 km (85,000 miles), these packs can save up to 6 metric tons of CO₂ over their lifetimes.

[Source: Bientôt Electrique via Le Blog Auto]

Honda has brought the Honda FCX Clarity to the Old Continent. Unfortunately, interested drivers won't be able to lease the hydrogen-powered car, since the Clarity is here just for members of the press. Only two vehicles have been brought ashore, and both are registered in Germany.

One of the first publications to glimpse the car is Autoplus, in important car magazine in France. Autoplus highly praised the Clarity, saying it was as an upscale, family-oriented large sedan with great assembly quality. The magazine said that "perceived quality" is one of the Clarity's most important selling points. Also, the 460-km (300-mile) range is considered excellent, although there are barely any hydrogen filling stations in Europe, except in Norway. Considering that the car isn't available here, anyway, it's not a big problem right now.


[Source: Autoplus]

Spanish newspaper El Mundo has tested the Piaggio MP3 hybrid scooter and came away impressed with the results. The MP3 mates a 15 hp 125cc gas-powered engine with an 3.5 hp electric motor and lithium ion battery pack that allows for all EV-riding up to 20 km (12 miles). The MP3 plug-in hybrid recharges completely in 3 hours, and gets to 85 percent full in just two. With batteries charged and a full tank of liquid fuel, the MP3 hybrid has a range of 500 km (300 miles). Fuel consumption is a high 1.7 l/100 km (140 mpg) while CO₂ emissions are way down low at 40 g/km. The company's original 125cc model emits a comparatively high 90 g/km. What's higher? The price. Even with tax exemptions, prices in Spain start at €9,300, just over double the €4,600 cost of the regular model.



[Source: El Mundo]