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Tata's little Nano, which was born as one of the most affordable car in the world, receives an update as an attempt to move away from being too cheap. Renamed the GeneX Nano, it gets a few major upgrades, the biggest one being a new Easy Shift automated manual transmission with 'Sports' mode for enhanced acceleration and 'creep' feature for heavy traffic maneuverability and parking ease. Other new features include switching to using electric Power Assisted Steering (ePAS), a larger fuel tank, a rear hatch that now opens, enhanced safety, new connectivity features and a slightly revised design. The new model can be ordered with either the aforementioned new five-speed automated gearbox or a four-speed manual. There is no change to the power unit which means the 0.6-litre 2 cylinder petrol still produces 37bhp and 51Nm of torque as before. Officially, the GenX Nano returns 23.6km/L. Safety wise, the new model now features a crumple zone for front impacts while side doors come with intrusion beams to protect occupants from side impacts. An anti-roll bar has been added to improve high speed stabiltiy. The car also has 'SUV-like ground clearance' of 180mm for India's rough roads. It is now on sale in India starting from S$4,165 for the base model. As a reference, the first generation Nano cost around $3,140 in 2012.

The future is high on lithium Last Updated: 12:01am BST 09/06/2007 Lithium-ion battery-powered cars came a step closer this week, writes Andrew English American giant General Motors signed development contracts with two companies (Compact Power of Michigan and Continental of Germany) for the advanced development of lithium-ion batteries for its hybrid electric Volt concept. GM hopes to have the Volt, which has its drive train mounted on the chassis rails from the Astra hatchback, on sale by 2012. "The first Volt to go on sale will be the fuel-cell version," said Dr Christopher Borroni-Bird, GM's director of advanced technology, who warned that without government incentives to consumers such technology might be still born. "We can't go on subsidising this business forever," he said. At the same time, Mitsubishi UK MD Jim Tyrrell has confirmed he has asked for 3,000 lithium-ion versions of the Mitsubishi "i" to come to Britain when it goes on sale in 2010. (The petrol-powered "i" goes on sale this summer.) The battery-powered "i" will dispense with the heavy in-rear-wheel motors on the concept car and use a simpler single motor, driving the front wheels. "They will test the car in Tokyo from August," says Tyrrell. "They hadn't planned to sell in Europe until I told them about the congestion charges." So does this mean the fuel cell is dead? Yes, if you believe Ricardo CEO Dave Shemmans. "Battery cars will overtake fuel cells; even the Japanese think that," he said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.j...09/mnvolt09.xml mitsubishi r tied with Yuasa on the new battery development. mitsu own sista company MHI r also developing newer batteries for cars.

http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_edag_genx-1.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_edag_genx-2.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_edag_genx-3.jpg In order to present EDAG's capabilities as an innovative development partner for complete vehicles and production systems to a broad public, the company exhibits show cars with pioneering ideas and impulses at international motor shows. The world premiere of the genX at the International Motor Show in Geneva 2004 is the continuation of EDAG's series of innovative vehicle concepts. The genX, conceived as a sports car for the next generation, reflects the changes in living, working and leisure time habits of society in the new millennium. Independence, speed and the desire for individuality are increasingly the striking features of private and working life. The genX has been created for people who find the boundaries between work and leisure time dissolving more and more into thin air. ''Mobility, flexibility and fun are the maxims of modern, success-oriented people,'' explains Johannes Barckmann, head of the EDAG Design Studio. This future target group is shedding social conventions such as fixed working hours and working locations and defining modern nomadism as the new lifestyle. The show car genX was conceived as an answer to social needs of the future: an individual 2-seater sports car which offers, the first in this vehicle segment to do so, a full-size bed for the driver. The interior of the genX is enlarged accordingly by means of an electric lift room. The module-like, external transport boxes which are fitted in the slim waist of the genX are available for individual uses. The boxes can be removed and carried as suitcases without any trouble. Besides the normal function as travel luggage, equipment variations such as office packs, sports packs or camping packs are planned. Thanks to its versatile concept, the genX offers its driver absolute flexibility for a wide range of working or private activities. Level regulators and all-wheel drive make the genX at home off the road as well as on. The exterior design of the genX underscores the independent character of the innovative sports car concept. The slender waist of the genX is the major feature of the overall appearance and is a formal reminder of the concept behind a Formula 1 meteor. The extremely flat silhouette, coupled with the protruding width of the vehicle, make the genX an imposing figure on the road and convey a powerful and self-confident image in the best sports car tradition.