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AutoblogGreen for 01.13.09

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From left to right: a plug in hybrid, a standard hybrid and an all-electric car. You might recoginze them as the Fisker Karma S, the 2010 Toyota Prius, and the Honda FT-EV, all unveiled or on display here at the Detroit Auto Show. What fun.

AutoblogGreen for 01.13.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skoda Octavia vRS: Czech Speed

Skoda, the Czechoslovakian fourth tentacle of the Volkswagen family of manufacturers, has spent nearly two decades methodically chipping away at any notions of shaky reliability. Skoda’s efforts have apparently paid off with not only a growing following in the West and particularly in Britain, but widespread critical praise with the automotive press. All of this progress has resulted in the development and production of a sporty new version of the Octavia sedan; the vRS.

vRS Interior

After floundering a bit in the past to simply reinvent image misconceptions with consumers, Skoda’s confidence in producing the sporty Octavia vRS is a sign that the Czech company has finally found a solid foothold in the European market and is ready to take a larger bite out of their European competition. One of the appeals to the Skoda line is a wide variety of options available to customers including a variety of new powerplants. This is in part thanks to a large monetary investment in technology by VW that has allowed the vRS to deliver performance that if not truly sports car-like, is definitely spirited. In fact, most critics give the nod towards the vRS over the VW GTi in terms of driving satisfaction. The kudos begin with the 200 horsepower engine that drives the front wheels of the vRS and is the most powerful ever to appear in a Skoda. This efficient 4-cylinder is capable of a 0 to 62mph time in a respectable 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of 149mph. Skoda claims that it produces enormous torque (more than a Porsche Cayman S) and is mated to a six-speed transmission and utilizes a specially-tuned chassis and suspension set up to ensure that handling is up to the rigors. Despite the performance edge to the vRS, Skoda has kept fuel efficiency at a combined 35mpg. 18-inch wheels, twin exhaust and red brake calipers are the only mild indications of this car’s driving dynamics. Upgrades to the Octavia’s interior include, leather, sport seats, dual climate control and a laundry list of safety and child seat components.

Not that anyone needs reminding of the dollars relative weakness in comparison to the Euro, but pricing for the vRS is slightly more than 17,000 pounds or $33,095. Even so, the vRS is a solid option in the sport sedan segment.

Detroit 2009: Ford's Mustang Alley features accessory wheels for 2010 model

Filed under: Aftermarket, Detroit Auto Show, Sports/GTs, Ford

Click above the see the full lineup of Mustang accessory wheels

Don't like the stock wheels on the new Mustang? No worries. Over at the Ford booth at this year's Detroit Auto Show, the 'Stang has its own little area dubbed "Mustang Alley" featuring a display of hoods employed through the years (pretty cool) and a "Mustang Garage" wall with the full lineup of accessory wheels available for the new pony. Ford Racing has offered a variety of wheels before, but this is something else entirely, as it seems Ford would like to redirect some of those aftermarket bucks right back into the coffers at Dearborn. Some of these are really good looking - the gold 20-inchers above look particularly great in person - and we've got the whole lineup posted in the gallery below. Click away.

Gallery: 2010 Ford Mustang Accessory Wheels

Detroit 2009: Ford's Mustang Alley features accessory wheels for 2010 model originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acura Claims the RWD V8 Program is Still Alive!

Who can we believe anymore? Reports surface that certain vehicle programs are dead and then days later differing reports come out. Earlier this week, Autocar claimed that Honda had killed the V8 engine program and RWD Acura's. Now Jeff Conrad, Vice President of Acura as informed dealers that the Acura "tier 1" program is still in the works.

According to Conrad the NSX program is officially dead, but the much needed V8 engine and RWD programs are still moving forward. It's rumored that Acura is working on a large RWD, V8 powered sedan to go head to head with the Germans.

It's still not known if the other reports about the death of the S2000 are in fact true.

Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Hybrid Racer Debuts, Fails To Charge Audience

Photo Source: Motor Dude

Recently, Peugeot unveiled their new green Le Mans contender, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Hybrid Racer. Although heralded as a major achievement in the racing industry and praised for its environmental progressiveness, I am not enthused. If an automobile doesn’t translate into a real world application, like the Peugeot 908 hybrid racer largely fails to do, then I’m just not interested. To be perfectly honest, I think dropping that kind of cash to engineer a top performance race car that stores any unused kinetic energy is a waste. When was the last time a Formula 1 racer interrupted his crew chief by saying, “Well yes Hank, 0-60mph in under 3 seconds is very impressive, but what kind of gas mileage does it get?”

I’ll hand it to Peugeot though, the design department did a hell of a job creating an aesthetic for the 908 HDi that was both sleeking and imposing, in an impending-alien-probe sort of way. Bottom line: if this were street legal, I’d be all over it, but as it stands, it doesn’t seem particularly exciting.

Top 5 Geek Gadgets for Your Car

So you’re a geek and you want some geek gadgets? I’m with you mang. Too long I’ve hidden my science and electronic loving ways. It’s time I wore my geek-itude on my sleeve, like some kind of sleeve based pocket protector for a pocket that’s on my sleeve. Right?

Whatever, here are the top five awesome whiz-bangs 4 your car:

1. 400 Watt Power Dome Mini Generator

Every car should have a jumpbox - a battery box that lets you jumpstart your car even if no one is around. That’s what this is, a 600 cranking amp jumpbox, in addition to a bunch of other things.

It has 2 AC outlets and 2 DC outlets, a 400 watt inverter, with a level indicator, AND, the best part… a built-in 275 psi air compressor.

2. Digital Wi-Fi Detector

Autonet mobile is supposedly coming out with always on wi-fi for your car. If so, I can wait for that to come out, shell out $399 up-front and 50 bucks a month for their untested service. Or I can pay 50 bucks once for the ability to find free wi-fi as I drive. Easy choice.

Your typical WiFi detector will only show you if the signal is there, and it’s relative strength. Not that helpful. This Digital WiFi Detector has a backlit LCD screen that provides information on signal availability and strength as well as network information, like SSID, security status and channel. When multiple networks are present, the LCD will allow you to scroll through information for each network.

3. Mini Fridge/Warmer - For Your Car

It’s a fridge AND warmer for your car, you shouldn’t need convincing.
It has a 20 liter capacity and a digital LCD display with the current inside temperature. It goes down to 44 degrees Fahrenheit and warms up to 140 degrees. Come on. Awesome

4. Automotive ECM Scanner

Getting your car’s brain scanned and reset at an automotive shop usually costs a few hundered dollars. Now you can do it yourself. Most people don’t realize, theres a plug on your car’s ECM/ECU computer (called the “brain”) that’ll let you access that computer.

You can read engine trouble codes and can reset the “check engine” light, read all sorts of tracked data (fuel economy, battery voltage, coolant temp., etc.). You can even start to get involved in the whole engine ECM turner subculture.

Pretty cool stuff that used to be only available to diagnostic and repair shops.

5. Smart AC 120 USB Power Inverter

I’m always in need of converters in my car. With this gadget, I can just plug it into the cigarette lighter… then plug in any standard AC powered device. Screw all those old adapters.

300 Watt peak output, 120 Watt standard use, so that’s plenty of power for anything I’m using.

You know of any gadgets I miseed? Let me know in the comments.

Detroit 2009: Volkswagen BlueSport concept, turbodiesel done right

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Convertibles, Volkswagen

Click above for a gallery of the Volkswagen Bluesport

The term "diesel performance" is an oxymoron to the majority of the public, but if the Volkswagen Bluesport makes it to production, these two diametrically-opposed words could have new meaning.

Later today at the Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen will take the wraps off the Bluesport concept, a two-door roadster packing a mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbodiesel four putting out 180 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. With around 2,600 pounds to motivate the Bluesport, VW estimates a run from 0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds, a top speed of 140 and, just as importantly, 35 mpg on the European cycle. UPDATE: According to official numbers from VW, we're actually talking an amazing 57 mpg in Eco mode.

The power from the mid-mounted diesel will be sent to a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox mounted closer to the front of the car and resulting in a 45:55 front-to-rear weight distribution. The overall length is just over 13 feet, with a wheelbase of 96 inches, a front track 58.5 inches and a rear track of 60 inches. Two storage areas - one frunk and another mounted behind the engine - result in 182 liters of cargo area.

It's a compelling package that we're looking forward to scooping out in person. Check back this afternoon for more.

Gallery: Detroit Preview: Volkswagen BlueSport Concept