News Opinion (Page 149)

There were many automakers with smart and funny commercials on Super Bowl Sunday. Kia managed to be a cut above the rest with its commercial featuring the Motley Crue, Chuck Liddell, and Adriana Lima.

Fiat had the best Super Bowl commercial this year, compared to what other automaker showcased. The Fiat 500 commercial was smart, funny, sexy, and had perfect timing and length in my opinion.

The Jaguar Concept C-X75 will be a production vehicle and hints at the route Jaguar wants to take.

Revising upward its full-year earnings target, Toyota Motor Corp. (ADR: TM) demonstrated unexpected optimism about the remainder of the fiscal year; and the market’s reaction tends to agree.

If the recent article at Motley Fool is accurate, then look for lithium prices to rise; but you don’t have take their word for it. Simply look at the trend of the exchange traded fund for lithium stocks, which show the train has already left the station.

The third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit will be held at the Gaylord Convention Center, February 27 - 29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Included by invitation will be key players in the split-cycle engine technology.

Despite NADA's recent opposition to the proposed 54.5 mpg standards by 2025, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told the NADA convention in Las Vegas that the auto industry will still need to meet it; and can do so, including using natural-gas as a fuel.

If you haven't heard, President Barack Obama's 2005 Chrysler 300C went up for sale on an eBay auction. When the auction closed, surprisingly the car did not sell. You might think there are lots of people who would be interested in car Obama had driven. However, I think there are many reasons why the car could not find a buyer.

The price of gasoline can affect the outcome of the 2012 elections, the success or failure of alternatively fueled vehicles like electric cars, and the success or failure of efforts to mitigate climate change and other environmental goals.

The laudable goal, developing a gasoline powered car with 100 miles/gallon fuel efficiency, is being offered a $1 billion government prize as incentive, and would keep the U.S. addicted to oil.

Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear, has topped a poll of British celebrities people would least like to share a driving adventure with. At least according to research done by Continental Tires.

In a TorqueNews exclusive interview, Steve Hellman, president of EOS Energy Storage, a fairly new entity in the grid storage arena with a viable zinc-air battery technology, is also proposing zinc-air as a viable solution to the four limitations that shackle today’s electrification of the automobile. Thus, the company is looking for strategic partners in 2012.

Stanford University researchers unveiled today theoretical results on a system for wirelessly charging, at up to 97% efficiency, electric cars as they drive down the road.

Axion Power International, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AXPW) the developer of advanced lead­carbon PbC® batteries and energy storage systems, today announced that will offer shares of common stock for gross proceeds up to $10 million.

Hyundai today released additional details regarding its Lifetime Hybrid Battery Replacement Guarantee. Hyundai's one stipulation which it choose to omit, was quite an important one.

The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) today announced the launch of the Coalition of Automotive Lightweighting Materials (CALM) to support efforts by auto manufacturers to aggressively down-weight vehicles to improve performance, fuel economy and safety.

According to the NRDC, House Speaker Boehner wants to steer America onto a disastrous transportation policy path, that makes America's energy security and environmental problems worse, is financially dangerous, and leaves the nation's highway system subject to political manipulation akin to taking a road to nowhere.

With a double bottom already in place at the $19 area, General Motors (NYSE: GM) stock broke above a key technical downtrend line, but barely. It now seems GM stock needs a boost to higher ground to make traders believe that double bottom won’t get tested again.

The more electric car charging stations exist, the more useful will be electric cars, so long as the fees to use charging stations make sense.

Heading into its fourth year of racing, the TTXGP electric motorcycle racing series has seen rapid growth and an amazing list of accomplishments.

The public has spoken and the message is clear: an innovative and cost-effective approach to energy storage is required to enable the transformation from IC engine cars to cleaner, long-range, full electric vehicles. Lithium-ion, although viable, has a competitor on the horizon - Zinc-air. Question is: When?

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., is delivering its new 2012 Mitsubishi i electric vehicles, EVs, including six new ones in Normal, Illinois.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) made money in 2011, but did it mostly with a large tax credit. So, the market tried all day to decide if that qualifies sufficiently for Ford stock to rise. The stock still closed down.

Last time I wrote, Toyota Motors (ADR: TM) stock was sitting just above a down-trend line, and had a great showing in play at the NAIAS 2012 in Detroit. Now the stock has confirmed the trend line breakout is for real.

The thorny issue of collector car authenticity is one that sparks many debates and not too often will you hear about someone who takes up the challenge to body an un-bodied Bugatti. Today, is that day.

Every automobile is the result of work by teams of designers and engineers, but not always noticed by the public. To help the NAIAS 2012 crowd understand the difference, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) once again held its leading position as one of the best auto tech displays.

Younger auto-buyers are overwhelmingly looking for highly fuel efficient, hybrid, cars, with advanced infotainment features.

We are at a chicken-and-egg moment where prospective electric car owners want to see electric charging stations, but prospective charging station owners want to see electric car owners using their stations.

Ever wonder which hybrid is the best for 2012? Let's do a definition.

Toyota has been in a good place with its Prius line and now with its new Camry Hybrid. Question: Why is the Camry Hybrid cheaper than the Prius Plug-In?