Mazda unveiled its Taiki concept at Tokyo this month and for those in the “G”, it’s nothing to write home about. This car might have looked cool 10 years ago, but it really just looks like an ‘80s model Corvette with less back end and covered rear wheels. Aerodynamics is important, but what’s under the hood?
The Taiki boasts the latest version of the Renesis 2 rotary engine that has possible hybrid capability. The Taiki lives up to its name – “taiki” means flow of the atmosphere – and the car screams “flow,” but Mazda focused on ergonomics rather than eco-nomics. And Taiki is being dubbed the parent to a new line of sports cars in the RX theme. With cars like the Aptera out there pushing 300 mpg, the Taiki is going to take a backseat.
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The new upcoming VW Golf Vl is strangely proud to be very trashy. No, it’s not roaming the streets looking for Johns to Pick Up. The trashy part comes from all that recycle material it used to actually build it. A whopping 40% or more of steel, aluminum and other materials all come from pre-used sources.
Here is some of the official press release.
Volkswagen commissioned an audit into the use of secondary raw materials known as recyclates in the new Golf. The investigation showed that 527 kg of secondary raw materials, or over 40 percent of the vehicle weight, are used in the new Golf, thus conserving resources. As a result, the new Golf not only excels with its efficient TSI and common rail engines, but also through the use of environmentally-friendly materials. This is the first time that an audit into the use of recyclates in a complete vehicle has been conducted and certified by the TÜV technical inspection authority.
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Volvo’s latest-greatest environmentally safest green machine is the C30 Efficiency Diesel hatchback. And guess what? It’s aptly named. To the tune of 52.26 miles per gallon kind of efficient. We’re talking hybrid-efficient. Like the opposite of the DMV kind of efficient.
What makes the Efficient so efficient is that they’re really not doing anything new. Volvo is merely squeezing every bit of energy out of what they’ve got, with a few modifications. They tweaked the engine by using low-friction transmission oil and better engine management software, used higher gearing on the 3rd, 4th and 5th gears, switched to low rolling resistance tires with aero-optimized rims, shaved some inches here and added some smoother ones there. And voila! 52.26 miles per gallon with a regular old diesel engine. And you still get that safe feeling only a Volvo or a blankie can give.
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