Well, it certainly looks pretty friendly. Plus, powered only by electrons, it will be friendly to our environment too. What is it? The Heuliez Friendly, which debuted at this year's Paris Motor Show. Three seems to be a theme here, with a trio of electric motors to choose from, three different vehicle lengths to be offered and a seating capacity of yourself and two of your best friends. According to reports, the French automaker expects its Friendly to hit 70 miles per hour and its nickel metal hydride battery to last for 140 miles. After it's spent, the Friendly can be recharged via any standard wall outlet.

Heuliez plans to begin selling its Friendly in Europe in 2010. Also on the schedule are kit-assembled remakes of the G-Wiz from Reva Motors. These electric vehicles would be the first cars ever to wear the Heuliez badge, as the company has so far only created modules such as convertible tops for other automakers.

[Source: Channel 4]

As our faithful readers are already aware, the Quicc! DiVa by DuraCar has just been introduced to the world and is currently on display at the Paris Motor Show. And while its great that the public can now see the electric city van made of plastic, it would be even better if they could buy it, so we are happy to inform you that Wilhelm Karmann GmbH has stepped into the DuraCar picture and, beginning in June 2009, will be building some of the Quicc! DiVas. The famed company, located in Osnabrück, has an agreement to supply vehicles bound for the German market though there may be other collaborative efforts between the two companies in the future. Perhaps better known today for its convertible-making operations, Karmann has a long history of building entire cars and has produced over three million of them in their 100+ year history including the Chrysler Crossfire, the Ford Merkur XR4Ti and, of course, the legendary Karmann Ghia.

As part of their overall strategy, DuraCar is seeking to have several production lines in close geographical proximity to where the cars will be sold thus keeping their carbon foot print to a minimum. The Dutch company is currently in talks with other potential constructors in different markets. Hitting the jump will give you bonus videos of the Quicc! DiVa in action as well as the official press release.



[Source: DuraCar]

While we old-fashioned, glued-to-keyboard bloggers had to wait until the official reveal to get a glimpse Nissan's latest EV concept, new-fangled video blogger Danny Fleet got actual face time with both the Nuvu and a representative from the Japanese auto maker before the Paris Motor Show even started and recorded some of the low down on the concept and the company's EV future plans with his trusty camera. He even got them to drive it a very short distance.

While there weren't any "Holy Cow! Really?" moments, we did learn a bit that wasn't covered in the lengthy Nuvu press release. For instance, this is not the electric car that Nissan is planning on selling in 2010. Also, although Danny couldn't get Mia to discuss Nissan's involvement with Project Better Place we do learn that the 2010 EV will first be made available in the U.S. and Japan before the rest of the world gets it. Hit the jump for more info and hot vlogging action.





[Source: Danny's Contentment]

It's pretty easy to see more than just a passing resemblance between the new Izis from Wallyscar, which is now being shown at the Paris Motor Show, and another famous vehicle. Like the original off-roading Willys, the Izis features body-on-frame architecture and a very small gasoline engine. In the case of the Izis, that engine comes from Peugeot and displaces 1.4-liters, good enough for 75-horsepower, just a bit more than the 60 horses of the classic Willys Go Devil engine.

The Izis is street-legal in Europe, as its Peugeot engine is fully Euro 4-compliant, though the vehicle has a Euro NCAP rating of only two stars. It also has a very short wheelbase and sits well above the ground. Early Jeeps with similar dimensions were more than a bit 'tippy' on the street, as were some early Jeep-like cars from Suzuki and Daihatsu. Having never piloted in Izis, we can't really comment on how it handles, but we bet it'd do rather well off the beaten path.

An electric version is also said to be available. No information on specifications are provided other than a suggested electric-only range of 90 kilometers, or about 56 miles. That's plenty for some fun-in-the-sun off-roading or for daily transportation for city-dwellers.


[Sources: AutoMotoPortal, Wallyscar]

While some sites are busy making fun of its name (yeah, we thought of that too... and you? Does it matter? Comments are welcome), others were busy conducting interviews with Dr. Z. in an attempt to find out when we may see the smart ED in America. The answer is that it's coming, if not next year then shortly thereafter. Daimler hopes to have 1,000 electric smarts running rather silently around the world by the end of next year, and it's distinctly possible that a portion of them will be in the U.S. This is the second-generation of the smart ED, and it is now powered by a lithium ion battery pack that may or may not be supplied by Tesla Motors. The last-gen model used a sodium battery. With the new pack, the smart ED can achieve a range of up to 150 miles -- plenty of distance for the urban use the little car is likely to be subjected to.

[Source: Popular Mechanics / Photo: Inside Line]

You can check out a video of the Saab 9-X Air in action along with some discussion with GM Europe Design VP Mark Adams after the jump. Like the 9-X BioHybrid we saw at Geneva last spring, the Air is based on GM's compact Delta platform and it uses a variant of the same 1.4L Family 0 four cylinder that is going into the Chevy Cruze when it arrives stateside in 2010. As usual with Saabs recently, it is tuned to run on ethanol or gasoline. The Air also has the second-generation GM mild hybrid system using a lithium ion battery pack. In the video, Adams indicates that Saab will be making a number of product announcements during 2009 and the 9-X is likely to be one of them.


[Source: Saab]

As previously promised the wraps have come off the Venturi Volage at the Paris Motor Show. While Michelin may have been a collaborator on the revealed electric GT, one glance leaves no doubt it belongs to the Venturi family. It not only shares the carbon fiber body of its sibling, the Fétish, but it will also be lovingly hand-assembled in limited quantities at the same Monaco atelier. Styled by Sacha Lakic, the smooth-bottomed Volage is said to be "designed by subtraction" with its carbon fiber skin fitting tightly around its innovative technology.

And speaking of technology, each wheel on this car holds 2 electric motors! That's right, the "Michelin Active Wheel" system uses one motor for to drive a reduction gear that is also inside the wheel while the other handles the active suspension. All controlled by "spearhead electronics," the Volage can readily adapt to different road surfaces and driving style. Batteries for this electric car are 45 kWh worth of liquid-cooled polymer lithium and are said to provide for 320 Km (199 miles) of driving pleasure at a "stabilized" 90 Kph (56 Mph). The car is capable of getting you to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and tops out at 150 Km (93 Mph). The car will begin its limited production run in 2012 and the price goes unmentioned. If you have to ask...

Check out the gallery below for a shot of the inside of those cool wheels and hit the jump for the full press release.



[Source: Venturi]

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]

Opel has added a special low fuel consumption ecoFlex model to the expanding mid-size Insignia lineup. The new Insignia that debuted this summer is the replacement for the mid-sized Vectra and the first product off GM's Epsilon II platform. The newest addition to the family uses GM's new 2.0L common rail diesel engine rated at 160 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. As with all diesels, the torque comes in early, this one peaking at 1,750 rpm. That's good enough to get the Insignia to to 62 mph in 9.5 seconds. Combustion efficiency is enhanced by cylinder pressure sensors integrated into the glow plugs. The pressure sensors help the engine management system control the fuel injection system. The Insignia ecoFlex isn't quite ready for prime time yet, so no official fuel mileage numbers are available yet. However, Opel expects the Insignia ecoFlex to get under 140 g/km in CO₂ emissions. In addition to the new engine, the ecoFlex gets low rolling resistance Michelin Primacy HP tires and some aero tweaks bring the drag coefficient down to 0.26.


[Source: Opel]

Audi has a brand-new A4 for 2009, and the automaker has big plans in store of the new model's efficiency. Being shown as we speak in Paris is the A4 TDI concept e, which uses a 120-horsepower TDI engine from the VW parts bin that's been tweaked with light-pressure valve springs, a revised cooling system and the lack of a power steering pump, which is now electric. While slowing, brake energy is recaptured and stored in a secondary battery that powers the car's systems while the engine is shut down, which will be much more often due to the stop/start system that has also been added. Aero-tweaks including an underbody pan and low rolling resistance tires round out the mods. Desipte the slow 10.5-second run to sixty, the powertrain combination really scores big with its 59 mile per U.S. gallon rating on the combined EU cycle and carbon emissions of just 105 g/km. We'd wager that a production version of this concept can't be far behind. See the full press release after the break.

[Source: Audi]

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]

We've finally got pics of the Nissan Nuvu concept and its, um, interesting. Sporting a very bulbous shape with bug-eye head lights, the Nuvu couldn't be anything but a concept. As Nissan promised, there are leaf-shaped solar panels on the roof, integrated into the glass. Also well-integrated are the rear tail lamps, which sit inside a rear window to make for a very airy-looking cockpit. Perhaps to gain some structural integrity, there is a single pillar inside the passenger compartment (Nissan calls it a 'tree trunk') leading to that glass-top ceiling. Speaking of which, that's one ultra clean and futuristic-looking instrument panel, along with a steering wheel that looks like it could come from Nintendo. Perfect for the current crop of kids who grew up with such things.

The powertrain is electric, but Nissan's not letting too many details of its specs out just yet. We know the motor sits at the rear and drives the rear wheels, and the battery is lithium ion. Nissan says it can hit about 75 miles per hour and travel up to about 80 miles on a charge. The real story, according to the automaker, is that city drivers spend 99-percent of their time with no more than two passengers, so the Nuvu seats three. Expect some of less far-out stuff make it into a future production EV in a year or two. Read the full press release after the break.
[Source: Autoblog]

Renault has rolled out a new concept in Paris today that gives a preview of what we might expect when Project Better Place kicks off in a couple of years. The Z.E. Concept is based on the Kangoo Be Bop that is also debuting at the Paris Show. The Z.E. Concept however is propelled purely by electrons coming from a lithium ion battery pack. The front wheels get torque from a 70 kW (94 hp) electric motor. So far, Renault hasn't revealed the size of the battery pack or what sort range it can provide. Renault has made a major effort to reduce parasitic losses throughout the Z.E. in order to get the most out of the battery. Electrical requirements are reduced by using LEDs for the headlights. Aerodynamic losses were cut by replacing the outside mirrors with small cameras and the draw of the climate control system has been severely cut. The outside of the car is coated in a heat reflecting paint and body panels are insulated. The actual management of interior temperatures has also benefited from efficiency efforts. The ambient interior temperature is maintained at 59 degrees F but warm air is directed at the head, hands and feet as those extremities are where people tend to feel the variations in temperature the most. By focusing the temperature regulated in those places the total climate control load is reduced. There are videos and a press release after the jump.

Chevrolet has fully taken the wraps of the new Orlando compact people mover for its debut at the Paris Motor Show. We still don't know for sure if the Orlando will be offered here in North America, but the rest of the world will get this compact seven seater. For its debut in Paris, the Orlando is being shown with GM's new 2.0L diesel engine rated at 150 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. The three-row Orlando is based on the new generation Delta compact platform that also underpins the new Cruze, the next Astra and, of course, the Volt. The Orlando was originally planned to be built in Detroit alongside the Volt, but the Wall Street Journal recently reported it would not be built here. However, more recent reports indicated otherwise. The Orlando has style elements from the Sequel fuel cell concept and could appeal to people moving out of SUVs that still need room to haul the kids around. An Orlando with either the Two-Mode or mild hybrid system could prove to be a very capable and efficient people mover here in the U.S.


[Source: Chevrolet]

The biggest bit of greenery at the Paris Motor Show may be the Honda Insight concept. This is the car that's set to give the Prius a run for its money in the ongoing hybrid arms race in America, and it looks like it may have the goods to do proper battle. As has been stated, over and over again, the Insight bears a striking resemblance to its main rival from Toyota, but perhaps that's to be expected as both cars are meant to cheat the wind in an effort to reach maximum efficiency.

This isn't the production version, but we don't expect too many changes to its external appearance before it hits the Detroit Auto Show in January in its final form. Details like those LED-heavy light clusters up front may not make it, but the overall look is what will be in Honda dealerships sometime next year. The interior looks pretty spacey, but so did the second-gen Prius' when it was introduced. Take a look at the live shots in our gallery below.


[Source: Autoblog]