Sporty and clean

A 32kg weight-saving is gained over the Elise S base car through use of natural materials and drastically lighter wheels.

What's cool? Proof that, with enough will, a maker can make a car more environmentally friendly through overall weight reduction and use of low emission materials.

Will it be made? Not as a complete car, but Lotus can sell hybrid composite parts or technology to big players.

- FORD FOCUS RS

What is it? Almost production-ready model of the 300hp Ford Focus RS with 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual limited slip diff. "RevoKnuckle" front suspension neutralises torque steer. RS is lower and wider than standard Focus and with sporty trims inside and out.

What's cool? World rally car has looks and performance to rival the 4WD Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Evo.


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Zero crashes: A preview of the car of the future

A dashboard-mounted display, with green, red and yellow alert lights, measures unsafe moves such as speeding and sharp braking, and sends the data to a database that parents can access. The phone company T-Mobile has tested the device in 250 of its vehicles. It says that it has saved £417,000 in crash damage and 3 per cent in fuel costs in 12 months. To forestall employee fears, a function to identify individual drivers is switched off. That, however, might change.

Hitting the roads Imagine the Big Brother backlash if a mandatory system were proposed.

10. Self-steering

Collision-avoidance systems that intervene when a crash seems inevitable are about to be fitted to vehicles driven in Britain. A system created by Volvo, for example, is active at speeds up to 20mph.



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Audi reveals 2009 model pricing, changes; price hikes across US lineup

The German luxury car-maker has announced pricing and equipment changes for nearly all of its 2009 models for North America. Absent from the list, for now, are the A4 sedan and Avant, the TTS coupe and roadster (pictured above), the Q7 3.0 TDI with 50-state legal clean diesel engine and the Q5. The A4 will arrive in September, with the TTS following in late 2008. The Q5 and Q7 are expected in the first quarter of 2009. Also coming in September is a Quattro-equipped 2.0-liter S tronic A3.

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Fuel costs force many to cut food budgets

A further one in 10 said they would consider getting rid of their car altogether if fuel prices continue to climb.

A litre of unleaded petrol currently costs an average of £1.18, a rise of 22 per cent over the past 12 months. It is estimated that the cost of filling an average-sized car could rise to £72.60, with drivers of larger executive cars having to pay more than £85.

Mark Dowsey and his wife, Joanne, tell the programme that rising fuel prices have forced them to cancel their summer holiday for the first time in seven years. About six months ago it cost Mrs Dowsey, 50, £30 to fill up her diesel car - it now costs her £45. Filling up her husband's diesel van has increased from £50 to £75.

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Fond du Lac couple beats high fuel prices with new electric car

After shopping around at an electric car dealer in Janesville, the Hylands plunked down about $11,000 for a Miles ZX40S in May. With room for four, plenty of safety features and a top speed of 25 mph the car is the ideal around-town ride for the family.

At first, Paul, a former military man, thought he would be the laughingstock of the neighborhood for driving around in the small car. He was wrong. Not only does he chuckle every time he passes a gas station, the car "gets more attention than a 1968 Pontiac GTO."

Other motorists stare, and people are constantly approaching the couple to find out more about the vehicle.

"It happens everywhere; it's hilarious," said Meghan. "We can't go anywhere without people asking us about the car. Someone even rang our doorbell at 8:30 at night to talk to us."

The reaction of passersby is usually the same.


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Driving 55 isn’t the answer, but it’sa start

Given technological improvements since 1974, at what speed is the typical vehicle most fuel efficient?

2. If a national speed limit were enacted, what would be total fuel savings, and what would be the savings for the average driver?

3. How many fewer barrels of oil a day would Americans consume? Would there be a reduction in price at the pump, and what ranges would cost reductions be?

4. If the feds reduced their oil consumption as asked, how many barrels of oil might be saved?

Congress will be considering all its options, said Sen. Warner, who reminded Secretary Bodman that, years ago, the 55-mph speed limit, officially known as the Emergency Energy Conservation Act, “worked."

Adele Ferguson can be reached at

PO Box 69, Hansville, WA 98340.



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Rising fuel prices could influence car market

The current boom in diesel car sales could slow down, as the average price of diesel fuel at the end of June reached 132.27p per litre - 22.5 per cent higher than it was at the beginning of the year, according to figures from Experian, the global information services company.

The figures provided by Catalist, an Experian company, show the biggest increase in diesel fuel prices for the first six months of any year in the last decade.

The average price of petrol has also increased significantly to 118.9p per litre - 15.4 per cent higher at the end of June compared to the beginning of the year.

Furthermore, while both diesel and petrol prices have been rising, diesel prices have crept up at a faster rate over the last six months. There is now an 11.2 per cent difference between petrol and diesel prices, compared to a 4.8 per cent difference in January 2008.



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