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The LiX-75 is a 200-Mph Electric Car

post from DriversDrive.com on 07 April 2006 07:00:00 PM. © DriversDrive.com

Hybrid Technologies is launching a car called the LiX-75 at the New York Auto Show. The car runs on lithium ion batteries and solar panels and will carry a price tag of $125,000 according to an article in BusinessWeek.

A fledging Las Vegas-based company called Hybrid Technologies thinks it has the solution. Hybrid will launch a car it calls LiX-75 at the New York Auto Show on Apr.14. The sleek, $125,000 sports car runs off of electric batteries, boosted by solar panels on the trunk. It recharges in four to six hours from a regular three-prong electric socket. And the company claims it will go from zero to 60 miles per hour in three seconds and hit a top speed of 200 miles per hour.

"It's the environmentalist mid-life crisis vehicle," says Richard Griffiths, head of business development at Hybrid. "It's a sports car that performs like a Porsche Boxster, looks like a Ferrari, and has zero emissions"

***

The LiX will utilize lithium ion batteries, big versions of the kind that power laptop computers. Because they can store more energy and degrade less quickly when not in use than the nickel metal hydride batteries used in hybrid cars today, they're rapidly becoming the technology of choice for electric-car developers.

"Lithium chemistry is widely acknowledged to be the next generation of battery power," says Lindsay Brooke, senior editor of the Society of Automotive Engineer's magazine.

Luxury hybrids are the latest expansion of the hybrid market. They should be popular because both green cars and luxury sports cars are big sellers to the wealthy southern California crowd.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.driversdrive.com/cgi-bin/ddblog.pl?ddblog=407061

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The FAB DESIGN Mercedes SL-Class Mega Wing Wide
Body

post from eMercedesBenz on 07 April 2006 03:05:00 PM. © eMercedesBenz

This is it kids - the grand finale. The FAB DESIGN Mega Wing Wide Body. What can I say that's not already evident from the photographs? It started life as a Mercedes SL600. Then FAB DESIGN went crazy. New front and rear bumpers. Vents all over the place. 20" wheels. Butterfly doors. Still not deranged enough? It comes in orange too. Not just the outside. The whole thing.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Apr06/07TheFABDESIGNMercedesSLMegaWingWideBody.html

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The FAB DESIGN Mercedes M-Class

post from eMercedesBenz on 07 April 2006 01:20:00 PM. © eMercedesBenz

Next up in our first unofficial FAB DESIGN day, we have the FAB DESIGN Mercedes M-Class. As you can see from the photos, the FAB kit for the M- is slightly more pronounced than the S-Class' modifications. To kick things off, FAB began by adding a new front bumper featuring integrated ram protection and an underride guard. In the rear, FAB added a rounded valance and a new cover for the tailgate. And finally, as was the case with the S-Class, FAB wrapped up the M's tuning package by adding a stainless steel quad exhaust system and custom-designed 20" rims.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Apr06/07TheFABDESIGNMercedesMClass.html

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The FAB DESIGN 2007 Mercedes S-Class

post from eMercedesBenz on 07 April 2006 12:50:00 PM. © eMercedesBenz

Mercedes sales figures, job cuts, the James Cook... blah, blah, blah. As you're scanning the current crop of stories, I already know what you're thinking - financials are great, but I need to customize my ride, dammit. I can't have Reggie Bush out rollin' in his CLS Shark II, while I'm sittin' in my stock Benz. Help me eMercedesBenz, help me. If I'm speaking to you - if you're ready to outshine Reggie and any other professional athletes, today is your day. Why? Because I am officially proclaiming that today is FAB DESIGN day. The next three stories... nothing but tuning goodness, courtesy of FAB DESIGN. I'm going to kick things off with my personal favorite, the FAB DESIGN kit for the always illustrious 2007 Mercedes S550.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Apr06/07TheFABDESIGN2007MercedesSClass.html

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2007 Ford Shelby GT500 -- Driving the Ultimate
Mustang

post from Karl on Cars on 07 April 2006 12:04:33 PM. © Karl on Cars

I'm off to drive the Shelby GT500 Mustang in a few minutes. Of course the embargo on driving impressions is June 1, so I won't be able to offer any meaningful feedback on the car. But I'll probably come up with something immediate to say...This will be a bitter-sweet driving experience for me, as it represents what I consider to be the last "real" SVT product. You may have seen the recent news story reporting that this will be the first SVT product sold at non-SVT dealers. The world just keeps turning.

Read The Full Article:
http://blogs.edmunds.com/karl/.ee9060d

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Mercedes Car Group's Sales Rise 17% In March

post from eMercedesBenz on 07 April 2006 10:20:00 AM. © eMercedesBenz

DaimlerChrysler is reporting today that in addition to the tremendous sales success of MBUSA last month, the Mercedes Car Group has noted equally impressive results, increasing sales 17% for the month of March. In total, sales of the Mercedes, Maybach and smart brands increased to 138,400 units (compared to 118,000 in March of 2005), making it the best sales month of all time. Through the first quarter of the year, the Mercedes Car Group has also noted a significant improvement, increasing sales 12% to a record figure of 295,000 units (compared to 262,900 in 2005).

Read The Full Article:
http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Apr06/07MercedesCarGroupsSalesRise17PercentInMarch.h
tml

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Improved Tax Breaks for Hybrid Owners

post from HYBRIDBUZZ.COM on 07 April 2006 05:42:00 AM. © HYBRIDBUZZ.COM

Despite my ups and downs with my own hybrid car, I'm pleased to report that the government is getting more aggressive in creating incentives for consumers to test drive such technologies. More here.

Read The Full Article:
http://hybridbuzz.blogspot.com/2006/04/improved-tax-breaks-for-hybrid-owners.html

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Stunning New Audi TT Revealed

After eight years of being on the market, Audi’s TT sports car is still fresh; it’s a timeless and ever-fashionable vehicle, achieving a longevity that few other car designs can hold claim to. But, like all good things, change is eventually necessary. Many of the first generation TT’s siblings have been moved over from Volkswagen [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://cars.blogs.ca/2006/04/07/stunning-new-audi-tt-revealed/

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MPH RIP

MPH magazine is no more. Which is too bad, because fresh competition keeps the established rags (Crap & Drivel, Motor Bland, Road & Hack) from getting too complacent. I was never a fan of MPH's T&A habit, but I did like their light, witty style.

Just for fun, I went to their web page (a zombie, it seems) and filled out the free trial subscription form. I wonder if anything wil happen?

I hope that Dave Thomas and crew keep some sort of web magazine alive--as good as they are, Autoblog and Jalopnik can use some good solid competition.

Read The Full Article:
http://theautoprophet.blogspot.com/2006/04/mph-rip.html

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