Around 800,000 fewer cars were on the road in Beijing, China this Monday, following the introduction of radical new traffic laws aimed at reducing pollution in the city.

The new laws came into force today, and stipulate that 70% of government vehicles, as well as all private and corporate cars, take turns off the roads on one out of five weekdays.

The law works by banning cars with number plates ending one or six from the city’s roads on Mondays, and those with plates ending with two or seven on Tuesdays, three or eight on Wednesdays, four or nine Thursdays and five or zero Fridays. The ban does not apply on weekends.

[SOURCE: gas2.org READ THE FULL ARTICLE]

While we recognize there is a significant pent-up demand for information about Toyota's next Prius, due to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show and go on sale as a 2010 model, we'd prefer Toyota just keep pics like this to itself. Until the Prius team is ready to show something really interesting, this tactic is nothing short of boring, much like the last teaser. Looking at the shot, our best guess is that this is a toggle button for the sunroof, or possibly the rear hatch. Perhaps there is something special about what this button will do, but unless Toyota's willing to let us in on it, we're going to chalk this one up as a complete non-event. It's like showing us what the back of the headrest will look like. Moving on...

[Source: GreenHybrid]

[SOURCE: autobloggreen.com READ THE FULL ARTICLE]

GM’s market capitalization is at levels not seen since 1929. CNBC’s Phil LeBeau examines the reasons why. (CNBC)

The wait is finally over as Chevrolet has announced the official pricing for the long-anticipated 2010 Camaro. Due to go on sale in early 2009, the new Camaro will start at $22,995 for the 3.6-liter V-6 LS model while the 6.2-liter V-8 SS model will command $30,995. Chevy’s pricing effectively slots the Camaro between the less expensive Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger.

Toyota’s yet-to-be-unveiled 2010 Prius will have a bigger engine and a higher top speed, but improvements to CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency will take a backseat.

While the company has plans for a hyper-efficient plug-in version of the Prius by 2011, the standard model will make relatively few upgrades to its environmentally-friendly features. “It will be cleaner, with CO2 emissions below 100gm per kilometer,” said Miguel Fonseca, a Toyota managing director. “We could have gone lower but, instead, we have chosen to give the Prius better performance.” Prius upgrades continues on the click through below...

Current Mileage/Months in Fleet: 3502 miles/1 monthAverage Fuel Economy/Range: 14 mpg/320 milesService: $0Normal Wear: $0Repair: $0

If you’re a showroom rookie looking for an appointment toCar and Driver’s long-term roster, here are some pointers: Be an important model for your parent company. It helps to win a comparo. If you aren’t important or eligible for any comparos, we’ll at least like you more if you’re fast. If all else fails, just intrigue us. We’re curious creatures.

A second full-size SUV likely wasn’t necessary for the brand that mints world-standard sports sedans, nor has BMW’s new X6 triumphed in any comparos, although that’s mostly because natural competitors are so few. But our first encounter proved very interesting, and we learned that the X6 is fast. Very fast. We figured that 40,000 miles of market research might help us to ascertain the X6’s purpose.  click through to see more...

Might a second-generation Chevy Volt feature 80 miles of gas-free driving? A high-tech company in Ohio certainly believes so and they hope to have a hand in making it happen. Applied Sciences Inc., located in sunny Cedarville, in a collaborative effort with Pyrograf Products Inc. are using carbon nano-fibers to enhance the electrodes that may one day wind up in the Chevy Volt's battery...  Read More Below...