Hybrids
Toyota Hybrid Le Mans Race Car Pre-Season Testing, Behind the Scenes – Video
With the recent announcement by Audi that it will enter a hybrid diesel R18 race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this season, Toyota is not going to have an easy time trying to take the checkered flag. That said, the Japanese automaker has been rigorously testing its entry, the TS030, a gasoline…
Hyundai i-oniq Concept Gets Lambo Doors: 2012 Geneva Auto Show Preview
New photos of the Hyundai i-oniq are giving the world a more in-depth look at the concept and what it offers. From the photos, we can see that the hybrid concept features scissor doors that stand straight up like a cartoon character in a stickup. Funky red seats that look like a mix between something…
Audi R18 E-tron Quattro Heading to 24 Hours of Le Mans With Diesel Hybrid Power
When Toyota revealed its TS030 LMP hybrid, the Japanese automaker had its targets sighted onto the reigning diesel Audi R18. However, the R18 is proving to be a fast moving target. Earlier this month, Audi announced that it will field two innovative diesel-hybrid LMP1 cars for the first time in its team of four at…
Hyundai i-Oniq Concept Previews Brand’s Future Design, Green Technology
Hyundai has released a lone photo of its new i-Oniq concept car, a vehicle that showcases the next generation of the Korean automaker’s styling and fuel-efficient technology. With a big commitment to 40 mpg gasoline engines and a modest push with conventional hybrids, the i-Oniq is a range-extended electric car, along the lines of the…
Bright Automotive Blames Department of Energy for Failure
Bright Automotive has just announced its plans to close up shop. It blames the Department of Energy (DOE) for not helping secure a $314 million loan. In a letter to DoE secretary Steven Chu, Bright execs wrote that the government failed them and ultimately lost “hundreds of great manufacturing and technical jobs … and thousands…
Toyota Prius Family Will Continue Growing, Exec Says
Toyota worked hard to bring the Prius nameplate from obscurity to common parlance, whether its loved by save-the-planet tree huggers or hated by gas-wasting macho men, few can feign ignorance to the world’s most iconic hybrid. “With the four cars, you’re seeing the entire Prius family short-term. For the long term, we continue to evaluate…
Infiniti Emerg-E Leaks Ahead of Geneva Motor Show Debut
One of the most hotly anticipated debuts of the upcoming Geneva Motor Show has leaked onto the web. Called the Emerg-E, the concept car is a look at a future halo model for the Infiniti brand. Details about the car are not yet available but Infiniti has previously announced it will be powered by an…
Toyota FT-Bh Video Teaser Previews Low Cost, Light Weight Hybrid Mini Car
Toyota has released a new selection of teaser images and a video, showing off some of the many angles on its upcoming FT-Bh Concept car. The hybrid mini-car is touted to have emissions roughly 50 percent lower than current segment competitors. What really makes the FT-Bh a big deal, however, is that unlike some recent…
Acura ILX Coupe Rendered into Reality
With the recent introduction of the ILX entry-level luxury sedan at the Chicago Auto Show, Acura is reportedly planning a two-door version to follow. Like the sedan, the ILX Coupe will borrow its underpinnings from the Civic – which already has a two-door offering. To illustrate just how the ILX Coupe could look, we’ve employed…
Infiniti Emerg-E Concept Revealed in Leaked Patent Images
Patent office design illustrations that give away the shape and contours of the Infiniti Emerg-E concept leaked today, showing us more than we expected to get before the 2012 Geneva Motor Show on March 6. Infiniti dropped a teaser video and photos a little more than a week ago to get us excited for their Emerg-E…
Toyota Targets 220,000 Prius Sales to Further Solidify Hybrid Dominance
Toyota took the lead early in the hybrid sales race, with the Prius gathering steam with each successive year. With the launch of the all-new Prius c for 2012, the hybrid exclusive range has now grown to four unique models paving the way for the badge to crush previous record years. Speaking at the launch…
2013 Volkswagen Golf to Shed Weight, Gain Technology
Later this year, Volkswagen will reveal its all-new Mk7 Golf (Spy photo shown above). A pivotal new car for Volkswagen, the Golf will be improved in almost all aspects, including a swath of more luxurious features. The staple hatchback will receive a wider range of powertrains including a natural gas variant, an electric variant, and…
New Vehicles are 14-Percent More Fuel Efficient Compared to Four Years Ago
An interesting study has just been released by the University of Michigan which compared the average fuel efficiency of vehicles made in 2012 compared to those manufactured in 2008. According to the report, there has been a 2.8-mpg improvement for cars (including station wagons) and a 1.6-mpg for light trucks (including pickups, minivans, vans, and…
Toyota FT-Bh Hybrid City Car Concept Teased: Geneva Motor Show Preview
Toyota is taking big steps towards moving hybrids down-market. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show the Japanese automaker will unveil the production version of its Yaris Hybrid and that’s just the start. Also set to be revealed is what Toyota is calling the FT-Bh concept. A size down from even the sub-compact Yaris, look for…
Select Jaguar C-X75 Will Receive Jet Engines
For decades, the recipe for a supercar had always been about stuffing a fire-breathing V12 engine in the middle. Some super cars receive the occasional quad-turbo W16, V10, and supercharged or turbocharged v8, but these all build upon pretty much the same idea. What many car enthusiasts have actually been wondering ever since they witnessed…
BMW 3-Series Getting 3-Cylinder Engine Soon
There are smaller engines on the horizon for BMW‘s 3-Series cars, though a specific date isn’t set yet. According to an article published by What Car?, BMW said it has exhausted engine technology within the currently offered sizes and that the future is to move towards smaller, more powerful technology. BMW already stepped in this direction by…
2013 Buick Regal Gets eAssist Hybrid Tech Standard
Posting respectable 2011 sales numbers, the quietly successful Buick Regal outsold the Audi A4, Lexus IS250 and Acura TSX last year. For 2013, the Buick Regal has received some drivetrain upgrades. First, the performance trim Buick Regal GS will receive an automatic transmission. Second, the 2013 Regal will possess eAssist technology as standard. Introducing the…
Watch the Lexus LF-LC Come to Life [Video]
Easily the most beautiful piece of sheetmetal unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, the Lexus LF-LC Concept stunned crowds with its technology, style and mystery – hinting at a future super coupe that’s still a few years off. Created by the brand’s Calty design studio in Southern California, one can’t help but wonder how…
Infiniti Emerg-E Plug-in Hybrid Sports Car to Get Mid-Engine Layout
Infiniti has announced that its upcoming plug-in hybrid sports car concept will be called the Emerge-E. Using a gasoline range-extended to add power and range to an electric powertrain, this will be the first such system used in an Infiniti product. The “advanced sports car concept” will also be the first Infiniti to use a…
Suzuki Announces 2012 Geneva Auto Show Display
Suzuki is starting to promote its display at next month’s Geneva Auto Show, which will feature two new cars aimed at reducing their owner’s carbon footprint. While both vehicles are designed for efficiency, they use different means to achieve that end. The Swift Range Extender goes about this with a strategy similar to the Chevy Volt…
Prius Plug-in Hybrid Gets Improved 95 MPGe Rating
Toyota is updating its figures for the Prius Plug-in Hybrid model ahead of the car’s launch, with improved numbers for both the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating and the remaining hybrid drive mpg rating. Previously Toyota had claimed the plug-in Prius would achieve 87 mpge using the electric mode and a 49 mpg once…
Toyota Prius c Pricing Starts at $18,950
At its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota promised that the new Prius c would be priced below the $19,000 mark. Full pricing info has yet to be released but a Toyota representative speaking at the car’s launch in San Diego this week has informed us that the sub-compact hybrid will come with a…
California Rules 15% of Car Sales Must be Zero-Emissions by 2025
Just when CAFE loosened standards and lowered from 56.5 MPG to 54 MPG by 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided to propose new and more stringent conditions for automakers that sell cars in California. The California Air Resources Board will not only enforce CAFE, but will also require at least 15.4 percent of…
Lawsuit Demands NHTSA Disclose Records From Toyota Investigation
After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation. According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway…
