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SEMA 2009: Meet the world's most desirable Lexus RX450h by Branew

Let me be blunt: I don't like luxury crossovers. At all. It's a niche with no appeal to me whatsoever. Not a car, not a truck – just a fat sedan jacked up on stilts to woo trophy wives with fancy badges and reassure soccer mammas that their children are "safe." And the Lexus RX gets the sharp point of my spear of anger because it's basically responsible for the high-end CUV craze. Not a fan of hybrids, either. That said, I'm absolutely smitten with Branew's Lexus RX450h. I think it's the stance, has to be. But there is just ... Read more →

SEMA 2009: Progressive Automotive X-Prize Contenders Frank Filipponio

For us polar ice cap haters, we generally think of the competitors in this kind of thing as a bunch of ultra-light, tofu-fueled playthings for liberals who care more about the planet than they do ...

SEMA 2009: Wicked Chevelle isn't as fuelish as it seems Frank Filipponio

The clean exterior of this 1970 Chevelle hides a wicked little secret. If you take a look at the photo above, you'll see what we mean. The bundle of plumbing you see spilling out of the engine ...

SEMA 2009: Mavizen introduces 130-mph TTX02 electric racebike Jeremy Korzeniewski

Right on schedule, Mavizen has released its TTX02 electric motorcycle at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Well, if you listen to Azhar Hussain, TTXGP founder and the entrepreneur behind this racebike, ...

SEMA 2009: Local Motors Rally Fighter touches down in Vegas Frank Filipponio

It looks like the open source model can work for building new cars after all. We finally managed to track down the Local Motors Rally Fighter here at SEMA, and it is even more awesome in person ...

SEMA 2009: Ford EcoBoost '34 Hot Rod rocks a V6 in style 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

Putting modern engines into new cars isn't anything new, but this '34 3-window coupe in the Ford display isn't like anything we've ever seen before. Detroit Street Rods has wedged the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 underneath the hood, making it the first rear-drive application for the twin-turbocharged ...

Roush engineering building propane-powered Mustang drag racers 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

Jack Roush is involved in a variety of enterprises, several of which involve building very fast Ford powered vehicles. His Roush Engineering business also does a lot of prototype build and development work for its client companies. Most recently, Roush has been building propane-fueled ...

Auto X Prize wins $5.5 million from DOE for its own prize-giving contest 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

While the Automotive X Prize's raison d'être is to give out money to the best high-mileage vehicles and business plans in the $10 million contest, as the saying goes, it takes money to give out money. To that end, the AXP announced today that it has received $5.5 million from the U.S. ...

Vroom for everyone: Local Motors unveiling crowdsourced Rally Fighter at SEMA 9 days ago on Autoblog Green

The wild things have left the movie theaters and are headed to SEMA. Case in point, the Rally Fighter. Coming from Local Motors, which dipped into the collective wisdom of the Internet (not sure if wisdom is the right word there, but whatever) to crowdsource the design and specifications of ...

SEMA Preview: Mavizen TTX02 electric motorcycle to be unveiled in Vegas 18 days ago on Autoblog Green

According to the official TTXGP blog, the long-awaited TTX02 electric racebike will be unveiled November 3rd at the giant SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Based on the race-winning Agni X01 electric motorcycle with a frame sourced from an unknown "leading motorcycle manufacturer," the team behind the ...

RENNTECH's GLK 350 Spec.R Pike's Peak rally racer wins SEMA build-off 11 months ago on Autoblog Green

Remember the hybrid Mercedes-Benz GLK that longtime MB tuner RENNTECH was working up at SEMA? The vehicle was being made as part of a company-sponsored build-off and was going against some stiff competition from BRABUS and some not-quite-as-stiff competition from Legendary Motor Cars and the ...

VIDEO: PML F-150 w/in-wheel motors test driven 12 months ago on Autoblog Green

Want to see the PML F-150 Hi-Pa cruising down the street? This all-electric truck that puts out a combined total of 600 hp and 2,000 lb-ft of torque from its four in-wheel motors made its debut at SEMA last week and, on top of the test drive video, we've got an on-the-floor introduction to the ...

SEMA 2008: Making Green Cool Zone trucks 12 months ago on Autoblog Green

We are so used to huge trucks with outlandish paint jobs at SEMA, that we barely noticed these monstrosities in one corner of the upper level of the South Hall. But then we spotted the "Making Green Cool Zone" banner hanging over them and decided to take a closer look. Along with the dozen or so ...

SEMA 2008: Making Green Cool Zone bikes and products 12 months ago on Autoblog Green

SEMA surprised us a bit this year with its "Making Green Cool Zone." On display were a dozen or so cars and trucks, along with a few bikes that all had some green angle. In some cases the vehicles were modified production vehicles that had been given an aftermarket treatment to increase economy, ...

SEMA 2008: Making Green Cool Zone cars 12 months ago on Autoblog Green

There were a lot of crazy, over-the-top and outrageous vehicles at SEMA again this year. Some of those vehicles were boosted, blinged, airbrushed and lifted to within an inch of their lives. Crazy lift kits, fat tires, superchargers and turbos, horsepower levels of 400, 650, 750 and even well ...

SEMA 2008: biodiesel Hummer snowmobile update 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

That unholy marriage of a Hummer and a snowmobile turns out to be an Antarctic vehicle by Zero South. This biodiesel-powered truck thing has tracks instead of wheels, and is set to be piloted by the likes of Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in a South Pole expedition ...

SEMA 2008: Next Batmobile to be a smart? 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Batman_Trades_in_Tumbler_for_smart_fortwo_aka_the_Toddler'; Hey, times are tough, even if you're Bruce Wayne. The downturn of the economy makes fighting crime an even more expensive nocturnal hobby than it was before. Plus, burning all of that jet fuel for ...

SEMA 2008: Mercedes shows off RENNTech Pikes Peak hybrid GLK 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

This year's festivities in Las Vegas mark the first year that Mercedes-Benz has participated at the SEMA Show, and it has done so in grand style with four separate GLK concepts. The one we're most interested in is the RENNTech Pikes Peak concept, which uses a novel new mild hybrid system that ...

SEMA 2008: Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

SEMA's tuner crowd and the green culture seem at first to clash. Starting last year, though, and continuing even stronger in 2008 are green performance cars infiltrating the gas-guzzling ways of the typical SEMA show car. A prime example of this green mind meld is the Nissan Altima Hot Rod ...

SEMA 2008: Toyota Yaris Tailback runs on CNG 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota has brought a really, really green concept with it to the SEMA Show that's currently taking place in Las Vegas. That first bit of green comes courtesy of a compressed natural gas conversion that allows the driver to switch from gasoline to CNG for the otherwise stock four cylinder engine ...

SEMA 2008: Gale Banks Sidewinder diesel dragster 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Horsepower guru Gale Banks just unveiled his finished diesel-powered Sidewinder dragster here at SEMA. As a follow-up to their diesel D-Max Type-D Pro Stocker pickup, Banks Power designed and built this NHRA Top Diesel Dragster with motivation coming from a 1,200 hp GM Duramax 6.6L diesel V8. The ...

SEMA 2008: Volkswagen CC Eco performance concept 27/33 mpg 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Out in sin city at the SEMA show, Volkswagen - like everyone else - is showing off modified versions of its everyday products. Most of what's on display is either about bling, power or both. Volkswagen however, has one car on display that adds efficiency to the mix. The Performance CC is based ...

SEMA 2008: VW Jetta TDI Street concept, live from Vegas 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Our team of crack journalists at SEMA have located the Jetta TDI Street concept, so we can now bring you some live shots of the car along with all of the assorted details. As we expected when we first heard that VeeDub was working up the concept, there are no powertrain changes to speak of. ...

SEMA 2008: Honda shows Civic HFP Concept, announces Mugen accessories for Fit 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Honda is accessorizing its two smallest, most efficient models. Debuting at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas is the Civic HFP Concept, which starts life as a stock Civic Si sedan. To this extremely-capable platform, Honda adds a series of aero-tweaks designed to improve the car's efficiency, such as ...

SEMA 2008: Ronn Motors shows off its Scorpion 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Ronn Motors has delivered on at least one of its ambitious promises by delivering a real concept car to the SEMA Show that's currently taking place in Las Vegas. For its next trick, the fledgling automaker will try and convince those of us who are skeptical that its on-demand hydrogen ...

VW to offer Jetta TDI Cup Street edition 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

We've been covering Volkswagen's Jetta TDI cup races since the very beginning of the series. We've also heaped some high praise on the efficiency of VW's 50-State clean diesel technology. Unfortunately, you can't take one of VeeDub's racers off the track and on to the street, but perhaps the ...

SEMA Preview: Hyundai experimenting with cylinder deactivation and supercharging 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

We've been hearing that Hyundai has big plans for its new V8 engine, despite the fact that fuel efficiency has just recently become paramount in the U.S. market. As the Korean automaker's first-ever V8, the company has plenty to learn. That's fine, since it appears as if Hyundai is truly serious ...

SEMA 2008: If a Hummer and a snowmobile had a baby... 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The unholy child of a Hummer and a snowmobile has been found! Located somewhere at the SEMA show that starts today in Las Vegas, the front end shot of this biodiesel-powered truck thing was snapped by our friends at Autospies. With treads instead of front wheels, what look like flat screen TVs ...

80 mpg Mustang back, will drive to SEMA and record mileage 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Remember Doug Pelmear, the inventor and mechanic from Toledo, Ohio who claims that his late-80's Fox Body Mustang makes 400-horsepower and still manages to return 80 miles per gallon? Doug's back in Toledo's news and he's making the same claims as before. In fact, Pelmear's Mustang can run on ...

New information on the electric Ford F-150 Hi-Pa coming to SEMA 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

When it comes to all things pickup truck related, Mike Levine is the go-to guy. Mike has been continuing to investigate the back story on the PML F-150 Hi-Pa that will making its debut at the SEMA Show next week. It turns out that PML didn't build this truck single-handedly. They teamed up with ...

SEMA 2008 Preview: PML Flightlink to show Ford F-150 PHEV 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

PML Flightlink, makers of the 640-horsepower electric MINI from 2006, is headed to SEMA this year with a new concept vehicle to display. Based on a full-size Ford pickup truck, it would be hard to come up with a platform further from the MINI that the company originally used. Still, the concept ...

Ronn Motors plans to introduce Scorpion at SEMA 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Click above for more high-res renderings of the Ronn Motors Scorpion Ronn Motors, the company we introduced you to a while back, plans to properly introduce the world to its Scorpion supercar at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We have very real doubts as to whether the vehicle will function as ...

Making muscle greener with the ProPane Chevelle by Mothers 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

This particular story has been a long-time-coming, so firstly... sorry about that. This particular Chevelle is a little different that most that you'd be likely to see driving down... say, Woodward Avenue. The difference is in the engine bay. Making a thousand horsepower from a Chevy V8 engine is ...

VIDEO: Volkswagen talks diesel at the SEMA 2007 show 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Volkswagen had a big presence at the 2007 SEMA show in Las Vegas last week. They brought their Dieselution interactive display out to Sin City and showed off their upcoming Jetta CleanTDI in sedan and SportWagen form. They also announced the 2008 Jetta TDI cup racing series and and their Touareg ...

SEMA 2007: Volkswagen shows the new Jetta SportWagen CleanTDI 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Click the Jetta SportWagen for a high-res gallery Volkswagen is featuring the new CleanTDI Jetta SportWagen at their booth in this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas. The SportWagen is powered by the new fifty state-legal 2.0L CleanTDI diesel that will be going on sale next March. The new engine has 140 ...

SEMA 2007: Canola oil Caddy EXT 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

GM opened the full-scale electric car dialog with the EV-1 (and its demise), Toyota opened the full-scale hybrid dialog with the Prius. Now that Green is Good as Gold, aftermarket folks are opening the mass market dialog when it comes to making the cars you want to buy right now a little less hard ...

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