Daily Car

Ex-Ford engineer Richard Parry-Jones is now chairman-designate of the UK’s Network Rail. Having looked into the futures of both car and train development, he believes that by the end of this decade the most Earth-friendly internal-combustion engine cars will be about as polluting, on a per-passenger basis, as high-speed electric trains.

Parry-Jones says carmakers are targeting 40g/km of CO2 tailpipe emissions by 2020. If the “average” occupancy of 1.6 people-per-vehicle stays the same in eight years, that would equal 25 gm per person per kilometer and put such cars in the same environmental category as the cleanest mass transit.

Since the emissions of electric cars and trains is usually given as zero, we’re assuming he means diesel-electric high-speed trains; life-cycle emissions wouldn’t be a valid comparison since those aren’t factored into a car’s tailpipe number. According to The Guardian‘s table of emission numbers by transport, right now you’d have to load four folks in a small diesel topped up with ultra-low sulphur fuel to get down to 42 grams per passenger per kilometer (gpkm), which would put you right with one of Virgin’s Voyager class diesel-electric trains at 75-percent capacity. If you want to go all the way low, though, you’ll need a 50cc two-stroke and a passenger: at that point you’re rocking just 19.5 gpkm. Slowly.

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Maybe you want a Volkswagen Beetle that does more than merely get noticed. Maybe you want a Beetle that… provokes. If so, you need to give German tuner ABT Sportsline a call.

Tweaks are made to the 2.0-liter turbo that add 40 horsepower. A front spoiler, wheels anywhere from 18 to 20 inches, and oval tailipes boost the aggression. Headlight covers make it look mean, and the “carbon-look deco set” with red trim makes it unforgettable.

The result is the Beetle Limousine 5CO, and if you’re a configurating kind of guy, then ABT will let you toy around with the options. Otherwise there’s a press release if you scroll below and a high-res gallery above.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Association has announced on its website that Ford is recalling 140,000Focus models built between August 1, 2010 and October 18, 2011. The defect in question is a seal in the wiring harness connector to the passenger side wiper motor that may be missing.

If the seal is AWOL, water can build up in the connector, which could over time render the passenger-side wiper useless. And if that happens, visibility could of course be altered, resulting in a higher probability of a crash.

To fix the issue, affected Focus owners need to take their vehicles to a Ford dealer for a free inspection of the wiper connector. A technician will clean and seal any connector that needs it, and any wiper motor that no longer works will be replaced free of charge. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S got you excited? Well, it appears the new Toyobaru twins might be moving the needle at other automakers, too. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the pair may have challenged Nissan to once again reinvestigate its on-again, off-again plans for an affordable, lightweight sports coupe of its own. Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, says his employer is looking at downsizing its Z sports car, though it isn’t clear if that would mean the Japanese automaker would field two separate Z models or just replace the current 370Z with a smaller, less costly model.

“I much prefer smaller sports car,” Nakamura tells the Herald. “It is the time to look at that. With 370Z, we still don’t know next generation will have a larger or smaller engine.”

If Nissan were to reduce the size of the 370′s powerplant, it would be the first time that model’s displacement has dropped. Since the Z gets its model designation from the size of its engine (3.7 liter V6), Nissan could have a problem marketing a smaller Z called the 300Z, since the last time a new 300Z was sold in the States was way back in 1986.

More likely would be the revival of long-forgotten nameplates like 200SX or 240SX. Either would almost certainly be direct competition for the Subaru and Scion rear-drive coupes.

Nakamura reminded fans that even if the 370Z loses some cubic inches, Nissan will still have the young but already legendary GT-R. When asked if Nissan would be willing to support three sports cars, Nakamura says, “If there is a market, we will do it.”

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Tesla Motors is close to rolling out the first Model S electric five-doors from the company’s Fremont, California plant, and customers who reserved the Model S Signature Series are already sending in their specification requests, indicating that the company will likely hit its July deadline for first deliveries.

Tesla has also added three colors – Piano Black, Lacewood and Banana Leaf – to its interior options and Internet connectivity will be an option on all cars, the company said in a letter to prospective customers that was posted on its blog last week. Tesla also said it would personally deliver the cars to the location of the customer’s choice.

The Model S, the second model from Tesla after the Roadster, will be priced starting at $57,400 for a version with a 160-mile single-charge range before the $7,500 tax credit goes into effect. A 300-mile-range version goes for about $77,000. Read here for Autoblog’s “First Ride” impressions.

Earlier this year, Tesla said 2012 sales may triple last year’s revenue of $204.2 million and forecast Model S sales at 5,000 units for this year. That’s more than double the 2,100 of the $109,000 Roadsters that Tesla sold over the past four years.

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