Hydrogen-powered RX-8 on trial
By UKOHA KALU
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Gradually but surely the end for petrol run engine is fast approaching. Hydrogen-powered RX-8 coupes will begin testing in Japan soon.
Although the trials bring hydrogen-powered cars one step closer to availability, buyers still have many years to wait before they become a showroom reality.

Hydrogen is seen as a possible cheap and clean stop-gap fuel while the search goes on for a viable alternative to petrol and diesel, but its use has been hampered because it is difficult to store enough of it safely in cars.
Mazda has been given permission to begin testing RX-8 coupés that can run on either petrol or hydrogen.

It said the RX-8 is an ideal car to be fuelled by hydrogen because of the design of its unique rotary engine, which has two rotors spinning in barrels rather than a number of pistons sliding up and down in cylinders. Temperatures in vital areas of the engine are lower and therefore the hydrogen is burned more efficiently.

However, performance suffers when the car is running on hydrogen and the distance the car can travel without refuelling is dramatically reduced.

Mazda admitted the engine develops about 70% of its normal power when running on hydrogen and the RX-8 can cover only about half its normal range of 250 miles.

However, the rotary engine needs little modification to run on hydrogen, so there would be no price penalty. The main problem is that hydrogen refuelling stations are non-existent in most countries.
Daewoo extends replacement offer
Daewoo has extended its offer to replace cars bought this year with new Chevrolet-badged equivalents six months later.

Previously scheduled to finish in November, the offer has now been extended to December 10 and covers a selection of models from the range.

Register any Kalos, Lacetti or Tacuma before this date and it will be swapped for a new model next year when Daewoo switches to the Chevrolet name.

Buyers will be able to upgrade to a higher trim level, a more powerful engine or a bigger car by paying the difference.

The Daewoo name is being dropped in favour of Chevrolet on January 1.
...End of the Daewoo?

General Motors (GM) is killing off the Daewoo name in the UK and elsewhere, replacing it with the Chevrolet badge.

GM already sells Daewoo models as Chevrolets in much of Eastern Europe, and will switch from the Korean to the American badge in the UK and all other markets from January 1 next year.

All Daewoo models now on sale will continue to be available as Chevrolets. They will be sold through a rebranded version of the existing network, which will also continue to offer the same after-sales service to new and current owners. Chevrolet hopes to see this UK network grow from 87 to 100 dealers by the middle of 2005.

The first new Chevrolet model to launch in the UK will be a face-lifted Nubira saloon, which will adopt the Lacetti name used on the hatchback that is already on sale. The Nubira estate will also adopt the Lacetti tag.

Next up is the three-door Kalos, which is to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next week. It will be joined by an all-new Matiz city car in April, which will appear in near-finished concept form in Paris.
A thinly veiled concept 4x4 called the S3X also makes its debut in Paris. It is similar in size to the Land Rover Freelander and will go on sale in the UK by the spring of 2006, when new 1.5- and 2.0-litre diesel engines developed by GM also arrive.

The company is writing to 115,000 existing Daewoo owners to explain that their warranty terms and conditions are unaffected by the switch to Chevrolet branding.