Ford's all-new diesel engine, code-named "Scorpion," in part is a tribute to the noisy, 1980s hair band that brought the world "Rock You Like A Hurricane." But when you hear the hum of the 6.7-liter diesel V-8 Power Stroke engine, slated to go into Ford's 2011 Super Duty pickup line, it will produce much softer music to your ears.

"Years ago, our customers gave us a lot of feedback," explains Scott DeRaad, Scorpion's noise-vibration-harshness engineer. "They would go through a drive-through window and would have to shut off their truck just to order a cheeseburger."

Scorpion nearly silences the typical diesel clangs and rattles without quashing fuel economy or power. It achieves gasoline-like rhythm with 30,000-psi, common-rail injectors that can send out up to five pulses of fuel per piston cycle. At idle, two "pilot" preinjections followed by a main burst of energy emit less sound than a diesel's traditional big bang.

The noise pollution that other diesels crank out "just doesn't sound modern," adds DeRaad. "That sounds like some sort of farm utility. We want it to sound like a performance engine, so we knocked the clatter out."

--Tudor Van Hampton

BMW will debut its plug-in hybrid, the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which takes place September 15-27 this year.

BMW designed the concept is a plug-in hybrid with a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that delivers the performance of the BMW M as well as dramatically low fuel consumption. BMW claims a 0-62 in 4.8 seconds.

Fuel economy is higher than some of the smaller vehicles now on sale; it scored 62.6 mpg (U.S.) on the E.U. combined test cycle. The engine is supplemented by two electric motors, one positioned in between the diesel engine and the DCT transmission outputs 33 horsepower (HP) and a second motor outputs 80 HP and acts on the front axle. Extra horsepower is available for short periods on both motors. Overall system output is 356 HP; peak torque is 590 lb-ft.

The vehicle has a 1.5-liter turbo diesel paired with a six-speed double-clutch transmission (DCT) derived from the M3 and Z4 transmissions. DCT allows the driver to shift gears with no interruption of power.

The concept is able to run about 31 miles on electricity alone and using fuel in 6.6-gallon tank the car can run another 400 miles. Electrical energy consumption is comparable to the Volt and employs regenerative braking to recharge batteries. Based on European standards of 220 Volt, 16 amps, BMW estimates the time needed to recharge the system is 2 ½ hours.

The concept, which weighs 3,076 pounds, uses aluminum and light-sensitive polycarbonate to reduce weight and LED lighting to reduce energy consumption. BMW is experimenting with other systems to save energy like a radar sensor for active cruise control that would preemptively switch off the engine and trigger regenerative braking if traffic is slowing down.

--Kate McLeod

September 3, 2009 -- Cars are not the only vehicles on the road that are going hybrid. New York City is testing out a new type of hybrid bus powered by a diesel turbine and electric motor. So far, it is the only bus in New York that meets U.S. diesel-emission standards for 2010 without the need for any exhaust aftertreatment.

"The bus is revolutionary," says Joseph Smith, senior vice president of MTA New York City Transit. "It has no starter, no transmission, no water pump and no engine radiator." The turbine comes with a 12-year warranty and requires no oil changes.

Here's how it works: A turbine replaces the typical piston engine that powers most of New York's 4,600-bus fleet. It runs a generator that charges up lithium-ion batteries, which in turn power the wheels. The diesel-electric drive also can take advantage of regenerative braking, much like an automotive hybrid.

Made by DesignLine International USA or Charlotte, N.C., the bus is super-quiet, says MTA. It is the first of eight buses scheduled for 90-day trial in the harsh streets of the Big Apple.

--Tudor Van Hampton

September 1, 2009 --- About 700,000 taxpayers benefited from the Clunker program, which kept trying to end and finally succeeded on August 25th at 8 pm. The U.S. Transportation Department says that applications submitted by the deadline would amount to $2.88 billion just under the $3 billion budget. This does not include reapplications of rejected filings that dealers are allowed to submit after the deadline. It doesn't include administrative costs either and staffing has been increased sixfold to about 2,000. Dealers are still struggling to get paid.

Edmunds.com analysts said that in May and June, the average fuel efficiency of recently purchased new cars was 21.8 miles per gallon. That average jumped to 23.2 mpg when the Clunker program launched, a 6.1 percent improvement. New vehicles from the Clunker program now average of 24.3 mpg.

The average fuel efficiency of trade-ins had been 20.0 mpg prior to the Clunker program; that number has dropped 9.0 percent to 18.3. The average clunker trade-in got 16.1 mpg. Thirty-nine percent of all recent trade-ins qualified as clunkers.

--Kate McLeod