Plug-in Volt, hydrogen fuel cell Equinox, two-mode hybrid Tahoe, belt-assist hybrid Malibu, yada, yada, yada. With all this high mileage hype, how come GM's not making a big deal out of the XFE (eXtra Fuel Efficiency) Cobalt? If it weren't for our good friend at AUTOSAVANT, we would've never known that as of May 17, all Cobalts with the five-speed manual tranny get 36 mpg on the highway. (That's second in its class to the Honda Civic Hybrid AND the Cobalt XFE offers class-leading hp from its 2.2-liter Ecotec engine.) GM squeezed the last few mpgs from the Cobalt by calibrating the engine, decreasing the tires' rolling resistance and (probably) offering a taller fifth gear. These are exactly the kind of common-sense efficiency improvements Chevy (et al) should spread across their lineup. Yes, well, come the '09 model year, the Cobalt sedan will no longer be available with a manual transmission. So if you want best-in-class horsepower and efficiency from a four-door, buy a Cobalt XFE now or you'll be looking at the Civic. Because practical, efficient cars just aren't Chevy's future, are they? Oh wait… 

VW recently released details of its forthcoming North American-market diesel engine, known as Blue TDI, at the Viennese Auto Symposium. The common-rail turbodiesel boasts the latest and greatest in clean-diesel technologies, like a particulate filter and a maintenance-free NOX catalytic converter. Of particular note: the first-ever application of both high- and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation systems on a diesel engine. VW says all the new-fangled diesel wizardry delivers a 90 percent reduction in acid rain-causing NOX emissions while delivering 140 hp and 320 nm of torque. Oh yeah, and meeting Euro 5 as well as U.S. 50-state, Bin 5 tier 2 emissions standards. Look for the Blue TDI as an option on US Jettas starting this summer.

Autoweek's (AW) Special Earth Day Double Issue starts with an opt-out– "'Environmentally friendly' means different thing to different people"– and goes downhill from there. Surprisingly, AW didn't hype GM's next Next Big Thing: the Earth-friendly (providing you overlook the CO2 emissions at the power plants) plug-in Chevy Volt. OK, obviously, they did lavish ink on GM's gas – electric hybrid. Only it was a relatively small article called, get this, "Charged Up." Scribe Greg Migliore held GM's feet to the fire re: the Volt's 2010 deadline. Just kidding. AW hands its main advertiser a "get out of PR jail free" card in the last line. "As Roland Matthe, E-Flex engineering group manager put it, 'It's not a done deal. This project is not normal in regard to risk in the automotive industry.'" So much craven journalism, so little time. Where was I? Roger Hart's "Resurrecting the dinosaurs" road-tripping with the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid to GM ethanol acquisition Coskata? No. "Another Kind of Town" road-tripping the GMC Hybrid to NYC? Nope. Right! "The Believer," a profile of Larry Burns, GM's Veep of R&D. We learn "I personally brought four hybrid proposals before the board in the 1999-2002 period, and all were rejected. It was because of the business case. We just didn't get the courage to lose money on Gen 1." So now you know. 

The Daily Mail reports that the UK's new carbon tax works spectacularly… as a revenue-builder. The recently-increased "showroom tax" costs consumers between $500 and $2k on cars based on their  C02 emissions. According to her Majesty's Treasury, the carbon tax will add nearly $5b to the government's coffers. And here's the kicker: the gov's own figures will only decrease auto-related greenhouse gas emissions by… wait for it… less than one percent. Conservative Treasury spokesman Justine Greening discovered the discrepancy between the cost to consumers and benefit to the environment during that awesome fixture of the British Parliamentary government known as "Parliamentary answers." "This is a massive tax hike which will have virtually no impact on the environment," said Greening. "Despite their claims, the Government don't expect this move to change behaviour at all – it is just another eco stealth tax of the worst kind." Hear hear.

In what is likely the most depressing story you will read all day, scientists have determined that your car makes flowers smell less sweet. Green Car Congress has the details of a new University of Virginia study which concludes that air pollution diminishes the fragrance of flowers, making it harder for insects to pollinate them. The study, published in Atmospheric Journal, offers this explanation for documented declines in wild pollinators like bees. "The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters; but in today's polluted environment downwind of major cites, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters," says co-author Jose D. Fuentes. "This makes it increasingly difficult for pollinators to locate the flowers." Researchers found that the scent compounds released by flowers to attract pollinators tend to be volatile and quickly bond with pollutants such as ozone, hydroxyl and nitrate radicals, which destroy or modify the aromas they produce. The symbiotic relationship between flowering plants and pollinators means that this breakdown can prevent reproductions for flowers and cause starvation for pollinators. Using computer models, researchers found that scent compounds likely traveled much farther in pre-industrial times than today, when pollution levels tend to be highest during the mid-summer pollination peak.

At the Geneva Auto Show, VW showed off its 70mpg diesel-hybrid Golf Concept. The German automaker promised that "the model wouldn't just stay a show car". According to the in-depth preview of the Golf VI in the March 27 issue of Auto, Motor und Sport (print edition only), the "forward-looking diesel-hybrid is already a thing of the past." The culprit (once again): it's too expensive. "Eventually" there will be a hybrid Golf, but it will be a gasser, using the 1.4 TSI engine. In the shorter term, VW will rely on further engine downsizing and an optional start-stop system to meet efficiency targets. The Golf VI, which hits European streets this fall, will never see the USA anyway (except in GTI form, perhaps). In a contrast to the platform-globalization programs of the most other big manufacturers, VW is developing lower-cost replacements for the Rabbit and Passat to be produced in their future US plant. The current Passat costs $4k more than the (Camcord) competition, according to VW. Look to a return of twist-beam rear axles.

The DOT wants to raise CAFE standards even higher. To meet the new standards, automakers will have to downsize and lighten everything they offer. However, their expertise (and profit) is in large trucks/SUVs. Whatever will they do? Well, there's always China. The Associated Press reports China's nouveau riche auto buyers think size does count. They're going for gas guzzlers like large SUVs and luxobarges; they're the fastest-growing market segments in the People's Republic. And the automakers know it. The star of the GM display at the Beijing Auto Show is the Escalade, which they'll introduce to the Chinese market next year. Mercedes says China is the second-largest market for the S-class (the U.S. is the largest), R-class sales are up 110 percent in the first quarter and the M-, G- and GL-class sales are up 100 percent. Remind me again why we're raising our mileage standards to cut fuel consumption here? Oh yeah. We're giving up our gas guzzlers so the most polluted country in the world will have plenty government-subsidized fuel for theirs. Got it.

That's provided Senator Clinton gets elected president. No, no. Just kidding. (I think). According to the Detroit News, "The U.S. Transportation Department today will propose a sweeping increase in fuel economy standards, requiring passenger cars to average 35.7 miles per gallon and light trucks 28.6 mpg by 2015." That's average folks. So for every 14mpg non-hybrid Escalade (should such things exist) that GM sells (should such a thing exist), they'll have to sell a light truck that achieves 42.2mpg. Maybe. But first, the hype. "Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will unveil the proposed regulation at an Earth Day event in McLean, Va., at a Federal Highway Research facility. Peters will make the announcement against a backdrop of vehicles from the large automakers, including Detroit's Big Three. A source who saw her prepared remarks said Peters plans to call the proposal 'ambitious but achievable.'" So, a nice photo op and some props for a lame duck Prez, then. But here's the real deal: "The proposal also reforms the way fuel economy numbers are set for passenger cars. Instead of one overall number, the proposal sets a series of requirements based on the size, or attributes of the car. It's not clear how the attributes will be defined or how the system will differ from a similar reform of light truck fuel rules in 2006." 

Automotive News reports that Th!nk is about to offer their new City car for sale in the USA. The Th!nk City glides from rest to 30mph (ha!) in 6.5 seconds, tops-out at just over 60 mph and sports ABS, dual airbags and air con. Th!nk claims she'll go (slightly) more than 100 miles between charges. Obviously, not a road tripper, but for running down the street to buy orange juice, not a bad option. Especially if your bicycle has a flat. Aside from folks being put off by the City's diminutive size, we only foresee one real hurdle — the damn price. Th!nk wants you (yes you) to cough-up somewhere between $15k and $17k for the City. That's some serious cash– especially when compared to $12k for a Smart ForTwo or $15k for a "real" car like a Suzuki SX4. On top of that, Th!nkers are going to be charged an additional $100 – $200 per month for battery rental. Yeesh. And here's our favorite part — Tesla's making the batteries! That's it — I'm starting an Electric Lawsuit Watch series. 

New car sales in the U.S. are depressed (recessed?), but sales of hybrids are up. While accounting for only 2.2 percent of the total U.S. market share, CNN says "Hybrid cars [are] flying out of showrooms." Indeed. Industry sales of some 350k hybrids translated into a 38 percent jump in '07. Toyota's Prius captured 51 percent of the hybrid market. Although most analysts see rising gas prices as the main sales driver, CNN trots out a tree hugger to convince you that many if not most consumers are [still] buying Priora to make a statement: "My decision is a very political decision," asserts Kim Fenske. "I want to get people in this country off their dependency on foreign oil." Anyway, R.L. Polk industry analyst Lonnie Miller figures hybrid sales increased because buyers have more non-goofy-looking options. "It's a good call on automakers' parts to not make their hybrids so funky and out of body style than what's already out there." Yes, well, Miller says 2008 hybrid sales should increase by 30 percent or more. "I can't see the hybrid category totally chilling out." Dude.

Speaking at the Beijing auto show, GM CEO Rick Wagoner went on the E85 offensive. The automaker's Beancounter-in-Chief ripped into a recent United Nations (UN) report claiming that ethanol production is warming the globe and reducing vital food supplies (a.k.a. a "crime against humanity"). Wagoner described the UN report as "shockingly misinformed." Yep, an army of scientists from all over the world has nothing on Rick Wagoner. Yes yes; the UN has a bureaucracy to rival GM's and its own political axe to grind. But more importantly, this kind of commentary from Wagoner [via the Financial Times] highlights GM's breathtaking arrogance and a failure to realize the development money they've spent on ethanol so far is a sunk cost. Wagoner tried to deflect attention the morality of raising cane in former rainforests and making corn juice out of food crops. "Oil prices are a far bigger driver of higher food prices than ethanol." Ain't moral relativism grand?

S&P has upgraded Daimler's long term corporate credit rating, from a BBB+ to an A-. According to Thomson Financial News (via CNN Money), the S&P "expects Mercedes-Benz cars to be able to improve profitability further, based on the new models available and the better resilience to adverse economic trends generally attributed to premium cars, despite the weakening of the U.S. automotive market, where about one-fifth of Mercedes-Benz cars are sold." Got all that? With earnings on track to meet investor goals, Daimler is not resting on its laurels. The Car Connection reports that Daimler will be upping R&D spending, with plans to drop $21b between now and 2010. Claiming that Daimler has made significant breakthroughs in Lithium Ion battery cooling systems, CEO Dieter Zetsche laid out Daimler's development path. "(It is) clear that we won't be changing our strategy and building only small cars from now on now on," says Dr. Z. "Our route to sustainable mobility is based on technological innovations, not renunciation… we aim to offer at least one model in each of the Mercedes-Benz core model series that a leader in fuel consumption." But, in what appears to be a case of either ADD or indecision, Daimler will continue to push hydrogen vehicles. "To date, Daimler has made more progress with fuel cell technology than any another automaker and we plan to expand our lead in this area," say Zetsche.

Auto Express has new details and a rendering "produced using exclusive insider information" of VW's new city car, the up! Shown in concept form at the 2007 Frankfurt IAS, the up! is a rear-engined city car, powered by a 600cc turbocharged two-pot engine in both diesel and gas form. Eco-friendly is the name of the game for the up!, which is targeting 100g of C02 per km driven and an eye-popping 94mpg. The rear-engine design is not in aid of tail-happy hoon potential, but rather improving crumple zones. A five-door MPV version is also planned, although it will likely have the same height and wheelbase as the tiny three-door. The up! will go on sale first in emerging markets like China and India, where stripped-out versions will retail for about $8k. More luxurious versions will head to Europe later, including rebadged SEAT and Skoda models that will run consumers nearly $15k. With the success of Fiat's 500, BMW's MINI, Daimler's SMART and (presumably) Toyota's iQ, the subcompact city car market is finally approaching maturity. [Ed: We resisted saying the only way is up! Because it isn't. Obviously.]

If you had any doubts that Californians are serious about de-warming the planet, San Francisco regulators are determined to remove your lack of faith. The New York Times reports that "Air quality regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area appear set to begin charging hundreds of businesses in the region for their emissions of heat-trapping gases." Ready, set, appear set! The Old Gray Lady reports that the proposed tax on greenhouse gas "pollution" is a pittance– just 4.4 cents per ton of carbon dioxide emitted– and will hit some businesses (e.g. Big Oil) harder than others. "Regulators indicated that the fee could raise $1.1 million annually. Refineries, power plants and cement plants would pay nearly 90 percent of total fees. The largest gas stations might be charged $1 a year; the Safeway bakery that supplies bread to all stores in the Bay Area would pay $85 a year. The biggest emitter of the gases, the Shell oil refinery in Martinez, would have to pay $195,355, based on 2005 emissions of 4.4 million metric tons." To paraphrase Horton, a tax is a tax no matter how small. And while it would be difficult [politically] to hit-up local residents for CO2 emissions at the user end of the equation (say, a thousandth of a penny per box of organic Raisin Bran), I wouldn't it put it past these guys.