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08/21/07--17:16: Mercedes may sue to stop Euro sales of Chinese Smart clone (chan 1326677)

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Maserati, SMART



Last fall a battery-powered clone of the first generation Smart ForTwo turned up in China before it was quickly stomped down. Another one is now expected to be displayed at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show and China Automobile Deutschland wants to begin European imports. The Shuanghuan Noble is a four seater that looks much like the Smart and is expected to cost 7,000 euros.

As expected, Mercedes is not happy about the idea and is threatening legal action to stop the little car. They have already been in touch with the manufacturer but probably won't comment publicly until the car appears in public at the show.

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



Mercedes may sue to stop Euro sales of Chinese Smart clone originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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01/08/09--13:52: Huge fine for Mercedes-Benz for poor fuel efficiency (chan 1326677)

Filed under: Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA

Every year, automakers that fail to meet the federally-mandated CAFE fuel efficiency standards receive fines in proportion to their gas-guzzling crimes. Last year, DaimlerChrysler set a record with a fine of $30,357,635.50, and that figure is proving tough to beat. Still, Mercedes-Benz, which made up half of the failed marriage that was DaimlerChrysler, tried its best to top itself by recording a whopping $28.9 million fine for cars produced in 2007, again taking the gold medal. Come on, guys, we know you can do better ... or worse, or whatever.

Other manufacturers that fared poorly in CAFE reporting include Volkswagen, which was hit with a $4.5 million fine (much of which was due to the Touareg light truck), Porsche and Maserati, which tied with $1.2 million fines each, and Ferrari, which had $1.1 million in CAFE fines pulled from the clutches of its purse strings.

These huge fines are exactly why automakers are worried about the impending increase in fuel economy requirements. Those companies that managed to stay under the requirements are also going to need to know as soon as possible what mileage requirements are going to be in the coming years if they have any hope of staying in the clear. It looks like that will not happen quickly.



Gallery: AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL320 BlueTec




[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Continue reading Huge fine for Mercedes-Benz for poor fuel efficiency

Huge fine for Mercedes-Benz for poor fuel efficiency originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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03/16/09--07:38: Maserati goes green with a carbon-fiber two wheeler (chan 1326677)

Filed under: Transportation Alternatives, Maserati, On Two Wheels



Maserati hasn't expressed much interest in improving the fuel economy of its road cars, although that will undoubtedly come in the next few years. In the meantime, those with a hankering for a Maserati-badged vehicle but without the budget for one have a new option. Italian bicycle manufacturer Milani is teaming up with Maserati to produce some high end two-wheelers. The bikes are made of a mix of carbon fiber, aluminum and steel and will be offered in touring or racing styles.

The bikes will be made available world wide through both Milani bike retailers and Maserati dealerships. While these are inexpensive compared to a Maserati car (a new one at least) they certainly aren't cheap. If you want a Maserati bike, it's going to run you somewhere between €3,000 ($3,870) to €6,000 ($7,741). Thanks to Yogesh for the tip!

[Source: Milani Cycles]

Maserati goes green with a carbon-fiber two wheeler originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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09/15/09--12:02: Ferrari, Alpina lead supercar race to not-quite-as-high CO₂ levels (chan 1326677)

Filed under: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche




Ferrari F430 Spider Bio-Fuel - Click above for high-res image gallery


CO₂ emission numbers for cars from companies like Ferrari and Aston Martin are, to a Prius or clean diesel fan, pretty much a joke. Bentleys, for example, average over 400 grams of CO₂ per kilometer. There are even some luxury vehicles that can put the supercars to shame, like the Mercedes-Benz S 500 Hybrid - with just 74 grams per km - shows. Still, if you start out ridiculously dirty, there's a lot of room to clean up. This cleaning process is what JATO recently measured in a study of supercar company CO₂ emission reductions. The average improvements are pretty big.

Ferrari came out on top by dropping 40.4 g/km, followed by Lamborghini with 39.1 g/km. When ranked by percentage difference, Alpina took top honors with 14.1 percent, with Porsche's 10.6 percent improvement good enough for second place. Maserati decided to ignore the issue and actually increased average emissions by 20.9 g/km. We're clear eyed enough to realize that the small volume and limited miles driven in these supercars means that, overall, their tailpipes don't have much of an impact on the environment, but it's good to see improvements being made anyway. Well, except for those Maserati's. There's a table with all the numbers after the jump.

[Source: JATO Consult]


Continue reading Ferrari, Alpina lead supercar race to not-quite-as-high CO₂ levels

Ferrari, Alpina lead supercar race to not-quite-as-high CO₂ levels originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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12/22/09--13:29: REPORT: Chrysler to bring electric Fiat 500, hatchback concept to Detroit (chan 1326677)

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chrysler, Ferrari, Maserati, Fiat, Detroit Auto Show



Fiat 500C - Click above for high-res image gallery


Just because Chrysler won't be holding a press conference at next month's Detroit Auto Show doesn't mean that America's third-largest automaker is coming to the party empty-handed. Far from it, in fact, assuming there's truth to the rumors that the Pentastar will be showing off both an electric version of the soon-to-be-US-bound Fiat 500 along with a Chrysler-ized version of the Lancia Delta hatchback.

While the Chrysler-branded concept is said to be nothing more than a standard-fare Delta emblazoned with Chrysler's trademark chrome fascia, the electric Fiat 500 is a bit more interesting. We've heard that the automaker's erstwhile ENVI group was disbanded and assimilated into the rest of the company's product development workforce, so we're curious to see the integration of a battery-powered drivetrain into the little urban runabout. Will it be a fully-functional vehicle or just a mock-up of what could potentially be possible?

Not surprisingly, we'll also be treated to the rest of the Fiat 500 lineup, including the 500C Cabriolet (no word on bikini-clad models) and the sporty 500 Abarth. Finally, tucked into a corner of the Chrysler booth in Detroit will also reportedly be such premium Italian machinery as the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Maserati GranCabrio. Hey... if you've got it, why not flaunt it, right?



[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

REPORT: Chrysler to bring electric Fiat 500, hatchback concept to Detroit originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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03/05/10--13:04: Maserati to follow Ferrari down path of hybrid sportscars? (chan 1326677)

Filed under: Hybrid, Maserati, Green Daily, Lightweight



What's the world coming to when two of Italy's most storied supercar manufacturers - we're talking Ferrari and Lamborghini here, in case you couldn't tell - are planning to launch hybrid automobiles? Well, actually that'd be three of Italy's most storied automakers, now that rumors of just such a Maserati are making the rounds on the Interwebs.

We'd agree with the boys at Inside Line when they suggest that Maserati will likely borrow hybrid technology from fellow Fiat-owned Ferrari, especially since the two business units already share a number of drivetrain components. If that's the case, the three-pointed Trident brand could potentially get a version of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that Ferrari showed off on its 599 HY-KERS earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show.

Word has it that Maserati is also joining Ferrari in its quest to shed a few unwanted pounds on its automobiles, which will have dual benefits for both brands - namely, improvements in both performance and fuel efficiency. Now there's a win-win scenario if we've ever heard one.

[Source: Inside Line]

Maserati to follow Ferrari down path of hybrid sportscars? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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