Drivetrain tech

If you've been eyeing a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe but feel like 556 horsepower just isn't going to cut it, perhaps Hennessey Performance's limited-edition Caddies are more your speed. The performance turning house plans to produce a dozen 1000 horsepower Twin Turbo CTS-V Coupes next year that have been customized inside and out.

The performance-tuning house has been offering 1000 horsepower Cadillacs for a while, but setting the limited-edition CTS-V apart from other souped-up Caddies is its modified body and custom interior. Like the V1000 upgrade offered on all CTS flavors, the sports coupe will be outfitted with … Read more

Mercedes-Benz's AMG division used to spend all its time figuring out how to get more speed out of standard Mercedes-Benz models. It hand-built 6.3-liter engines and made an automatic transmission that shifted like a dual-clutch automated manual. But now AMG engineers have turned their attention toward efficiency.

The latest engines coming out of the workshop use high-pressure direct injection, and now AMG is adding a new trick, cylinder deactivation, to its efficiency repertoire. The 2012 SLK AMG will be the first car to feature the new cylinder deactivation technology. With it, the engine will cut fuel and spark … Read more

TOKYO--"It's not a hybrid. It's not an electric vehicle. It's a new challenge from Mazda."

Or so goes the Japanese TV tagline for the face-lifted Mazda2 subcompact--the first model with Mazda's SkyActiv fuel-efficient engine technologies.

Mazda is banking on the new power train to lure green-thinking customers who might otherwise opt for the Toyota Prius hybrid or Nissan Leaf electric car. Mazda, a latecomer to electrification with its first hybrid due only in 2013, is positioning SkyActiv as a more affordable alternative.

In Japan, the Prius starts at 2.05 million yen, or … Read more

Ford's been taking advantage of its EcoBoost forced-induction technology to downsize engines across its line. V-8s give way to turbocharged V-6s. V-6s give way to turbo four-bangers. Continuing the trend, Ford has just announced the smallest engine it's ever built: a 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine.

Besides the obvious fuel savings from its lower displacement, Ford's new tiny terror packs in all sorts of economy-boosting technologies. For example, Ford's split cooling system helps the cylinder block to warm faster which helps to save fuel during the least efficient warm-up phase, especially in cold weather. The three-cylinder'… Read more

Consumers should have an easier time comparing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks once new consumer labels unveiled today go into effect.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson unveiled the new set of labels this morning at a live press conference hosted on the Web.

Prior to this, car labels hadn't been updated for 30 years.

Each new label differs slightly depending on the car's drive train or fuel source. (Click for a PDF of all labels.) Labels in the set include those for gas, flex-fuel gas-ethanol blends, … Read more

We see all-wheel-drive (AWD) badges on cars, crossovers, and SUVs all of the time. However, for those who really care about how their cars work, that badge can often stir up more questions than answers. Are all four wheels always being driven? Does AWD improve handling or does it improve safety? Are some systems better than others?

The answers to those questions vary by automaker and even by model. For example, there are automakers who use on-demand AWD systems across their lineup (Mazda comes to mind) and others, like Subaru, use full-time AWD for their vehicles. Other manufacturers, like Nissan, … Read more

At the 2011 International Engine awards, Fiat's little 875cc TwinAir engine won three categories and took home the overall 2011 International Engine of the Year award. BMW took four categories with four different engines, while Audi, Ferrari, and Volkswagen each made good showings.

Fiat's engine ekes 85 horsepower from two cylinders using a turbocharger, and only produces 95 grams per kilometer of CO2. Fiat uses the engine in its 500 model, but U.S. versions of that car are likely to get the 1.4-liter Multiair engine.

Here are the various categories, with their respective winners:

• 2011 International … Read more

Brammo will offer its electric motorcycles with a six-speed transmission beginning in 2012, the company announced today.

The bikes will be unveiled this Friday in Las Vegas shortly before competing in the MiniMotoSX race.

Motorcycle manufacturer Brammo could make a big impact on the motorcycle world with this change.

While electric motorcycles have been around for some time, and even had their own race on the Isle of Man in June 2009, up until now they've mainly been seen as bikes for early adopters interested in green tech, or those who might otherwise consider a moped.

Electric motorcycles are relatively quiet, have a limited range, and arguably offer limited speed and performance when compared to comparable racing bikes with internal combustion engines. They're also fighting an image problem in a market famous for exuding a longstanding sexy, powerful, and adventurous appeal.

"Electric motorcycle design has always been a bit of a balancing act in direct drive systems where great acceleration performance comes at the expense of low top-end speed," Brian Wismann, director of product development at Brammo, said in a statement.… Read more

After being pummeled so long for ignoring fuel economy in favor of performance, some automakers deserve kudos for developing cars that coax more than 40 mpg on the highway from gasoline engines--not gasoline-electric hybrids but regular, internal-combustion gasoline engines.

General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, and Smart already are selling 40-mpg gasoline cars in the United States, and later this year Honda, Kia and Mazda plan to join the parade.

The timing couldn't be better. With gasoline prices rising, the result of political uncertainty in the Middle East, some Americans are eager to buy higher-mileage vehicles but cannot afford the higher … Read more