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150 MPG with AFS Trinity’s PHEV Technology

Matt Kelly — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:26:35 +0000

Prior to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), one news story getting a lot of traction was the conversion of a Saturn Hybrid into a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) capable of 150 miles per gallon. So I was quite excited to speak with Don Bender, chief technology officer for AFS Trinity, the company behind the conversion, about their soon-to-be patented Extreme Hybrid drivetrain.

Tags: AFS Trinity, Don Bender, Extreme Hybrid, hybrid, NAIAS, North American International Auto Show, PHEV, Saturn

Cadillac Provoq’s a Response at NAIAS

Matt Kelly — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:15:24 +0000

During the North American International Auto Show, (NAIAS), I spoke with Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac about the Provoq, the luxury SUV concept based on the Volt E-flex platform, unveiled at CES.

Tags: Cadillac, CES, Clay Dean, E-Flex, NAIAS, North American International Auto Show, Volt

NAIAS: Ford’s Explorer America with EcoBoost

Matt Kelly — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:45:58 +0000

Another exciting discovery at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) was Ford’s EcoBoost platform and the unveiling of their Explorer America concept. Dan Kapp, Ford’s Director of Powertrain Research, introduces me to this next-gen SUV and it’s performance enhancing technologies that will boost power and increase mileage while also reducing harmful emissions. Paul Eisenstein of the Car Connection has a great writeup entitled, “Ford EcoBoost: V-8 Power from Six?”

Tags: Car Connection, Dan Kapp, EcoBoost, Ford, NAIAS, North American International Auto Show, Paul Eisenstein

GM’s Chairman Rick Wagner Meets with Bloggers at NAIAS

Matt Kelly — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:28:06 +0000

In an hour sit down with online journalists during the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), GM’s Chairman Rick Wagner answered questions on several topics from the joint partnership announcement the day before with Coskata, to Tata Motor’s Nano, recently unveiled for the Indian auto market. Participating int he breakfast meeting were journalists including (but not limited to) Brian Dooley at HummerGuy.net, Lyle Dennis of GM-Volt.com, Joe LaMuraglia - Gaywheels.com, Paul Stamatiou, Gear Diary’s David Goodspeed, Hybridcarblog’s Chad Snyder, Hank Green of Ecogeek.org, Joel Williams of Lifegoggles.com, Alphamom’s Isabel Kallman, Autowriter Matthew Keegan, Philippe Daix of TopSpeed.com, Clayton Cornell of Green Options, and Autopia’s Marty Jerome.

Tags: Coskata, GM, NAIAS, Nano, North American International Auto Show, Rick Wagoner, Tata Motors

GM Partners with Ethanol Producer Coskata

Matt Kelly — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:24:10 +0000

During the North American International Auto Show, (NAIAS) one of the most important announcements I heard was made by GM Chairman Rick Wagoner, who announced a partnership with Coskata, a Warrensville, IL, biology-based ethanol producer. The company uses proprietary microorganisms and patented bioreactor designs to turn biomass, municipal solid waste and other carbonaceous material to produce ethanol for under US$1.00 per gallon. I spoke with Coskata’s founder Todd Kimmel and GM’s Alan Adler about the partnership and the implications for consumers and the world at large.

Tags: Alan Adler, Coskata, ethanol, GM, NAIAS, North American International Auto Show, Rick Wagoner, Todd Kimmel

GM’s Bob Lutz Holds Court at NAIAS

Matt Kelly — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:59:54 +0000

During the North American International Auto Show, (NAIAS) GM’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz joined a roundtable discussion with a group of online journalists including (but not limited to) Brian Dooley at HummerGuy.net, Lyle Dennis of GM-Volt.com, Joe LaMuraglia-Gaywheels.com, Vincent Nguyen at Slashgear.com, Paul Stamatiou, Gear Diary’s David Goodspeed, Hybridcarblog’s Chad Snyder, Hank Green of Ecogeek.org, Joel Williams of Lifegoggles.com, Alphamom’s Isabel Kallman, Autowriter Matthew Keegan and Autopia’s Marty Jerome.

Nick Zielinski Promises: The Volt is Coming

Matt Kelly — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:03:43 +0000

GM’s Chief Engineer of the Volt, Nick Zielinski, has been in the news a lot lately. So, I thought I’d post this interview I did with him back at the Detroit Auto Show that never got published. A lot of skeptics think the vehicle will never be built. I, however, am an optimist, particularly with Nick most recently on record saying, “I am personally working on this project and this vehicle will be built. Last week we re-assigned 500 Engineers to various divisions to work exclusively on the Volt. The President of GM says this vehicle will be built and it will be built period.” ‘Nuff said.

Tags: GM, Volt, Nick Zielinski

Driving in EFIJY

Matt Kelly — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:33:46 +0000

During the Detroit Auto Show, I had my first glimpse of the EFIJY, GM’s tribute to Australia’s 1953 Holden FJ. So, I didn’t have to be asked twice if I wanted to ride along in this stunning vehicle at the equally stunning Tejon Ranch. In today’s show, GM’s Al Oppenheiser introduces us to EFIJY concept car.

Tags: EFIJY, Holden, Tejon Ranch, Al Oppenheiser, concept car

Driving the Camaro Convertible Concept, Part 2

Matt Kelly — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:10:44 +0000

I met Brian Smith, exterior design manager for GM’s 2007 Chevrolet Camaro convertible, at the Detroit Auto Show, and it was a pleasure speaking with him again about the vehicle at Willow Spings International Raceway, outside Rosamond, Calif., for a ride and drive in the $2 million concept car.

Tags: Brian Smith, GM, Camaro, concept car

Engineering the Volt

Matt Kelly — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:00:28 +0000

This interview at the Chicago Auto Show happened by chance. I was standing next to the Chevy Volt and began a conversation with a gentleman who turned out to be Rich Lannen, one of the lead engineers of the this concept car being developed by GM. What followed was an illuminating discusssion about the challeneges of bringing this electric car from concept to production, and it all comes down to the batteries. Rich’s enthusiasm was contagious — I came away from the interview more excited than ever before about the promise of this vehicle and felt it was one of my best stories from the show.

Reporter’s Notes: My thanks to General Motors for inviting us to cover the Chicago Auto Show. They paid for our flight, meals and accomodations, plus provided access to high level spokespeople, engineers and designers for interviews, yet required no restrictions, review or edit control of our content prior to publishing.

Tags: Chevy Volt, Rich Lannen

Chevy’s Ed Peper on the Volt and Camaro

Matt Kelly — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:02:02 +0000

While at the Chicago Auto Show, I had the opportunity to speak with Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper about the promise of the new Chevy Volt and the beauty and styling of the new 2009 Camaro, among other things. Our conversation included questions submitted by participants from a Yahoo Volt discussion group that I’ve joined. My thanks to Ed for agreeing to the interview, (despite having suffered a leg injury and being on crutches) and to the Volt discussion group members who entrusted me to present their questions to GM.

Tags: Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet, Ed Peper, Chevy Volt, Camaro

Cadillac is Back!

Matt Kelly — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:01:34 +0000

“Cadillac is back!” says John Manoogian, director of design exteriors for GM. I spoke with him at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit about the unveiling of the new Cadillac CTS. The redesign features a dramatic presence with a cool front end–the sculpted hood, and wider stance certainly makes a statement. John says, “You are what you drive.”

Reporter’s Notes: We must be making quite an impression on the large automakers with our content here on The Next Gear. So much so that GM invited us for an all expense paid trip to Detroit to cover the North American International Auto Show. While there, they wined and dined us and gave us unprecedented access to designers, high level corporate bigwigs and company spokespeople, yet with no requirement that we publish anything about them, only that we disclose this enticement. It was an opportunity we are happy to share with you, our audience. I encourage you to leave your feedback!

-Matt Kelly

Tags: John Manoogian, GM, Cadillac CTS

Michelin’s Challenge Design: Celebrating Creativity

Matt Kelly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:53:15 +0000

“Sharing the Road: Big Safety/Small Vehicles” was the theme at this year’s Michelin Challenge Design, an annual event at the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit. A catalyst for design students, design firms, professional designers from top car companies, as well as individual designers from all over the world, the Michelin Challenge is an opportunity to show what is possible when imaginations run wild. It also gives participants an opportunity to address some of the real-world issues faced by automakers around the globe. At the show, I had the opportunity to speak with Bob Mirone about the Challenge and get an upclose look at some of this year’s concept car entries.

Tags: Michelin Challenge Design, Michelin, Bob Mirone

Concept: The Acura Advanced Sports Car

Matt Kelly — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:42:11 +0000

Boasting a V10, the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept car debuted at the North American International Auto Show, with quite an impact. A long, pronounced hood, slim LED headlights, wraparound rear tail lights and a wide, low-to-the-ground wheel stance all combine to say this is one lean, menacing machine. At the show, I spoke with Acura’s Chief Designer Dave Marek, who mentioned it has a V10 several times. Dave also introduced me to Acura’s Junior Designer, Patrick Lukasak, who designed the vehicle. Patrick very likely represents the future for companies like Acura, so that’s another reason to take a close look at this concept car.

Tags: Acura, Advanced Sports Car, concept car, Dave Marek, Patrick Lukasak

GM’s Beth Lowery on the Chevy Volt

Matt Kelly — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 01:12:31 +0000

“If we are going to reduce our dependency on petroleum, there has to be a demand for flex fuel and electric vehicles,” says GM’s Vice President of Environment & Energy, Beth Lowery. I spoke with her during the North American International Auto Show, where she was very excited about the release of the new Chevy Volt, General Motors’ electric concept car built with a diverse E-Flex fuel platform. While the car combines design and technology, there will be regulatory issues to go through for the vehicle to be available to the masses, not to mention development of battery technology for it to be scalable. But she assures me GM’s engineers are working on it.

-Matt Kelly

Tags: flex fuel, electric vehicles, GM, Beth Lowery, Chevy Volt, E-Flex

UMSolar: Powered by the Sun

Matt Kelly — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:42:11 +0000

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. And they have a pretty impressive track record to show for their efforts! These young students are definitely the future designers and engineers of the major automakers, as well as the alternative fuel vehicle manufacturers. During the show, I spoke with Business Manager Tom Carroll, who introduced me to the M-Pulse and Momentum, two of the team’s creations. They are already hard at work on their 9th generation vehicle, the Continuum.

Tags: solar, alternative fuel, Tom Carroll, M-Pulse, Momentum, Continuum

GM’s Anne Ascensio: Style Personified

Matt Kelly — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:03:04 +0000

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 in automotive design. I spoke with her at the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit, and found her to be a maverick, dispelling the myth that designers are an “old boys’ club” by bringing a woman’s perspecitive and shifting the culture at GM.

We may see the results of her efforts in concepts like the new Chevy Volt. I spoke with her about her role in the concept car’s design and its significance as GM works toward an energy-independent America.

Tags: Anne Ascensio, General Motors, Chevy Volt

Concept: Mazda Ryuga

Matt Kelly — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:46:58 +0000

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 interior embodies Japanese flow. Plus, it features earth-friendly environmental technologies and people-friendly safety technologies including an E85/Gasoline flex fuel engine which runs on sustainable bio fuel and Charge-Coupled Device cameras to eliminate blind spots while driving. During the show, I had got an introduction to the Ryuga from Laurens van den Acker, general manager of the design division for Mazda Motor Corporation.

Tags: Mazda, Ryuga, concept car, environmental, E85, flex fuel, Laurens van den Acker

Smart Car for Two. Or more…

Matt Kelly — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:30:00 +0000

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 an alternative fuel propulsion platform. “Superbly Manufactured And Reliable Transportation” = SMART. While at the North American International Auto Show, I had the opportunity to check it out for myself.

Tags: Smart Car, alternative fuel

Chevy Camaro: Reviving a Classic

Matt Kelly — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:24:12 +0000

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, sleek and sporty, this beauty is a definite head-turner. While I was at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the car and its designers, Brian Smith and Jeff Perkins, who gave me an look at the styling and performance of the convertible.

-Matt Kelly

Tags: Chevy Camaro, Muscle Car, 2009 Camaro, Brian Smith, Jeff Perkins

Chevy Volt: Guilt-Free Motoring

Matt Kelly — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:28:13 +0000

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 beautiful, offers several propulsion platforms including E85, electricity, hydrogen and biodiesel and is the first to feature GM’s E-Flex system, a family of electric propulsion systems built onto a common chassis to create electricity and extend the range of the vehicle. While in Detroit, I had the opportunity to speak with one of the vehicle’s lead designers, Bob Boniface. While the Volt remains a concept car, we spoke about the vehicle’s styling, and the promise it represents for clean energy and a greener America.

-Matt Kelly

Tags: Chevy Volt, General Motors, E85, biodiesel, E-Flex, Bob Boniface, concept car, clean energy

Concept: Chevy Volt

Matt Kelly — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:16:31 +0000

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 we see something like this on the road from Chevrolet? Hopefully not long, based on the response it garnered from the crowd at the North American International Auto Show. Featuring GM’s debut of its E-Flex Propulsion System, the electric car features a rechargeable electric drive system and range-extending power source allowing it to be configured to run on electricity, gasoline, E85 or biodiesel. Did I mention that I want one?

-Matt Kelly

Tags: concept car, eco-friendly, StabiliTrak, Chevrolet, E-Flex, electric car, E85, biodiesel

Concept: Honda’s FCX

Matt Kelly — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:09:40 +0000

“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, the FCX. The car is a kind of triple-threat, with beautiful color, eye-catching style and the promise of significantly reduced carbon output levels. Alas, as a concept car, it’s not something we’re going to be seeing on the road any time soon. Although Martin assures us that something very much like the FCX will be on America’s highways and byways in the not-too-distant future.

Tags: Honda, Chris Martin, FCX, concept car

Concept: Saab’s BioPower

Matt Kelly — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:28:32 +0000

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 Hybrid Concept is capable of zero fossil fuel CO2 emissions, while also enhancing performance and reducing energy consumption. While at the Detroit Auto Show, I spoke with Brian Nesbitt, GME’s design director about the vehicle.

-Matt Kelly

Tags: Saab 9-3 Convertible, bioethanol, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Brian Nesbitt

Chevy Malibu: Extreme Car Makeover!

Matt Kelly — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:05:44 +0000

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. I spoke with the car’s exterior designer, Clay Dean, who was obviously proud of the production vehicle. It will soon have a hybrid component to it and, Deane says, his team is already working on the next version, due out in three years.

-Matt Kelly

Tags: GM, Chevy Malibu, Clay Dean