Renault SA is developing electric-vehicle lithium-ion batteries

French auto maker Renault SA is developing electric-vehicle lithium-ion batteries with two new suppliers, despite its heavy reliance on the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.-NEC Tokin Corp. joint venture, Automotive Energy Supply Corp.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn earlier this year declared owning battery technology is a core requirement for any auto maker.

"We are ready to sell the battery to whoever is interested," he said in October, referring to the batteries from the AESC. "We are making it a core business, because we think the battery is going to be an essential piece of technology for our century.”

Last month, AESC announced it was raising production capacity from 65,000 to 100,000 units annually in Japan.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is building a 100,000-unit battery factory in France with support from the French atomic energy commission and the French Strategic Investment Fund.

In South Korea, Renault Samsung Motors Inc. is working with SK Energy Co. Ltd. and SB LiMotive Co. Ltd to develop Li-ion batteries.

At a press event to introduce the new SM5 sedan, Renault Samsung CEO Jean-Marie Hurtiger tells journalists Renault plans to build EVs in South Korea and is working on projects with the two local battery makers.

SK Energy is a petrochemical and energy company that began making Li-ion batteries for mobile devices in 2005. SB LiMotive is a 2008 JV between Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH and Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. that recently announced its first contract with BMW AG.

Zoe 3-door hatchback concept one of four EVs Renault plans to build.

"We plan to produce Renault Group's electric vehicles in Korea,” Hurtiger says. “And once the government's plans are finalized, we will take our position as to when electric vehicles will be mass-produced in Korea."

The SM5 was unveiled at the Renault Samsung technical center in Giheung, where SB LiMotive also has its headquarters. Hurtiger says he expects South Korea to be a major supplier of EV batteries, thanks to a strong industry and strong support of the government.

The executive notes Renault will build the four EVs exhibited at this year’s Frankfurt auto show at four different plants, three of which have been announced.

Production is to begin in first-half 2011 for the Kangoo light-commercial EV in Maubeuge, France; Twizy 2-seater in Valladolid, Spain; Fluence sedan in Bursa, Turkey; and the Zoe, a 4-seat city car, in Flins, France.

SK Energy has developed six different Li-ion cells for hybrid, plug-in and battery EVs and was chosen in October to supply Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. HEVs – one of the projects of Daimler AG’s global hybrid center, which owns Mitsubishi Fuso.

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SB LiMotive has development operations in Giheung, Stuttgart and Orion Township, MI. In Springboro, OH, it makes nickel-metal-hydride batteries in an operation acquired from Energy Conversion Devices and is building a factory in Ulsan, Korea, for Li-ion battery production.

At the Frankfurt show, SB LiMotive President Young said he expects to begin series production of Li-ion batteries for hybrids in 2011 and EVs in 2012.

Renault invested $344 million to develop the third-generation SM5 midsize sedan, which uses many elements of the current Renault Laguna. Production began at the Busan, South Korea, plant in October, with domestic sales to begin in January.

The SM5’s 2.0L engines were developed by Nissan (gasoline) and Renault (diesel). Alain Diboine, who heads research and development at Renault Samsung, says the body of the new SM5 was developed at the local technical center for the first time.

Renault will sell the SM5 in Europe as a Renault, probably called the Safrane, which was the name of the car that preceded the first Laguna in the upper-medium segment. The auto maker currently sells the second-generation SM5 as a Renault Safrane in Middle Eastern markets.

The SM5 has 3-zone air conditioning, an air filter and perfume diffuser, bi-xenon adaptive front lights and a massage function for the driver that the auto maker says improves blood circulation and combats fatigue. In Korea, it will compete with the segment leading Hyundai Sonata.

GME Heads Cap-in-Hand to Germany’s

Expect GM Europe to renew pursuit of government aid for its Germany-based Opel/Vauxhall operations as it restructures under new management.

Nick Reilly, recently named president-GM Europe following Fritz Henderson’s sudden resignation as General Motors Co. CEO, says in a weekend conference call there is no truth to the belief GM has sufficient cash on hand to shore up Opel.
“Much of that money will be needed for Delphi and completing restructuring in the US.,” he says, referring to the auto maker’s commitment to support its former captive parts supplier that emerged from bankruptcy in October as Delphi Holdings LLP.

“We also have some of that money in an escrow account for disasters in the U.S., and we can’t touch that,” Reilly says. “Third, the U.S. market remains depressed, and we have to have some money to get us through 2011. We also need to pay back loans to the U.S. government.”

He expresses hope Germany’s government will be as receptive to supporting Opel under GM leadership as it was to the prospect of seeing Opel owned and operated by Canadian mega-supplier Magna International Inc. GM’s board scuttled Magna’s planned acquisition of Opel last month.

“We’ve prepared an application for the German government,” Reilly says. “They were willing to support the Magna deal, so we expect some support for our plan. Financial aid is no different from other car companies in the U.S. or Japan or other European countries.”

Opel needs €1 billion ($1.2 billion) to execute its restructuring and some €3.3 billion ($5 billion) to develop new products, he says, adding the auto maker will not see a profit next year.

Meanwhile, the search for a GM Europe CEO is called off, with Reilly assuming responsibility for both Opel/Vauxhall and Chevrolet Europe. Day-to-day operations at Chevrolet Europe will be managed by Wayne Brannon.
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The management shakeup seems to signal the resolve of Ed Whitacre, GM chairman and interim CEO in the wake of Henderson’s departure, to instigate change quickly.

Additional appointments are expected this week, Reilly says, adding development of a minicar is a “top priority” at Opel.

“I want to clarify that we will also need to continue with light-commercial vehicles; that is a reasonable share of our business,” he adds.

Mugen-fettled Accord, Fit aren't the big Honda story from SEMA

Mugen Honda Fit and Accord - Click above for high-res image gallery

In addition to announcing its plans to reinvigorate its participation in grassroots racing, Honda revealed two Mugen-accessorized models -- a 2010 Accord Sedan and Fit -- each outfitted with a range of parts available at dealers, but not a standalone model, ala Mugen Civic. While the 18-inch chrome wheels, front grille, spoilers, floor mats and machined aluminum oil filler cap are attractive additions to Honda's growing HFP line, needless to say, they leave us a bit cold when it comes the automaker's commitment to the aftermarket and, more to the point, performance.

Uninspiring SEMA efforts aside, the real news came last night during a meeting with Honda execs, where we were able to glean a few more details about Honda's future performance plans, how the CR-Z -- and more to the point, hybrids -- fit in and something to look out for next year.

Honda PR man Chuck Schifsky, told us that the Big H plans to use hybrids as a performance booster in the future, saying, "The CR-Z isn't the last step. It's the beginning." Although the real start of Honda's performance-marketed hybrids began with the last generation Accord Hybrid, Schifsky admits that its introduction was "ahead of its time," one of many reasons the electric-assisted sedan never quite caught on with consumers.

More interestingly, several Honda heads told us to expect something big in the world of motorsports next year -- likely in Japan. What that means is open to interpretation, but with Honda pulling its NSX out of SuperGT for 2010 (due to the front-engine, rear-drive chassis requirements), something interesting could be on the way. NSX revival? Lexus LFA fighter? Consider our interest extremely piqued...

Mugen Accessorized Honda Accord and Fit

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Custom springs, sway bars and chassis stiffeners round the package out

Delta Tech Engineering Suzuki Kizashi - Click above image for high-res gallery

We totally dig the new 2010 Suzuki Kizashi. It's a bold step forward for Suzuki and (hopefully) a harbinger of great things to come, which also happens to be what "Kizashi" means. However, the looks are a little, well... not outstanding. Not that it's particularly bad-looking (it ain't), but what if it were a little more... special? SEMA to the rescue!

We've got a trio of modded Kizashis for you to peruse down in the gallery, but how about some background info up front? First up is Delta Tech Engineering's car which might be our favorite. Delta Tech specializes in lighting and every light on the car is either LED or HID. Even though big mouth-look grilles are on the way out fashion-wise, we like the snout on this guy. We also like the fact that it has a cold air intake, custom exhaust and Koni coilovers.

While we just said that the Delta Tech Engineering might be our favorite Kizashi, the Road Race Motorsports Platinum Edition Kizashi pushes all the right buttons with an even more aggressive body kit. It also features a custom air intake, engine management system and data logger. You also get 13-inch slotted rotors up front (though "only" 10-inches out back). Custom springs, sway bars and chassis stiffeners round the package out.

[UPDATE: We wrongly identified Westside's Kizashi as Import Tuner's car. A total mistake on our (my) part. Sorry 'bout that.]

Lastly, we've got Westside's custom Kizashi – a car we just can't wrap our heads around. From the Frankenstein's Monster neck-bolts as exhaust tips to the bizarre two-tone paint job to the Jianghuai GIGANTIC grill, we're totally, 100% not in love. And that's that.

Suzuki Kizashi Customs

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Meet the world's most desirable Lexus RX450h by Branew

Branew Lexus RX450h - click above image to view hi-res gallery

Let me be blunt: I don't like luxury crossovers. At all. It's a niche with no appeal to me whatsoever. Not a car, not a truck – just a fat sedan jacked up on stilts to woo trophy wives with fancy badges and reassure soccer mammas that their children are "safe." And the Lexus RX gets the sharp point of my spear of anger because it's basically responsible for the high-end CUV craze. Not a fan of hybrids, either. That said, I'm absolutely smitten with Branew's Lexus RX450h.

I think it's the stance, has to be. But there is just something very desirable – from an aesthetic standpoint. The big 24-inch wheels help tremendously, perching Branew's at just the right height. And the lower fascia helps the quite handsome – if not distinctive – OEM grill pop. And I know it's going to be a controversial opinion, but the koi fish on the hood totally work. In fact, I know a certain Subaru WRX that could use a koi or two. Anyhow, while I'd rather gargle nails than rock a luxo-CUV, if forced at gunpoint, Branew's RX450h would be my first (and only) choice.

Hummer quartet is a pretty sweet swansong

2010 Hummer Robby Gordon Off-Road - Click above for high-res image gallery

We almost skipped the Hummer section of the General Motors booth this year at SEMA, concentrating instead on the plethora of Chevrolet Camaro concepts all around them. When we went back for a second look at the day's new design for the Graphics Camaro, we saw the truck above and figured we should probably reconsider avoiding HUMMER after all. We took some pics and scrounged up the press release which you'll find after the jump.

There were four different Hummers on display. The one shown above is a Robby Gordon Off-Road race truck that is absolutely ridiculous -- in a good way. This H3 was built to campaign in the 2010 Dakar Rally and is a full-blown, tube-chassis race truck, just like the Trophy Trucks you'll see running in the Baja 1000.

Next up was the Rod Hall Racing H3 Alpha. This is a stock-class desert runner that ran the 2009 SCORE International Baja 1000., meaning that it features a stock frame, stock suspension design and production-based engine.

The other two trucks were Hummer concepts. First up was the H3 Moab. Said to be inspired by trails like Steel Bender, Moab Rim, and Poison Spyder, it's a 300-horsepower, V8-powered H3 Alpha with dual locking differentials, a Rancho four-inch front suspension lift, custom rear spring-over conversion, and 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires mounted on custom 17-inch two-piece Monster Black Competition Beadlock Raceline Wheels by Allied.

Last but not least is the H3T Sportsman. It's been customized with a combination of powertrain modifications, suspension enhancements and an assortment of genuine factory accessories and aftermarket components. The standard Alpha 5.3-liter V8 has been boosted by a healthy 70 horsepower. Suspension upgrades include Light Racing JounceShocks and two-inch-diameter Rod Hall Racing piggyback reservoir-type performance shocks.

Altogether a pretty nifty quartet of Hummers that we'll probably never own. Check out the gallery and all the details after the jump.

Massa hasn't been in an F1 car since July's Hungarian Grand Prix

Ferrari just announced that injured driver Felipe Massa could be back in the saddle as early as Monday. Massa hasn't been in an F1 car since July's Hungarian Grand Prix, when a spring from another car flew up and hit him above his eye, fracturing his skull.

The first time he has even been back on track was last week when he took the wheel of a kart. Because of testing bans in place this season in F1, Massa can't drive the current car he was running until Hungary. As he gets back up to speed, the FIA has granted him permission to drive a 2007-spec car fitted with GP2 tires.

Massa has also spent time on Ferrari's racing simulator. Word has it he's already mastered Barcelona and is working hard at beating the Interlagos circuit now. Before taking the wheel of the 2007 car, he still needs to pass an examination, but once he's cleared, he could be on track in Italy by Monday. This will be testing only as the driver isn't expected to compete for Ferrari any more this season.

Cars and Coffee roadshow headed for New England

Cars and Coffee, the informal and inclusive wheeled hootenanny originated in Irvine, California has been spreading across the country faster than swine flu. There's no stage with bad cover bands, not a trophy in sight, but you're always likely to see some astounding vehicles.

Herb Chambers, New England dealership juggernaut, has thrown his support behind a New England gathering. "Herb himself is a super car enthusiast," says John Covell, Director of Marketing for the Herb Chambers Companies, "He thought that others would enjoy it." A new BMW dealership in Sudbury, MA, where the event is being held this Saturday, October 10th, is a supporting cast member.

Cynics may dismiss this as another ploy akin to inflatable dinosaurs, but when was the last time you were invited out by a car dealership to drink free coffee and ogle a McLaren F1 on a Saturday morning? Running from 7-10 AM, the inaugural event will be over before many people's days get under way. "Herb is passionate about cars and he's passionate about this business. If our customers understand that we share their passion, that's a good thing," sums up Covell. Hey, if he doesn't mind us drooling all over his McLaren, we'll agree.

New GM marketing boss Mark LaNeve apparently unaware that diesel is now cheaper than gas

Over the last several years, we've heard a lot of excuses from many auto executives as to why their companies aren't offering diesel engines in their American market cars. Yesterday, General Motors' Mark LaNeve, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, made an appearance on C-SPAN's Washington Journal. The final question of the segment came from a viewer wondering why GM has failed to offer U.S. consumers the chance to buy some of the high-mileage diesel cars it offers in Europe.

It would appear that LaNeve might have done better to take a pass on the question. Instead of talking about the cost of making those diesels meet U.S. emissions regulations or the difficulty in helping Americans overcome the misconceptions about the fuel, he claimed that no one has successfully cracked the diesel passenger nut in the U.S. (which based on VW's May sales appears to be wrong). More startlingly, LaNeve went on to claim that diesel is $1.25 a gallon more expensive than gasoline. According to the Energy Information Agency, the national average for diesel this week is $2.35 / gallon while regular gas is $2.52 or $0.17 more than diesel. Admittedly, the fact that diesel is now cheaper than 87 octane gas is a recent development (a trend that nobody is sure how long it will last), but – going on national television and quoting outdated fuel prices as a reason for your bankrupt company's business decisions... well, that doesn't strike us as a terribly hot idea.

You can hear the question and response at 20:30 into the video replay over at C-SPAN.

Download video New Toyota Verso

Toyota Verso – Click above for high-res gallery

Toyota officially unveiled the latest version of its slick looking, Euro-centric people mover at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Called the Verso (not to be confused with the Nissan Versa), the three-row, five-door hatchback wears handsome sheetmetal with lines that are definitely "in family" for Toyota. For as much as we like the outside, the instrument panel has Scion disease. Center gauges. Please stop it. That third row also has severely limited legroom, but it's still a neat trick to fit so many perches within a Corrola-sized footprint, even if some are occasional-use grade. The Verso will likely delight for bopping across the moorland, but you might need to have your legs removed so you'll fit in back.

MPV - Toyota Verso MPV

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Watch out Vauxhall! Toyota is hoping to topple the top selling Zafira with an all-new version of the Verso – launched as a standalone model for the first time…

We tried the 2.0 D-4D seven-seater, the model that the Japanese firm has tipped to be the most popular.
With a six-speed manual gearbox, its engine delivers 124bhp smoothly and efficiently, with 310Nm of torque available from 1800rpm.

Refinement is very impressive, and while the car never feels particularly fast, it is at least efficient, returning 51.4mpg.

What’s more, the model does corner well, with minimal bodyroll. Stability control is standard across the range and will help control understeer if the driver does push beyond the chassis’ limits. The ride is smooth, if not class leading but overall we felt the drive is let down by overly light steering. Wind-noise from the large wing mirrors was also a disappointment.

Inside things get a little better with a good driving position and the option of a glass panoramic roof. Only bland design details, such as the speedometer and rev counter dials, let the interior down..

The key to this car is flexibility, and while the rearmost seats are not really suitable for adults they are fine for most children. Handily they can be raised and lowered with a single hand and there is an acceptable amount of boot-space either way.

Rival: Vauxhall Zafira
It’s one of the most established seven-seat MPVs on the market, but despite its age, this model remains the car to beat in the mini-MPV market. It’s easy to use, versatile seating arrangement remains class leading, as do its friendly road manners.

3rd Generation Toyota Verso in Detail

Jeremy Clarkson

A new type of disfigurement has come to Britain’s towns and villages. It’s worse than illegal fly tipping, and worse than those Styrofoam takeaway containers that carpet every provincial city centre at three in the morning. It’s even worse than stone cladding. And it’s all the fault of your local authority.

Many years ago I remember taking a mock advanced driving test, during which the examiner asked, out of the blue, if I could describe the last road sign I’d passed. It was easy then . . . but not any more, because now you go past a road sign every 1.3 seconds.

I first noticed it last week, coming into London on the A3, and now it’s driving me to distraction. Every lamppost, every telegraph pole and every branch in every tree is festooned with instructions about what the motorist may or may not do at that particular moment.

You’re on a red route so you have a sign, then another, and then another explaining exactly what that means. But you know what it means, and you know you’re on a red route because there, at the side of the road, painted clearly on the orange of the bus lane, or the green of the cycle path, are two red lines.

If there’s a bus lane, then there will be signs telling you what that means too. And then things really start to get stupid. You’re told that the central London congestion charging zone is five miles away. Why? Lots of things are five miles away. You’re also told that there’s a speed camera ahead, that there are bus-lane cameras, that you’re near a library, that there’s no left turn into Acacia Grove . . . and what’s this? Oh, that you ’re entering a “drinking controlled zone”.

It’s got to the point now where there are so many signs that they blur into a background hiss of white noise. It’s a bit like the warnings you get before a film on television. In the olden days, when the announcer said in a solemn BBCish tone that the film about to start contained violence, you knew you were in for a 90-minute bloodbath with many severed heads. And so you sat a little more upright in your Parker Knoll Recliner.

But now, when they say the film contains mild violence and strong nipples, you just go into a trance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you’re surprised and horrified when the movie starts with a shot of Al Pacino having his arms sawn off.

This is what’s happening on the roads. They can put up a sign saying there are speed bumps ahead, and even if it isn’t blocked by another sign saying the road to the left has children running around on it, it really doesn’t register. So you hit the sleeping policeman doing about 80mph. And your back snaps.

The reason, of course, for all the signs is . . . lawyers. After your back has been broken the council can send its legal team round to the quadriplegic department of the local hospital to explain to your relatives that, unfortunately, no claim for damages can be made because there was a sign warning motorists that there were humps ahead.

That’s why you get those idiotic messages on the motorway matrix boards these days; if they tell you it’s windy, you can’t sue anyone for being blown into a bridge parapet. And you won’t be able to argue, of course, partly because they’re right and partly because you’ll have lots of tubes coming out of your nose.

The upshot is that every single street is now a Technicolor blaze of legal disclaimers and nonsense. Not only is this ugly, but it’s dangerous too, because not that long ago, when you ran off the road, the chances of hitting a sign were slim. Now, though, you're almost certain to hit something thanking you for driving carefully through the village.

Sadly, I can only imagine that things will get worse, because soon the sign advising you that you’re entering a nuclear-free zone will have to be translated into 14 languages, and there will have to be some sort of mushroom-cloud pictogram as well, for the educationally challenged.

Then, of course, there will be signs telling you not to smoke within 250 yards of any inhabitable structure, and more signs explaining that the town centre you’re entering is off limits to off-road vehicles.

I can smell this one coming. There is such a palpable sense of hate and bile among ordinary road users that if big 4x4s were to be banned from built-up areas the roads would doubtless immediately unjam themselves. I agree with you all. I too think these school-run mums in automotive leviathans should be horsewhipped to within an inch of their lives. And I’m speaking as someone who actually owns one.

But the trouble is that 4x4s are like nuclear weapons. Because you’ve got one, I can’t put my kids in a normal hatchback, because if we were to crash into one another yours would survive and mine wouldn’t. So I have to have one too.

The only solution is for the bosses of GM and Ford and Toyota to meet in Reykjavik and come up with a Salt treaty of their own.

But then what will we do? We’ve become accustomed to the rough and tumble interiors and the vast acreage of space. So how could we go back to a simple Golf after that? Happily, there’s no need, because while you weren’t looking the car makers introduced a new breed of car that is no bigger than a normal saloon, so it won’t clog up the roads like the fat in David Bowie’s artery, and yet inside there are seven proper seats with seven proper seatbelts.

Vauxhall was first out of the trap with its Zafira — which I’ve written about many times before. It’s rather good, and now it has been joined by the Renault Grand Scénic — which is ugly and made from tracing paper — by the Volkswagen Touran — which is like the Black Hole of Calcutta — and by the Toyota Corolla Verso, which is excellent.

I know, I know. You can’t conceive of the insanity that would have to blow through your head before you’d consider changing your Range Rover for a Toyota Corolla, but bear with me here.

According to the boffins at Euro NCAP, the independent body that tests cars for safety, the Corolla has a top-notch five-star rating, whereas the Range Rover has to make do with just four. Yes, in a head-on accident between the two, you’d be better off in the off-roader, but if you run into an enormous warning sign, amazingly, you’d be better off in the little Toyota. What’s more, if you go for the Corolla, it means your sex life can be more carefree.

You see, with those seats that pop up out of the boot floor, you don’t need to worry about condoms, or interuterine devices, or going into reverse at the last moment. Thrash away. If the resultant baby paste hits the bull’s eye and you end up with another child, at least you won’t have to buy a new car.

The best thing about the Corolla Verso, though, is the quality. There’s a robustness which you simply don’t find in any of its rivals. This car looks like it was designed by someone who actually knows how destructive children can be.

Kids never understand that their feet are going to be further away than they were the week before. So they break stuff. Mine smashed a Renault Scénic to pieces the other day in about 15 minutes.

I have to say at this point that the Corolla is not that pleasant to drive, with roly-poly handling and a cement mixer of an engine, but come on; with the possible exception of the Porsche Cayenne, your average off-roader isn’t exactly a Ferrari, is it? Finally there’s the question of money. A top-of-the-range 1.8 litre Verso is £18,795, a little more than its main rivals, but three times less than you’re asked to pay for a less practical, less safe and more antisocial Range Rover.

I’d like to think, then, that this review is a signpost to a better and less congested future. But unlike the council signposts it doesn’t mess with the view, and if you don’t agree with what it says you can at least use it to light the barbecue.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Toyota Corolla Verso T2
Engine type Four-cylinder, 1794cc
Power 127bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 126 lb ft @ 4200rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.8sec
Top speed 121mph
Fuel 36.7mpg (combined)
CO2 184g/km
Suspension (front) MacPherson strut with anti-roll bar
(rear) torsion beam with anti-roll bar
Price £14,995
Verdict Not much fun to drive, but safe for and from your children
Rating

Toyota Verso