“Touareg Adventure” opens up Volkswagen’s travel business

Volkswagen of America is offering a vacation including their very own Volkswagen Touareg. Volkswagen has rolled out new vacation packages to Moab Utah, which they called the “Toureg Adventure.” This three-day adventure package costs $2,000 per person but it does not include airfare. This program will start in July and ends in October 31.

“Participants do not need to be experienced off-road drivers, as experienced guides will coach guests through the challenging Moab terrain,” the company said.

There will be three choices for the engines of the 2007 Touareg SUV – a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter six-cylinder, a 350-hp 4.2-liter V8 or a 310-hp 5.0-liter V10 TDi. All engines are linked to a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic.

Cardboard Ferrari Gets Green


Ferrari is showing off it’s green with a new concept, high performance vehicle, the Ferrari FFX Millechili. Yes, it’s a hybrid, and uses it’s electric drive train not just to boost power but also to increase efficiency. But we’ve seen hybrids. What’s really exciting about the FFX is that its made of lightweight materials including carbon fiber, plastic and cardboard.

Eh? Cardboard?! Well, apparently so. I’m not sure if this is just to make the prototype easier to build, or of Ferrari really is considering its use in vehicles, but, in any case, using light weight materials to increase efficiency is extremely necessary.

Additionally, the FFX incorporates an advanced aerodynamic undercarriage system that uses jets of air to keep whirlpools of drag from forming beneath the car.

Via Channel 4 and Crave

See Also:
-200 MPG Hybrid Velozzi
The Tesla Roadster

Mystery Mercedes AMG Model Set To Debut In July

Going through our inbox this morning, an anonymous reader tipped us off to a new animation appearing on Mercedes’ AMG website – one which depicts the above-shown vehicle along with a message stating ‘In July… the fog lifts.’ As for what model is making its debut, that we cannot say, although the grainy vehicle in question does bear a striking resemblance to the SLK-Class. Anyone up for a 500 horsepower SLK63 AMG?

New Smart ForTwo BRABUS Coming Soon, Priced From EUR 16,490

As you may remember, back in March we brought you the first details of the new BRABUS-tuned variants of the new smart fortwo: the smart fortwo BRABUS and the smart fortwo BRABUS Xclusive. Although at the time, the full list of specifications and performance figures were revealed, the one thing absent from the press release was exactly how much the various BRABUS-tweaked smarts would set you back; today, however, that answer has been revealed. For those of you residing in countries where the smart is sold, pricing for the BRABUS smart range is as follows:

New Volkswagen Mutlivan

The new Multivan, Volkswagen’s seven-seater vehicle, has had some added features on it for a more luxurious look. Volkswagen has always been connected with small cars with their Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, and Passat, with prices not exceeding $57,000(which would be the highest-priced Passat from Europe). But they actually have vehicles over that price range and the newest one would be their Volkswagen Multivan.

The Volkswagen Multivan is a luxury type vehicle which could seat seven passengers and was based on the T5 light commercial vehicle. But this vehicle is well sorted and with a lot of extensive features. If people would be asked to name the first “people-mover” van they remembered, there’s a good chance that they’ll be naming the Volkswagen Kombi. But today, the people-mover van that Volkswagen offers its market is one that has the touch of today’s luxuries.

The Volkswagen Multivan in it’s Highline trims has an electrically-operated sliding doors, a multifunction rear table, satellite navigation(which would cost about $4000 extra on lesser models), leather trim, heated front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors complete with front and rear fog lamps. Extra luxurious features would include a six-stack CD with eight speakers sound system, cruise control, power windows, ‘climatronic’ three-zone climate control and swivel seats in the middle row. All these extras give the passengers an even more comforting ride in the Multivan.

The Highline version of the Multivan is available with a choice of turbo-diesel or petrol engines and with Volkswagen’s 4Motion, which is their term for the all-wheel drive. The engines are placed transversally in the front. The petrol engine has the 3.2L V6, rated at 173kW of power at 6200rpm and 315Nm torque at 2900rpm. But these specs could only be attained if a premium (98RON) unleaded petrol is used.

Its diesel engine is the 2.5L 5-cylinder unit with intercooler, delivering 128kW of power at 3500rpm and 400Nm of torque at 2000rpm. Because it is with the 4Motion AWD either has to drive through a six-speed manual transmission. But in the front-wheel drive, it comes with a six-speed tiptronic automatic.

The Volkswagen Multivan Highline 4Motion is priced at $76,990 for the V6 petrol and $73,990 for the 4Motion diesel. The front-wheel drive diesel automatic is $72,990 and $75,990 for the V6 petrol.

Upgrade Your Rack to a Tube Top

Many Prius and Insight owners feel the need to own a second vehicle
for towing, hauling and other occasional mass-moving tasks. Whether
it’s taking the kayak out on the weekends or just bringing home a
Christmas tree once a year, it seems like there’ always an excuse to
keep that gas guzzler in the garage. No more excuses! With the HandiRack (For customers outside the UK, you can buy one here)
you can transform your gas sipper into a haulin’, guzzlin’, aerodynamic
brick when you need to, and change back to the sleek lines of your
car’s OEM look when you’re done. Going "EE-ah-aw-oh-oo!" and singing
"More than meets the eye…" is optional. (don’t get it?)

The
HandiRack keeps luggage off the roof with a pair of inflatable double
tubes, held in place by connecting the straps inside and closing your
doors or windows on the flaps. They deflate and roll up to "the size of
your toaster" so you can keep them in the trunk with the included air
pump, and be ready to go at a moment’s notice. The MPG-robbing ugliness
of a permanent luggage rack can now be permanently banished… along
with all evil Decepticons.

via AutoBlogGreen

2007 Green Chemistry Awards


Time to give credit where credit is due: the 2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards
are in, recognizing some very hard working EcoGeeks who are doing their
part to make our world a better place. Winners this year have
discovered a nanotechnology-based catalyst capable of producing
hydrogen peroxide from renewable feedstocks, a formaldehyde-free
adhesive for making wood composites, a process for synthesizing an
ingredient for polyurethane foam (used in bedding and furniture)
without petroleum oil, a green technique for prepping donor tissue for
transplant, and a new class of chemical reactions using hydrogen and
metal catalysts which minimize waste in industrial applications.

"The EPA estimates that over the past 12 years, the winners’ work has led to the elimination of over 940 million pounds of hazardous chemicals and solvents, [the use of] over 600 million gallons of water and more than 340 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

Kudos to Professors Michael Krische and Kaichang Li, and the
innovative chemists at NovaSterilis, Columbia Forest Products, Hercules
Inc., Headwaters Technology Innovation, and Cargill Inc.

via GreenBiz News

See also:
Green One Pot Chemistry