2012 Nissan Sentra

Five latest car Engine technology

There are people who see the rising corporate average fuel economy standards 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 as bad news. They bemoan the death of the big engines, the V-8s that delivered lots of power and sucked up a lot of gas. They say that driving would not be fun anymore, that we'll all be forced to buy dull cars with high fuel economy scores. 

Then there are others who have known the CAFE standards would have to rise, given the price of oil, U.S. dependency on foreign oil and the effects of engine emissions on climate change. They saw the higher fuel economy requirements as a challenge, and they began to work on new technologies that would be good for the planet, good for our wallets and still cool. These people are called engineers.

Here are five engine technologies available today or in the very near future, at a variety of price points. These examples…and there are more like them being invented every day promise that the future of driving will still be fun, whether it's in a tiny city car with a direct-injected engine or a supercar with a push to pass hybrid booster button.

Advantages of cars

Cars are faster than walking or riding a bike if you are going a long way, can carry more than one person, and a large amount of luggage. Depending on local public transport quality, they can also be faster and far more convenient than using buses, trams or trains, and can often go where public transport cannot. 4-wheel drive "offroad" vehicles are particularly good at reaching places difficult for any other wheeled transport, allowing provision of goods, emergency services, transport of disabled or infirm passengers, and faster and safer journeys for able-bodied passengers over long distances and harsh terrain where this may otherwise have been impossible.

Another good thing is that if it's raining heavily it is better to use a car than a bicycle or motorcycle, or walking, because driving a car in these conditions can be less dangerous, and keeps passengers and possessions dry as most cars are enclosed (they have a roof, doors and windows). Modern cars are often safer in accidents in any conditions, as they have added safety features such as seat belts, airbags, crumple zones and side-impact protection that would be expensive or impossible on two-wheeled or light 3-wheeled vehicles, or most buses.

Geneva Auto Show: 2011 Nissan Micra

Introduced on Tuesday: 2011 Nissan Micra

What is it? This econo-sedan, the fourth generation of Nissan’s important Global Compact Car architecture, made me think of my teenage daughter and her boyfriend — this car’s target market. They now play this game they call “your team, my team.” “If some dork walks by, I yell, ‘Your team’ to him,” she confided. If Jennifer Garner should pass, the boyfriend would invariably call dibs, “My team.” If the new Nissan Micra drove by I would definitely shout, “Your team.”

The car is sold in Europe and Japan, where it is known as the March, but has never been available in the United States. There are no immediate plans for that to change, though Nissan hasn’t ruled it out way down the road. After all, the company has been looking for something smaller to slot beneath the Versa. The Micra goes on sale first in Thailand next month. Talk about an Off Off Broadway debut.

How’s it look? “The car has to charm a global audience,” said its designer, Makoto Yamane. “Its face had to look stylish and have an air of sophistication to it.” Charm? Style? Sophistication? From here, it looks all “F” grades on that report card.

Daewoo Matiz

The Daewoo Matiz is a city car produced by the South Korean automaker GM Korea, marketed worldwide since 1998 when it replaced the Daewoo Tico. It is available solely as a five-door hatchback with two engine configurations. The Matiz was originally designed by Italdesign Giugiaro, and has received two facelifts. Various generations of the car have been sold under both Daewoo and various GM brands, and have been manufactured and marketed under license agreements by local automakers in several countries. The Matiz was built between 1998 and 2006 over 2.3 million units in the world.

Honda Civic

The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded. Having gone through several generational changes, the Civic has become larger and more upmarket, and it currently slots between the Fit and Accord.

It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback that September. With the transverse engine mounting of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive like the British Mini, the car provided good interior space despite overall small dimensions. Early models of the Civic typically included a basic AM radio, heater, foam-cushioned plastic trim, two-speed wipers, and painted steel rims with a chromed wheel nut cap. As the years went by, it has become much more upscale with options such as air conditioning, power locks, power windows, leather upholstery, satellite-linked navigation, and a six-speed manual transmission. Initially gaining a reputation for being fuel-efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly, later iterations have become known for performance and sportiness, especially the Civic Type-R, Civic GTi and Civic SiR.

Audi R8 Le Mans Concept

The Audi R8 V12 TDI (later renamed the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans), was unveiled as a diesel engined concept car based on the Audi R8 (road car), was presented at the 2008 North American International Auto Show on 13 January, and the Geneva Motor Show in March. It was to use a 6.0 litre V12 engine, utilising Volkswagen Group's long-established Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) turbodiesel technology. This engine was rated 368 kilowatts (500 PS; 493 bhp), and 1,000 newton metres (738 ft·lbf) of torque. It uses Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel drive system, and is longitudinally mid-engined. It has a six-speed manual transmission. It accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour (0 to 62 mph) in 4.2 seconds, and its top speed is 325 km/h (202 mph).