Axon Automotive, creators of last year’s Eco-M super lightweight speedster, has entered the $10 million Automotive x prize with a new hatchback aimed at city dwellers. The new vehicle features a full carbon-fiber chassis and will likely be powered by a compact turbodiesel engine.

Keeping weight down will be a big consideration for the Axon hatchback as it strives to achieve the Automotive X Prize’s requirement for competitors to produce a 100mpg car. The UK based company has pioneered a special way of processing carbon fiber that involves engineers wrapping carbon-fiber braids around a foam core to produce a material that is as strong as steel but a fraction of the weight.

While there is no confirmation yet on the engine being used in the 100mpg hatchback, every measure is being used to make the car as aerodynamic and as light as possible - hence the rather dated looking rear-wheel covers. The final vehicle will be designed for both crowded cities and fast-paced highways and will be capable of seating two adults plus two small children.

Axon will be up against a number of strong competitors, including India’s Tata, which is developing two electric vehicles for the challenge, as well as Tesla and its famous electric roadster, and a Finish university that’s preparing a new electric sports car based on the Audi R8.

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General Motors, Chevrolet Division and the Central Indiana Camaro Club would like to announce an exciting new development in the Camaro world. We have now been authorized to release information that the new production Camaros will be in attendance and unveiled at the Indy 08, Back at the Brickyard Event in September. The car will be unveiled at the event and many different models/engine combos will be available for the general public to review. Expect to see many different color combinations as well.

The ‘Back at the Brickyard’ Event will be happening in Indianapolis Indiana from September 19-21, 2008 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hundreds of Camaros, Firebirds, and Pace Car owners will be in attendance to celebrate the unveiling and enjoy this historic event. GM Dignitaries will be in attendance as well to discuss the design, engineering, marketing, and accessories for this new model of Camaro. Vendors will also be on hand displaying their products.

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The new GT-Rocket is a special edition version of the Volkswagen Polo hatch that features new black-colored 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 205/50 R17 tires, a roof spoiler, darkened headlamps and a sport suspension. Inside, it gets a set of front passenger sports seats in a two-tone color scheme, with red stitching also featured on the steering wheel, gearshift knob and handbrake lever. Buyers can choose between four different colors: candy white, silver, black and metallic orange. It will initially only be available in Germany.

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Although Ethanol itself has remained largely the same since the times of Henry Ford, thanks to Tom Quinn and his E-Fuel Corporation, there are now some interesting developments in the way this natural engine juice can be produced and dispensed.At a recent press event in NYC, Quinn and his associates revealed the EFuel100 MicroFueler - a new breed of fueling technology that lets drivers whip up their own ethanol at home. As GoodCleanTech points out, all you have to do is “dump in sugar, yeast, and water,” and you are good to go. Fitted with a 50-foot hose and an LCD touch screen, the MicroFueler isn’t terribly fastidious and will even churn out ethanol from alcohol in lieu of sugar.

“It’s almost third-grade science to make ethanol,” says Quinn, assuring skeptics and promising that this simple diet will yield a fuel output of 35 gallons per week. The EFuel100 will cost $9,995 and become available later this year.

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Influential auto resource Kelley blue book (KBB) and its marketing research team have named Cadillac and Audi as the two highest performers in improved brand perception in the luxury segment. According to the results of a recent study, Cadillac improved most among the factors of driving comfort, exterior styling, interior layout and design, interior roominess and storage space.  Audi was deemed most improved when evaluating seating capacity, luxuriousness and available options.

The survey is based on the responses of thousands of new car buyers in the U.S. over the past 12 months and focuses on how consumers perceive and rank car brands – not on how the vehicles actually perform themselves. The study delves into how each manufacturer’s brand equity differs across vehicle segments, compares the relative standing of each make versus competitive makes, and reveals the decision factors of new-vehicle buyers within each make and segment.

Researchers cite the increased number of new models and significant redesigns for Audi and Cadillac as well as increased marketing efforts as the key reasons for the improvement in brand perception.

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If you were still holding out for one of Lamborghini’s ultra-exclusive Reventons, you may be in luck as the last model available for sale has turned up at the exotic car brand’s dealership in Las Vegas. While the Reventon’s official price stands at around $1.4 million, this final one is expected to drive the prices even higher as the rich and wealthy race to secure the last of the Lamborghini hypercars. Continued

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Range Rover Sport

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