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The German sportscar maker Porsche AG is following a rather unorthodox method of cutting the average emissions of its fleet. Where most other producers of large-engines niche vehicles are looking at alternative fuels (like an ethanol powered Koenigsegg) or scaling down engine capacities (like the Ferrari Millechili concept), Porsche is hoping that another manufacturer’s green […]

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Most of us motoring buffs know about local boy Gordon Murray making it big in F1 design a few years back. Friend Gordon then left the racing scene to focus on something more .., well … affordable. After starting Gordon Murray Design (GMD) in Surrey, England, his team of 29 set out to revolutionise the […]

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Volkswagen last week introduced a plug-in hybrid Golf, a diesel-electric model slated for global launch in 2010-11. “The automaker is staking a claim to that future with a plug-in hybrid drive train it calls Twin Drive.

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So, from 1 July 2008 every new passenger car sold will have to sport a fuel economy info sheet in the showroom. As part of the Department of Minerals and Energy’s (DME) Energy Efficiency Accord, all new cars, SUV’s and MPV’s (apparently not light commercials…) will need to undergo standardised fuel economy testing to ensure […]

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We all know that going green is big business. Big enough, in fact, to reach the pages of business newspapers every week - if not every day. In the Tuesday 17 June edition of Business Day, a double page spread focussing on international company news had no fewer than four reports on international companies meddling […]

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2010 is not only a big year for global sports (South Africa hosts the Soccer World Cup), but also for the automotive world. Big changes are planned for the US motor industry, with planned launches of small cars – the Ford Fiesta and a string of Fiats (mist likely the 500) – on the cards. […]

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Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is seen as quite a green fellow. In fact, he has done so much for the promotion of green motoring that Lexus decided to give him a brand spanking new LS600h – for free. This luxury sedan is not yet available in South Africa, but will set you back around £84,000 […]

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The X-Prize Foundation, a non-profit organisation partnered with Google and Adobe Systems amongst others, is offering a $10 million prize to the first company that can design, build and commercialise a viable and efficient vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon (mpg), or about 42.5km per litre. This venture even has the backing of Hummer-loving […]

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In response to a Business Day front page article entitled “High-octane SA eschews green Prius” (16 May 2008), GreenCars’ Christie Viljoen submitted a letter to the editor (published on 20 May 2008) in response to claims that the Prius’ less-than-desirable sales were due to South Africans’ love for speed (i.e. high-octane fuel). A more correct […]

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Bremen, Germany’s smallest city-state, has decided to impose a 120km/h speed limit on the section of the autobahn speedway running through it as of 9 April 2008. It is believed that limiting drivers who currently speed in excess of 250km/h could reduce road deaths by 30% and cut vehicle emissions by 5% immediately and 15% […]

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