Changes are afoot at Tesla Motors as the reality of running a carmaker takes hold in San Carlos. When we got wind of a story on Valleywag this morning about layoffs and executive changes at Tesla, our first call was to SVP Marketing Darryl Siry. Not surprisingly Siry told us that Valleywag was less than totally accurate. There are are indeed some lay-offs happening at Tesla as well as changes among the executive staff. Chairman and chief architect Elon Musk will be taking a more hands on role as he takes over the position of CEO from Ze'ev Drori. That makes Musk the fourth CEO of Tesla in one year. Drori will get the title of Vice Chairman. As for the layoffs, there are some although we are still awaiting details. Siry has promised an update this morning and as soon as it's ready we'll let you know.

Update 3:30PM EST: Tesla has yet to release details of the changes and hasn't commented yet on our latest question. Tesla had been planning either an IPO or debt issue by early 2009 to raise funds that would be used to pay for the development of the Model S sedan and the factory to build it. Given the recent upheavals (or should that be downheavals?) in the capital markets, the chances of Tesla raising any more cash right now seem slim to none. In light of that, layoffs among the staff and delays to the program seem inevitable.

Update 4pm: Tesla has just published a blog post outlining what is going on and as suspected it is partially due to the financial market issues that have been going on. Musk is stepping in to take over day to day control of the company from Drori. In addition, for the near term, Tesla is going to focus on Roadster production and powertrain sales in order to generate some revenue and try to get cash flow positive in the next 6-9 months. That means that development work on the Model S is being scaled back for now and the Auburn Hills MI engineering office will be shut down. An indeterminate number of lay offs will also occur. Model S work will be consolidated in California and ramp back up again after the company gets approval for a low cost DOE loan. That will only happen after they get environmental approval for the new San Jose headquarters site, expected in Q2 2009. Model S production has now been pushed back to at least mid 2011.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

Ford CEO Alan Mullaly told Detroit radio station WJR that the company is reconsidering whether to bring its smallest car to the U.S. market. Ford officially introduced the second-generation Ka last week at the Paris Motor Show and up until now has not planned to offer the car in the U.S. The Ka is much smaller than even the Fiesta that will arrive in early 2010. The rising demand for small cars in the U.S. market has prompted Ford to reconsider its marketing plans for the Ka. The Ka is available in Europe with a choice of 1.2L gas or 1.3L diesel engines. If Ford does decide to bring the Ka to the U.S., it likely wouldn't arrive before 2010 or '11 at the earliest. The one thing that could make help the Ka arrive earlier would be if federal regulators grant a waiver to allow automakers to temporarily bring in small cars that don't meet current U.S. regulations until they can be modified. If that were to happen, the Ka could arrive sooner. The diesel Ka with a start stop system is rated at 60.3 mpg (U.S.) in Europe.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Citroën today became the first manufacturer competing in the World Rally Championship to announce a hybrid drive WRC competitor. The C4 WRC HyMotion4 adds an electric kinetic energy recovery system to the C4 WRC. A 125kW electric motor generator is geared to the rear axle of the all-wheel-drive rally car while a lithium ion battery pack sits on top of the fuel tank. The motor-generator reduces brake wear and fade by providing regenerative braking capability. When the driver needs bursts of extra power for passing, a button provides instant electric boost. The driver can also enable an electric-only drive mode for use on road sections, particularly in urban or residential areas where noise is a concern. Citroën claims a increased range of up to 25 miles with the hybrid racer and reduced fuel consumption of 30 percent on road stages where the electric drive is used. Because rally cars run under so many different types of conditions all the different operating modes are driver selectable. Citroën hasn't given any hint yet of when or if they will try to run the hybrid WRC car in actual competition.


[Source: Citroën]

It's been rumored and alluded to so many times that we just began accepting it as fact, and now it is: Toyota has confirmed that Lexus will indeed get a version of the Toyota Prius. Based on the third-generation of the Prius hatchback that is set to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus is expected to be a bit less fuel efficient, a bit more sporty and a lot more opulent. We have no idea what Toyota's luxury division will charge for its new hybrid, but it'll definitely be sold for a premium over its Toyota sibling.

A second dedicated hybrid model will join the new Lexus Prius. Lexus officials in Paris for the Motor Show have confirmed that it will not be sold in Europe alongside its upmarket Prius, which will show up in Europe in 2010. The reason? Its carbon emissions will be too high, which doesn't exactly bode well for fuel efficiency. One more salient detail was slipped, the third-gen Prius will emit 92 g/km of CO₂, and a new low-emissions version will have CO₂ emissions of 89g/km, which does indeed bode well for its mileage. We'll see how all of this translates early next year.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Mazda is using its new Kiyora city car concept as a platform to demonstrate how it plans to achieve fuel efficiency improvements of 30 percent in the next few years. The Kiyora takes the design themes seen on recent Mazda concepts like the Furai and Ryuga and applies it to a 12.4 ft long 4-seater. The water theme of this design has a drag coefficient 10 percent lower than the recently introduced Mazda2. The 1.3L four cylinder engine features the latest generation direct injection system along with variable cam phasing and valve lift on both cam shafts. Power is transferred to the wheels via a lightweight new 6-speed automatic transmission. Since the Kiyora is designed as a compact city car, an automatic start stop is an obvious addition. This concept has Mazda's new Smart Idle Stop System that utilizes the direct injection system to get the engine restarted without using the starter motor.


[Source: Mazda]

The Senate has approved a sweeping energy bill that includes a provision for a rather substantial tax credit for plug-in hybrids. Of course, the bill still needs to make it through the House, so there's no reason for PHEV proponents to get too excited just yet. The tax credits have a range of $2,500 to $7,500 and the actual dollar amount depends on the available capacity of the vehicle's battery. We are still waiting for all the details, as these things tend to be hugely complicated, but early indications are that the Volt from GM would be the only vehicle currently announced that would qualify for the maximum credit. Toyota voiced some dissent regarding that point, and we don't yet know if any changes were made. Of course, if Chrysler is able to get some of its new concepts into production, it may also qualify.

Current hybrid tax credits expire for a manufacturer after it has sold 60,000 vehicles. The new legislation allows for 250,000 qualifying PHEVs to be sold before it expires, but we are not yet clear on whether it would be phased out on a manufactuer-by-manufacturer basis or just end alltogether. Expect these issues to be made clearer in the near future.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Chrysler is playing a massive game of catchup in the electric drive sweepstakes right now and today is rolling out four different vehicles that it's working on. Three of the four take ideas from the company's 2008 Detroit Show concepts and are currently badged simply as Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep EV. Like the Dodge ZEO, the Dodge is a lithium battery powered sports car. The EV begins with a Lotus Europa and dispenses with the 2.0L four cylinder engine and transmission in favor of a 268 hp electric motor. In much the same fashion as a certain Silicon Valley based start-up, the only way to fuel up the EV is with a plug. It will take 4 hours to charge up from a 220V outlet or twice that long if only half the voltage is available.

The other two concepts that Chrysler showed were both ER-EVs. The EcoVoyager used a fuel cell to keep a sufficient quantity of electrons available while the Jeep Renegade used a small diesel engine driving a generator. Since neither of these vehicles is ready for production yet, Chrysler's ENVI team has chosen the closest analogs they have as the basis for production models. Both the Town and Country and Wrangler Unlimited EVs are supposed to be able to move their occupants up to 40 miles without any direct combustion. Once the battery packs have reached depletion level an range extender kicks in to keep the fun going. Read on after the jump for more information.


[Source: Chrysler]

A few days ago GM finally introduced the production version of the Chevy Volt to the world (officially this time) much to the delight of the hundreds of journalists packing the hall and the thousands upon thousands of folks who descended upon the internets to get a good look and all the pictures. While it was truly wonderful to be able to see the car poised upon its pedestal after months of impatiently waiting and then sitting back and discussing things like whether this version will look better in a showroom than the original concept, it's quite another to see it in its natural environment, rolling down the road.

Now, thanks to über Volt fan Dr. Lyle Dennis, who helps keep the world up-to-date on all the details of the vehicle through his GM-VOLT website, we can show you just that. And more! Lyle has gotten hold of a promotional video featuring the 40 mile "E-rev" gently cruising around a track and has posted it on Youtube. Not only do we get to see the Volt moving along from all different angles but there are also lots of shots showing off the bling interior with all the fancy LCD displays doing their thing. The soundtrack isn't even half bad. Hit to jump to see the production version of the Volt in action!

Update: Added bonus video from My Ride with additional footage.





[Source: YouTube]

A week after some admittedly bad photos of the production Chevrolet Volt were accidently released on the GM media website, the car itself was officially unveiled this morning as part of GM's centennial celebration in Detroit. Fortunately, the vehicle we saw this morning looked vastly better than the car in the photos we saw last week. Unlike the unapproved shots that made the car look tall, wide and bloated, what we saw today was a far sleeker machine. Aside from some details such as the mirrors, the car actually looks much like the car we saw in the spy photos from the Transformers 2 film shoot.

That means it looks less like a Prius than we thought based on the leaked shots. As we've known for months, the production car had to change in order to optimize the aerodynamics. This had to be done to limit parasitic losses and maximize the car's ability to recapture kinetic energy. The back end is the most obvious carryover from the concept while the front gets the smoother, more rounded look we've been seeing in teaser shots for months. There's more after the jump.

UPDATE: Gallery of live shots added below with more images being uploaded as we speak.

UPDATE 2: Video of the live reveal added after the jump.

Here in Detroit this afternoon, Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper and design VP Ed Welburn took the wraps off the new Chevrolet Cruze that will debut at the Paris Auto Show next month. As many people suspected, the Cruze is larger than the current Cobalt and actually fits into the lineup between the Cobalt and the Malibu. The Cruze goes on sale in Europe in March of 2009 and will debut with a trio of engines. For Europe, the Cruze gets a choice of 1.6L and 1.8L gas engines or an all new 2.0L 150hp turbodiesel. Besides the styling, Peper talked about the long wheelbase and how the rear, in particular, has a short overhang. Peper said the Cruze will get close to 40 mpg on the highway at launch. The Cruze will go into production for North America at the Lordstown, OH assembly plant in April 2010, and that's when it is expected to get the new direct injected 1.4L turbo that will push highway fuel economy to 45 mpg. More in a bit.

[Source: General Motors]

In the current world of big time international endurance racing, two cars stand head and shoulders above the rest, the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi. Put these two Le Mans Prototype class 1 cars, both powered by 5.5L turbo diesel V12s, on a wide open track and nothing can run with them. With Formula 1 introducing hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2009 and the American Le Mans Series introducing a Green Challenge award, Peugeot has decided to take the next step with its program. The French manufacturer is using the last race of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Sliverstone to unveil a demonstrator called the 908 HY which may foreshadow the next generation of its Le Mans challenger. The 908 HY adds a 60 kW electric motor, a set of lithium ion battery packs and corresponding power electronics. The diesel hybrid system will allow the car to operate in electric-only mode in the pits, and get a power boost on the track thanks to recaptured kinetic energy. The current demonstrator has a net weight gain of 45 kg (99 lbs) compared to the standard car. Whether Peugeot runs a car based on this powertrain depends on the ACO, the organization that sets the rules for Le Mans. Corsa Motorsports recently announced its plans to compete in the American Le Mans Series beginning next month with an E10 fueled hybrid electric racer.


[Source: Peugeot]

Just days after we got a hint of what the production 2011 Chevrolet Volt would look like from some folks who spotted one during filming of Transformers 2, we now have official photos of the actual car. Someone apparently leaked out a series of studio shots of Volt with some of the executives leading development of the car. Vehicle Line Executive Tony Posawatz, Chief Engineers Frank Weber and Andrew Farah, Design lead Bob Boniface and of course Maximum Bob Lutz are caught posing with GM's new star. The car is expected to officially debut next Tuesday during GM's centennial celebrations at the Renaissance Center. The basic shape we saw on the movie car appears to be the same but it varies in some details. The shoulder area at the bottom of the side windows is blacked out to replicate some of the look of the original concept. Given that the Volt shares its basic platform with the new Chevy Cruze, it's no surprise that it appears to be about the same size. So far we haven't been able to reach GM for a comment but hopefully we'll have higher res images soon.


[Source: The Car Connection]

Click to enlarge the new Honda Insight

Honda has just released the first official photos of its eagerly-anticipated new dedicated hybrid car that will debut early in 2009. The car that until now had been referred to by Honda officials simply as the "Global Hybrid" will revive the popular Insight name from the company's first hybrid model. Although Honda is officially calling the car that will be shown in Paris next month a concept, these concepts tend to be extremely close to the final production version. Given the similarity to the spy photos we've seen already we shouldn't expect much to change before launch next year. The Insight does bear a strong resemblance to the larger FCX Clarity fuel cell car although as with most hybrids, the current Honda three bar grill design is actually a solid piece for optimized aerodynamics. Honda has already said that it has cut the cost of its IMA hybrid system in half for the Insight and the new Insight's price is expected to start in the neighborhood of $18,500. Honda is expecting about 200,000 world wide sales of the Insight with half of those going to the U.S.


[Source: Honda]

Click to enlarge

Is the vehicle pictured above the production Chevy Volt? It sure looks like it. It has the right greenhouse profile and judging from the head and tail-lights it looks an awful lot like the teaser shots that GM has been releasing lately. Perhaps the most telling detail though is the visible at the base of the A-pillar right in front of the mirror. The letters on that badge sure appear to spell out VOLT!. The car in this photo was shot during filming of Transformers 2 somewhere in Long Beach. So far calls to our contacts at GM are going unanswered but let you know as soon as we hear something. Thanks to Tony for the tip!

UPDATE: This is indeed the Volt! A video of the shoot has turned up that shows the car from above and clearly shows the rear end with a Chevy bowtie badge and prominent Volt logo. You can check out the video here and screen caps in the gallery below.


[Source: Transformers Live Action Blog]

Click above to enlarge

General Motors continues to eek out teaser shots of the production Chevy Volt, but it appears that an image of the production interior has slipped through the Empire's net of control. All we have to go on for this image posted on the Motivemag.com forums is the image itself, which is part of a display panel at what appears to be a sneak preview of the vehicle for god knows who. What we see is a sleek, all-white center console with virtually no buttons. The controls appear to be touch sensitive instead, leaving the face of the console as smooth as a Frigidaire. Good luck installing an aftermarket stereo in this one. Completely flush air vents flank the console, which stands out in contrast to the black dash panel. On top of it all sits the information display, seen here showing the relationship between the "range extending" engine and lithium-ion batteries. What say you? We all know the production Volt isn't going to be as wild as the concept, but does this innovative center console meet your expectations? Also keep in mind that this might not be the real deal, but it seems to be from all appearances. Thanks for the tip, Brandon!

Gallery: Leaked Spy Shots of Production Chevy Volt

[Source: Motivemag.com]