The University of Michigan’s Solar Car Team had one of the more inspiring booths at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month. The entirely student-run organization is dedicated to designing, financing, building and racing solar powered cars. [See the full post…]

Anne Ascensio is the executive director of advanced design at General Motors. She’s responsible for the advanced design studios in Warren, Mich., Los Angeles and Birmingham, England. She provides a unique outlook on developing concept vehicles and plotting new directions [See the full post…]

The Mazda Ryuga certainly had my attention at the North American International Auto Show. It’s the second of four concept cars that Mazda plans to unveil during the 2007 auto show season. The car’s rich color, sleek shape and salon-like [See the full post…]

Popular in Eurpope and Asia, the Smart Car is finally coming to America. Unfortunately, not until 2008. This cute, two-seater is affordably priced, starting at under $13k, so it benefits our wallets, and the planet, with the company’s exploration of [See the full post…]

The 1968-1969 Chevy Camaro is a classic, and for many, the ultimate expression of the ‘American Muscle Car.’ Taking its design cues from that legendary collectible, the new 2009 Camaro is one heck of a dream machine. Masculine and menacing, [See the full post…]

Imagine never having to fill up again with gasoline. That’s the promise of the new Chevy Volt, an electric car concept created by General Motors, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show. The flex fuel hybrid car is [See the full post…]

High-Volt-age is more like it. This concept car has everything — an attention to styling, a variable eco-friendly propulsion platform, StabiliTrak and room for four. I want one! Only a concept at this time, how long will it be before [See the full post…]

“Quiet vehicles with little to no emissions that look cool.” Those are the words of Honda‘s Chris Martin. I spoke with him at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit about the release of Honda’s latest hydrogen hybrid concept, [See the full post…]

This unique concept, showcased in a Saab 9-3 Convertible, combines fossil-free bioethanol fuel (E100) with electric-only propulsion, using the advanced, two-mode hybrid system that Saab’s parent company, General Motors Corp., is co-developing with DaimlerChrysler and BMW Group. The Saab BioPower [See the full post…]

It seems pretty apparent after several days at the North American International Auto Show, that GM is serious about building cars that consumers will want. The re-emphasis on design is evident in the new Chevy Malibu, unveiled at the show. [See the full post…]

While at the Detroit Auto Show (proper name North American International Auto Show, NAIAS) I had the opportunity to visit the OnStar Command Center . At first, I didn’t want to go. I was tired and had been speaking with [See the full post…]

One of my favorite concept cars at the North American International Auto Show was the Saab Aero X. Its gull wing doors, turbine wheels and aerodynamic design is an homage to Saab’s airplane heritage. I had the opportunity to speak [See the full post…]

While I wasn’t around for the 1953 FJ Holden, Australia’s legendary automobile that compares in status to the 1957 Chevy in the U.S., I can appreciate its design. Speaking with Richard Ferlazzo, chief designer of GM Holden Ltd, I got [See the full post…]

For those of us who attend auto shows with any regularity, there’s a familiarity to the love/hate relationship we have with concept vehicles. They steal our hearts, promise us a brighter future, show us that anything is possible. Of course, [See the full post…]

I had the opportunity to speak with Saturn‘s Jill Lajdziak at December’s Los Angeles Auto Show and she was expressive about the past year for Saturn and the renewal of the brand. During the North American International Auto Show in [See the full post…]

The Ford Interceptor is a good old fashioned display of ‘American Muscle.’ I met with Andreas Nilson, exterior design manager for the Interceptor, for a conversation and a preview of the sporty (and menacing) vehicle. It’s a concept car, and [See the full post…]

While at the Detroit Auto Show (proper name, the North American International Auto Show), I spoke with Freeman Thomas, Ford’s design director, at North American Strategic Design, about the new Airstream concept. Being a lover of the outdoors and car-camping, [See the full post…]

So how much does it cost to convert a Prius into a PHEV? I spoke with Greg Hanssen, partner in Monrovia, Calif.’s EnergyCS and president of its offshoot, EDrive Systems, to find out. Along with his company, he has done [See the full post…]

John Plaza is head of Seattle BioDiesel, a division of Imperium Renewables. The company is in the process of building Imperium Gray’s Harbor, a biodeisel refinery which will be able to produce 100 million gallons of biodiesel a year — [See the full post…]

As goes the consumer, so goes General Motors. That really was the message I got after speaking with GM’s Clay Okabayashi during the Alternative Car & Transportation Expo. The bottom line is that it’s the consumer driving the decision making [See the full post…]

It’s a novel concept — pay only for the time you use a car. That’s the business model of Flexcar, whose motto is to revolutionize transportation across America, one neighborhood at a time. I spoke with company representative Walter King, [See the full post…]

JoAnn Armenta is the Southern California coordinator for Clean Cities Coalition, a program administered by The Partnership. Its mission is to advance the nation’s economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the [See the full post…]

Los Angeles-based Left Coast Conversions is the brainchild of Gadget, the company’s chief tech dude, who started the endeavor because of his passion for a cleaner, more self-reliant world. His company’s motto: “converting the world, one EV at a time.” [See the full post…]

While at the Alternative Car & Transportation Expo, I had a chance to talk to Bryon Bliss of Phoenix Motor Cars. Their new SUT is a zero-emission, all-electric sport utility truck, powered by Altairnano NanoSafe (TM) battery technology. It has [See the full post…]

It doesn’t park itself, it’s park assist. That was the message from Bob Allen, dealer education manager for Lexus. I spoke with him recently about the new Advanced Parking Guidance System, or APGS, available on the 2007 LS460. For those [See the full post…]