Hyundai Plans to Sell 500 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars in 2012

In brief: Hyundai has made a surprise announcement on plans to sell hydrogen fuel cell cars beginning in 2012 - three years before Toyota, Honda, and the rest of the competition. Hyundai plans to beat Toyota's announced $50,000 price tag and deliver the world's first series production fuel cell vehicle in 2012, with 500 FCVs coming off the line that year and more afterwards. Production is planned to ramp up to 10,000 units by 2015, the year when most other automakers will just be getting started on their FCVs. The first five hundred will likely be leased and will probably go mainly to fleets and similar buyers. Production will increase...

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Posted in Future Cars , Hyundai

Chrylser Hopes to Bring Fiat 500 Electric

In brief: Both Chrysler and their new owners, Fiat, have previously announced the Fiat 500 (both gasoline and electric) is coming to America. Now they have to convince dealerships to carry them. The gasoline version of the Fiat 500 (sort of the Italian version of the German-made Mini Cooper) will be in the U.S. at the end of this year. A convertible version will come out in 2011 and the all-electric will enter the market in 2012. The electric version (pictured as a model) will have 100 miles of range and sell for around $32,000 (likely after incentives). Now Fiat and Chrysler have to convince dealerships to carry the Fiat brand. For most,...

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Posted in Chrylser

Eldredge (automobile)

The Eldredge was an American automobile manufactured from 1903 until 1906. A product of the National Sewing Machine Company of Belvidere, Illinois, it was a light, two-seater runabout with left-hand drive or two-row tonneau. The 1904 Eldredge Runabout was a runabout model. It could seat 2 passengers and sold for US$750. The horizontal-mounted flat-2, situated at the center of the car, produced 8 hp (6 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted. The armored wood-framed car weighed 1150 lb (522 kg) and used platform springs. The 1904 Eldredge Tonneau was a tonneau model. It could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$2000. The horizontal-mounted...

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Posted in Auto Cars

De Dietrich

De Dietrich is a holding company based in France, but this part of France was originally part of Germany, which traces its history back to the early 17th century. It was active in the automobile, railway and industrial machines industry. It sold it holding stake in De Dietrich Ferroviaire to Alstom in 1990. It currently has interests in heating equipments for chemical industry, and from 2004 merged with the Dutch company Remeha to from the Apeldoorn head quartered De Dietrich Reme...

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Posted in De Dietrich

Darracq

Automobiles Darracq S.A. was a French motor vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq. Using part of the substantial profit he had made from selling his Gladiator bicycle factory, Alexandre Darracq began operating from a plant in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes. The company started by building electric motor carriages until 1900 when they produced their first vehicle with an internal combustion engine. The Darracq automobile company prospered and the 1904 "Flying Fifteen" was a production model of exceptional quality that helped the company capture a ten percent share of the French auto market. In 1902, Alexandre...

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Posted in Darracq