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Motor Authority - blog Tag: Carbon Footprint

  • CEO hints at 2015 launch date for first Lamborghini hybrid

    CEO hints at 2015 launch date for first Lamborghini hybrid August 4th, 2009 ByAlex Kaufmann Alex Kaufmann, Author, August 4th, 2009 Alex Kaufmann 6 Comments

    CEO hints at 2015 launch date for first Lamborghini hybrid It wasn't long ago that supercar manufacturers were scoffing at the idea of introducing hybrid variants of their models, but with Porsche and even the usually traditionalist Ferrari hard at work on their own respective hybrid drivetrains, it wasn't going to be long before other supercar manufacturers cottoned on to the idea - including Lamborghini.

    Speaking with Automobilwoche, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that he could easily imagine Lamborghini models adopting a small electric motor in conjunction with gasoline power - in other words, a mild hybrid that should help the Lamborghini models of the future cut down on their fuel... It wasn't long ago that supercar manufacturers were scoffing at the idea of introducing hybrid variants of their models, but with Porsche and even the usually traditionalist Ferrari hard at work on their own respective hybrid drivetrains, it wasn't going to be long before other supercar manufacturers cottoned on to the idea - including Lamborghini. Speaking with Automobilwoche, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that he could easily imagine Lamborghini models adopting a small electric motor in conjunction with gasoline power - in other words, a mild hybrid that should help the Lamborghini models of the future cut down on their fuel consumption in urban areas, but not rob them of too much performance when it comes time to let loose. The timetable for such a powertrain points to a possible 2015 debut for a mild hybrid Lamborghini, but as for a completely electric Lamborghini even Winkelmann acknowledges that building such a model is something the company is not too interested in at the moment. 2015 is, coincidentally, the date Ferrari has very tentatively offered as a reasonable time to expect one of its own hybrid models, giving both manufacturers a fairly well-matched schedule - even though Ferrari has already confirmed that hybrid prototypes of the 599 are undergoing testing at the moment. Lamborghini's plan to offer hybrids in the future is part of a larger plan to reduce costs and emissions, and according to Winkelmann the company will be spending around €35 million ($50.3 million) over the next 5 years to bring emissions levels down. Lamborghini will also be hoping to cut costs in production in order to remain profitable - the first half of the year has already seen pre-tax profits drop by over 80% to €5.4 million ($7.8 million). In other hybrid supercar news, a strange looking Porsche 911 prototype has been photographed recently with an odd bump in the bonnet featuring a lightning-bolt motif and a 'Batman' badge on the front--either a clever joke from the usually straight-faced Porsche engineers or a hint at what may actually lie under the sheet-metal. Read More

  • Lamborghini hints at hybrid future in new environmental strategy

    Lamborghini hints at hybrid future in new environmental strategy June 7th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, June 7th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 3 Comments

    Lamborghini hints at hybrid future in new environmental strategy More stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations rolling in across major markets around the globe have all automakers, even ultra luxury marques, rethinking their designs and manufacturing processes in an effort to become greener. Both Bentley and Ferrari have confirmed their commitment to reducing their emissions and now Lamborghini has unveiled its new environmental strategy.

    Lamborghini has set itself an internal goal of reducing the carbon-dioxide emissions of its vehicles by 35% by 2015. To do this it will focus on reducing the weight of its cars, increasing efficiency of its engines and upgrading them to run on biofuel,... More stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations rolling in across major markets around the globe have all automakers, even ultra luxury marques, rethinking their designs and manufacturing processes in an effort to become greener. Both Bentley and Ferrari have confirmed their commitment to reducing their emissions and now Lamborghini has unveiled its new environmental strategy. Lamborghini has set itself an internal goal of reducing the carbon-dioxide emissions of its vehicles by 35% by 2015. To do this it will focus on reducing the weight of its cars, increasing efficiency of its engines and upgrading them to run on biofuel, installing engine stop-start systems, and even looking at hybrid drivetrain solutions. We’ve already seen the first results of Lamborghini’s new environmental strategy in the Gallardo LP 560-4, which produces 18% less CO2 than the standard Gallardo on which it’s based. Furthermore, Lamborghini sees boosting its environmental credibility as a company-wide task and is therefore spending up to €35 million over the next five years to improve the efficiency of its entire operations. This will include the installation of new photovoltaic solar cells to reduce the CO2 emissions of factory 30% by 2010.Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder Mega Gallery Read More

  • Spy shots: Bentley Continental Supersports in production trim

    Spy shots: Bentley Continental Supersports in production trim May 11th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, May 11th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 2 Comments

    Spy shots: Bentley Continental Supersports in production trim Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and this week the car took a step closer to arriving in showrooms as the first production models have started undergoing real-world testing. Having debuted in concept form at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the new Continental Supersports is scheduled to go on sale early next year as the carmaker’s most powerful and fastest production model ever.

    It won’t be the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive, but a $267,000 base price tag for the Continental Supersports... Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and this week the car took a step closer to arriving in showrooms as the first production models have started undergoing real-world testing. Having debuted in concept form at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the new Continental Supersports is scheduled to go on sale early next year as the carmaker’s most powerful and fastest production model ever. It won’t be the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive, but a $267,000 base price tag for the Continental Supersports will put it about 33% above the Continental GT Speed's starting price of $203,600. Add on top the $3,700 gas guzzler tax (it's still a big, powerful, gasoline-capable car) and the $2,595 delivery fee and you're nudging up against $275,000. Bentley says the price is fully in line with the car's nature, and notes that many features that are standard on the Supersports are pricey options on the rest of the lineup. Delivering 621hp (463kW), the latest addition to the Continental GT range is capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds and reaching a top speed of 204mph - despite its hefty 4,939lb (2,235kg) curb weight. Peak torque stands at 590lb-ft (800Nm). The 'Supersports' name is inspired by the original two-seater 3.0L Supersports model introduced in 1925, itself an evolution of the 3.0L Speed. The original Supersports was the first production Bentley to reach 100mph and was also recognized at the time for its race-inspired technologies. For more on the Supersports at the recent Geneva event, check out our debut story here.Bentley Continental Supersports2010 Bentley Continental Supersports spied in production trim Read More

  • Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car ever priced from $273,295

    Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car ever priced from $273,295 April 9th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, April 9th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car ever priced from $273,295 Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and with this week's announcement of the price of the car, its cash-burning abilities are known too. Taking its slot as the most powerful and fastest Bentley ever, the Supersports is also the most expensive Continental ever.

    It's not the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive. But the $267,000 base price tag of the Continental Supersports puts it about 33% above the Continental GT Speed's starting price of $203,600. Add on top the $3,700 gas guzzler tax (it's still a big,... Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and with this week's announcement of the price of the car, its cash-burning abilities are known too. Taking its slot as the most powerful and fastest Bentley ever, the Supersports is also the most expensive Continental ever. It's not the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive. But the $267,000 base price tag of the Continental Supersports puts it about 33% above the Continental GT Speed's starting price of $203,600. Add on top the $3,700 gas guzzler tax (it's still a big, powerful, gasoline-capable car) and the $2,595 delivery fee and you're nudging up against $275,000. Bentley says the price is fully in line with the car's nature, and notes that many features that are standard on the Supersports are pricey options on the rest of the lineup. Carbon ceramic brakes ($16,500) and about a 'half dozen options' are included in the Supersports purchase price, reports Edmunds but the details on the options and prices won't be disclosed for a while yet. Delivering 621hp (463kW), the latest addition to the Continental GT range is capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds and reaching a top speed of 204mph - despite its hefty 4,939lb (2,235kg) curb weight. Peak torque stands at 590lb-ft (800Nm). The 'Supersports' name is inspired by the original two-seater 3.0L Supersports model introduced in 1925, itself an evolution of the 3.0L Speed. The original Supersports was the first production Bentley to reach 100mph and was also recognized at the time for its race-inspired technologies. For more on the Supersports and its features, check out our debut story here.Bentley Continental Supersports Read More

  • China's carbon emissions jump 80% in just three years

    China's carbon emissions jump 80% in just three years March 5th, 2009 ByAlex Kaufmann Alex Kaufmann, Author, March 5th, 2009 Alex Kaufmann 7 Comments

    China's carbon emissions jump 80% in just three years Beijing's efforts to cut its local pollution for the Olympics aside, China has shown little interest in cutting back its output of carbon into the atmosphere. Even with Beijing's drastic measures, athletes and press complained of the oppressive atmosphere. Now it looks like China's atmosphere may become the world's, outweighing the emissions cuts in Europe and U.S.

    A new report released by international organization, Geophysical Research Letters, has revealed that despite growing environmental concerns in recent times, China's output of carbon emissions has shot up by a whopping 80% in a period of just three years between 2002 and 2005.

    ... Beijing's efforts to cut its local pollution for the Olympics aside, China has shown little interest in cutting back its output of carbon into the atmosphere. Even with Beijing's drastic measures, athletes and press complained of the oppressive atmosphere. Now it looks like China's atmosphere may become the world's, outweighing the emissions cuts in Europe and U.S. A new report released by international organization, Geophysical Research Letters, has revealed that despite growing environmental concerns in recent times, China's output of carbon emissions has shot up by a whopping 80% in a period of just three years between 2002 and 2005. According to recent statistics compiled by the U.S. government's 'Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center', China and the U.S. both output a similar amount of carbon dioxide and together the two countries account for almost half of all world carbon dioxide output. China's rapidly increasing population growth, economic growth and subsequent increase in production, exports and consumption has increased carbon emissions dramatically, and the paper's authors write that China's energy hungry populace is demanding more and more electricity while new, efficient technologies struggle to play catch-up with the demands. However, while China's total national output may exceed that of the U.S., much of this is to blame on its large population. While the U.S. sits in the list of top 10 countries with the most emissions per capita, China is found much further down the list at 91st, behind countries such as Barbados and Jamaica. While the report finds that the nation as a whole is the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, when examined on an individual level the average person in China emits just 15% of what the average person in the U.S. would emit. Reducing carbon emissions for China, then, still remains important but it will only be after greater reduction in developed countries such as the U.S. that will truly encourage developing countries such as China to seriously reduce their emissions; developing countries often hold the view that the developed countries were allowed to run rampant with their carbon emissions when they were growing during the 19th and 20th centuries, and now that it is the developing world's turn to experience similar growth it is being unfairly hindered. Meanwhile, recent reforms in the European Union calling for the reduction of carbon emissions by almost 20% in the next six years are just the first step in reducing total world carbon emissions, and increased world co-operation on a unifying issue such as improving the environment, as well as individual national action in this area, should hopefully see a slowdown of world emissions in the near future. Read More

  • Consortium including UN issues emissions edict: cut CO2 output by half by 2050

    Consortium including UN issues emissions edict: cut CO2 output by half by 2050 March 5th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, March 5th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    Consortium including UN issues emissions edict: cut CO2 output by half by 2050 A consortium of industry agencies and the United Nations wants the world to cut its vehicular emissions by 50% by 2050. The cutely-named '50 by 50' plan calls on governments around the world to cut back voluntarily, since there is no real enforcement mechanism.

    "We're not saying that nobody can have a car," said Jack Short, secretary general of the International Transport Forum, a constituent of the consortium. "This is a building-block towards making the transport sector part of the solution towards a low-carbon economy."

    In addition to helping the planet by cutting back emissions, the group points out that reducing emissions by 50% would... A consortium of industry agencies and the United Nations wants the world to cut its vehicular emissions by 50% by 2050. The cutely-named '50 by 50' plan calls on governments around the world to cut back voluntarily, since there is no real enforcement mechanism. "We're not saying that nobody can have a car," said Jack Short, secretary general of the International Transport Forum, a constituent of the consortium. "This is a building-block towards making the transport sector part of the solution towards a low-carbon economy." In addition to helping the planet by cutting back emissions, the group points out that reducing emissions by 50% would save up to 6 billion barrels of oil annually, equating to a global savings of $300 billion annually by 2025 and twice that by 2050. Oil isn't the only target of the group, however, with coal-fired electricity making even electric vehicles a poor solution to vehicular emissions. "We have first to de-carbonize the power sector and then use new technologies that make a genuine difference," Achim Steiner, executive directory of the UN Environment Program, told The Guardian. "We need a de-coupling of the growth of traffic from emissions." Like many UN and consortium initiatives, however, the '50 by 50' plan is heavy on goals and short on means to get there. Even the remarkably efficient hybrid cars of today, like the 2010 Toyota Prius (pictured) are chastised by the consortium's members as needlessly expensive and too reliant on combustion engine technology, rather than moving directly to electric-only technology. With both hybrids and electrics out as solutions to the problem, however, it's not clear what is supposed to be done, or how the world is supposed to do it. Read More

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