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First drive: new Land Cruiser 12/04/2007 12:32 Lance Branquinho Toyota's venerable Land Cruiser range has been updated with a facelifted version of the 70-series bakkie joined by a brand new, diesel-powered, wagon version. The revamped Oriental-overlander does not depart radically form its utilitarian roots, styling is still a study in form following function, with a more rounded nose softening the overall appearance of the face lifted bakkie versions. Newly available, and exclusively in South Africa outside the Japanese market, the 70-series station wagon has a decidedly chunky appearance. With a dash of chrome around the nose, its lineage is unambiguously closer to its bakkie sibling than the larger 100-series wagon or contemporary Land Cruiser Prado. Although the bakkie is still hardly pretty, the more rounded styling works, and the wagon has a certain retro charm about it. Both the bakkie and wagon are characteristically urban-unfriendly off-roaders, by appearance, and more explicitly by nature. Parking them up on side-walks at the shopping centre or local gym will garner little posing value. Driving them on tar is a ponderous experience - especially the diesel versions - and the bakkie rides quite harshly on tar when unladen. Crush Land
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Audi R10 TDI competes in “Monaco of USA” Thursday, 12 April 2007 While the wraps are officially being taken off the 2007 DTM season in Dusseldorf on Sunday, the American motorsport fans are looking with mounting interest towards Long Beach (USA) this coming weekend: In the Californian coastal town close to Los Angeles the most important and traditional street race in USA will take place. The event has been held since 1975 and was earlier the scene of the US Formula 1 Grand Prix. The 33rd running this year welcomes the American Le Mans Series for the first time - and, as a result, also the Audi R10 TDI. Image (c) Audi Motorsport The revolutionary Audi Diesel sportscar and its winning streak have hogged the headlines in the USA for more than one year. Most of the fans - including the many celebrities visiting Long Beach this weekend from Los Angeles, Malibu or Beverly Hills to see the race - are excited about the appearance of the powerful 650 hp Le Mans Prototype in the "Monaco of USA". "In contrast to Europe, the subject of Diesel is only just starting to break through in the USA," says German actor Ralf Moeller, who lives in California, is friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is also a big motorsport fan. "The Audi R10 TDI is excellent proof of just what a state-of-the-art Diesel engine can produce. The Americans are well impressed by it. The Diesel will also establish itself in the USA in the long term." Team Audi Sport North America proved 14 days ago by taking a one-two in St. Petersburg (Florida) that the Audi R10 TDI, which was specifically developed for the high-speed circuit at Le Mans, can also win on street circuits. The track in Long Beach is new for every driver. Allan McNish, who flew out to California on Tuesday and inspected the circuit on foot, is convinced that the spectators can prepare themselves for a very exciting race: "The circuit is made up of a series of tight corners, but also straights. Although the regulations stipulate that our R10 TDI must weigh 150 kg more than the lighter LM P2 cars from Porsche and Acura/Honda it will be a close battle yet again." The REAL Zoom Zoom Zoom
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Extremely cool Mini Diesel: Mini's first sporty diesel First there's an all-new and unprecedented Mini Cooper D (pictured above), which promises to be a multi-talented Mini hatchback that's both frugal and fun to drive. The last-generation Mini used Toyota's unsuitable 1.4-litre four-pot diesel engine; the new Mini uses a cleaner and more powerful 1.6-litre turbodiesel related to the one you'll find in the Peugeot 207 and Ford Fiesta. It produces 109bhp and 192lb ft of torque on overboost, both significant improvements over the last Mini diesel, yet it's also cleaner (118g/km v 129g/km) and more frugal (64.2 combined mpg v 58.9). That's about 53 MPG with the US ratings !! Gimme Gimme !!! Sporty Mini Diesel |
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A great site to read up on all the cool diesel vehicles the Euros get that we cannot have in the USofA: Euro Diesels abound |
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Diesel Jaguar XJ hits 1000 miles on a tank and 53.5 MPG in the Euro cycle (about 42 MPG US) 'Cause Baby You Jaguar
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Replying to: larsb (Apr 16, 2007 5:28 am) What a difference the diesel makes!? Some relatives who have a gasser version, normally get 12 mpg. Babying the thing on the road, they get 15 mpg. 42 mpg is certainly less consumptive of resources, not to mention some of the other benefits. |
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Replying to: larsb (Apr 16, 2007 5:28 am) The XJ has scooped a number of awards since its launch and most recently, the 2.7 Diesel was named the greenest luxury car on Britain’s roads in the Environmental Transport Association’s 2007 Car Buyers Guide. Other most recent notable awards for the XJ include ‘Best Luxury Car’ at the 2007 Business Car Awards and ‘Best Luxury Car’ for the XJ Diesel at the 2006 Fleet World Honours. PS If Ford would bring some of this green technology to the US it may help them survive. |
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Thar's Gold In That Thar Diesel !!! Nanostellar, which specializes in molecules and materials for making diesel engines run more efficiently, has devised a new coating for the inside of catalytic converters--devices that reduce emissions before they leave a car's tailpipe--that will both cost less than traditional coatings and cut down further on pollution. The secret ingredient is gold, explained CEO Pankaj Dhingra. The company combines gold along with platinum and palladium into a material called NS Gold that car and auto parts makers will sprinkle into a new line of cleaner catalytic converters. Ideally, NS Gold will increase oxidation activity, i.e. the chemical reaction that reduces pollutants, by about 40 percent compared with conventional catalytic converters and about 20 percent compared with the converters treated with materials Nanostellar already sells. "At the nano level, gold becomes very active, but until now no one has been able to make it for automotive use," he said in an interview. "You have high temperatures, a huge amount of oxygen. At high temperatures most materials are not stable." Although gold at the nano level can assume different colors, NS Gold lives up to its name. At Nanostellar's lab, CNET News.com saw a beaker of the material swirling in a liquid. The mixture looked like the inside of an Orange Julius machine. |
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Replying to: larsb (Apr 16, 2007 5:25 am) |
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Here's an interesting press release: ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods Announce Strategic Alliance To Produce Next Generation Renewable Diesel Fuel HOUSTON and SPRINGDALE, Ark., April 16, 2007 --- ConocoPhillips [NYSE:COP] and Tyson Foods, Inc. [NYSE:TSN] will announce a strategic alliance at 12 p.m. CDT today to produce and market the next generation of renewable diesel fuel, which will help supplement the traditional petroleum-based diesel fuel supply. The alliance plans to use beef, pork and poultry by-product fat to create a transportation fuel. This fuel will contribute to America’s energy security and help to address climate change concerns. Over the last year, the companies have been collaborating on ways to leverage Tyson’s advanced knowledge in protein chemistry and production with ConocoPhillips’ processing and marketing expertise to introduce a renewable diesel to the United States. Tyson will make capital improvements this summer in order to begin pre-processing animal fat from some of its North American rendering facilities later in the year. ConocoPhillips also will begin the necessary capital expenditures to enable it to produce the fuel in several of its refineries. The finished product will be renewable diesel fuel mixtures that meet all federal standards for ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Production is expected to ramp up over time to as much as 175 million gallons per year of renewable diesel. “We are firmly committed to leveraging our leadership position in the food industry to identify and commercialize renewable energy opportunities,” said Richard L. Bond, Tyson president and chief executive officer. “This strategic alliance is a big win for the entire agricultural sector because it paves the way for greater participation of fats and oils in renewable fuels.” “ConocoPhillips believes the key to a secure energy future is the development and efficient use of diverse energy sources,” said Jim Mulva, ConocoPhillips chairman and chief executive officer. “This alliance will provide a new and significant contribution to our nation’s domestic renewable fuel supply. It also offers an excellent opportunity to use our company’s manufacturing expertise and advanced technology to help increase the supply of renewable fuels and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Using a proprietary thermal depolymerization production technology, the animal fats will be processed with hydrocarbon feedstocks to produce a high-quality diesel fuel that meets all federal standards for ultra-low-sulfur diesel. The addition of animal fat also improves the fuel’s ignition properties, while the processing step improves its storage stability and handling characteristics. Investments made by ConocoPhillips and Tyson will allow for the processing and handling of fat and enhance the ability of the United States to produce energy from a variety of sources, including domestically-produced vegetable oils. The processing technology was developed at ConocoPhillips, culminating in a successful test at the company’s Whitegate Refinery in Cork, Ireland. ConocoPhillips began commercial production of renewable diesel using soybean oil in Ireland late last year. This alliance is expected to be a positive step for Tyson’s long term financial performance. “Production is expected to begin in late calendar year 2007, ramping up through spring 2009,” Bond said. “Once at full production, we currently project between $0.04 and $0.16 cents per share in additional annual earnings. However, this will be driven by factors such as the prices of wholesale diesel and animal fat." Benefits of Renewable Diesel Produces lower life-cycle carbon emissions Increases energy security by using a domestic and renewable energy source Can be used in today’s vehicles. Can be produced and distributed with existing refineries and fuel distribution systems Refinery quality control systems ensure product quality BTW- diesel engines typically last longer simply because there is less stress at work in the engine. Lower revs = less work on the part of the engine. Also fewer moving parts in a diesel engine therefore fewer parts to break. |
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