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Green Engines Seen Doubling US Auto Share
Vehicles powered by hybrid or clean diesel engines will double their US market share by 2012 as drivers shun gas-guzzlers because of high oil prices, new research predicted Tuesday. Such environmentally friendly engines are on course for 11 percent of auto sales by 2012 from 4.8 percent this year, according to the research study by JD Power-LMC Automotive Forecasting Services. "Higher gas (petrol) prices are acting as a catalyst for automakers and consumers to find alternatives to the traditional gasoline internal combustion engine," JD Power-LMC auto forecaster Anthony Pratt said. "We anticipate this will lead to dramatic growth, particularly with diesels, over the next several years," he said. Thanks to tough emissions standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, new diesel engines have to be far cleaner than the smoke-belching ones of the past. They remain far more fuel-efficient than petrol engines. Hybrid engines that use a combination of petrol and electric power are meanwhile making great strides in the United States. Nationwide registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose to 83,153 in 2004 -- an 81 percent increase from 2003 according to researchers at RL Polk and Co. Pratt, however, said that automakers still need to educate consumers about hybrid technology and to assure them that diesels are indeed now cleaner and can match petrol engine performance. Automakers will also need to bring down the prices of environmentally friendly engines, which cost well in excess of petrol ones, he said. The bulk of the growth in hybrid models is seen in sports-utility vehicles SUVs and midsize cars, according to the study. Diesels will make inroads in pickup trucks, luxury cars and SUVs. All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links TerraDaily Search TerraDaily Subscribe To TerraDaily Express 
Pescarolo Team Makes Fastest Lap At Le Mans
Le Mans, France (ESA) Jun 23, 2005Congratulations to the drivers of the Pescarolo Judd racing car no. 16 for making the fastest lap at this year's Le Mans 24-hour race with a lap time of 3 min 35 s. Space technology also played its part, as it helped to make the car faster and safer. |
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