Chrysler EVs electrify future product plans

General Motors captured the media spotlight recently with the highly anticipated unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt in production trim. Then, in swooped Chrysler with a “me too” announcement, well-timed to coincide with discussions in Washington, D.C. regarding financial support for the auto industry. Chrysler’s shocker was that they have committed to produce an electric-drive vehicle for North America in 2010, with expansion to European markets to follow.

The company has unveiled prototypes of extended-range and pure-electric vehicles to demonstrate the technology applications developed by the in-house ENVI group (short for “environmental”). Simply put, the powertrains consist of an electric motor, lithium-ion battery, and a controller that manages energy flow. As demonstrated by the prototypes, the electric-drive system is being developed for front-, rear-, and four-wheel-drive applications.

Chrysler claims this EV technology could provide 40 miles of pure-electric range in the Town & Country minivan and Jeep Wrangler, with a small gasoline-fueled engine able to extend the range to 400 miles using just eight gallons of gas. The Town & Country has a 255-horsepower-equivalent motor, and a reported 0-60 mph time of nine seconds. The Wrangler has 268 horsepower. Engineers are exploring the use of electric motors for off-roading.

Engineered as a pure electric vehicle, the Dodge EV is a sleek, rear-drive sports car, reminiscent of the Tesla Roadster. The continuous driving range is 150-200 miles, and like the other prototypes, it can be recharged from a 110- or 220-volt outlet. The Dodge has a claimed 0-60 mph in less than five seconds, with a top speed in excess of 120 mph.

Chrysler has not announced which vehicle it will produce for 2010. As we drive a wide range of green machines during our Future of the Car day, it is clear that a plurality of solutions is on the near horizon, and electricity will play a key role. Keep an eye here on our Cars blog and follow us on Twitter for more news. And join our forum discussion on hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles.

—Jeff Bartlett

Car, pickup truck, SUV, and tire recalls

Recently, there have been several recalls worth noting from Audi, Bridgestone Firestone, General Motors, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mazda, and Mercedes-Benz. But first, a major one from Ford:

Ford, Lincoln, Mercury – Nearly five million unrepaired vehicles could pose serious fire hazard

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging owners of certain Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, and passenger cars to take their vehicles to a local dealership immediately for a corrective repair. The vehicles contain a defective cruise control switch that could lead to a fire at any time, even while the vehicle is turned-off, parked and unattended. Repair parts are readily available.

NHTSA remains concerned that many owners have yet to respond to multiple safety defect recall notifications from Ford. Of the 12 million vehicles involved in the recall, nearly five million have not yet been brought to Ford for repair.

The involved vehicles are:

1993–2004 Ford F-150
1993–1999 Ford F-250 (gasoline engine)
1993–1996 Ford Bronco
1994–1996 Ford Econoline
1997–2002 Ford Expedition
1998–2002 Lincoln Navigator
1998–2002 Ford Ranger
1992–1998 Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, and Mercury Grand Marquis
1993–1998 Lincoln Mark VIII
1993–1995 Ford Taurus SHO with automatic transmission
1994 Mercury Capri
1998–2001 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer
2001–2002 Ford Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac
1992–1993 and 1997–2003 Ford E-150-350 gasoline or natural-gas vehicles
2002 Ford E-550 gasoline engine vehicles
1996–2003 Ford E-450 gasoline or natural gas vehicles
1994–2002 Ford F-250 through F-550 Super Duty trucks (gasoline engine)
2000–2002 Ford Excursion (gasoline engine)
2003 F-250 – F-550 Super Duty, Ford Excursion
1995–2002 Ford F53 Motor home chassis
2002–2003 Lincoln Blackwood

Consumers with questions should contact their local Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer, or call 1-888-222-2751. Additional information is available at Ford.com.

Audi is recalling nearly 14,000 A8 vehicles equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission. The locking cable may slide out of position over time, allowing the shifter to be moved out of the "Park" position even if the ignition key is not in the ignition lock. This could allow the vehicle to roll, risking a crash. Dealers will make the necessary modifications to secure the locking cable in place. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Audi at 1-800-822-2834.

Bridgestone bias-ply motorcycle and scooter tires

Bridgestone Firestone (BFNT) is recalling over 4,000 Bridgestone bias-ply motorcycle and scooter tires that fail to conform to the labeling requirements of a federal safety standard. BFNT will notify owners and replace the noncompliant tires free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact BFNT at 1-615-937-3442.

2006-2008 Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS and Hummer H2; 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Saturn Outlook; 2008 Buick Enclave – heated wiper washer fluid system

GM is recalling over 850,000 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer and Saturn vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system that could overheat. Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. GM has yet to announce when owners will be notified. In the meantime, owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608- 8080; Cadillac at 1-800-982-2339; Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; Saturn at 1-800-972-8876; GMC at 1-866-996-9436; or Hummer at 1-800- 732-5493; or MyGMLink.

2008 Buick Enclave and 2007-2008 GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook – windshield wipers

GM is recalling over 88,000 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook vehicles currently or previously registered in the following states: AK, CO, CT, DE, ID, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, PA, RI, SD, UT, VT, WV, WI, WY and DC. Snow and ice buildup on the windshield or wipers could cause the wipers to become inoperative. Dealers will install a new wiper mechanisms. The recall is expected to begin during October. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, Saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or at MyGMLink.

2008 Hyundai Elantra – fuel pump

Hyundai is recalling 65,000 Elantra vehicles with 2.0-liter “beta” engines. The fuel pump motor may produce less pressure than required to supply the fuel-injection system. Dealers will replace the fuel pump subassembly free of charge. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

2009 Jaguar XF – rear safety belt

Jaguar is recalling nearly 8,000 XF vehicles due to a problem with the rear safety belt. In the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury. Dealers will correct the condition. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Jaguar at 1-800-452-4827.

2007-2008 Mazda6 – fuel tanks

Mazda is recalling 7,200 Mazda6 vehicles with California emission specifications. The metal fuel tanks on the affected vehicles may have been damaged during the assembly process, which could lead to a fuel leakage. Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the fuel tank, if necessary. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500, Option 2.

2001-2006 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (Model 215), 2002-2006 S-Class (Model 220)
2003-2007 SL-Class (Model 230), 2007-2008 CL-Class (Model 216), 2007 S-Class (Model 221) – acceleration sensors

Mercedes-Benz is recalling over 4,500 CL-Class, S-Class and SL-Class vehicles equipped with Active Body Control (ABC) acceleration sensors on the front struts. The ABC sensors may have been installed improperly, which can adversely influence the vehicle's directional stability and could lead to a vehicle crash. Dealers will inspect and replace, if necessary, the front ABC sensors in all potentially affected vehicles. The recall is expected to begin this month. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-800-367-6372.

—Desiree Calamari

Safe! - Acadia, Enclave, Outlook, Traverse top safety picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook its Top Safety Pick designation for exemplary performance in frontal offset, side, and rear crash tests. To be eligible for this distinction, a vehicle also has to have standard stability control.

These corporate siblings are highly rated by Consumer Reports. We liked their combination of ride, handling, smooth powertrain, and space efficiency. With these new crash-test results, the Acadia and Outlook now earn our top-level recommendation, which means they performed well in CR's tests and have average or better reliability. The Enclave is not recommended because we do not have adequate reliability data yet. The Traverse goes on sale in the fall.

The Acadia and its siblings received top scores in the Institute’s frontal-offset  and side crash tests, and also received top marks for whiplash protection based on the design of their head restraints. The Institute provides a detailed breakdown, rating injury measures for head/neck, torso, leg/pelvis, overall head protection, and structure/safety cage. In all instances for front and side, these SUVs earn the Institute’s highest rating of good.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also awarded the vehicles five stars in both their front- and side-crash tests. The NHTSA evaluations are less severe than those performed by the Insurance Institute, but they are considered a valuable measure of safety belt and air bag performance.

The vehicles scored four stars in rollover resistance in NHTSA’s test of rollover propensity, a good rating for an SUV.

Learn more about how the Institute and NHTSA perform their evaluations in “Crash Test 101.” And see the tests in action by choosing from the more than 250 crash test videos produced with IIHS.

—Eric Evarts

From the logbook: A "green" Chevrolet Tahoe—a hybrid hopeful?

Even though G.M. touts its new full-sized Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids as "green" machines, buyers haven't exactly stampeded dealerships. According to a recent article in The New York Times, "G.M. has sold about 1,100 of its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids since their introduction in January…[a] pace [that's] well behind its goal of 12,000 sales a year, and a fraction of the more than 100,000 hybrids sold so far in the United States this year."

We were eager to find out if this new hybrid really could make sizeable fuel economy improvements over the conventional Tahoe we last tested, which got a deplorable 14 mpg overall. Our well-equipped "Summit White" 4WD Hybrid stickered for a cool $55,585. So far, we’ve put nearly 3,000 miles on it; here's a look inside the logbook:

"Hybrid system works smoothly…even used no [gas] engine for a couple of miles of 0-20-0 mpg driving."

"18.3 mpg overall isn't great, but it's [obviously] better than the non-hybrid version." [Note: other drivers logged 16-17, 17.5, 18.6, and 20.8 mpg]

"Ridiculously low mpg…and this is 'green'? This gets tax incentives and the Toyota Corolla doesn’t? Insane."

"Ride is stiffer than regular Tahoe.” [But other opinions said: "Rides well and easy to navigate despite its massive size."]

"Brakes are very touchy, and then very hard."

"Steering has hardly any feedback."

"Feels heavy and slow reacting even in casual driving."

"Gee, can you tell it’s a hybrid? Our truck has more stickers and badges than a NASCAR racer…gets attention, though."

"Very quiet interior and comfortable seats."

"No power recline/lumbar for the seats and no powered tailgate is cheap for the crazy $55K sticker."

"Third-row seats steal virtually all the cargo space."

"Want to get [similar] fuel economy, seat eight and tow 4,500 pounds? Buy a Honda Pilot and save $15K."

Perhaps the final word on the big Tahoe Hybrid's fuel economy came from one of our most trusted bottom-liners: Auto Test's Data Program Manager (and keeper of all things statistical), who wrote "18 mpg is quite an improvement for such a big vehicle especially that it can be used for towing."

Look for a full road test soon.

—Mike Quincy

For tips on saving gasoline and alternative fuels, see our green car guide.

Chrysler threatens to pull plastic plug on “Playskool” interiors

Last week, the bankruptcy news of an auto parts supplier in Dearborn, Michigan, may have a direct impact on consumers. And it reveals some insight into what goes into the parts of the car that owners see and touch every day.

Plastech Engineered Products makes interior components for Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors vehicles. About a week ago, Plastech declared bankruptcy amidst a dispute with Chrysler, as widely reported. As a result, Plastech stopped supplying Chrysler interior components, causing the automaker to run short of parts and shut down four factories temporarily, with the potential to close many more.

The standoff didn’t last for long before a temporary agreement could be reached and production resumed. According to the trade paper Automotive News, the new arrangement will “allow the automaker to resume production at four idled plants and avoid shutdown of all its assembly operations.” Plastech has secured a line of credit to keep operations running for the time being.

Chrysler’s initial announcement of the four plant closings gives us an idea what cars have critical interior parts built by Plastech:
• The Belvidere, Ill., factory builds the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot SUVs.
• Newark, Delaware builds the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs.
• Sterling Heights, Michigan, builds the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger.
• The Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, and Jeep Wrangler are built in Toledo, Ohio.

Consumer Reports has tested the Caliber, Compass, Patriot, Durango, Sebring (three of them), Avenger, Nitro, and Wrangler, and we are currently testing a Jeep Liberty.

When we tested the Nitro, we said its interior “looks cheap, with hard plastics, rough-finished components, large gaps, and loose pieces.” Likewise the Patriot, we said, “is full of cheap plastics, some of which are poorly finished.” We said the Sebring’s interior, “looks cheap and insubstantial.”

All these vehicles came in for similar harsh criticism. (Of course, suppliers like Plastech build components to manufacturer specs.) Some automotive writers have referred to this generation of Chrysler interiors as looking like they come from Playskool toys. One of our engineers likened driving the Compass to “sitting in an Igloo ice chest.”

Last year Chrysler announced it would create a new “advanced” interior design studio to focus on building better interiors. The first product of that effort, according to the company, is the new Dodge Ram pickup displayed at the Detroit Auto Show. It certainly had the highest initial quality interior we’ve seen on a new Chrysler design in a long time.

The particulars in this dispute remain a bit unclear. If Plastech had collapsed, many people would have been in trouble. The same Automotive News article mentioned that the company “owns more than 35 plants in North America and generated $1.4 billion in sales last year, [and] employs 7,700 people.”

In the end, we hope future Chrysler products will offer consumers more comfortable, better-finished interiors. (In theory, that could be good for everyone’s business.) The 2009 Ram has us optimistic. Just hope more jobs aren’t lost, or threatened, in the process.

—Eric Evarts

Edited 2/12/08

Chicago - Show me the green

The Chicago Auto Show seems to fall in a tough place on the calendar, that is, after the Los Angeles and Detroit shows where combined 60-80 vehicles may have been unveiled. Each event has a typical theme: LA is usually on the leading-edge of the Green movement and high fashion; Detroit tends to combine American muscle, technology innovation, and memorable design; Chicago is often a blend of truck news and also-rans (minor updates and decidedly unsexy models).

Disappointingly, the pattern holds true this year. The show itself isn't to blame, being a hapless victim of timing and circumstance. I place the blame on the manufacturers. Hear me out...

Reflecting back on the announcements after one last tour of the show floor, there were more than a fair share of mild updates and rebadged models. These may be all important to their respective companies, but not fodder for fueling consumer (or diehard automotive) passions.

Trucks did rule here in Chicago, with several interesting announcements although little that rocked my automotive world. The Chevrolet Traverse looks great. The Ford Works computer system is quite impressive. The GMC Sierra is welcomed to the hybrid revolution. The GMC Denali XT concept is, well, different.

What I wanted to see was inventive, thrifty trucks and SUVs. Rather than just targeting full-throttle, off-road assault monsters, I was looking forward to more vehicles that could commune in nature in a reasonably environmentally responsible way.

Turns out Detroit was the show for that, with the Ford Escape Plug-in, Hummer HX, Jeep Renegade (shown above), Land Rover LRX, Saturn Vue Plug-in, and Toyota A-BAT concepts. No question the Hummer H3T rocks in its own conquer-the-Earth way, but the HX concept from Detroit alongside it rocks harder. Fit it with a clean diesel engine and consider it the brand's savior.

The show season isn't over until New York next month. Just hope we don't have to wait until the next Detroit show to be tantalized with vehicles that combine fun and "green" in the same exciting package.

Meanwhile, I need to reread the Suzuki Equator materials to learn more about how it has an "exclusive" grille.

—Jeff Bartlett

Read our complete coverage of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show.

Chicago Auto Show - Live coverage begins

The 2008 Chicago Auto Show has opened its doors for the first of two media preview days, enabling auto scribes and industry insiders to get an early look at the production vehicles and concept cars unveiled in the Windy City. We arrived last night amidst a flurry of media attention to Super Tuesday election results and threat of a serious snow storm. However, the real excitement starts today, with a series of press conferences beginning with General Motors.

We will attend the events throughout the day, sharing reports, photos, and blogged insights from McCormick Place. Right now, we are anxious to get a closer look at the GMC show vehicles, significantly freshened Acura RL, oddly named Volkswagen Routan, and about a dozen other known models from various manufacturers.

Stay tuned for our around-the-clock coverage these next couple of days.

—Jeff Bartlett

Toyota passes Ford for second spot in U.S. sales

Toyota Motor Corporation has broken Ford’s 75-year history to become the #2 auto sales leader in the United States for 2007, according to the Associated Press. This is the 12th consecutive year of record-breaking sales for Toyota.

According to 2007 manufacturer-supplied figures, General Motors retains the top position selling 3.87 million vehicles, down 6 percent from the previous year. Toyota sales were 2.62 million, up 2.7 percent over 2006. Ford sold 2.57 million vehicles, down 12 percent.

Toyota’s rise to the second seed in the United States was helped by a surge in sales of a number of popular models. The Prius hybrid, despite the fact that its design isn’t new (it was last redone in 2004), saw an increase of almost 69 percent amid rising fuel costs and increasing environmental awareness. The all-new Toyota Tundra boasted a 57 percent increase and, in our tests, ranked second only to the Chevrolet Avalanche. It’s clearly a strong competitor. The redesigned Lexus LS460/600h luxury sedans had an 80 percent boost in sales.

Even though Ford posted an overall decline in sales from last year, a few vehicles, such as the Ford Focus, Ford Fusion, and Mercury Milan, enjoyed an increase in sales over last year. The Ford F-150 was still the best-selling truck in America for the 31st year in a row.

Worldwide sales figures are due to come out later this month and the race is tight between GM and Toyota to win the coveted title of world’s largest automaker.

—Liza Barth

Paint it green

Last year, the Los Angeles auto show was moved from its familiar slot in early January (where it was continually overshadowed by the larger North American International Auto Show in Detroit) to November, where it can make its own mark. Yet, another move that helps give the show its own identity is its overriding green-car theme.

 

On the first press day, more than a dozen vehicles were highlighted that provide cleaner and/or more fuel-efficient alternatives to conventional gasoline engines. This ranged from the familiar, such as diesels and flex-fuel vehicles (which can run on E85 ethanol) to more exotic designs, such as the second-generation Honda FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle and the plug-in, fuel-cell Volkswagen Space Up! Blue concept.

 

Chevrolet crowded eight vehicles onto its stage to provide the right setting for announcing that the brand will be GM’s big tent for fuel-efficient vehicles, and that its goal is to be “the industry leader for fuel-economy leadership.” The eight ranged from small, fuel-efficient conventional cars, such as the Aveo and new Beat, to hybrid versions of the Malibu sedan, Silverado pickup and Tahoe SUV, to the more advanced plug-in electric Volt and Equinox fuel-cell vehicle.

 

Among the intriguing, yet do-able, cars on display was the diesel/electric-powered Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueTec Hybrid. We were very impressed with the E320 BlueTec diesel we recently tested, rating it slightly higher than the similar E350 gasoline model. Like the E320, the S400 will be available in all 50 states. But in contrast to the E320’s 29 mpg overall that we got, the company says that the S400 will achieve 40 mpg while providing even quicker acceleration. That’s impressive for a relatively heavy luxury car. And even if Mercedes’ mpg number proves to be a little high compared with real-world results, the combination of clean diesel and hybrid electric power is promising and a design that we’ll likely see more of in coming years.

—Rik Paul

UAW GM strike ends with agreement

General Motors and the United Auto Workers (UAW) reached a tentative agreement on a new national labor contract at 3:05 a.m. today, ending the much publicized strike.

More than 70,000 UAW members nationwide walked off their posts at General Motors on Monday morning, after negotiations between the two organizations failed to reach a labor agreement. The UAW contract had expired on September 14th.

The tentative agreement includes provisions for creating an independent retiree health care trust that would assume a reported $50 billion in obligations, according to the Detroit News. With initial funding from GM, the voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) would reportedly be able to provide retiree health benefits for an estimated 80 years. In the process, it would remove the significant financial burden from GM.

GM agreed to hire 4,100 currently temporary workers, though at their lower wage and with a different benefits package than previous permanent workers.

There are other aspects, such as sign-on bonuses for new hires and scheduled pay increases, that have been variously reported, though there is no official release at this time.

Ultimately, the agreement is not final until it is ratified, approved by the courts, and reviewed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The UAW expects the terms negotiated with GM to set the tone for discussions with Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Company, according to Automotive News.

The national UAW contract with both Chrysler and Ford also expired mid September.

We expect that the short strike will have a very limited impact on consumers. It's unclear, though, whether or not GM will benefit from this agreement. Time will tell if both sides made the right decisions.

--Jeff Bartlett

200,000-Mile Club continues to accelerate

Interest in our October 2007 cover story, “Make your car last 200,000 miles,” has caused high-mileage drivers to log on and share their experiences, advice, and even photos.

The owners’ tales are quite inspiring, with drivers like Martin Sorin claiming that they still have many miles left in their car. As you’ll read below, Martin’s Camry has been to 200,000 miles--twice.

Do you have a story or advice to share? Join the unofficial club! Share your experience in the 200,000-Mile Club forum, and if you’d like to show off your well-traveled ride, you can post a photo at the 200,000-Mile Club photo gallery. Please be sure to include the year, make, model, and mileage when you submit your image.

In the meantime, below are some of our favorite posts.

--Jim Travers

We purchased a 1993 Mercury Villager in July 1993 new. We still drive the car daily and it now has 374,900 miles on the odometer. Original engine with only minor engine work… I think the reason we have had such good luck with this car is by keeping it maintained regularly and not doing much short trip or city driving. We live in a rural area and most trips are at least 20 miles or more.

--David Richards

I think one significant factor in longevity is service and an honest and reliable shop. I could not own a 1990 Volvo 740 GL wagon with 245,000 miles on it in this medium-sized city in Canada without my service technician who owns a shop that specializes in Volvos and VWs.

--Ted Whipp

I have owned this truck since new and have meticulous maintenance records. There have been no internal engine or transmission problems. Take care of all the regular maintenance and you will be rewarded. I have set my new goal at 400,000 miles and fully expect to make it in spite of Michigan roads and weather.

--Jerry Hooker, 1993 Chevrolet S-10, 300,000 miles

I change my oil every 10,000 miles and I change my transmission fluid every 30,000 to 35,000 miles. Another tip is to order or purchase a vehicle with an engine oil cooler and a transmission oil cooler if possible. I have heard and believe that most engine and transmission problems are the result of heat.

--Michael Freeman, 1995 GMC K1500 pickup, 429,781 miles

My 1994 Toyota Camry V-6 wagon currently has 416,200 miles on it and is still running strong. I hope to reach 500,000 miles with it. I agree with your article about fixing things as soon as they need it, buying a reliable car, and doing scheduled maintenance when the owner's manual says to do it.

--Martin Sorin

Video: Pickup trucks

This month’s road test includes comparisons of new and redesigned full-sized and heavy duty pickup trucks.  The Toyota Tundra, formerly a smaller, refined truck with carlike ride and handling, now goes head-to-head with GM and Ford in power, towing, payload capacity, and size. See which ones top our Ratings, plus check out our videos on the highs and lows of our tests of the Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F-Series, and the Tundra. 

The speed bump on the road to a fuel-cell future

One thing both Honda and General Motors have in common is a belief that fuel-cell cars make sense, even using today’s non-renewable hydrogen supply. Both cite the number of cars that could be run on hydrogen today: Honda says there is enough hydrogen production capacity in the United States to fuel over 1 million cars with no additional investment. Total worldwide hydrogen production is enough to fuel 200 million cars, according to GM (assuming it wasn’t needed for anything else).

Most hydrogen today is produced from methane, a type of natural gas, using steam-methane reformation, a process that producers claim is 80 percent efficient. (The methane also powers most of the hydrogen production plants.)

And fuel-cell cars are about twice as efficient as gasoline-fueled cars. Honda would not give an estimate of fuel economy. But if the FCX can go 270 miles on 4 kilos of hydrogen, that amounts to about 68 miles per kilogram. A kilogram of hydrogen has roughly the same energy as a gallon of gas, so that is the equivalent of about 68 mpg.

Honda claims fuel cells can reduce greenhouse gas emissions overall by 50 percent compared with gasoline, even using today’s hydrogen supplies.

What’s attractive about hydrogen is that, unlike oil, it can be made from just about any organic substance or even from water. Making it from water, however, using electrolysis (which is roughly the reverse of how fuel cells operate), requires so much energy that electricity production would have to increase several fold. It would effectively have to come from renewable solar, geothermal, or wind power sources, which are scarce today. Until now, this has been the vision of many fuel cell advocates.

Finding a way to make enough hydrogen to eventually supply every corner gas station economically is a huge challenge. But fuel cells are so efficient that it looks like we’ll soon see at least a few cars using hydrogen from natural gas as one of several alternatives to increasing oil consumption.

If that’s not “green” enough for you, Honda is studying using hydrogen taken from waste methane at land fills. And GM filled the Sequel we drove with hydrogen generated as a byproduct of chlorine production at a Rochester, New York, plant powered by renewable electricity from Niagara Falls.

Using such renewable sources of hydrogen in large quantities would bring the efficiencies of fuel-cell driving much closer to fruition than they have seemed before. And as our drives of the Honda and GM fuel cell vehicles showed, driving clean, quiet, and powerful fuel cell cars doesn’t sound unpleasant at all.

Learn more about fuel cells and alternative fuels in our fuel economy special section.

--Eric Evarts

How the fuel-cell cars compare

When we drove the Honda FCX and the GM Sequel fuel-cell prototype vehicles, we found that the Honda is much better finished and much more like a traditional car. (Read our complete first drive of the Honda FCX sedan.) It feels like a very nice Honda Accord, with an electric whine taking the place of the buzzing hum of a gasoline engine.

The Sequel is more futuristic and less fully developed. It is a concept car designed to demonstrate both fuel cell technology and General Motors’s futuristic “skateboard” chassis architecture. The “skateboard” architecture uses a separate body and mechanical running chassis (almost like frame-based cars from the 1930s), with only an electrical linkage between the actual mechanical systems, like steering and braking, and controls, like the steering wheel and brake pedal. GM is investing a great deal in this system because it can revolutionize car design and make it much cheaper to build a wide variety of body styles and power systems such as gas engines, fuel cells, and batteries, plus ethanol or diesel-fueld powerplants.

Driving differences

With the FCX, CR Senior Engineer Gabe Shenhar and I got in, turned the key, and drove around the quick mile-long parking-lot loop at high speeds by ourselves.

The Sequel, on the other hand, came with its own riding-mechanic: a GM employee in the back seat armed with a laptop computer to monitor everything from the fuel cell to the steering and brakes. After creeping a few feet, one of the brakes signaled an error and I had to turn the car off to reboot it – a process that took a minute or two. It is relevant to note that Honda plans to put the FCX into production next year, while the Sequel will remain a prototype. (The next generation fuel-cell car from GM will be based on the Chevrolet Equinox, and will be available to fleets starting in 2010.) While the Sequel had just traveled 300 miles at Interstate speeds that GM estimated averaged 65 mph, we were only allowed to drive on a low-speed loop, because the cars had little fuel left after the long trip.

Both cars had powerful low-speed acceleration and the Honda had adequate acceleration at highway speeds.

In the fuel cell itself, the Honda also seemed better developed. One of the engineering challenges of fuel cells is the ability to run them in very cold temperatures. Honda said its fuel cell could operate at any temperature above -4 degrees Fahrenheit. GM said its fuel cell could operate only at temperatures above 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

Honda claims a range of 271 miles for its FCX, but privately one Honda spokesman admitted that was a target range and that the company is stretching to achieve that. Here, GM has a potential advantage with the Sequel’s estimated 300-mile range.

The reason for this difference exemplifies the companies’ different approaches to fuel-cell cars: The FCX uses a very large hydrogen storage tank that takes up a lot of trunk space. It stores about 4 kilograms of hydrogen at 5,000 psi pressure, or the equivalent of about four gallons of gas. Honda uses this pressure because it is the pressure at which commercial hydrogen facilities today store and dispense the gas, even though it requires a large tank for a relatively limited range.

The Sequel stores compressed hydrogen at 10,000 psi in three tanks within the skateboard chassis, which takes up no cargo or passenger space and provides its longer range. But the “clean” hydrogen it bought from a Niagara Falls plant for the demonstration trip had to be compressed to twice its normal pressure to achieve that high psi level. And that took extra energy, provided by an electric compressor running on power from a local coal-fired powerplant. So, the well-intentioned trip was not entirely pollution-free, and thereby revealing the challenges in creating a truly clean alternative powertrain.

The next blog in the series will further explore the Honda fuel-cell technology.

--Eric Evarts

GM says it's back in the car business

Stop the presses! During the press conference today introducing the new Chevrolet Malibu, GM executives confirmed a long-held rumor: the world's largest automotive company is going to make cars again. Not that the press conference avoided mentioning the new Silverado, but GM clearly was implying that it has been neglecting the passenger car segment for some time now.

This is what I took away this morning during the Malibu intro:

· GM is serious about our commitment to the mid-sized car market.
· GM finally decided to give our customers the good stuff.
· GM is back in the car game.

What a relief! And with the Saturn Aura recently crowned North American Car of the Year, the company seems to realize that there's more to building products for actual customers than merely filling rental fleet car lots.

--Mike Quincy

Mr. Detroit goes to Washington

Today, executives from Detroit's auto makers (I'm loathe to use the term Big 3, given that Chrysler likely has frequent Wiener schnitzel specials in their lunchroom) are meeting with President Bush to discuss the status of the domestic car industry. The last year or two hasn't been very good for the so-called domestic companies, to say the least.

It's hard to say what reception they're going to get from the President. He famously said back in January that American car companies need to "make a relevant product." According to today's Wall Street Journal, "In response, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. executives are expected to arrive at the White House in hybrid vehicles: a Ford Escape and a Saturn Vue Green Line."

Why pick those? These are the first mass-market hybrids sold by Ford and GM. The Escape scored decently overall in our tests, and at 26 mpg overall, it achieved the best fuel economy of any SUV in our metered on-the-road fuel economy tests. We're evaluating a Vue Green Line now, and GM seems to have done a good job of integrating the light hybrid system. No doubt hybrids are all the rage now in the zeitgeist, but are these products the best that these companies have to show?

Both of the non-hybrid versions of Escape and Vue tip up on two wheels in the government's dynamic rollover test--a test developed by NHTSA with considerable industry feedback. Stability control would likely quell this undesirable trait, but neither the Escape nor Vue offer it. Sure, it will be available when each is updated and redesigned for 2008, but the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V offered standard ESC in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Both the Escape and Vue have lackluster interior fit and finish (even after the Vue's 2006 interior upgrade). And while GM claims that the Vue has the best fuel economy of any SUV (we haven't fully tested it yet), that's for a two-wheel-drive version; no all-wheel-drive Vue hybrid is available.

Maybe the Ford execs should show up in a Fusion; it has proven very reliable (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers) in its first year and scored quite well in our tests. (Sadly though, the Fusion doesn't offer stability control, either.) The GM execs could drive a Cadillac STS; it outscored competition from Lexus and Acura (However, STS reliability has dropped to below average in this year's subscriber reliability survey.) Or maybe a Buick Lucerne or Cadillac DTS; both also had above average reliability in their first year of production and the DTS has a very nice interior, although long stopping distances hurt test results.

I guess that leads us back to where we started, how do you define a relevant product? We think that it's a product that does everything well: good fuel economy, a well-finished interior, safe handling and braking, and strong reliability. Building more cars that meet those standards can help any car company, wherever they build the cars and whether they get to go to the White House or not. --Tom Mutchler

2007 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra

General Motors officially unveiled the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra boasting a litany  of improvements to the powertrains, structure, interior design, and safety gear. (Notably, stability control will be standard on crew cab models and available on extended cab models, and curtain air bags will be available.) These new trucks are destined to replace the aging full-size pickup ranges starting late 2006, with heavy-duty models expected to reach the market in early 2007.

With these high-volume, high-profit machines, the story distills down to the numbers:
• Three cab styles: regular, extended, and crew.
• Three box lengths: short (5 ft., 8 in.), standard (6 ft., 6 in.), and long (8 ft.).
• Five key powertrains: 4.3-liter V6 (195 hp); 4.8-liter (295 hp); 5.3-liter V8 (315 hp) FFV; 6.0-liter (367 hp) V8; and 6.2-liter V8 (400 hp).
• Five suspensions: street, handling/trailering, off-road, street performance, and maximum capacity trailer
• Three trim levels each for Silverado and Sierra, plus the Sierra Denali
GM touted in its announcement a “light-duty trailering capability from 4,300 pounds to segment-leading 10,500 pounds.” An impressive claim that was matched by cross-town rival Ford who announced, “[the 2007] F-150’s maximum tow rating is up 600 lbs. to a class-leading 10,500 lbs.”
Clearly, the pickup truck battle continues.

In 1999, the then-new GM pickups trucks surpassed the competition in our tests. But things were much simpler then: Ford was the only manufacturer with a recently updated full-sized pickup. (It had been introduced in 1997). Dodge was selling a truck launched for 1992, and Toyota had only the too-small, too-slow T100.

As the years rolled on, Dodge, Ford, and Toyota introduced newer, improved trucks, and Nissan joined the full-sized market. Facing this competition, the GM trucks now significantly trail the F-150, Titan, and Tundra in our ratings.

We don’t know yet how the GM redesigned 2007-model-year trucks will stack up, but the improvements seen in the latest full-size Chevrolets--Tahoe, Avalanche, and Suburban--give promise.

Curiously, GM’s press release claims that these new trucks have "Segment-leading…fuel economy" but it doesn’t offer up any numbers, even estimates.  In fact, the word "economy" comes up eight times. Segment leading? We’ll believe it when we test it.

Ultimately, the number that may have the most impact on the Silverado and Sierra’s sales success is the average national gasoline price, which is over $3/gallon this week.

--Jeff Bartlett