According to a recent press release, UPS is leading the shipping industry in ‘Green Technology’ by upgrading their fleet of trucks to Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHV) which will deliver better fuel economy and have environmental benefits (fewer emissions, reduced CO2, etc). According to UPS, HHVs store energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure in a large chamber – I assume this is then used to power the vehicle in lieu of using gasoline.

What does this all mean? 50% Better Fuel Efficiency and 40% Reduction in Emissions. Does that mean you be seeing a 50% reduction in the ‘gas tax’ UPS tacks onto your bill each month? Eh, don’t be so sure. Although the invest is claimed to ‘pay for itself’ within 3 years, it’ll probably be a while before those savings trickle down to you.

Feast your eyes on the new Tesla Model S. This 4-door 5-seater sedan is based on the same lithium-ion technology that powers the Tesla Roadster, however, instead of being based on a Lotus Elise – this model is being built from the ground up. Thanks to a new $250 million dollar facility in San Jose, CA; Tesla will be able to start production of their own, original automobile.

Tesla is claiming 240 miles per charge, and 0-60 in less then 6 seconds. Base price on this bad boy will be around $60,000 and go on sale in late 2010 (watch out Chevy Volt).

For the real man who doesn’t want to use the fruity shampoo’s his girlfriend has left in the shower – the car gods have answered. Well, maybe not the car gods, but someone with a funny/quirky idea.

Available in four distinct ‘blends’ – Camaro, Jeep, Mustang and of course, Corvette. I’m not sure if this stuff smells like a Carburetor, Racing Fuel or what – but I do know it’s only for the true Gearhead.

I’m not exactally talented in the art ‘n crafts department, but these look like a pretty fun project this Halloween.

With SEMA comes all sorts of fun car stuff which brings all walks of life together. None brings car guys and video game guys together quite like the Gran Turismo Awards. The Gran Turismo Awards honor car builders of all creeds by recognizing excellence in multiple categories including; Best Hot Rod, Best Japanese Import, Best European Import, Best Domestic Automobile, Best Truck/SUV and an overall GT Award.

The winner of later mentioned GT Award is presented with video game imortality; by honoring their vehicle with inclusion in the next Gran Turismo release.

The awards will be held Thursday, November 6th at ‘The Joint’ inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and hosted by Top Gear USA host and drifter extraordinaire, Tanner Faust.

The investment firm Cerebus, which owns the majority of Chrysler has been talking about selling shares of the company to someone (anyone) who is willing to buy out their ‘investment’ and help turn the failing automaker around. Most recently, a deal between GM and Chrysler had been hitting the front pages, but today it is reported that Nissan/Renault have made a offer to take over 20% of Chrysler.

This, is a much more solid relationship with each arm of the company ‘doing what they do best’ to further the greater good. No official acceptance has been made, but at least we know the ball is rolling forward.

AEM has released it’s Cold Air Intake for the 2007-2009 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 (Non-Evolution, Manual Transmission).

The Lancer kit comes with a high-strength polypropylene inlet pipe that contours to the tight engine compartment of the Lancer. This inlet pipe leads to the wheel well where an aluminum MAF sensor adapter is located then followed by a 2.75×7-inch performance dryflow air filter.

We initially saw this RX-8 back at NAIAS 2004 and marveled at the possibility of two cutting edge technologies coming together as soul mates – Rotary Engines and Hydrogen Fuel. Could it work? Will it happen? Or was it just a stunt to bolster Mazda’s ‘clean’ image in the shadow of other manufactures move to electric vehicles.

Well, the cat’s outta the bag and the car is on the road – well, at least it’s on the road in Norway. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Norway has been one of the leading proponents of hydrogen fuel as a replacement for fossil fuels and a collaboration between Mazda and Norway’s ‘Hydrogen Road of Norway’ (HyNor) project is the perfect fit for real world testing. Right now 30 RX-8s are being tested with plans to expand the Hydrogen power plant to the Mazda Premacy (Mazda5) in the future.

Not since 2004 has Audi charged to a 1-2 Finish at Leguna Seca, but this final race of the season changed that and made Audi’s winning 2008 season official.

There were 12 lead changes through out the race, and the Audi team of Luhr/Werner lead for 31 laps on two separate occasions. The Audi’s low-end torque and power helped push them ahead the competition on each of the 26 restarts.