Proving that some unorthodox concept vehicles can make it into production if the timing is right, Citroen has made it official that it has embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environmentally friendly vehicle based on the C-Cactus concept car that was presented at last year’s Frankfurt motorshow. The French automaker said that it is considering a range of powerplants for it Cayenne-like faced C-Cactus including a 1.0-liter petrol engine with sub 100gr/km CO2 emissions; a HYmotion2 diesel-electric hybrid consuming 2.8lt/100km (83.2mpg US / 100mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 78g/km or a zero emissions 100% electric model with a top speed and range of 112 km/h (70mph) and 160km (100 miles) respectively.

The C-Cactus Concept that was shown in Frankfurt was equipped with a hybrid diesel powertrain that combined a 70 HP 1.4-liter diesel engine with a 30 HP electric motor installed in the clutch housing. Apart from the hybrid drivetrain, the C-Cactus also featured a simplified design throughout, significantly reducing the number of components leading to a reduction in weight, cost, fuel consumption and the impact on the environment - sometimes less is more.

Citroen claimed then that the use of fewer parts in the 4.2-meter long C-Cactus not only drops the cost significantly, but equally importantly it results to a 15% reduction in overall weight compared to the C4 Hybrid HDi. The French automaker had announced then the particular C-Cactus hybrid could achieve an average consumption of just 3.4 lt/100 km (69.2mog US) for CO₂ emissions of 78 g/km.

If Citroen’s project gets the final green light, and from what we’ve learned, there’s a strong possibility it will, the C-Cactus will compete in Europe at least, against the Toyota Prius and its like. Continued

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With the lease term for Toyota’s next-generation fuel cell hybrid vehicle set at 30 months at a cost of 840,000 yen or about $7,700 per month, the experimental FCHV-adv isn’t for you everyday Joe. So it’s no surprise thatToyota announced that it has begun leasing the FCHV-adv to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The Japanese automaker said that it also plans to lease the fuel-cell hybrid model to other national government entities, local governments and companies in or related to the energy industry. 

Japan’s top automaker, which has already won the bet with its petrol-electric hybrids, will use the lease vehicles to obtain real-world feedback for further development, including efforts to improve the durability and reduce the cost of its proprietary high-performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the Toyota FC Stack. 

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About a year after Aston Martin was sold by Ford to a consortium comprised of David Richards from Prodrive, John Sinders, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co., and the British sports carmaker announced its plans to relaunch the Lagonda marque. The famous nameplate will be used on a series of exclusive luxury cars, the first of which we’ll see in the form of a concept model in 2009, the year that Lagonda celebrates its 100th birthday. The concept car will lead to a production version that is slated to enter global markets in 2012. -Continued

Here’s what Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Ulrich Bez had to say about the revival of the Lagonda marquee:

“After my eight years with Aston Martin, four with profitability, and 16 months of independence, it’s time to think about a longer term future. Aston Martin is an honest, authentic brand which builds the most beautiful sportscars combining modern technology with craftsmanship.”

“Next year we will launch the four door Rapide sportscar, and this will be followed by the project ‘one 77’, the most spectacular Aston Martin ever. Aston Martins are currently available in 32 countries but we will remain limited in our market penetration by the pure character of our cars - sportscars.”

“We have now investigated and concluded that the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sportscar, and therefore offer a perfect synergy. Lagonda will use a unique design language as Aston Martin does. We will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future orientated as we are with Aston Martin. With Lagonda offering exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability and suitable for both existing and emerging markets, I believe we can be present in more than 100 countries in the world. “

“In 2009 Lagonda is about to celebrate its 100th birthday and in its centenary year we are confident that we will show the first concept of a car which could be in the market in 2012,” he confirmed.

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The Dodge Viper could soon be history -at least for the Chrysler Group, as according to an official announcement that was made this morning, the third largest American automaker said that it is ‘preparing to explore strategic options for the Dodge Viper business’. Here is what Chrysler LLC’s CEO Bob Nardelli said about the potential sale of the Viper to a third party: Continued

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You’d think that the VW Group would think twice before developing a worthy successor to the outrageous Bugatti Veyron 16.4 after all the delays and problems that where associated with the development of the current model but as Bugatti’s Bugatti boss Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen pointed out to British car magazine Autocar, the company has already made plans to replace the 1,001 HP supercar around 2012 with another ultra high-end model.

“We will be staying on top of everybody else and we will not be producing a smaller, or cheaper car and we will not be moving volumes up. Bugatti customers are very extreme people,” he told Autocar.

Talking about Bugatti’s future plans, another high-level source said that the company is also considering adding a second model line, quite possibly a high-end luxury sedan based on the next Bentley Arnage that will rival the Rolls Royce Phantom. The supercar maker is also said to develop an even more powerful GT version of the current Veyron that could top 1,200 HP at the end of the current model’s production cycle.

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After loosing the number 2 spot in worldwide sales to Toyota in 2003, Ford is on its way to yield the third place to the VW Group. During the first half of 2008, Volkswagen managed to slip into the third position right behind Toyota and GM, leaving Ford in fourth place. The German Group reported sales of 3.27 million vehicles during the first half of the year, a 5.8 percent increase over 2007. Ford on the other hand saw its sales fall 11 percent during the same period to 3.09 million vehicles.

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 The much hyped Jaguar XF-R made its first official appearance at this past weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Due to be unveiled in early 2009, the XF-R is Jaguar’s answer to the BMW M5, Audi RS6 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG models. Though official information is scarce for now, the XF-R is said to be equipped with a new direct injection, supercharged 5.0-litre V8 delivering a tad over 500Hp which should be good enough to offer a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint time of well under 5.0 seconds.

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