Beijing Olympics debut for Chery’s A5 Hybrid Vehicles

As China is wearing its eco-conscious outfit for the 2008 Beijing Olympics that will begin in two days time (August 8 – 24), it comes to no surprise that the organizers decided to use a fleet of 50 hybrid cars as part of the transportation arrangements for the Games. Known as the “Olympics Green Messengers”, the vehicles of choice are China’s own Chery A5 BSG and A5 ISG Hybrids that are expected to go into full production in the months following the games.

The A5 BSG is a start-stop hybrid that uses a 12-volt Belt Starter-Generator (BSG) linked to 1.6 litre gasoline engine that’s matted to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the A5 ISG is a more comprehensive mild-hybrid equipped with a 1.3-liter gasoline engine and a 12 kW crankshaft-mounted 151-volt Integrated Starter-Generator (ISG). -Continued

According to Chery, in the ECE Urban drive cycle, the A5 BSG achieves a 7% improvement in fuel consumption over the baseline product while it is expected that the improvement will be greater than 10% in real-world urban driving. For the more complex A5 ISG with its 1.3-liter engine, Chery says that while performance is equivalent with that of a larger 1.6 litre engine, fuel consumption improvement over the NEDC cycle is expected to approach 15% compared to the 1.6-liter benchmark vehicle.

Video: Revised Camaro Bumblebee from Transformers 2 Film

Here we go again; just as we were getting used to not hearing anything about the Transformers Movie, our friendly Autobot Bumblebee from the second installation of the Tranformer film called “Rise of the Fallen” has made its way into the internet well before the movie hits the screens in summer 2009.

The film’s producers –in cooperation with GM of course- have given the Camaro based Autobot a more aggressive look thanks to a Z28-like sport treatment that includes a new front bumper with a spoiler, a hood scoop and a slightly different paint job. See more images along with a small video after the jump. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Transformerlive

Chinese-Made Dodge Breeze Scooped

Chrysler LLC’s Chinese-built minicar, the Dodge Breeze which is basically a rebadged Chery A1, has been caught… red-handed. As you can see in these scoop pictures that have been circulating in various Chinese forums, despite the manufacture’s attempts to conceal any “Dodge” or “Breeze” badges, someone overlooked the company’s logo on the hub-caps, thus revealing the car’s true identity.

According to reports, Chrysler LLC will start deliveries of the Dodge Breeze to the North American market and in particular Mexico, towards the end of the year. As for the U.S., it is still under discussion whether or not the Chery-built mini car -and consequently, Chrysler, is ready to enter the American market. -More pics after the jump