ford

A group of activist investors including the state of Connecticut on Wednesday dropped a campaign targeting Ford Motor Co after the No. 2 U.S. automaker detailed plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions over the next 12 years.

Ford Motor Company will be replacing up to 40% of their petroleum-based seat cushions with a new material made from soybean oil. “Soy foam” costs roughly the same to manufacture as traditional petroleum derivatives, but requires less energy to produce and may reduce environmental impacts by 75%.

Small cars led sales in a slumping U.S. auto market in the first quarter of 2008.

As usual, Google is at the forefront of, well, everything. But this one is a little surprising: their philanthropic branch, Google.org, is putting $10 million into plug-in electric hybrid research and real-world testing.

The Detroit Electric car, which first when into production in 1907 is being revived and transformed into the Zap Alias due out in 2009.

The Ford Explorer America concept showcases a new kind of utility for the vehicle customers have known and loved for years: even betterfuel efficiency.

Ford Motor Company is introducing a new technology called EcoBoost that will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy on half a million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles annually in North America during the next five years.

Body panels from a synthetic resin made up of 85 percent post-consumer waste, soy-based seat foam, and “reconstituted” oak veneer used trim. More updates from Detroit in this new car review.

Daimler has long believed hydrogen will be the fuel of the future, and today it joined Ford in making a $228 million bet that it will be right.

John E. Bryson, Chairman & CEO, Edison International; Alan Mulally, President & CEO, Ford Motor Company announce a partnership to explore
ways to make plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) more accessible and affordable to consumers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the cost-effectiveness of the nation's electricity grid.

The UK government is providing £500,000 worth of funding for a project which is aiming to develop the world’s first recyclable vehicle made from hemp based materials.

Of the year's 12 most environmentally friendly 2007-model cars — a list dominated by tiny, economical models — six are hybrids. And two gas/electric hybrids.