True, you won't be titillated by driving the Verona - but its mission is not to thrill you, only to convince you that Suzuki means business in the U.S. Somebody out there has a project on their hands: take this fundamentally well-done, well-meaning mid-size sedan and convert it into the first Italian-styled, Korean-built, Japanese-marketed, American-purchased Q-ship. Heck, why not make it a world party? Invite the Skoda guys over for beer and pointers! (We love you guys!)
Bibendum: Green Is as Green DoesMaybe you've held off buying a hybrid or electric car because they're so damn tough to tune. Exactly how does one strap a nitrous bottle on a gas-electric Prius without voiding the warranty, confusing the electronics and sending the battery into an explosive low geosynchronous orbit? You see what we mean?
But in case you're still interested in the future-a day when greenies think we'll all be driving gas-electric hybrids or clean diesels, while we strum mandolins, make our own granola and wear hemp thongs-Michelin has an easy way to get a preview of tomorrow's more environmentally sensitive machinery. It's called the Challenge Bibendum, and the most recent one, held outside San Francisco, proved once again that a lot of these future clean and green technologies are still not ready for prime time.
Michelin set up the Challenge Bibendum about five years ago, hoping to attract the likes of GM, Honda, Ford, Toyota and VW to an event that at first celebrated their mascot's birthday. (His name's Bibendum, which means "let's have a drink," which makes you wonder if it's at all appropriate for a driving event.) This year they chose the Sonoma wine country north of San Francisco for their feel-good, use-less-gas event.
More than 100 vehicles showed up for the event, and about 400 journalists got the chance to take a spin behind the wheel in some of the latest technology, including fuel cells, which use hydrogen gas passing through a membrane to create electricity for powering a car's wheels. Right now Honda and Toyota are testing fuel-cell vehicles in California, hoping to put them into mass production by the end of the decade. (And no, you can't boost a hydrogen car by switching to helium-unless you're planning on floating through your next race.)
The fuel-cell cars were joined by every stripe of lower-emission, lower fuel consumption technology, from diesels to cleaner gas engines, natural gas, propane and even biofuels (some smell like French Fries, mostly because they can burn frying oil. Mmmmm, French fries...). The one thing they all have in common? The goal of providing years of zero-emissions driving. No small challenge, since even fuel cells emit traces of water vapor.
A kind of funny performance test capped the event. The vehicles attending were raced around a track to test performance and handling, and crash ratings were figured into final ratings. The Challenge named the 2003 Honda FCX fuel-cell car the best small car in emissions; the Honda Accord EX got great scores for emissions and crash safety, as did the Element SUV. Other strong finishers included the Toyota Prius, Audi A8 diesel Quattro, a Volvo 280 biofuel car and a Ford van powered by compressed natural gas.
Organizers predict the cleanest combinations of these powertrains could be available by the end of the decade. Imagine, they ask a biofuel clean diesel that's teamed with fuel cells to deliver more than 100 mpg with virtually no particulate emissions. We're still imagining the French fries, frankly, but by the time the next Challenge Bibendum rolls around in Shanghai, China, in 2004, maybe they'll have perfected their dream. And we'll have scored some fries. See www.challengebibendum.com for more.