Birthing a car is always difficult, and Tesla has seen its share of problems. The biggest hurdle to getting its all-EV Roadsters in customers’ garages has been the transmission. Initially the company wanted to have a two-speed unit, but the unit from its first supplier, X-Trac, wasn’t durable enough. Tesla then contracted Magna to help build a tranny, before a final try at designing its own transmission also ended abortively. In the end, to get cars rolling out the door, changes were made to the motor so that a single-speed transmission could be fitted.

Magna doesn’t seem upset that it was just a stepping stone – that’s business. What the company would like, however, is to get paid for the work it performed. Magna is also telling Tesla “told you so” by claiming to have suggested a single-speed unit back in 2006. To recover its $5.6 million, Magna has filed suit in San Mateo to force the issue, which coincidentally comes not long after Tesla filed suit against Fisker, which it initially hired to designs its next product, the WhiteStar sedan. What goes around comes around, we guess. The legal wranglings haven’t yet made a dent in Tesla’s operations, but Magna’s lawsuit could bolster the case of frustrated buyers who have yet to receive their cars, should those customers decide to also take to the courts.

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The Magna MILA Alpin concept car shown in Geneva has gotten the attention of both Mercedes and BMW. The button-cute 4-wheeler rode on a flexible platform, could utilize a variety of fuel sources, climb 45-degree angles, and get up to 120 mph. Those capabilities, and the ability to be easily rebodied and cost-effectively manufactured, have the two premium brands looking at ways to bolster their lineups and enviro-credentials.

Mercedes is known to be working on developing a 4-wheel-drive A-Class sedan. While the sandwich floors in the A-Class and B-Class cars were specifically created to allow flexible drivetrains, it is open to exploring options with BMW. Those other Bavarians in blue and white appear to be even more serious, having engaged Magna to discuss strategy and market demand. The MILA could provide a sound platform for BMW’s electric car rumblings, as well as cost-effective, outsourced manufacturing.

(source: Autoblog)

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For the environmental conscience of the style-conscious elite, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that there’s finally a more suitable alternative to the Toyota Prius. The bad news is that it’s arguably no better looking. But like moths to the limelight, the big names have flocked to the new BMW Hydrogen 7. After being adopted by such stars as Cameron Diaz, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno and Placido Domingo, the latest of the rich and famous to receive the keys to the luxo-enviromobile is none other than His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The monarch of the tax-haven Mediterranean principality took delivery of the Hydrogen 7 at the Ever Monaco environmental exposition in Monte Carlo, where Prince Albert proclaimed, “I monitor very carefully, in the automobile sector in particular, the development of new technologies”. Hmm, guess that means the crown prince reads Autoblog – or our sister-site Autoblog Green, which reported this particular piece of news previously – on a fairly regular basis then. Welcome to the site, your highness.

Unfortunately this means that with only 100 examples of the car being offered to the public, that’s one less for the rest of us. Press release after the jump.

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Lexus Australia’s chief executive, John Roca, gave up a number of product details to The Australian in an interview this past weekend, including the addition of an “F” variant of the GS sedan and possibly a full-size LS limo. Both models are aimed to attack luxury stalwarts Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz by offering a number of high-performance variants and also developing a new model that would slot in below the IS sedan to take on the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3. That model is still a few years away, but it will be an integral part of Lexus’ commitment to reach one million global sales in the next two to three years.

The other element includes offering hybrid versions of every vehicle it sells, plus the introduction of a hybrid-only model that will be unveiled in concept form this January at the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s luxury arm plans to release a redesigned five-seater RX next year, based off the LF-Xh concept that bowed in Tokyo, although there’s no word on the rumored seven-seat variant due out before the end of the decade.

Naturally, no conversation about Lexus would be complete without some mention of a two-door, coupe/convertible version of the IS, a model that’s been sorely lacking from the Lexus lineup, plus, the LF-A supercar, which should finally come to market in 2011, but may only be available in left-hand drive.

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The BMW Hydrogen 7 arrived in late 2006 boasting the unique ability to run its V12 powerplant on both hydrogen and gasoline. This was a smart idea, as the on-board 30-gallon tank of -253° Centigrade liquid hydrogen was only good for a range of about 125 miles. The other fuel tank, filled with 19.5 gallons of good old-fashioned gasoline, extended the range another 310 miles. It didn’t offer any environmental advantage, but it did allow you to get home.

BMW is following up the original Hydrogen 7 with a new version - this time minus the gasoline tank. While official performance specifications, including emissions data, have not been released, BMW is claiming both performance and range have been increased. It will debut at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference and the 2008 SAE World Congress in mid-April, when BMW is expected to release emissions date for the car, as well.

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MDI Air Car uncovered in the lobby of the Jacob Javits Center. Powered by compressed air stored under pressure in carbon fiber tanks, the Air Car on the floor in New York looks absolutely nothing like prototypes and sketches we’ve seen in the past. This previous rendering promised a fully-enclosed, Yaris-like cocoon, and even the original prototype at least had a solid roof over your head. Not this one. The body appears to be comprised entirely of injected-molded plastic.

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We’ve known for several weeks now that Nissan was planning to show off an all-electric car based on the JDM Nissan Cube at this week’s New York Auto Show. The Denki (meaning electric) Cube has of course spilled out onto the interwebs in advance of it’s official unveiling tomorrow at the Javits Center. Looking much like the battery pack that will power it, the Denki Cube should appeal to fans of the now-departed first-gen Scion xB. The basic Cube has been dressed up inside and out to better shout out about its high tech power supply. Nissan has a lithium battery joint venture in Japan with NEC that will likely be the source of the energy storage systems.

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