Hybrids NewsAll News
Browse by News Category
Porsche 918 Spyder Production Model Teased
1
Included in a less-than-thrilling press release from Porsche today is a photo of what appears to be an early model of the production version of the 918 Spyder. Porsche first unveiled the vehicle at the Geneva Auto Show this year, stealing the show with the stunning and sophisticated concept. Several months later, Porsche confirmed the…
Honda Accord Hybrid Under Investigation for Braking Issues, ‘Unintended Acceleration’
The Honda Accord Hybrid is now the focus of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over possible faulty brakes and ‘unintended acceleration.’ NHTSA is currently looking into a crash involving a 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid, where the driver reports the brakes failed to work and the vehicle accelerated on its own,…
Mitsubishi Plug-In Hybrid SUV in the Works; Next-Gen EVO Also Slated to go Hybrid
After unveiling the U.S.-spec i-MiEV production car at the LA Auto Show last week, Mitsubishi has confirmed the electrification of its vehicles won’t end there. Next up is the Outlander SUV, which is set to get a plug-in hybrid powertrain when it launches in 2012. According to Mitsubishi electric vehicle manager Yoshikazu Nakamura, the next-gen…
Buick Regal To Get eAssist
The Buick Regal will get GM’s eAssist mild hybrid system next year, according to rumors on GM Inside News. The eAssist system will debut on the Buick Lacrosse 4-cylinder, an engine shared with the Regal. It is also expected to appear on thew upcoming Chevrolet Malibu, though eAssist is expected to remain exclusive on Buick…
Volvo To Introduce 1,000 Plug-In Hybrids For Test Program
Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby announced a pilot project that will see 1,000 plug-in hybrid models based on the C30 hatchback. The vehicles will be offered in unspecified European and Chinese locations, as well as California. The plug-in hybrids are part of an approach to meet growing demands for environmentally friendly vehicles, as well as boost…
LA 2010: 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid Debuts With 360 Horsepower
Infiniti brought out their new M35h, a hybrid version of the M sedan, packing a big V6 motor and the ability to hit 40 mpg on the highway. With 360 horsepower and a 7-speed automatic transmission, the M35h can get up to highway speed quickly, and can even cruise as fast as 62 mph on…
LA 2010: Kia Optima Hybrid Debuts With 40-MPG Claim
Poor Kia, always playing second fiddle to big brother Hyundai, including when it comes to Hybrids. Many months after the debut of the new Sonata Hybrid, the car’s twin, the new Kia Optima, now gets its own hybrid variant. Using the same 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor and lithium-polymer battery, the combined…
LA 2010: Buick LaCrosse eAssist Mild-Hybrid Gives 25 Percent Fuel Economy Jump
Buick‘s LA Auto Show press conference included the launch of two new vehicles that span the gamut from performance to fuel economy. Along with the new Regal GS performance mode, Buick also announced the introduction of the mild-hybrid LaCrosse – dubbed the LaCrosse eAssist. Taking a page out of Honda’s playbook, the LaCrosse eAssist uses…
LA 2010: Chevy Volt Wins Green Car of the Year Award
Today at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the group that hands out its Green Car of the Year award handed it over to Chevrolet for their Volt, which only made its official world premiere at the show the day before. The Green Car of the Year is awarded by the Green Car Journal which…
Porsche To Hire 100 Engineers, Likely For Hybrid R&D
Porsche is going on a hiring blitz, looking to recruit 100 engineers for its Weissach research center, ostensibly to help shore up ranks for the expected hybrid car blitz that was alluded to at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Porsche’s official press release (posted below the jump) directly mentions that engineers will be able to…
LA 2010: Honda Plug-In Hybrid to Use 4-Cylinder Engine, Deliver Up to 15 EV Miles
Along with the debut of the new Fit EV Concept at the LA Auto Show, Honda provided details on its first-ever plug-in hybrid powertrain that will hit the market over the next few years. While Honda has already said the system will be a two-mode hybrid and will be designed to work with a mid-size…
LA 2010: Kia Optima Hybrid Revealed
Kia took the wraps off their Optima Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show today, and no surprise here, it’s exactly the same as it’s corporate sibling, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Fortunately for the Optima, this gives the car a huge leg-up. Our review of the Sonata Hybrid was quite positive, and we expect the…
LA 2010: Nissan Ellure Concept Previews Future Sedans [Video]
The press release for Nissan‘s Ellure concept invokes the name of the sacred Datsun 510, but while the 510 was a diminutive, boxy sports sedan, the Ellure is swoopy and muscular, like a futuristic Maxima. With a front end supposedly inspired by the formal coat worn by Samurai, Nissan asserts that the Ellure makes no…
Hybrid Sports Cars Coming Says Porsche CEO
Porsche will expand its hybrid offerings into the realm of sports car in the future says the German automaker’s CEO. During the world premiere of the all-new Cayman R, Porsche Cars CEO Metthias Muller confirmed the upcoming launch of the new Panamera Hybrid as a followup to the Cayenne Hybrid. He then commented that Porsche…
Chevrolet Volt Wins Big From Automobile, Motor Trend
The Chevrolet Volt has won two major magazine awards, becoming Automobile Magazine’s Automobile Of The Year and Motor Trend’s Car Of The Year. Automobile called the Volt a “game changer”, and said that the car endured more scrutiny than any entry in recent memory, even devoting a ten page article to the car. The Volt’s…
Honda Stopping Sales Of Civic In Japan
In a move that would be unthinkable to most North American consumers, Honda will stop selling its ubiquitous Civic in Japan due to non-existant demand for the iconic compact. Japanese have been gravitating towards hybrids, ultra-compact cars and small minivans for some time now, leaving little room for the venerable Civic sedan, an extremely popular…
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Battery to Get Industry-Best 10 Year/100,000 Mile Warranty
When Hyundai launched its new Sonata Hybrid a few months back, skeptics wondered what the Korean automaker would do to back its hybrid powertrain. Known for one of the best warranties in the business on the rest of its products, no info was provided about a warranty on the new lithium-polymer setup used in the…
Jaguar C-X75 Concept Heading to LA Auto Show
One of the show-stoppers of the recent Paris Auto Show, Jaguar will make its new C-X75 Concept the center of attention at its booth at the LA Auto Show this week. Currently touring several high-traffic locations in LA, the supercar is drumming up a lot of interested for it’s incredibly high-tech powertrain, but even more…
Buick LaCrosse eAssist Gets 37-MPG Highway Thanks to Low-Tech Hybrid Powertrain
Perhaps groundbreaking new technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, General Motors has the new Volt electric car/hybrid thingy, but the company has also just announced the eAssist version of its Buick LaCrosse luxury car. Taking a page out of Honda’s playbook, the LaCrosse eAssist uses a relatively low-tech hybrid setup, combined with…
Toyota Offering Prius 10th Anniversary Edition in the UK
With 10 years of overwhelming sales success in the U.K. for the Prius, Toyota has announced a limited edition Prius exclusive to the U.K. And before you roll your eyes at the idea of a limited edition Prius, Toyota has managed to make it a tad bit more sporty and none of its accessories mess…
Audi A8 Hybrid To Debut In 2012 With Four Cylinder Engine
Audi is getting ready to launch an A8 Hybrid with a four-cylinder engine that will compete with the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S250 CDI, which uses a 4-cylinder diesel motor, and the S400 Hybrid. With a front-drive only V6 version of the A8 already on sale, the 4-cylinder hybrid model is a naturally progression for that brand,…
Audi Q5 Hybrid Leaked Ahead of LA Auto Show Debut [video]
Ahead of its official debut at the LA Auto Show next week several photos, videos and specs of the new Audi Q5 Hybrid SUV have leaked online. The hybrid Audi SUV will get an all-new hybrid setup, using a smaller 4-cylinder engine rather than the V6 option used in the big-brother Cayenne Hybrid S. Reportedly,…
Honda CR-Z Is Japan’s Car Of The Year For 2010
Honda‘s CR-Z sports hybrid has won the distinction of being voted Japan’s Car of the Year. Honda narrowly missed out on last year’s award when their Insight hybrid was beaten out by the mighty Toyota Prius. Hybrids enjoy a level of popularity in Japan that far exceeds the warm reception that they’ve been given in…
Honda To Give CR-Z Away Over Facebook
Honda is giving away a CR-Z via a Facebook promotion that asks contestants to upload a picture of themselves showing their “two sides”, which we’re assuming has something to do with Photoshop and not any sort of personality disorder. The “two sides” moniker plays on the CR-Z’s sporty and hybrid elements. Contestants will then be eligible to…
