Holden Entering Sportwagon In 3000km Global Green Challenge

DEMONSTRATING ITS COMMITMENT to the company’s all-new Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) engine technology featured in the 2010 Commodore range, Holden will enter an Omega Sportwagon in this year’s Global Green Challenge.

A 3000 kilometre trek down the centre of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide, the Global Green Challenge will put the SIDI technology to work testing Holden’s claimed 13 percent fuel economy boost.

Held from the 24th to the 31st of October, the Global Green Challenge (formerly the World Solar Challenge) sees manufacturers, universities and private organisations from around the world facing off to prove - and improve - their latest advancements in alternative fuel and fuel-saving technologies.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director Alan Batey pointed to the carmaker’s Omega Sportwagon Global Green Challenge entry as a practical demonstration of the SIDI technology’s fuel-saving capabilities.

“Our strategy of providing customers with better fuel efficiency today and next generation fuel advances for tomorrow is driving everything we do,” Mr Batey said.

Mr Batey said that Holden intends to use the Global Green Challenge as a way of demonstrating the company’s commitment to reducing its overall impact on the environment.

“There is no better way to demonstrate the efficiency gains made through the introduction of SIDI technology than in a real-world event such as this, held over a distance that many Australian families cover each year.

“It will go a long way to showing that fuel-saving technology is not the exclusive domain of small, expensive niche vehicles.”

Mercedes-Benz Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid To Debut At Frankfurt Motor Show

JOINING THE B-Class F-CELL and BlueZERO concepts at Frankfurt this month will be yet another Mercedes-Benz hybrid: the Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid.

Based on the S-Class sedan and featuring technology similar to that found in the production S400 BlueHYBRID revealed last year, Mercedes claims the S500 Plug-In Hybrid returns a fuel economy of just 3.2 l/100km.

“The Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid is a new milestone on our path toward zero-emission mobility,” Mercedes-Benz chief Dr Dieter Zetsche said.

It is a luxurious and safe S-Class vehicle that offers superior driving performance while at the same time consuming less fuel than current compacts.

All of this shows that our top models will also be able to combine automotive fascination with responsibility for the environment.”

Like many hybrids, the S500 Plug-In Hybrid’s 45kW electric motor offers the ability to drive on electric power alone, travelling up to 30 kilometres on one charge of its 10kWh lithium-ion battery.

When the battery’s charge is depleted, the conventional petrol engine (Mercedes has not offered details for this engine) will kick in.

Used together, Mercedes-Benz says the electric motor and petrol engine will propel the big sedan to 60mph (96km/h) in under 5.5 seconds.

Mercedes-Benz is keeping its cards close to its chest on the finer technical details, but all will be revealed at Frankfurt next week.

Fiat Abarth 695 "Tributo Ferrari" To Debut At Frankfurt

NUMBER ONE ON THE LIST of unexpected events at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a bullet, is the Fiat Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”.

Following the supply of a limited number of Abarth 500s to Ferrari’s European dealers as courtesy cars, Fiat has looked to its supercar subsidiary for a project of even greater visual and driving impact.

A collaborative project between Fiat’s Abarth division and Ferrari’s engineers, the Tributo Ferrari features updates of both a mechanical and styling nature.

Powered by an Abarth- and Ferrari-tuned 1.4 litre 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari develops a not inconsiderable 135kW (up from 99kW for the regular Abarth 500). Torque numbers have not been revealed.

Mated to a paddle-shift automated manual transmission and a variable exhaust system, the Tributo Ferrari appears to be a significant step forward into genuine performance territory.

Further emphasising the performance angle, each corner is filled out with dark gloss grey 17-inch alloy wheels attached to sport-tuned suspension and 284mm Brembo brake discs.

The body kit remains largely unchanged from the ‘regular’ Abarth 500, however a coat of Scuderia Red paint and Racing Grey striping - inspired by the outgoing Ferrari 430 Scuderia - does its bit to set the visuals off.

Neither Fiat nor Ferrari have offered any word on whether the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari will be put into production - if at a greatly increased price and in an ultra-limited run - but more details will likely be revealed at Frankfurt next week.

Citroen DS Revolte Concept Headed For Frankfurt, 2CV Hopes Appear Dashed

DESPITE THE RECENT unveiling of the Citroen DS3 Inside concept and the 2010 Citroen DS3 production model that followed, the French carmaker isn’t done surprising us with its onslaught of fashion-conscious concepts.

Citroen has a new concept lined up for debut at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and shadowy images revealed earlier this week left us with the impression that a revival of the classic 2CV was on the way.

Bearing the name ‘Revolte’ and featuring the recognisable ‘DS’ badge on the bonnet, the new concept - despite the obvious styling parallels - hopes of a return to the 2CV name appear to be dashed for now.

Still, with the same ’sardine tin’ retractable roof and iconic retro-styled lines as its forebear (if in spirit only), the Revolte is clearly connected to the 2CV in some way.

Citroen remains tight-lipped about exactly what the Revolte represents in the company’s image and model line-up, but all should be revealed at Frankfurt next week.

Where the original 2CV was developed to be a simple and affordable buggy, a new model - as emphasised by the large wheels and powerful wheel arches of the concept above - would likely come with more power, more gadgets, and a price tag to match.

Either way, the Citroen stand at Frankfurt should prove to be an appealing affair, with both the 2010 Citroen DS3 and 2010 Citroen C3 scheduled to appear.