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Mercedes' production Bluetec diesel SUVs

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 13 March 2008 17:14 Europe loves diesel, America doesn’t, so welcome to the US-only Mercedes Bluetec SUVs. The R, ML and GL 320 Bluetec diesels will be launched in America in autumn 2008, but won’t be coming to Europe yet. The three SUVs, which Mercedes claims come with the world’s latest and cleanest diesel engine, may not even make it to the UK.  All three come with a 3.0-litre diesel engine that has revised piston crowns, a lower compression ratio, and a new turbocharger and ECU.

Fisker Atlantic prototype [w/gallery] [UPDATED]

The Fisker Atlantic prototype, developed under the codename Project Nina, has been officially unveiled at a special VIP event on the eve of the New York motor show. This luxury extended-range four-door sedan, described by Fisker as a design prototype, is aimed at young families, and uses the same hybrid plug-in as the Fisker Karma. A standout feature of the Atlantic is the rigid ‘spider' structure, which allows for a generous amount of rear headroom for a fastback car as well as maximizing the light entering the cabin while offering increased visibility to the car's surroundings.

Hyundai enlists London College of Fashion to raise awareness of Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars

The Hyundai ix35 FCEV (pictured) will get graphics from the LCF to promote FCEVs Even though car makers have been playing with the possibility of cars powered by hydrogen for years, it’s only now that an real-world FCEVs are starting to hit the road. Car makers certainly seemed to have made the hydrogen fuel cell a practical proposition for powering cars (although cost is still an obstacle), but that’s just the start of making FCEVs a viable option. Huge amounts of work need to be done to create a hydrogen refuelling network but, perhaps more importantly, car buyers need to understand that FCEVs are viable and that they exist at all.