1977 Citroen Mehari on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Citro"en WTCC C-Elysee Racecar leaves the dirt behind

On top of the funktastic Cactus Concept, Citroën showed its new C-Elysée racecar, which will campaign the World Touring Car Championship with Sebastian Loeb and Yvan Muller at the helm. The C-Elysée racer debuted back in July packing a 1.6-liter, turbocharged four with 380 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
We stopped to take a few snaps of the new WTCC challenger while making our rounds on the Frankfurt show floor. Take a look up top for the live gallery, and then scroll down for the press release and stock imagery. You can also click over to our full coverage of the C-Elysée WTCC from July.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla factory loses power, plant genes modified for biofuel

Tesla's Fremont factory was shut down on Friday morning when a crane knocked out power to the facility. No injuries were reported and Tesla didn't say what effect the outage would have on production. Read more from SFGate or from CNBC. Researchers have genetically modified a plant for lower-viscosity seed oil to make biodiesel. With the viscosity of many plant-based oils being too high for use in modern high-pressure conditions required by emissions laws, this breakthrough is promising. Kansas State University scientists have added Euonymous Alatus (burning bush) genes to the Camelina Sativa plant to produce a thinner seed oil more suited for use in biofuels. Camelina grows easily, and since it isn't a food crop, concerns of genetic modifications are minimal. Testing of the oil in fuel could begin next year, after harvesting a large enough supply. Read more from Green Car Reports and from The Topeka Capital-Journal. The EPA's Mobile Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) could cause problems for higher ethanol blends. According to an editorial from Urban Air Initiative president David VanderGriend, MOVES is biased against ethanol blends, using test fuels that don't reflect the characteristics of real-world consumer fuels. "We must stop the MOVES model from being implemented, or all of the industry's other initiatives will be undermined," says VanderGriend. "States will have their hands tied and will simply not be allowed to approve higher blends." Read the column from Ethanol Producer Magazine. A Citroen C-Zero driver experienced unexpected fees when turning in the car at the end of its lease. The final bill included inspection and transportation fees under the "Damages" section of the report, totaling over GBP300 (about $470). The author has found no mention or documentation of such fees prior to collection, and is contesting the charges. Read more at EV Meerkat, where the author will update readers while Citroen customer service looks into the matter. Featured Gallery Tesla Factory Related Gallery Citroen C-Zero News Source: SFGate, CNBC, Green Car Reports, The Topeka Capital-Journal, Ethanol Producer Magazine, EV MeerkatImage Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma Government/Legal Green Plants/Manufacturing Tesla Citroen Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Ethanol recharge wrapup

Citro"en Wild Rubis helps the DS cross over

What we have here is an urban crossover from Citroën that is the newest member of its well-received DS lineup, and we're told it will soon lead to a production machine with similar styling and intent. We'd love to tell you more, but the quirky French manufacturer hasn't actually revealed many details about the machine.
We do know that the Wild Rubis boasts a full plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but we have no idea what that all includes, what kind of power it produces or, well... anything else, really. Come to think of it, we don't even know if it can move under its own power. It's painted a wild ruby color, hence its name, and we think it's pretty.
If you're hankering for more detail than that, we're afraid you'll have to fly out to Shanghai and corral a few Italian executives for yourself. Or you could just sit back and stare at our high-res image gallery, live from the show floor, and read through the brief and uninformative press release below. It's up to you, but choose wisely. Oh, did we mention that it's pretty?