Checkered Blog by Checkered Flag is the automotive play place in Hampton Roads Virginia

Good News on Earth Day

The government announced today that it would seek better fuel economy standards on new cars and trucks and do so in a time frame shorter than previously proposed.  We told you about the energy law that requires manufacturers to achieve a fleet-wide average of 35 mpg by 2020.  Today's proposal ups the ante by setting a minimum average mpg of 31.6 by 2015.

The new standards will lower emissions, cut fuel consumption and save you money on gas!  Happy Earth Day.  We at the Checkered Blog like to think of every day as Earth Day and ask that you stay tuned because periodically, we will be bringing you more information on Checkered Flag's selection of "green" cars and other environmental sustainability efforts.

Not Your Mother's Diesel

We do our best to be apolitical at The Checkered Blog. Politics, it’s just not our thing. Our "thing" of course is Checkered Flag and cars and our customers and community and subjects peripherally related to those things. I can’t help but think of certain hotly contested political contests though, when I listen to the current debate between the "Diesel" people and the "Hybrid" people. Both are advocating change, but with radically different strategies. Hybrid proponents have long had a leg up on diesel advocates due to the wild success of the Toyota Prius and the fact that most people remember diesels as loud, smelly 1970's cars and trucks that pollute. All of that is about to change we think, as more European manufacturers are attempting to test out American waters with advanced "clean" diesel systems.

I recently spoke with John Hall, general manager of Checkered Flag BMW, and he informed me that they are expecting two new diesels in the fall, the 335d and X5 xDrive 35d. Keep in mind, BMW hasn’t sold diesels in the U.S. since the 1970's! In Europe however, they account for a growing majority of the company’s sales. In order for the vehicles to meet EPA standards here, BMW created the Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance using a special ammonia based solution (AdBlue) that is injected into the exhaust converting some of the nitrous oxide into water vapor. There is also a fancy filter that further reduces emissions. The "straight talk" from BMW is that the 335d will come with a twin-turbo 3.0 liter inline six capable of 265hp. The ability to go 0-60mph in about 6 seconds and get quite respectable mpg (estimates are 23city/33highway) will surely pique some interest. And, the best part is that the 335d also delivers...wait for it...425 lb-ft of torque. This means that you’ll feel every bit of acceleration, but smoothly because you won’t have to shift gears as often.

The Checkered Blog isn’t inclined to take sides in this debate and we believe that consumers, who "vote" with their wallets, will ultimately decide the outcome and/or the power balance between hybrids and clean diesel. We will say, however, that it seems that having more choice is always a good thing!

Hyundai Hopes for a Hybrid Hit

  Earlier this week, the chairman of Hyundai International announced the company's plans to begin mass production of hybrid vehicles. Hyundai, a South Korean company, already provides some hybrid vehicles for government use.  Starting next year, Hyundai will manufacture the Avante (Elantra here) LPI (Liquefied Petroleum Injection) hybrid, a car that uses both Liquefied Petroleum Gas and electricity. In 2010, Hyundai also plans to introduce mid-sized hybrids that use gasoline and LPG. Hyundai-Kia Chairman Chung Mong Koo said,

"The importance of developing futuristic, environmentally-friendly cars is increasing for sustainable growth.  Therefore, technology for advanced cars, like the hybrid, is imperative. We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012."

We say, with all the success Hyundai has had with new models, it's promising that they are finally throwing their hat in the hybrid ring.  We'll keep you posted on the newest developments.

Consumer Reports Releases Top 10 List

Consumer Reports annual Top 10 Cars and Trucks issue was released this month and Checkered Flag franchises were well represented.  Winners include...

Top "Green" Car:  Toyota Prius

Small Sedan:  Hyundai Elantra SE

Family Sedan:  Honda Accord

Small SUV:  Toyota RAV4

Midsize SUV:  Hyundai Sante Fe

Minivan:  Toyota Sienna

The Fit is (Ph)at!

I have extolled the virtues of the 5 passenger Honda Fit before, but I am doing so again because I recently got a taste of the 2008 Honda Fit Sport, which is even cooler than its diminutive (157.5" long by 66.2" wide) sibling. Checkered Flag Honda has a couple of these vehicles on the lot, but I am particularly fond of this one, in "Blaze Orange Metallic."

The Sport adds a special body-colored underbody and rear roofline spoiler as well as a security system and MP3/WMA playback capability so you can rock  your iPod or Zune on the 200 watt Audio System’s 6 speakers. With the 5-speed auto transmission, you get paddle shifters, too.

Maybe this makes me a geek, but I think the coolest feature of the Fit is the 2^nd row 60/40 Magic Seat that folds entirely flat so you can load a ton of stuff or oversized objects. You wouldn’t know by looking, but the Fit has 41 cubic feet of cargo space when the seats are folded down. The configurations are seemingly endless because the front seats fold down too!

With the price of gas on the rise again, the Fit’s EPA estimates of 27/34 are comforting as is the list price under $17K.  Last month, Car and Driver named the Honda Fit one of their "10 Best Cars"!

New Energy Bill Sets Higher Fuel Standards

The new energy bill passed by Congress this week and signed by President Bush includes a provision that all new cars and trucks meet tougher 35mpg standards by the year 2020.  There is also quite a fight in the works regarding California's attempt to pass even stronger limits on carbon-dioxide emissions from automobiles.

smartville

smart wants us to open our minds, and they certainly opened theirs when building the plant that makes smart!  If you aren’t familiar with one of the driving forces behind smart, it is environmentalism.  The cars are 95% recyclable, get fantastic gas mileage, they are colored with powder-coating instead of toxic paint, all have easily changeable components for simple upgrades, and we can go on and on (don’t worry, we’ll get back to the cars in another article).  Like the cars, smartville is also full of environmentally-friendly features.  To start, the smart car factory was actually constructed on 75 acres of industrial wasteland.   Yes, you read that right - industrial wasteland! 

smart car production relies on the outside environment for various parts of the process.  The roof of the facility was designed to collect rain water; which, is then used to temper steel and water the gardens around the plant.  Before the rain water is used in the building of smart cars and upkeep of the greenery, it is purified to European drinking water standards.  They’re also purifying excess run-off water from production cooling!  No, they’re not drinking dirty production water or rain water at the smart factory…yet.  Production processes provide climate control for the facility, so smartville has a smaller heating and cooling bill than most.   

Have you ever heard of Trespa?  It is a building material that revolves around easily renewable resources and is easily recyclable itself.  Yes, you guessed right, it is part of smartville and one of the reasons why smartville, the factory, is 85% recyclable.  If something were to ever happen to smart, smartville would not be as environmentally damaging as some other production facilities.  Talk about some smart thinking!  It also means smart isn’t environmentally friendly just to serve a marketing campaign.

A few paragraphs do not do smart justice on the strides it has taken for the environment.  If you wish to become a little more environmentally-smart, check out terrapass.com and earthcars.com.  If you wish to put your $99 smart reservation for the Virginia Beach smart Center, please visit smart USA.

Raising the Roof (Well, Starting To) at smart center VB

Win'sGal was visiting Checkered Flag yesterday and called me to say, "Guess what -- they've started putting the roof on smart center Virginia Beach."  She didn't have time to take a picture and I wanted to see it for myself, so I went this morning and was AMAZED at how much progress has been made since we last blogged about this two weeks ago. 

A few minutes ago, I caught up with architect Jerry Smith with Lyall Design, who's working on the project, and he said what you see in this picture is the roof deck -- the first step in creating the roof itself.  Right now, the work crew is pouring the slabs for both of the building's two stories. The crew is expected to start putting in studs in the next few days, which means we will soon see interior walls begin to go up.  Jerry says the construction continues to be "right on schedule" for smart center Virginia Beach to open the last week of February.

Checkered Flag is the Virginia Beach smart dealer candidate and is investing about $3 million in this facility, which is located at 5193 Virginia Beach Blvd., where Sofa's Etc. used to be.  The smart fortwo microcar is expected to be available in the United States early next year and if you are interested in possibly purchasing one, the thing to do is make a refundable $99 reservation on smart USA's web site.  And keep checking with the Checkered Blog for the newest scoop on what's going on with smart in Virginia.

Is Honda's FCX Clarity the Wave of the Future?

I am completely obsessed with Honda’s FCX Clarity. I’m sure that if Einstein were alive, he would own this car. The FCX Clarity is a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Say that ten times fast. What that means is that it’s not a hybrid because it doesn’t use gasoline at all. It’s also not an electric car that you plug-in to recharge the battery. It does have an electric motor but the electricity is generated by the fuel cell in the vehicle. The fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and emits only water vapor and heat. The vehicle has a full cabin, all the standard features of a "normal" Honda (airbags, GPS capability, MP3 compatibility, rear view camera, etc.), comfy seats made with material derived from plants, even a great dash that features a power output meter that measures energy use. It comes in a deep metallic red color (Honda calls it Star Garnet). The range is about 270 miles.

The good news is that this is not science fiction or some super secret project set to be ready in 25 years. Honda will begin leasing the FCX Clarity NEXT SUMMER!

The bad news is that only a select number of vehicles will be available to lease, and only in certain Southern California locations. The reason is that, as you have probably noticed, there are not many hydrogen fuel stations elsewhere in the country.

No word yet on when the FCX Clarity will go mainstream. The Checkered Blog will keep you posted!

Here’s the New York Times take on the FCX...and some more from USA Today...

smart center VB Update: Facility Taking Shape Quickly

smart center Virginia Beach continues on course for its scheduled opening the last week of February.  Architect Jerry Smith with Lyall Design is working on the project and this afternoon, he told me that "the masonry and the steelwork are almost complete.  We anticipate the slab will be finished by the end of November."  The dealership is rising on the site of the former Sofa's Etc. at 5193 Virginia Beach Boulevard and Jerry says the construction crew "is working in the rain and on weekends" to keep the pace of progress brisk.  We took these pictures today and you can see that the facility is really starting to take shape.

Checkered Flag is the region's smart dealer candidate and senior vice president Steve Snyder is just back from a national smart USA meeting -- he says excitement continues to run high across the country about the microcar's arrival in the United States in the first quarter of 2008.  If the smart fortwo is of interest to you, you may make a refundable $99 reservation on smart USA's web site.  And count on us at the Checkered Blog to keep you posted on what's going on!