The all-electric Nissan Leaf was named the 2011 World Car of The Year at the New York Auto Show

The all-electric Nissan Leaf was named the 2011 World Car of The Year at the New York Auto Show on Thursday.

The Leaf, which went on sale in the United States in December and is also available in Japan and Europe, beat the BMW 5-Series and the Audi A8 for the top spot.

"It is a great joy that the world's first, mass-marketed electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf, has won the prestigious award," said Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn.

Ghosn has been an outspoken booster of electric vehicles, predicting that they will account for 10% of the global auto market by 2020. Nissan plans to release it in other global markets in 2012.

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By then, almost every major automaker plans to have at least one plug-in car on the market. Toyota alone will have three, including the Rav4 EV SUV and the Prius plug-in.


General Motors' Chevrolet Volt went on the market at almost the same time as the Leaf and has also won several prestigious awards, including North American Car of The Year at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

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The Leaf is a zero-emission car, powered by a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged in about eight hours. It has a 100-mile range.

Unlike the Leaf, the Chevy Volt has a battery range of only 40 miles. A gasoline engine kicks in after that.

The Leaf was ranked No. 2, behind the natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX, in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's Greenest Car list last year.

The Nissan has a sticker price of about $33,000, but after a federal tax credit of $7,500, the car costs about $25,000. The Leaf is considerably less expensive than the Volt, which costs around $40,000, or about $32,500 after the tax credit.

The World Car of the Year awards announced at the New York Auto Show are chosen by a panel of automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America- CNN

It's back! Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 coming next year!!!!

The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was a performance monster, featuring an all-aluminum engine displacing 427 cubic inches that was originally intended for racing. Just 69 units were built, and they are highly coveted by collectors today. Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that Chevrolet chose to resurrect this classic moniker for what it is calling the fastest and most technologically advanced Camaro ever built.

At this point, specifications are still preliminary, but Chevrolet is estimating that its supercharged and intercooled 6.2-liter LSA V8 engine will put out around 550 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. Those ponies will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission using a dual-disc clutch that's necessary to properly harness all those horses. There's also a dual-mode exhaust system that alters the sound level and character in response to engine rpm.

Chevrolet tells us that its goal was to build "a Camaro intended to reach optimal lap times on top road-racing circuits and excellent driving dynamics on the street." To that end, the 2012 Camaro ZL1 will be fitted with a new electric power steering system and Magnetic Ride Control that will offer both Tour and Sport modes. Brembo brakes measuring 14.6-inch (370 mm) in the front (with six-piston calipers) and 14.4-inch (365 mm) at the rear (with four-piston calipers) bring it all back down from speed.

Naturally, there's an updated body kit to differentiate the ZL1 from lesser machines. Most notable are the redesigned fascia that features a front splitter, vertical fog lamps and air intakes designed for brake cooling. There's also a new aluminum hood with a raised, satin black-finish carbon fiber insert that uses a unique air extractor that is said to increase downforce by directing oncoming air over the car. There's also a spoiler at the rear of the car and new 20-inch aluminum wheels fitted with specially developed Goodyear Supercar F2 tires.

Chevrolet promises to have the Camaro ZL1 on dealer lots in the beginning of 2012, and it will be available in any color offered on the Camaro. We can hardly wait. In the meantime, check out all the details in the video and press release after the break, and feel free to drool over the high-res image gallery below.
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