The odd van/car combination pictured above is the 2010 Transit Connect, a new offering from Ford with a name as strange as its appearance.  The Transit Connect, along with Ford’s 2010 Fusion hybrid sedan, earned top honors for North American truck and car of the year, respectively, at this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This impressive double-win for Ford reinforces Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s mission to shift the auto giant’s focus from trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and more fuel-efficient crossover vehicles.  Under Mulally’s leadership, Ford has picked up on the fact that today’s conscious consumers and businesses are interested in less expensive, less environmentally taxing vehicles.  …read more of New Ford Illustrates Changing Consumer Interests here

2009 Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive will begin deploying its government loan designated to spur U.S. production of fuel-efficient vehicles by buying and restoring an out-of-use GM plant in Delaware. Fisker paid only $18 million for the idle plant, but plans to spend an additional $175 million on refurbishing it. This Wilmington plant will be the manufacturing site for the company’s second model, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sedan.

The factory–originally built by GM in 1947–will reach full production capacity of 75,000-100,000 vehicles a year by 2014. By that point Fisker estimates that reopening the plant will create 2,000 factory jobs. The automaker expects production from this plant will create an additional 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs. …read more of Fisker Starts Putting Government Loan to Use here

The energy department has begun to dole out $25 billion in loans designated for the development of fuel-efficient vehicles. The program is designed to grease the wheels for technological innovation that will drive the auto industry of tomorrow to occur here in the United States.

After decades of job cuts in the US auto industry, the federal government is hoping that innovation can revitalize the sector and create employment.

The first $8 billion was handed out back in July, with Fisker being announced as a loan recipient just this week. GM and Chrysler have been excluded from this program to date, since they do not meet the economic viability standard for loan recipients. …read more of Energy Department Money Going To Big And Small Carmakers here

Image: Beige Alert Flickr CC

There is an inescapable link between building and personal transportation: what we build where determines where we drive when. All the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and smog emitted by cars come about because someone is trying to get somewhere, usually a building. When green building is mentioned the design, materials, and functionality of a building typically come to mind.

However, there is a larger town planning aspect which also must be considered. Sustainable town planning includes placing buildings in such a way that self-powered and public transportation are encouraged.

If you have to get on the highway to get to anything zoned for nonresidential use, it’s very hard to live a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable town planning doesn’t just help the environment, it leads to more livable communities and a higher quality of life. …read more of The Relationship Between Green Building and Green Cars here

The “Cash-for-Clunkers” program–officially the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS)–was not designed by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) only as an environmental program.

Some environmental impact was certain given the requirement that newly purchased vehicles be more fuel efficient than trade-ins, but the program is primarily a way to boost auto sales. CARS has met or surpassed expectations on both accounts.

People are rushing to trade in their “clunkers:” the initial $1 billion dollars in funding was given out quickly, prompting congress to push an additional $2 billion into the program. As of August 13th, 338,659 transactions have been submitted.

This is great news for the auto industry, …read more of “Cash-for-Clunkers”: The actual cars here