T3 Motion, creators of the Segway-esque non-balancing T3 Series Electric Stand-up Vehicle for police and security use, has detailed its plans to launch an electric three-wheeled called the CT3. The new vehicle is the first machine from T3 that was specifically designed for personal commuter use, and it's based on the company's CT low-speed electric four-wheeled vehicle.

Using a three-wheeled design should allow the company to classify the CT3 as a motorcycle in most states, which means it won't necessarily need to be restricted to low-speed use as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, though the machine will be capped at a 45 mph top speed regardless. All three of the CT3's wheels are powered by electric motors that get their electrons from T3's proprietary Power Management System and lithium polymer batteries.

At this time, the vehicle exists only in rendered form (pay close attention to the wheels and tires in the above image), but T3 plans to enter a special CT-S version of the machine in the Auto X Prize that will reportedly be capable of 80 miles per hour and an equivalent mpg rating of over 100 miles per gallon. Click past the break for the official press release. Thanks for the tip, Deepa!

[Source: T3 Motion via Green Launches]

	Fortune ranks GM's PUMA as #1 business blunder of 2009 [w/POLL] Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Segway tie-up.		BMW X1 coming to America in 2011, diesel could get 45.2 mpg Think it'll have a shot?
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McLaren has put up a job posting for a Senior Engineer for Powertrain Hybrid Technology on its official website, which may offer a few clues as to where the automaker may be heading in the near future for its road cars. As far as rumors go, this one seems pretty solid. According to an unnamed spokesperson quoted by Autocar:

It (hybrid technology) is something we want as a forward-thinking, technology-driven company. We have been considering it for future projects. All the advert means is that we are looking for a senior engineer in powertrain hybrid technology. Read into it what you will.

One possibility is that McLaren will attempt to adapt the KERS system from its Formula 1 race cars for street use. It's widely agreed upon that McLaren's KERS implementation is the best in F1 and both BMW and Ferrari are also thought to be working on KERS for future road cars.

Within the next few years, McLaren is expected to introduce a couple of new supercars, including a replacement for the current SLR, codenamed P11, and a successor to the famed F1 supercar from the mid '90s that's currently known as the P12.



[Source: McLaren via Autocar]

First impressions can be problematic, even more so when reviewing a vehicle. When the media gets its first shot at a new offering, the automaker typically invites journalists to a location of its choosing to drive under conditions that show the car in its best light. Such was the case with the 2010 Honda Insight. After our First Drive, we came away with the impression that Honda's hot new hybrid was an engaging alternative to the Toyota Prius, but we quickly came to realize the Insight's limitations and flaws after a week behind the wheel on our home turf.

Get our real-world impressions after the jump.

For a guy who allegedly wants a lot of the credit for creating Tesla Motors, Elon Musk certainly doesn't seem to like the job of being its CEO. As part of Daimler's investment deal with Tesla, Musk needed to commit to staying on as Tesla's CEO at least until the Model S launches in 2011. Musk told Reuters:

I didn't really have a choice. This was a requirement of Daimler that I remain CEO of Tesla through the Model S launch and then continue to be part of Tesla in a chairman role beyond that. It's flattering, but at the same time it's golden handcuffs.

Well, that sure makes it sound like fun, doesn't it? It's clear that Musk has always been interested in projects other than Tesla (e.g.: electric planes and SpaceX), but does he have to make running one of the hippest electric car companies around sound like a drag?

Another nugget from the article: One of the reasons the price on the Roadster was raised was to help qualify Tesla Motors for the DOE loan it later received. Musk said, "We did the minimum we needed to do to make the business work."



[Source: Reuters]

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As expected after this morning's initial leakage, BMW has released a staggering amount of images of the 2011 BMW X1 showing the brand's new soft-roader in every conceivable environment before it's officially revealed at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Along with the pics, BMW put out a brief statement (below the fold) confirming the X1's arrival in the U.S. sometime in 2011 and its plans to offer both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive (xDrive) versions, along with "a wide variety of gasoline and diesel powertrain choices." BMW won't officially confirm what mils will make the trip across the Atlantic, but the automaker says the X1 will use its EfficientDynamics system and that one gasoline engine and three diesels will be available when the X1 launches in Europe this fall. Check out all 183 high-res images in the gallery below and expect official U.S. market information to be released closer to the X1's launch in the States.

General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and everyone else may not think there is much of a market for mainstream diesel vehicles in the United States, but Volkswagen would beg to differ. Since it launched its new generation diesels last fall in the Jetta and earlier this year in the Touareg, they have been selling like hotcakes with June being its best month yet. Last month was the best sales month to date for the Sportwagen with 1,982 sales and a whopping 81% of those were equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI four-cylinder.

Among the 8,431 Jetta sedans sold in June, 40% were diesel powered. And while the Touareg followed most other SUVs with a 41% overall decline to only 330 units in June, 29% of those had the 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine. Rabbit sales were down 69% in June, but a redesigned Golf is arriving in September, including a TDI – and if fuel prices keep climbing through the summer, it could see a huge sales spike as well.



[Source: Volkswagen]

In an interview with German magazine Motor Zeitung, Porsche's R&D director Wolfgang Dürheimer discussed the possibility of electrifying the iconic 911 sports car. Legendary Porsche tuners Ruf first showed a battery-powered prototype 911 called the eRuf last fall and then revealed a second-generation version (pictured) at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The eRuf Greenster was a major improvement over the original and Dürheimer praised the achievement of the smaller company.

Dürheimer doesn't rule out an electrified sports car in the future, but feels the technology is not quite ready for Porsche prime-time. The problem revolves around the size and weight of the batteries, and even discarding the conventional powertrain leaves the Greenster with a deficit of at least 500 pounds compared to a normal 911... and no luggage space to boot. As battery technology progresses, however, we can certainly expect a battery-powered sports car to emerge from Zuffenhausen in due course.



[Source: Motor Zeitung]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

We'd wager that the last thing Toyota wants in the midst of the super-important launch of its new third-generation Prius is a negative stigma attached to the previous model. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the Japanese automaker may have on its hands as a number of owners of the 2005-2008 Toyota Prius with the HID headlight option are banding together on online forums, message boards and in possible class action lawsuits against the automaker in relation to failing headlamps.

According to Advertising Age, these HID headlight bulbs and their associated electronics can sometimes cost well over $1,000 to replace after they've gone faulty, and Toyota is unwilling to pick up the tab. At least one lawsuit has reportedly been filed last month by Girard Gibbs in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of a Putnam County, N.Y., Prius owner. The suit contends that the problem is a "dangerous but undisclosed safety defect" and alleges that "Toyota is concealing the problems from owners" despite having been "long been aware of Prius' HID headlight problem." It's possible that the suit will get class-action status.

The NHTSA has reportedly filed a preliminary investigation into the issue and contacted Toyota on May 13 regarding 338 complaints it has received so far from Prius owners about the HID headlamps. Spokesmen from Toyota have said the automaker is cooperating with the NHTSA investigation, which may or may not end up calling for an official recall.



[Source: Advertising Age]