GM Claims Volt Owners Seeing up to 1,000 Miles Range without Filling up

General Motors says owners of the Volt are driving up to 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) before they need to fill up. “A sample of our early Volt customers suggest that they drive 1,000 miles before they fill up the gas tank,” Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt, told Bloomberg news.

However, the official driving range of the Volt, measured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is much smaller than the GM executive's claims. The Volt's electric-only driving range is 35 miles (56.3 km), with another 344 miles (553.6 km) possible as the gasoline generator kicks in. The combined range therefore sits at 379 miles (610 km), way below the claimed 1,000 miles.

The explanation for this is simple: Volt owners who don't regularly drive long distances usually plug in the car every night, travelling more in electric-only mode than in gasoline-mode. This is why they can cover such distances without filling up with gasoline.

The Chevy Volt runs on batteries at all times. When they discharge, the gasoline generator supplies the battery-pack with electricity to extend driving range. Volt sales reached 1,210 in the U.S. in the first three months of this year, according to Autodata Corp.

By Dan Mihalascu

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RS Academy Takes Delivery of First BAC Mono Sports Cars

If you took an interest in the BAC Mono single seater sports car, then you may want to check out RS Academy’s programme as the as the UK-based track-driving car club announced that it has just taken delivery of the very first production Mono sports cars for its members.

“As soon we saw the Mono concept, we knew we wanted to have them on our fleet and we’ve been involved in the project for many months,” said RS Academy managing director, Rob Stanbury. “These are seriously quick and superbly engineered cars and they will prove to be hugely entertaining and capable track cars for RS Academy members to enjoy on some of the world’s greatest motor racing circuits.”

As a refresher, the Mono is a high-performance but road legal sports car, powered by a mid-mounted naturally aspirated 2.3-liter Cosworth engine with 280 bhp, linked to a six-speed sequential Hewland transmission. With 528 bhp per ton, the lightweight single-seater is capable of a top speed is in excess of 170 mph (274 km/h) and 0-60 mph (96km/h) sprint time of just 2.8 seconds.

The two new Monos join a variety of sports cars on the RS Academy fleet, which includes a Ferrari 430 Challenge, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, an Ariel Atom, a Caterham Superlight and a Noble M600.

However, before you get your hopes up high, those that want to join the RS Academy should be aware that all memberships are subject to a £7,500 (about US$12,300) joining fee that includes one track day with a ‘pay and play' system coming into force thereafter. Not surprisingly, the ‘pay and play' system can get very expensive with the company charging from £2,500 (about US$4,100)for a 1 day event with a track car to £7,500 (about US$12,300) for a 2 day event with a GT Racer and a Mono car.

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New Audi Q3 Baby SUV: First Official Teasers Revealed Ahead of Shanghai Auto Show

Audi has revealed the first official teaser sketches of its Q3 ‘baby’ SUV model, prior to its world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show later this month. The drawings confirm the Q3 will look pretty much like the Cross Coupe quattro design study unveiled by Audi in 2007.

However, the front end of the production Q3 seems changed in comparison with the aforementioned concept, with the headlights sporting a thinner, stretched shape and being mirrored in the lower side of the bumper by the spaces for the fog lights.

At the back, the car looks similar to the concept, with the exception of the tailgate window angle, which is not as inclined as on the Cross Coupe quattro.

The interior pictures reveal a similar shaped steering wheel and instrument panel, with changes having been made to the center console, where the gearshift lever appears to look more conventional than on the 2007 concept car.

The crossover model will be built at Seat's Martorell plant in Spain and will be based on the same architecture as the VW Tiguan. Previously, an inside source told Coolpictures that the new Q3 will arrive in European showrooms this fall, most likely in September or October, depending on the market.

The source added that the Q3 will be offered at launch with three powertrain options - a 170PS 2.0-liter TFSI with a 6-speed manual gearbox and CO2 emissions of 172 gr/km; a 211PS 2.0-liter TFSI with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 184 gr/km, and a 170PS 2.0-liter TDI diesel and an with an S Tronic transmission and CO2 emissions of 158 gr/km.

Official details about the car will be announced shortly, so stay tuned on CoolPictures for more info.

By Dan Mihalascu

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