BUSINESSWEEK - News & Features July 29, 2008, 2:43PM EST

One of the big attention grabbers at the 2008 British International Motor Show is Honda’s low-emission sportscar dubbed OSM (for Open Study Model). The open top two seater design out of the company’s R&D facility in Offenbach, Germany, is being shown alongside the CR-Z sports hybrid which was unveiled at Tokyo last year and the Honda Honda FCX Clarity which is being produced in Japan and available in the US under a lease plan. While a version of the CR-Z has been confirmed for production, there are no plans to bring the OSM online anytime soon.

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BUSINESSWEEK - News & Features July 18, 2008, 2:39PM EST

Sales of small cars have surged as gas has risen. That’s good news for carmakers, but there’s a problem: They don’t have enough of them

by Jim Henry

Contrary to what we’ve been hearing, not all auto sales this year have been in the wood chipper. Even more surprisingly, especially for those used to reading about the dominance of imports, many of these best sellers have even come out of Detroit.

In stark contrast to recent years, this year’s big volume gainers have four-cylinder engines that get 30 mpg or more on the highway. That trend favors import brands, but the increased demand has also prompted Ford Motor (F) and General Motors (GM) to increase production of some of its newly popular smaller models, including the Ford Focus and the Chevrolet Cobalt.

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MOTORTREND - July 17, 2008

By Rory Jurnecka

Honda has recently been caught out in the California desert with two of its upcoming hybrid models — the not-yet-seen (until now) all-new hybrid five-door hatch with seating for five and the refreshed 2009 Civic Hybrid. No doubt, the Honda team is in the midst of warm weather testing for both models given spiking temperatures in the desert region this time of year.

The all-new, as-yet-unnamed Honda hybrid, while still wearing a fair amount of camouflage, bears a striking resemblance to Toyota’s Prius Hybrid, especially the greenhouse, but it also clearly takes more than a few cues from the Japanese automaker’s FCX Clarity fuel cell sedan, which Honda said the vehicle would borrow many of its design elements from.

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MOTORTREND - July 16, 2008

By Paul Horrell

Fiat’s reborn 500 has gone off like a bomb in Europe, definitely the next big small thing. It’s retro-stylish as anything, and it’s not just a show-pony, either. Real substance is lent by spirited engines, sharp handing, and an interior full of nicely made touches of jewelry.

But let’s face it, there’s only so much you can do with the standard 500’s 1.4L and 100 hp. For full gearhead approval, Fiat needed to launch a hot version. And there was only one thing it could be called: Abarth.

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BUSINESSWEEK Autobeat - Posted on July 06

by: Ian Rowley

I can’t be the only person to have been slightly underwhelmed after reading headlines in Japan today stating that the next generation Prius will use solar power, making Toyota the first major carmaker to use the technology in a mass production model.

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BUSINESSWEEK - Special Report July 7, 2008, 12:01AM EST

In the near future, autonomous driving will lead to safer roads and great fuel-efficiency

by David Kiley

Imagine the scene: You’re driving your car to an office building in New York City, five minutes from a job interview. No worries. You have already dialed into the car’s memory the parking garage where it’s going to stay, and prepaid the bill. You shut the door. And off it goes. Driverless. And the chances of the car getting into an accident while it travels five or six treacherous city blocks are less than if the hopeful job applicant had tried to park it himself under time pressure.

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CNNMoney - Special Report Energy Fix Last Updated: June 30, 2008: 10:29 AM EDT

Gas prices and a guilty conscience have made me a smarter, cleaner driver. Come along for the ride.

By Jean Chatzky, Money Magazine editor-at-large

(Money Magazine) — Last year I swapped out of my five-year-old smallish station wagon for a seven-seat SUV.

I did it for two reasons: fitting four kids, none of whom weigh enough to sit in the front seat, into my vehicle so that I could participate in a couple of carpools; and getting up the aptly named Long Hill Road that leads from my house to the train station in the dead of winter.

That’s it. I didn’t think about gas mileage, which of course I’m regretting now whenever I fork over $65 to fill the thing up or turn on the Discovery Channel to be reminded that I’m melting polar bears out of a habitat.

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