Hybrids NewsAll News
Browse by News Category
Toyota To Offer AC Electric Outlets On Japanese Market Prius Models
For next year, Toyota will start offering AC electric outlets as an option on the Prius hybrid so drivers can plug in accessories or appliances to their car. Toyota developed the idea through the March 11 earthquake disaster in which people used the Toyota Estima hybrid van (pictured above) as a source of emergency electricity when the power…
Volkswagen Up! Released Schedule Leaked; Official Debut in August
Important dates for the release of the Volkswagen Up! models have been leaked. The highly anticipated city vehicle will have its world premiere on August 22 in Paris. Following the premiere, the Up! vehicle will be present at the Frankfurt auto show in September 2011, and the official release for the 3-door hatchback is scheduled…
BMW Targets 25% Sales Growth by 2020, 2 Million Vehicles Annually
German auto giant BMW wants to become a bigger giant, as it looks to expand its annual production volume from 1.5-million vehicles/year to 2-million vehicles by 2020. Herbert Diess, BMW’s board member in charge of purchasing said in a recent interview that this expansion will come by the way of reducing purchasing costs, while keeping…
Russian Hybrid SUV Back-Ordered For The Next Decade
In Soviet Russia, opulence has you! The latest car designed and built in Russia is an SUV, but it isn’t decked out in armor or whale penis leather—it’s a hybrid, and it’s been so popular that the waiting list is backlogged for the next 10 years. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the BMW…
2012 Lexus GS to Bow at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Infiniti won’t be the only Japanese luxury brand with something to unveil at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Our source inside Toyota let slip that the all-new, fourth generation Lexus GS luxury sedan will break cover at the world’s most prestigious historic car show. When asked for confirmation, Lexus Communications Manager Ming-Jou Chen was…
Volvo Plans To Produce Three Electric Vehicles
Volvo is currently working on developing several green technologies including an electric C30, a flywheel hybrid system and a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid system. This week, Volvo announced that it’s working on a more ambitious project -three unique range-extended electric drive setups. Volvo is working with the Swedish Energy Agency and the European Union to develop this technology….
NYPD to Get 50 Chevy Volt Police Cars
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today unveiled the first of what will be a fleet of 50 Chevrolet Volt NYPD police cruisers, which will hit the treacherous and busy streets of Manhattan this year. “This is the latest and largest-ever addition of electric vehicles to the City’s fleet, which is already the largest municipal…
Fisker Karma Nears Production, Leonardo DiCaprio To Get The Very First One
The birth of the Fisker Karma has not been easy. The project has seen delays and customers have seen the price go up over the years, before the car even set foot on any showroom floor. However, it now seems that the project is finally well on its way to hit the open road, as…
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Plug-In Hybrid Heading to Production
Mitsubishi is investing heavily in the plug-in hybrid craze with reports coming out that their 2009 Tokyo Motor Show concept Outlander Sport plug-in hybrid will make its way to North American markets by 2013. The hybrid crossover is being promoted by Mitsubishi as being environmental with on-road performance thanks to its electric powertrain combined with…
Chevy Volt Owners Clock 2 Million Miles, Two-Thirds on Electric Power
There have been hybrids on our streets for some time, and even a few fully electric vehicles. However, the Chevrolet Volt is the first mass produced plug in hybrid to be offered to the general public. It can either drive up to 40-miles on just electric power on a full-charge, or when this power source…
Despite Earthquake, Toyota Anticipates 2011 Prius Sales To Best 2010
Sales of the Prius in 2011 are expected to surpass even the number sold in 2010 says Toyota, despite the disastrous earthquake in Japan that limited production of the popular hybrid. Toyota has been shifting all its resources to ensure production of its hybrid model is top priority after hitting a 61-percent drop in June…
Nürburgring Inspired Lexus CT200h Concept Hints At Higher Powered Model
Lexus of Australia is using the Australian International Motor Show to gauge interest in a sportier CT200h packed with aerodynamic and performance enhancements to the hybrid hathback. The CT200h Concept was inspired by the Gazoo Racing Nürburgring CT race car, and could feature elements that Lexus may introduce into the local Australian market. The CT200h…
VW Golf Twin Drive Plug-In Hybrid Prototype Begins Testing Ahead of 2013 Launch
Volkswagen has unveiled its latest Golf Twin Drive plug-in hybrid prototype. This vehicle is a more refined and updated version of the Golf Twin Drive hatchback released in 2008. It has an electric-range of 35 miles and will use a direct-injected 1.4-liter gasoline engine that can achieve 559 miles. The electric traction motor cranks out…
Subaru Aims to Grow Sales 37 Percent by 2016
Subaru is the latest automaker to announce ambitious mid-term goals, with a new “Motion-V” plan designed to boost global vehicle sales 37 percent. Having already achieved incredible success over the past several years in North America, the Japanese automaker looks to continue that growth, forecasting a 24 percent rise in sales by 2016, up from…
Nissan Begins Global Proving Tests For NV200 Based Electric Vehicles
Nissan has launched a global proving test program for their compact electric commercial vehicle NV200. The Japanese automaker began the test with Japan Post Service. The postal service will be provided with the NV200 to carry out postal collection for two months in Yokohama. The vehicle will be tested in real world conditions to help fine tune small aspects of the…
Lexus CX300h Planned as Down-Sized RX Luxury Crossover
Toyota has plans to introduce six new hybrids to their lineup by 2012. One of them is likely a smaller luxury SUV for Lexus, with the company’s tried-and-tested hybrid drivetrain. The SUV would be dubbed the CX300h, in Lexus naming nomenclature, and would bank off the success of the larger RX. It would probably share a…
Honda CR-Z Mugen RR Concept Previews Tuner’s New Look at Goodwood
It looks like Mugen isn’t stopping with its CR-Z Concept. Along with that 200-hp supercharged hybrid the famed Honda tuner is rolling out a motorsports-inspired CR-Z at the Goodwood Festival of Speed The Honda CR-Z Mugen RR Concept represents Mugen’s racing spirit and is intended to give a look at the brand’s future design language….
HOV Access For Hybrid Vehicles in California Expires Today
Get back into traffic with the rest of us, electric vehicles… your time is up. If you’re in California and drive a hybrid, today is the day your six-year privilege to the HOV lane expires. About 85,000 hybrid vehicle owners have to share the regular highway lanes, as the yellow sticker that gave them access…
Porsche LMP1 Entry Could be a Hybrid Admits Motorsports Boss
When Porsche returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in search of its 17th overall victory in 2014 the famed German sports car maker could rely on hybrid power to do so admits motorsports boss Hartmut Kristen. Commenting in a release issued by Porsche on its return to the top-tier of sports car racing…
Toyota Prius Plus Performance Package Gets TRD Styling and Handling Upgrades
Proof that the Prius isn’t just for greenie eco-nuts, Toyota has just released a new Prius Plus Performance package for the world’s most popular hybrid. Just don’t look for added performance under the hood – even if the parts are made by Toyota Racing Development (TRD). In many ways an aesthetic package, the list of…
Toyota Planning Electric Car Blitz in 2012 with Sales of Prius PHEV, RAV4 EV and Scion iQ EV
The leader in hybrid technology, Toyota will make a big push into further electrifying its fleet when it begins retails sales of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, as well as two fully electric vehicles, next year. Toyota has confirmed that along with the Prius PHEV, it will begin selling an electric version of the RAV4 compact…
Toyota Issues Recall For Highlander And Lexus RX400h Hybrids
Toyota has officially announced a recall of certain 2006 and 2007 model year Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles. The recall will affect 45,500 Highlander hybrids and 36,700 RX 400h’s. The issue stems from the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the hybrid system inverter that contains a control board with transistors. Certain transistors on the…
2011 Nissan Leaf Takes On Laguna Seca [Video]
Last Sunday, the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosted Refuel 2011, the third annual track day for electric cars and motorcycles. The event was open to anyone with an electric car, ranging from the Tesla Roadster to DIY conversion cars. This year’s event was the first time that fully electric production vehicles from mainstream car makers…
Honda Insight Rally Car Deemed Too Fast To Race
The world’s greenest race car has been banned from racing—for being too fast. God forbid. Like the great race cars of history, kneecapped for being too dominant, the Oaktec Honda Insight joins the Porsche 917 and Brabham BT46 as one of the quick yet misunderstood motorsport legends. Developed for Formula 1000 rallying, the hybrid Insight…
