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Porsche buyers put the brakes on stop-start technology

By Chris Chilton Motor Industry 23 June 2008 18:56 Direct injection and a clever new PDK dual-clutch gearbox have cemented the new 911’s reputation as the greenest performance car around, but Porsche engineers are being hampered from making the iconic sports car even cleaner by the public’s reluctance to accept further green technology Engineers at the launch of the facelifted 911 told CAR that fitting a BMW-style start-stop system could chop a further 10g/km from the Carrera’s 225g/km CO2 rating but that performance car buyers weren’t keen on having such overtly planet-conscious tech on their cars. Start-stop works by cutting the engine when the car’s stationary in traffic, and restarting automatically when you touch the pedals to move off again. Every manual transmission-equipped BMW 1-series comes with the technology, excepting the truly high performance versions.

Future products: U.S. model is VW's big news

An ambitious plan to increase Volkswagen brand sales in the United States to 800,000 by 2018--up from 213,454 last year--begins with a mid-sized sedan to be built starting early next year in Chattanooga, Tenn. Later, the new factory will add the Polo small car or a mid-sized SUV--possibly both. Here is a rundown of VW's product plans through 2013.

Mitsubishi previews three Tokyo concepts

MITSUBISHI will showcase three new concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show, all using SUV body styles. Heading the trio of experimental designs is the Concept GC-PHEV, a full-size SUV using a development of Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It aims to offer the everyday advantages of an SUV and class-leading environmental credentials.