“The LEAF is a new paradigm of the car,” Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told Reuters.

“LEAF represents a totally new transformational technology that will change the way people drive, use, and power their vehicles. And the time is right for this breakthrough.”

Sales of fuel-efficient vehicles have been one of the few relatively successful areas of the auto business in recent years.  Amid economic and environmental concerns, U.S. consumers are looking for a way to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

Many consider zero-emissions cars to be the way of the future.

Toyota and other car companies have been focusing on hybrid technology.  With its Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid, Toyota is clearly betting on the continued success of hybrid vehicles.

Nissan has other fully-electric plans.

Reports indicate that Nissan is betting everything on zero-emissions cars, and they are doing all they can to control every step in the manufacturing of these vehicles.

“With our alliance partner, Renault, we are taking a position which is unique in our industry which is a comprehensive approach that goes beyond our vehicles alone,” said Ghosn. “Our vision includes lithium-ion battery development and lifecycle management, infrastructure support and collaborative partnerships that educate and engage the public.”

Nissan’s website claims that the LEAF “performs like a V6,” although it also lists the car’s top speed at 90 miles per hour.

As long as the car has decent performance, it may not need to offer adrenaline thrills, even for exotic car fans.  That’s because exotic car enthusiasts are discovering a new way to drive their dream cars and still take car of the environment.

You can own a fuel-efficient or zero-emissions vehicle like the LEAF for your daily commute, reducing your reliance on gasoline.  Then on the weekends, you can rent an exotic car or join an exotic car club.

It’s the best of both worlds.  In addition to saving gas and money with your commuter vehicle, you’ll be able to experience the real thrill of driving an exotic vehicle like a Lamborghini or a Bentley.

Renting an exotic car or joining an exotic car club eliminates most of the hassle that goes with owning an exotic vehicle.  In addition to finding secure exotic car storage in Dallas and affordable insurance in Azle, exotic car owners need to deal with maintenance and high car payments.

Vehicles like the Nissan LEAF may soon make it possible to save the environment and still have a great time.  The LEAF will begin appearing in showrooms in late 2010.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer specializing in parenting, cars, genealogy, and crafts. She recently completed SE friendly web content for a Fort Worth Car Storage company.

Image of Chevy Volt at the Detroit Auto Show by Kevin Ward. See more of Kevin’s photos in his Flickr Photostream. Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Only Share A Like License.

General Motors recently announced that the new Chevy Volt will get the equivalent of 230 miles per gallon.  This announcement immediately drew criticism from some auto industry analysts.  The math used to reach the figure has come under fire, and a new system for determining gas mileage will be required to get an accurate number.

Yahoo Autos recently ran a story on this new Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) and the method for computing fuel economy.  The EPA has refused to back up GM’s claim of 230 miles per gallon.

To understand the difficulty, you first have to have a handle on how the Chevy Volt operates.  The car functions on electric power until that power is used up.  The expected battery range for the Volt is about 40 miles.  At that point, the vehicle transitions to the gasoline engine, experts predict will get about 35 miles per gallon.

All of this means that figuring gas mileage for the Volt is going to be somewhat problematic.  A mile per gallon rating will have to take into account the number of miles the car is driven.  If you drive 40 miles, you’ll get infinite gas mileage, since you’ll be using all battery power.  When the gasoline engine comes into play, things get trickier.

Regardless of the official number, there’s no doubt that the Chevy Volt and other EREVs offer an interesting alternative to gasoline engines and standard hybrid technology.  No matter how the mileage is computed, these cars will help Dallas residents save gas while driving.

Besides driving a new hybrid or EREV, Dallas residents can save gas in other ways.  You can drive a commuter car to work and then rent an exotic vehicle on the weekend.  This scenario represents a significant gas savings, since you are only driving the exotic vehicle for part of the week.

Another alternative to owning an exotic car is joining an exotic car sharing club.  Member of exotic car clubs share an entire garage of exotic vehicles and can use membership points to drive the exotic cars whenever they wish.  Inventory can include Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and other amazing cars.

For Dallas residents, fuel efficient options like the Chevy Volt may help make it possible to drive an exotic vehicle.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

Tesla Roadster

A celebrity favorite, the Tesla Roadster marries serious performance with environmental responsibility.  With a chassis based on the Lotus Elise, the Tesla Roadster is undeniably attention-grabbing.  And it’s green too.  The car, which goes from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, gets the equivalent of 120 miles per gallon.

Photo credit to Tim in Sydney. Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution Only. See more of Tim’s photos on Flickr.

Saab Aero-X

This beautiful concept car runs on pure ethanol, and its 2.8L Twin Turbo V6 engine will impress any exotic car fan.  The Aero-X can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and it boasts an impressive 400 horsepower.  Even more remarkable is the futuristic design; the entire driver’s compartment opens up.

Venturi Fetish

Even though this electric car tops out at around 100 mph, it makes up for its lack of speed with an incredible futuristic-looking exterior.  It can also go from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds and is capable of getting about 150 miles per charge.  The charge time is about an hour.

Audi R Zero

Even though it’s only a concept car, the Audi R Zero is pretty exciting.  With four electric motors (one for each wheel), this exotic vehicle gets 1091 total horsepower.  All that power contributes to some pretty impressive performance.  The Audi R Zero can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds.

Toyota FT-HS

The name of this car is an acronym for “Future Toyota Hybrid Sport,” and the car does what it’s designed to do.  It’s both green and impressively sporty.  A hybrid that produces 400 horsepower and can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, the FT-HS is also aimed at regular people.  The starting MSRP is expected to be in the neighborhood of $30,000.

Ronn Scorpion

Based right here in Texas, Ronn Motors has built an impressive hydrogen hybrid vehicle.  The Austin car manufacturer uses fuel injection to boost the performance of the car using “hydrogen on demand” technology.  The car’s exotic exterior makes it a fierce competitor in the green exotic vehicle market.

Even though some of these vehicles won’t be available for years, you can still drive your dream car today.  Exotic car sharing clubs are a great way to be eco-friendly and still drive a Mercedes or Lamborghini.  You only drive the car when you need an exotic vehicle, so sharing an exotic car might be even more green than owning one of these beauties.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

What we think of as “the Autobahn” is actually a 12,200 kilometer network of freeways in Germany, many of which of which have a posted recommended speed of 130 kilometers per hour (81 miles per hour).  However, these roads are famous for not having a blanket speed limit.

(Photo Credit Adam Hicks, Fort Worth, TX.) All rights reserved.

Being able to drive a Lamborghini on these German highways is a dream for many people.  With a top speed of over 300 kilometers per hour, this car could easily quadruple the posted speed limit on many US freeways.

The autobahn network has some speed limits.  Road junctions, construction areas, and other dangerous spots have a posted speed limit.  Also, temporary speed limits are imposed when weather conditions make high speeds unsafe.  When this happens, monitors above the road display the temporary limit.

Even when there isn’t a general speed limit, the autobahn roadways are not without rules.  The “Rechtsfarghebot” rule requires motorists to use the left lane only for passing other drivers.  Unless they plan to pass, drivers are expected to remain in the right lane.

The autobahn construction was actually officially begun during the 1920s and 1930s.  The autobahns are considered the first limited-access, high-speed network of roads.  Many of the autobahns were originally paved during World War II to help provide secret airports in tunnels and nearby woods.

However, the autobahns were not used extensively as roadways until the 1950s when most of the roads were repaired.  Some sections of the autobahns were not repaired until after the German reunification in 1990.

Since many of us cannot really realize out dream of driving a Lamborghini on the Autobahn, we can at least make the Lamborghini part a reality.  There are several options for exotic car fans, including renting a Lamborghini or joining an exotic car sharing club.

Another option is to participate in an automotive dream tour.  Those who participate in dream tours get to drive five high-performance cars in a single day.  The cars total about 2,000 horsepower.  One of these cars in a Lamborghini Gallardo.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance Search engine content writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.