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Tokyo Auto Salon 2011: Honda TS-1X is a Renventon Inspired CR-Z
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Lamborghini’s designers had gotten a hold of the Honda CR-Z. Despite its matte-black paint and wild bodywork the TS-1X Concept has nothing in common with the Reventon supercar. Based on the new hybrid sports car, the TS-1X gets a fighter-jet inspired aero kit that actually seems to work with…
Toyota Prius c Concept Previews Stylish Higher Mileage, Lower Cost Model
Announcing the launch of the Prius family of vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota unveiled the new Prius v hybrid, as well as a new smaller Prius concept. Called the Prius c Concept, the vehicle is an obvious evolution of the FT-CH concept that debuted at the Detroit show just a year ago. Designed…
Prius v Adds Versatility to the Only Hybrid that Matters [Video]
After 13 years on the market, Toyota has finally decided to expand the Prius name into a complete lineup of vehicles. And why not; the Prius has already grown into a brand, described by Toyota Division VP and General Manager Bob Carter as being synonymous with the very word hybrid in the same way Kleenex…
Chevy Volt Hatchback, MPV Coming Says General Motors CEO
Speaking just a day after Toyota officially announced the expansion of the Prius hybrid into a whole lineup of vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson has confirmed the Chevy Volt will follow a similar path. Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress, Akerson said both a hatchback and MPV version…
Detroit 2011: Audi A6 and A6 Hybrid Unveiled
Audi pulled the wraps off its redesigned executive class A6 and its hybrid variant at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The Audi A6 will be available in a choice of two gasoline and three TDI engines with power output said to range from 177 hp to 300 hp. Meanwhile, Audi engineers managed to make the…
Detroit 2011: Prius v Wagon, Prius c Concept Expand Prius Badge to a Four Car Brand
Fulfilling a promise from a year ago Toyota has expanded the Prius badge into a brand, unveiling a family of vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Along with the third-gen Prius and Prius Plug-in Hybrid, is the Prius v (a mid-size hatchback/wagon) as well as the Prius c Concept, which takes…
Detroit 2011: Ford C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Plug-In Hit Prius Square In The Junk
Although Toyota has been hyping their new Prius MPV for months, Ford‘s announcement of not one, but two hybrid minivans is sure to take the wind out of Toyota’s sails (no pun intended). The C-Max Hybrid and Energi (Ford’s name for the plug-in variant) will be 5-seaters only, and use a lithium-ion battery pack, considered…
Detroit 2011: Ford Vertrek Previews New Escape, Kuga [Video]
As part of Ford‘s “One World” plan, a single platform will be used across all markets worldwide. While we reap the benefits with the all-new Focus and C-Max, there can be trade-offs when different markets require different attributes in a vehicle. With the Ford Vertrek Concept, unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show, the Blue…
Detroit 2011: Chevy Volt Wins North American Car of the Year, No One Surprised [Video]
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Chevrolet Volt was awarded the 2011 North American Car of the Year. “It’s a great honor to be recognized as the North American Car of the Year,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson after being handed the award at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “Since…
Detroit 2011: C-Max Hybrid, C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid are The Future of Ford
Ford has just revealed two more examples of what kind of future the automaker is planning. Debuting at the Detroit Auto Show, the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi (plug-in hybrid) clearly show the Blue Oval’s plan to expand the electrification of the vehicle, while also enforcing its position that the compact car is the way…
Audi e-Tron Spyder: New Pictures
You might not find a crowd more receptive to electric cars than at the Consumer Electronics Show and so its no surprise that during his keynote address Audi CEO Rupert Stadler made his grand entrance behind the wheel of the company’s e-Tron Spyder. Audi is continuing to keep the focus on its electric car efforts…
Mercedes-Benz Planning Rival To BMW MegaCity
Not one to let its long-time rival capitalize on every niche, Mercedes-Benz is apparently working on a small city car to rival BMW’s MegaCity project. Although only sketches and clay models exist, a possible synergy with the Smart brand could exist, especially in light of the brand’s recent foray into electric vehicles. The vehicle’s styling…
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Travels 2,269 Miles Across America On Two Tanks of Gas
To help promote just how fuel efficient the new Sonata Hybrid is, the folks at Hyundai employed the expertise of hypermiler Wayne Gerdes. Known for achieving 1,445 miles on a single tank of gas in a Ford Fusion Hybrid and for traveling 1,065 miles in a Hyundai Sonata 4-cylinder, Gerdes was able to travel across…
Toyota Says Prius Will Be Best Selling Car in America by 2020
With recently announced plans to unveil a Prius family of vehicles at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, Toyota believes the vehicle that’s synonymous with hybrid technology will be the most popular car in America by 2020. “We will end the decade with Prius being the number one nameplate in the industry,” said Toyota’s U.S. VP…
Mercury Name Disappears From Showrooms As Brand Officially Dies
After 71 years of acting as Ford’s middle child, the final nail in the Mercury coffin was pounded in, as dealers removed all remnants of Mercury logos and signs from their dealerships, marking the end of the brand’s existence once and for all. Mercury vehicles ended production in October, although a final order for government…
BMW EfficientDynamics Concept i8 Spied at YAS Circuit in Abu Dhabi [Video]
Thanks to a forum member on TeamSpeed, we have some video, not to mention some rather impressive photos, of BMW‘s EfficientDynamics Concept hitting the track in Abu Dhabi. Painted mostly in silver, it’s likely the same car as the while model that first debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2009 and has been touring…
Ferrari 612 Replacement Specs Leaked: Hybrid AWD Exotic to Get 670-HP
We’ve reported several times that Ferrari‘s replacement for the 612 Scaglietti will debut at the Geneva Auto Show and that it will be an AWD hybrid, but now some official specs have reportedly leaked out. According to a knowledgeable source on TeamSpeed, the new luxury exotic (code named 151) will be powered by a 6.3-liter…
BMW i8 Is A Potential Moniker For Vision EfficientDynamics Concept
Fans of the BMW 8-Series grand tourer may be slightly disheartened to hear that the new eco-sports car coming from the Bavarian mark will wear the legendary designation that once adorned the Teutonic barges of the early 1990s. Of course, internet-land rumors can only go so far, and some reasoned analysis can always help sift…
Toyota Confirms Prius Vehicle Line; Prius MPV, Concept Debuts Planned for Detroit
Toyota will officially announce the launch of the Prius as its own vehicle line at the Detroit Auto Show in January with the introduction of two new versions of the popular hybrid. The unnamed new production model has been teased in the past and is believed to be an MPV-style vehicle with more functionality and…
General Motors Targeting 150,000 EVs by 2015 Says CEO
General Motors is working on a plan to more than triple sales of electric cars in the near future says company CEO Dan Akerson. According to a report by Automotive News, Akerson wants to reach this goal by the middle of the decade. Arguably, tripling sales of GM’s current EVs (ie. the Chevy Volt) wouldn’t…
Jay Leno Takes Delivery of His Chevrolet Volt [Video]
Jay Leno might be best known as a late night talk show host, but to automotive enthusiasts he’s regarded as a genuine car guy – and one that just happens to have millions of dollars to spend on his hobby. But instead of packing his garage full of rare Ferraris or the latest Bugatti (even…
Lotus City Car Concept Headed to Production in 2013
Lotus, a company best known for producing great sports cars like the Elise and the iconic Esprit, is about to head into a whole new direction. While it will continue building sports cars, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has announced that in October, 2013 the company will produce its City Car, which was shown as a…
Lexus ES300h in the Works, Suggests Trademark Filing
Lexus appears poised to introduce a hybrid version of its ES luxury sedan, based on documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The fact that luxury brands insist on using alphanumeric badges for their cars makes deciphering a new name child’s play. The proposed name for the new model is the ES300h, which…
2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Priced from $25,795
Hyundai has just announced that its new Sonata Hybrid will be priced from $25,795 – a roughly $5,500 premium over the standard vehicle and approximately $1,500 more than the Turbo version. A Premium package raises the price to $30,750. Using Hyundai Blue Drive hybrid setup the Sonata Hybrid combines a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder (which makes 169-hp…
