July 2, 2010

BMW Weaves City Car Out of Carbon Fiber Used in Formula One
BMW AG will cocoon passengers of a battery-powered city car in the same lightweight material used to protect Formula One drivers. Automotive News reports that marking the auto industry's biggest bet on carbon fiber, BMW will use the fabric to construct a passenger-safety cell for the electric vehicle. Click here for a design sketch of the vehicle. The amalgamation of carbon fiber and aluminum will offset as much as 350 kilograms (772 pounds) of additional weight from battery and electronic components, according to Klaus Draeger, BMW's development chief. BMW is racing to build battery-powered vehicles as governments and consumers push for viable alternatives to fuel-burning cars. Its carbon fiber for the vehicle will be spun at a $100 million factory near Seattle that the Munich-based manufacturer is building together with partner SGL Carbon SE. The fibers, composed of 50,000 filaments that are each one-seventh as thick as a human hair, will be made into fabrics and then hardened into components at facilities in Germany. The mega-city vehicle, which will be available in 2013, will be powered by a 96-cell lithium-ion power pack, compared with the bank of 5,088 laptop batteries that run the company's MINI E test vehicle. Click here for coverage of BMW's plans for a carbon fiber car.

6 Alternatives to the MINI Cooper
The MINI Cooper is cool. No question about it. It somehow manages to be cute yet rakishly masculine at the same time. With its success, the Mini has taught the car world a lesson. In small cars, personality sells. So now, those of us shopping for a subcompact that's both stylish and fun have a number of great choices. CNN Money's list includes the Honda CR-Z, which it says shines at suburban street speeds with punchy take-offs. The Nissan Cube is also on its list of options. With its narrow body and short wheelbase, the Cube is a breeze to maneuver and park in tight city streets while still offering plenty of head and legroom. The Suzuki SX4 Sportback is a silly-fun road ripper. Despite its dumpling-like body proportions, the car handles nicely in tight turns and makes for a fun - and fun-looking - little car. Those who have enjoyed Kia's hamster ads will enjoy the Kia Soul, which CNN Money says is zippy and fun to drive around town and stands out from the crowd. Rounding out the list is the Scion xB, which is not quite as edgy as its other boxier counterparts, but is more powerful, has more cargo space, and is more buttoned down on the road. Click here to check out CNN Money's complete list of alternatives for drivers looking for a cool alternative to the MINI Cooper.

Toyota to Recall 270,000 Vehicles for Faulty Engines
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 270,000 cars worldwide with potentially faulty engines, according to The Detroit News. Toyota announced today it would issue a worldwide recall, including that of luxury Lexus sedans. Toyota hasn't formally notified the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a recall, but officials expect the carmaker to take action Tuesday. Under U.S. law, an automaker has five days to recall a vehicle after finding a safety defect. Lexus said Thursday it discovered faulty valve springs in some V8 and V6 engines in Lexus models sold in the U.S. Lexus has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue, which in the U.S. may include the IS 350, GS 350, GS 460, GS 450h, LS 460, and LS 600hL models. Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager for Lexus, told reporters on a sales call Thursday that the issue affects 137,000 previously sold vehicles in the U.S. The company doesn't yet have a remedy, but will advise customers when it does. Templin said Toyota has received no reports of accidents related to this condition in the United States. Click here for the latest on Toyota's recall plans.

The Biggest Losers (and Winners)
Sometimes, being "the biggest loser" really means what it says. Unlike the popular television show by that name, in which contestants compete to lose weight and the person who sheds the most pounds wins, when it comes to depreciation, losing is a bad thing. According to MSN Autos, in this case, it's not pounds but money (i.e., residual value) that we're talking about: The cars that can retain the highest value over time win. Given the state of the U.S. economy and mindset of the American consumer, writers at MSN were astonished to discover that three of the five vehicles whose residual values have increased the most in the last three years are big trucks. To understand why this could be, you must first understand what residual value means. It's a prediction of the future worth of a vehicle expressed as a percentage of its price when sold as new. To arrive at its lists of top five residual-value winners and losers, MSN compared Kelley Blue Book data for 2010 models against 2007 numbers to see which ones increased and decreased the most. Percentages shown represent the difference between the two. Click here to check out the lists, along with analysis, at MSN Autos.

Around the Web
11 Terrible Automotive Engineering Decisions [Jalopnik]
Big Shots: Iconic Photos from Motor Trend's History [Motor Trend]
2011 Kia Sportage First Drive [Edmunds Inside Line]
Victoria Beckham Joins in Reveal of Posh Range Rover Evoque [DriveOn]