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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Phoenix, Spy Shots

Years ago, in 2007, Phoenix said it would build a plug-in hybrid vehicle with UQM Technologies, but with all of the trouble Phoenix has been through since then, we thought the project died out. When Phoenix rose from the ashes of bankruptcy earlier this summer, Bryon Bliss, Phoenix Motorcars’ vice president of sales and marketing, told AutoblogGreen that the company’s sole focus was on an all-electric sports utility truck. The plug-in powerplant – and the SUV version Phoenix was talking about in the past were done. Bliss said in June:

The SUV was always more of a consumer product. As we are delaying a consumer launch we are choosing to direct focus on the available product, the Phoenix SUT.

But, AutoblogGreen reader Scott L. sent us an email this week saying the following:

I have pictures taken 8/31/10 in Rancho Cucamunga of the underside of Phoenix Motorcars vehicle showing a muffler for an ICE.

We’ve looked the pictures over and this does appear to be the case. A few things could be going on here. This might, indeed, be a mule for plug-in hybrid development. Or, since Phoenix uses bodies from SsangYong (the SUV seen above is the SsangYong Actyon), the exhaust might just be a remnant of its ICE past. In any case, we’ve asked Phoenix for clarification and we’ll update this post once we hear back. Thanks, Scott!

Spyshots: Is Phoenix Motorcars still working on a plug-in hybrid? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During my stint in the Avalon, we made a trip north to deliver wedding supplies to the family, loading most of the items, including a suitcase, in its mammoth trunk. In fact, it swallowed up everything with room to spare.

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

If you’ve been wondering what former General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has been up to since getting the boot, The Detroit News has the skinny for you. Henderson is now headed to Sunoco to fill in as the company’s senior vice president, at least for now. The company is currently planning to spin off its SunCoke Energy arm during the first half of 2011, and when that happens, Henderson will become the subsidiary’s chairman and CEO.

SunCoke produces metallurgical coke used to manufacture steel. The company currently operates plants in Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and is currently building a second, high-capacity facility in the Buckeye State. That plant, in Middleton, is slated to produce 550,000 tons of coke while at max capacity.

Coke is formed by super heating coal to bond carbon and ash. The process burns off contaminates like water and coal tar to create an energy-dense fuel. Byproducts of the process are typically used to generate electricity, as in the case with the Middleton plant.

Henderson, a long-time GM man, held the company’s reins for a short time starting in 2009, but was replaced with Ed Whitacre amidst concerns that the company’s turnaround wasn’t moving fast enough.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Joe Raedle/Getty]

Report: Former GM CEO Fritz Henderson to lead Sunoco spinoff originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since you liked last Friday’s “Ask Me Anything,” today we’ll have Justin Hyde taking questions at 12:30 PM EST. Look for the link atop the page. More »

Filed under: Hybrid, Lotus, Paris Motor Show

In addition to the pair of Evoras being introduced at this year’s Paris Motor Show, Lotus will also be unveiling two front-engine hybrid vehicles, in keeping with the automaker’s promise to offer more gasoline/electric sports cars. Green Car Advisor reports that one of these hybrid cars will be a four-door hatchback and the other will be a two-door coupe.

Lotus debuted its hybrid concept earlier this year in the form of the Evora 414E Hybrid (pictured), but unlike the mid-engine concept, the two front-engine models will utilize a 47-horsepower 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine specifically designed to provide power to electric-drive hybrids. We’ll have the full details direct from the Paris show later this month, so stay tuned.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

Report: Lotus bringing a pair of front-engine hybrids to Paris Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Blue Oval will be adding a new model to its F-150 pickup truck line, with the unveiling today of the all-new 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew. The purpose-built off-road version of the popular F-150 workhorse has proven very popular, and it’s only set to get better thanks to improvements in technology, towing and flexibility for the…

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AutoblogGreen for 09.03.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A larger standard engine and more seating capacity are the big changes for the 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup.

By all accounts, this year’s car sales are as nostalgic and flat as a three-week-old A&W root beer left in your cupholder inn summer. [Consumerist] And in what was supposed to be the year of the small car, it’s –not shocking–that the two best-selling vehicles are big ole pickup trucks. [Detroit Free Press] While U.S. sales are sluglike, the…