Porsche buyers put the brakes on stop-start technology

By Chris Chilton Motor Industry 23 June 2008 18:56 Direct injection and a clever new PDK dual-clutch gearbox have cemented the new 911’s reputation as the greenest performance car around, but Porsche engineers are being hampered from making the iconic sports car even cleaner by the public’s reluctance to accept further green technology Engineers at the launch of the facelifted 911 told CAR that fitting a BMW-style start-stop system could chop a further 10g/km from the Carrera’s 225g/km CO2 rating but that performance car buyers weren’t keen on having such overtly planet-conscious tech on their cars. Start-stop works by cutting the engine when the car’s stationary in traffic, and restarting automatically when you touch the pedals to move off again. Every manual transmission-equipped BMW 1-series comes with the technology, excepting the truly high performance versions.

BMW delays X3's U.S. launch to push custom orders

BMW is delaying the U.S. introduction of the redesigned X3 to launch a system designed to encourage buyers to custom-order the crossover to their specifications, says Jim O'Donnell, president of BMW of North America. The delay could put the X3 in U.S.

Acura releases specs, photos of the ZDX

Acura confirmed specs and released more photos Monday of the new ZDX, which is scheduled to arrive this winter as a 2010 model. The ZDX is the vehicle being pitched as a “four-door sports coupe” and, as expected, will come with a 3.7-liter V6 engine making 300 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. That's paired with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.