All-electric vehicles are on their way, and Nissan plans to be a player with an all-electric vehicle on the market in Japan and the U.S. by 2010 for fleet customers and 2012 for everyone else. While the automaker has been testing a system that uses a lithium-ion battery pack in its boxy Cube runabout (above), it’s not known if the Cube will get the electric drive train when it goes on sale in the U.S. Regardless, Nissan plans to preview its electric intentions in two weeks at the 2008 New York Auto Show with an all-electric concept car. Details are scarce, but it’s said to have a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 75 mph. While it’s true that most people drive less than 100 miles per day, a top speed of just 75 mph seems especially limiting. Apparently passing on the freeway is not an option on this car. We’ll be on hand in New York to catch this EV concept’s debut, so stay tuned.

President Bush gave a great speech at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference yesterday. Bush started the speech by joking about the length of the conference’s name and his large motorcade. He quickly became serious, however, saying we have to “get off oil” and listed reasons including the reality that the sources of oil are often countries that don’t like us. Bush then spoke about a green future where Texas farmers grow switchgrass that’s turned into fuel for our cars, city people drive plug-in hybrids that have a 40-mile electric-only range and, in the long term, hydrogen-powered cars that produce only water as a waste product. Bush even talked about a flight by the Air Force with alternative fuels and, as we mentioned earlier, a recent flight on biofuels by Virgin Atlantic. What he just described, Bush says, is the “beginning of a new era,” one that’s almost equal to the era started by the Model T. The Bush administration has an exemplary record on green transport and this speech felt like it put a well-deserved capper on his accomplishments.

OK, we’ve seen some of their previous work so we probably shouldn’t have expected much more this time around, but when we heard that Mansory had gotten its hands on an SLR and a Ferrari 599 GTB, we certainly hoped that it would figure out a way to enhance their gotta-have-it quotients. Alas, our prayers went unanswered. Done up in a matte gold and black combo, the SLR looks a bit toy-like, but it should manage to sell in the single digits at least. Which digit you choose to count the sales is up to you. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano had actually been criticized in some camps for being a bit too evocative of the Chevrolet Corvette when it was first shown. The Mansory edition done up in white and carbon fiber looks even more Vette-like to our eyes. Thoughts of a ZR1 or the recent 427 special edition Z06 leapt to mind. There was also a Phantom in the booth, but quite honestly, doing something outrageous to a Roller just doesn’t offend us as badly. Take a look at the gallery and let us know if you agree. We’ve already heard from at least one other journo who happened to be winding his way down the road towards us that the 599 looks seriously racy and that we are dead wrong about it. We’ll let you decide for yourselves. Click away.

 

On February 29, at the Melbourne International Motor Show, the next generation Proton R3 Satria hot hatch. The car is developed by Proton’s R3 sport division (the R3 comes from Race, Rally and Research) in Shah Alam in Malaysia and Proton sees the R3 Satria as a successor of the legendary Satria GTi. John Startari, Proton Cars Australia managing director, said: “The question we get asked all the time is when will the next Satria GTi be here, the first generation GTi carved a real niche for itself and it is a bit of a cult car, the R3 Satria certainly give some pointers to what its successor might look like. While we can’t reveal too many details at this time Satria GTi enthusiasts can rest easy in the knowledge that a performance version of the new Satria is not too far away and the R3 Satria is evidence of that”.Currently being in development, Proton hasn’t made available any details on the car’s engine of performances. So, meanwhile, you can check out more photos of the Proton R3 Satria after the jump.

 

Now that’s more like it. After the unfortunately-styled Tornado GTR700, we were afraid the Porsche tuners at Gemballa had lost their minds. Fortunately, they were quickly back on their feet and only days later they’ve given us the new Cayman S-based Gemballa GT 4.0L RS.The business end of Gemballa’s Cayman boosts engine capacity from 3.4- to 4.0-liters, and although Gemballa haven’t released official output numbers that are sure to give the Cayman a serious kick in the ass. Gemballa weren’t about to go sleeper on us, so they’ve fitted a full new aero kit, 20-inch multispoke racing rims, a whole mess of silver carbon fiber bits and a custom two-tone leather and Alcantara cockpit, plus a new exhaust and adjustable sport suspension. For the tamer crowd, Gemballa also offers the more sedate GT package that stops short of boring out the engine and features a more reserved body kit – that is, in relation to the bonkers GT 4.0L RS. We hope Gemballa will hit us with some stats soon, but in the meantime you can enjoy the images in the gallery below.

Wagonistas, your chariot has arrived. After showing off the new-for-2009 A4 in Frankfurt, Audi has finally released the details about for its A4 Avant prior to its debut in Geneva next month.The estate version of the A4 is nearly identical to the sedan from the B-pillar forward, but now features 50-cubic feet of cargo capacity out back. An optional power liftgate is available and the load floor is reversible if you happen to be toting a set of used wheels in the trunk and the mat is coated in brake dust. Overall, the Avant gains about five inches in length, but is almost ten-percent lighter than the outgoing model.

We’ll have more from the show floor next month, but in the meantime, check the gallery below for a handful of high-res shots and make the jump for Audi’s press release.

With such Mazda models as the 3, the RX-8 and the MX-5, the Mazda5 tends to get a little overlooked. Perhaps not many will notice that it’s had a little visual tweak for 2008 around the nose and taillights, with a redesigned dash. But then again, it’s one of those sensible forms of family transport, where the excitement quotient is more geared toward the amount of airbags it has than how fast or agile it might be.Seating up to six people, this machine is like a minivan, only smaller. Perhaps it should be called a nanovan. Nevertheless, headroom and legroom is not found wanting. Fold down the third row seating and the luggage space looks like it might be able to swallow an O’Keefe & Merritt. With those extra seats in place, a couple of briefcases will squeak in. Rear passengers ingress and egress via practical sliding doors on both sides. Where’s Gwyneth Paltrow when you need her?Power comes from a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, making 153 horsepower and 148 pounds-feet of torque. A model with the manual transmission gets 22/28 mpg city/highway, while an auto version is only thirstier by one mile in each category. Being a tall car, it has that feeling of a high center of gravity and rides and comfortable rather than taut and precise. Which should keep the family happy.

Spy shots of a Mystery Car being tested in the UK last year caused quite a commotion. Many speculated its identity, with the upcoming return of the Lotus Esprit or a new Lotus sportscar being the odds on favorite. All of those guesses are incorrect, as the identity of the mystery supercar has been revealed as the MCE MC1.

CAR magazine should be credited with the expert sleuthing that not only revealed the car’s identity, but also brought to light a series of official renderings that show off the MC1’s body, designed by David Hilton who also penned the Ford Focus RS and S-Max.

The MC1 is really a joint project between two companies: MotorCity Europe and C2P Automotive. C2P handled development of the MC1 and will likely be responsible for building it, while MCE coordinated its design. Mechanically speaking, all we know is that the MC1 is powered by a 600bhp V10 and features an all-carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Its wheels are enormous at 20-inches up front and 21-inches in the rear. In terms of size, CAR states that the MC1 is “slightly shorter and narrower than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, and a mere 15mm higher.”

The MCE MC1 is still not necessarily destined for production, as this “concept” needs funding to get flying. But MCE has obviously done a lot of heavy lifting so far, including track testing and nailing the car’s overall aesthetic, which, as you can see in the gallery, is every bit as ostentatious as a supercar should be.

The next stop for Chevrolet’s “green” promotion tour will be coming up in Los Angeles on February 10th at the Staples Center. That’s the location for the 2008 Grammy Awards. Chevrolet will be ponying up a fleet of 100 Tahoes and Suburbans consisting of a mix of E85-fueled flex-fuel models and Two-Mode hybrids. The fleet will be used to deliver the “special” people to the red-carpet area in front of the arena where they can parade in front of the assembled cameras and fashion “analysts.” The Chevy trucks will all be adorned with special Grammy graphics. And displayed in a prominent location on the carpet will be the Chevy Volt concept, just in case anyone has missed seeing it, or may have forgotten about it. Of course all of this is predicated on the Awards actually happening. With the Writers Guild of America still on strike, there is apparently a possibility the show could get canceled. Evidently the incredibly lame and stilted banter between presenters on stage is actually produced by “professional writers.” It would seem the presenters are incapable of exchanging a few words and reading a list of nominees without a script. It would certainly be a shame if GM missed out on this prime promotional opportunity.