lpg

Gas Energy Australia and the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) are campaigning for the creation of LPG conversion facilities in Victoria and South Australia in a bid to create new jobs and breathe new life into the flailing local automotive industry.

Ford Australia has posted a lighthearted yet provocative video of the new Ford Falcon EcoLPi that should spark a few Friday afternoon office arguments. It’s called the ‘Ford Falcon LPi $2 Grand Prix’, and it pits a Ford Falcon XR6 EcoLPi (4.0-litre straight-six LPG) against a Toyota Corolla Ascent hatch (1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol) and a Holden Commodore SV6 (3.6-litre V6 petrol).

The 2011 Ford Falcon EcoLPI has been unveiled at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne ahead of its Australian launch later in the third quarter of this year. The Falcon range has been struggling from a sales perspective this year, and Ford Australia has partially blamed the poor performance on the absence of a dedicated LPG model.

Around $US44 billion ($52.2 billion) in economic stimulus programs around the world is being channelled into the development of alternative fuel and other advanced automotive technologies, according to a recent study by Deloitte. More than half of that figure has been contributed by the US, with an estimated $US27.4 billion ($32.5 billion) directed towards alternative fuel technology, in particular electric vehicles.

Kia has today given us a glimpse of its upcoming Ray Concept vehicle which will go on show at next month's Chicago Motor Show. Styled by the team at Kia Design Centre America, the Kia Ray project was undertaken to demonstrate how Kia’s evolving design direction would be applied in the packaging of a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Ray will form the centre-piece of the Kia Motors America display at Chicago and the vehicle will contribute to Kia’s on-going development of alternative-fuel vehicles.