– DaimlerChrysler plans to revive Germany’s Maybach luxury brand, with production beginning in fall 2002. Maybach will offer two body styles, each with a V-12 engine, and the car will be available in the U.S. Prices have not been released, but the car will compete with the likes of Bentley and Aston-Martin. Maybach was last made in 1940, when the “MM” emblem stood for Maybach Motorenbau; now the company will be called Maybach Manufaktur.
– Ford hopes to deliver nearly 40 miles to a gallon in city driving in its gas-electric hybrid Escape HEV, due in 2003. That would allow the 4-cylinder sport-ute to drive more than 500 miles on a tank of gas.
– James Bond is trading in his BMW on a new Aston-Martin for his next movie. The legendary British secret agent 007 drove Aston-Martins for three decades, starting with a DB5 in the 1964 film “Goldfinger.” He switched to a BMW Z3 in the 1995 release of “GoldenEye” and drove other BMW cars and motorcycles in two more recent movies. Aston-Martin says Bond (to be played by Pierce Brosnan) will be behind the wheel of a $228,000 V-12 Vanquish in a movie due for release in 2002, the 20th in the series.
– General Motors plans to test a new plastic by using it as a step assist on about 8,000 GMC Safari and Chevrolet Astro minivans. Thermoplastic olefin nanocomposite, or TPO nanocomposite, is 20 percent lighter than plastics on cars and is also more durable and recyclable, says Alan Tubb, executive director of science for GM research and development. GM will see how the material holds up as a step assist before considering other uses, most likely in car interiors. TPO is not yet suitable for use in body panels, Tubb says.
