Buick Unveils 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist Mild Hybrid System, Returns 37 mpg Highway

Starting from next summer, all versions of the Buick LaCrosse with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder unit will be fitted with GM's eAssist mild hybrid technology as standard, the automaker announced today. The 2012MY LaCrosse will make its world premiere this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The eAssist system shares the same basic belt-alternator-starter configuration of previous BAS designs, but according to GM, it delivers more than three times the power and is much more capable.

More specifically, the 115V air-cooled lithium-ion battery adds approximately 11 kW (15 horsepower) of electric power assist during heavy acceleration and 15 kW of regenerative braking power, helping the base LaCrosse return 37 mpg (6.36 lt/100 km) on the highway. The system's combine output is rated at approximately 180 horsepower (134 kW).

To further improve fuel efficiency, the 2012MY LaCrosse with the 2.4-liter engine comes with a next-generation six-speed automatic transmission with faster shift times and a start-stop system.

The firm's engineers also developed a few aerodynamic aids as well. Additional panels optimize the airflow under the car, shutters in the lower grille close at high speeds pushing more air over the vehicle, thus increasing aerodynamic efficiency, and the wheels are shod in special tires.

But maybe the best thing about the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist is that the price will remain the same.

"LaCrosse was the first in its segment with a four-cylinder/six-speed powertrain, the first with HiPer Strut and is now is leading the way with the new standard eAssist technology," said Schwegman. "Importantly, LaCrosse with eAssist is the standard powertrain for four-cylinder-equipped models and there isn't a cost premium."

By Csaba Daradics

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Super Green: The New Wave Of Environmentally Conscious Exotic Supercars

It's not that easy being green, least of all if you're a builder of exotic, high performance supercars or uberluxury sedans. Recently however, there has been a move towards improving fuel economy and reducing emissions by many of the world's biggest and most well known luxury and performance brands.

Take Ferrari's stop-start equipped California HELE or Mercedes-Benz's SLS AMG E-Cell concept, for instance. And there's more on the horizon, including the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder from Porsche and BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics, the latter of which allegedly will offer M3 performance with a CO2 emissions rating of just 99 grams per kilometer.

And it's not just these four who are in it for the environmental crowd cred: other makers including Lotus, Audi, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Bentley are also looking to green up their model ranges.

This comes as no surprise to Christoph Stuermer, an analyst at IHS Automotive in Frankfurt:

"These upper-end, high-performance cars have always been examples of the best car technology out here, and being green is now part of being technologically advanced They have to come up with something so as not to be seen as technical dinosaurs."

Enrico Galliera, the commercial and marketing senior VP at Ferrari, agrees that it's definitely something that the company's customers are all for:

"When you consider buying a Ferrari, you're considering it for the performance. At the same time, when we approached customers and said, 'Here's a way you can still have that and be greener,' the reaction was extremely positive."

So there you have it. Now you can have your cake and eat it too, though you'll have to pay for the cake part first. And with prices around €180,000 (US$252,376) for the California HELE and an expected €500,000 (US$682,260) for the 918 Spyder that is one expensive, green frosted cake.

PS: Metaphors aren't my strong point...

By Tristan Hankins

Via: WSJ

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LA Show 2010: Cadillac's Urban Luxury Concept is an Aston Martin Cygnet Killer

If you want more proof that Cadillac is once and for all abandoning its "bigger is better" mentality adapting to the times, here it is: the Urban Luxury Concept, a design study for a supermini-sized city car (think Aston Martin Cygnet) that will have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show tomorrow.

"While small in size, this concept is an exploration of what Cadillac could be in the future, as the brand continues to focus on redefining industry standards for advanced vehicle design and integrated technology," said Don Butler, vice president for Cadillac marketing.

Conceived and designed in the Los Angeles area, the car's styling is typical of Cadillac's current design language with plenty of hard edges and vertical head lamps and tail lamps. To make it look more conceptual, the designers threw in a pair of scissor-type doors that extend outward and rotate forward when opened.

The Urban Luxury Concept has an overall length of just 151 inches (3,835 mm), but rides on a 97.1 inch-long (2,467 mm) wheelbase with the 19-inch wheels pushed to the corners. Cadillac says the interior room is bolstered by a wide, 68.1-inch (1,730 mm) stance and 56.9-inch (1,446 mm) height. Despite the small footprint, the company claims that the three-door hatchback features a "roomy" interior.

For the Urban Luxury Concept's motivation, GM's engineers developed a prototype hybrid propulsion system that includes a turbocharged 1.0L three-cylinder engine employing electric assist technology, engine start-stop function, brake energy regeneration and a dry dual-clutch transmission. The company claims that theoretically, the combination of these technologies in a vehicle like of this size could offer projected fuel economy of 56 mpg in the city and 65 mpg on the highway.

"It may not look like Cadillacs on the road today, but it shares the comfortable and high-tech elements that owners have come to associate with larger, traditional luxury sedans," said Frank Saucedo, the car's lead designer. "As more customers demand premium features even in smaller vehicles, a vehicle like the Urban Luxury Concept could be a solution."

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