Well, auto shows have been featuring green devices a lot these days though I doubt if Geneva will be anything like last year’s Tokyo where we saw a heck of a lot of little green cars, it’s almost scary. I like it when automakers labor on making their fleet just a bit more environmental friendly. However, I’m still yet to be convinced of SUV and CUV hybrids. For some reason, the whole “gas-guzzler” and “green” are two things that are a bit hard to reconcile.

Maybe this BMW X5 diesel hybrid might start convincing me otherwise. This one will feature Vision EfficientDynamics Concept that sports a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with a twin-turbo and is paired off with a hybrid motor. The diesel dishes out 204 horses and the hybrid adds another 20. These are connected to an 8-speed gearbox to get the most of the the meager horses.

Electricity comes from brake area regeneration technology and (get this) a solar panel that both store energy to lithium ion batteries!

While the power might give you a lot more to be desired, the benefit comes in terms of efficiency and emissions. It can achieve 43.5mpg on the combined cycle and a low 172g/km of CO2.

Source: BMW

As of now, fuel cells aren’t perfected yet, and hybrids prove to be not as economical as they should, and that’s why diesel seems to be the readily available technology to offer the best MPG. Again, I qualify, as of now. And just to inspire the SUV loving breed of motorists in North America, BMW will be debuting two diesel models in Detroit - the X5 xDrive 35d and the 335d which will be equipped with the BMW Advanced Diesel technology with BluePerformance.

Both will be powered b a 3.0 L diesel dishing out 265 horses that promise to be the one of the fastest diesels and the most fuel efficient in its class. Performance-wise the 335d gets 425 lb-ft of torque and a naught to 62 in 6.2 seconds. The X5xDrive35d gets from 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds. The fuel economy are 23/33 mpg city/highway and 19/25 mpg respectively.
Both models will be available in the US by the fall of 2008.

Source: BMW

If there’s one thing I’d like to be 100% in good running condition in my car, it would be the brakes. Acceleration and speed do not mean squat if your car can’t stop. Too bad for BMW, that’s one area in the X5 where they have to recheck. A problem with brake fluid level warning light can cause drivers to totally miss leaks since the system doesn’t work 100%. X5s built from February to April suffer from this fault.

And it’s not just BMW who will be doing recalls. 2,200 units of Jeep Liberties have also been recalled by Chrysler due to a heater motor fault. The fault can result to fires. Nasty thing to experience, especially when cars run on fuel (flammable). Chrysler also issued a recall with 212 Chrysler PT Cruisers due to the rear quarter windows falling out.

Likewise, automaker Maserati recalled 718 Quattroporte units for defects in the ABS software.

Source: Auto Express