Hybrids
Detroit Preview: Secret Toyota Hybrid Concept A Subcompact
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Toyota has said it will unveil a new hybrid concept car at the Detroit Auto Show, and according to recent reports it will be a subcompact and will go on sale in 2012. Two teaser photos of the car most certainly show a small car and…
Leaked: More Honda CR-Z Hybrid Photos Give Detailed Look at Interior, Engine
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** New photos of the Honda CR-Z have surfaced online, this time showing the new hybrid sports car’s interior and engine. Inside the cabin looks quite premium and has a typically Honda design. The seats look extremely well bolstered, although head room doesn’t exactly look plentiful. There…
Report: Mazda to Source Toyota Hybrid Technology for Future Green Vehicles
Mazda has reached a general agreement with Toyota to use its hybrid technology for future products. According to a report in Japanese English daily Yomiuri Shimbun, Toyota will sell Mazda parts like the electric motor, control system and other major components of its industry-leading Prius. Like Toyota, Mazda’s electric components will come from Panasonic. The…
Report: Ford Plug-In Hybrid Due in 2011, Electric Car Next Year
At a technology briefing held today at Ford’s Advance Engineering Center in Dearborn, MI, company representatives gave a sneak peak at the automaker’s green plans. The lineup includes official introduction plans for both a battery electric vehicle and Ford’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The PHEV will arrive in 2011 and Ford has said it will…
Report: Kia Forte Koup May Get New Turbocharged Engine
Kia is examining the possibility of equipping the Forte Koup with a turbocharged engine in the future, helping the youthful two-door to deliver performance and improved fuel economy. In an interview with Automotive News, Kia’s VP of sales Tom Loveless said that it is, “a natural extension, if it makes financial sense.” For many automakers,…
Report: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Officially Launched With Retail Sales Starting in Late 2011
After displaying a concept version of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid (PHV) at the Frankfurt, Tokyo and LA Auto Shows, today Toyota officially announced the introduction of the production model in Japan. Starting immediately and carrying over the next six months, Toyota will build and ship 600 Prius PHVs to different markets around the world with…
Detroit Preview: New Toyota Dedicated Hybrid Concept to Debut in Detroit
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Toyota will debut an all-new hybrid concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in just a few weeks. This new concept will be a dedicated hybrid model, meaning that like the Prius, it will only be offered as a hybrid. Toyota has…
Report: Next Generation Nissan GT-R Could Be a 600-hp Hybrid
Nissan’s next generation of the iconic GT-R may be a hybrid sports car. According to a report in Japan’s Best Car magazine, the R36 GT-R could use a 440-hp gasoline engine mated to a 160-hp electric motor. This would allow the car to output as much as 600-hp in some modes, while attaining impressive fuel…
Report: Land Rover to Launch Diesel Hybrid Range Rover Sport Model in 2012
Land Rover is currently developing a diesel hybrid version of its Range Rover Sport model with a targeted sales date in 2012. A small fleet of five vehicles is expected to be road-ready and testing next year. Currently Range Rover has an excellent luxury and off-road image, but a terrible reputation when it comes to…
Report: First Photos of Mugen-Tuned Honda CR-Z Leaked
Hot on the heels of a leaked brochure outlining the many details of Honda’s upcoming CR-Z hybrid sports car, a similar brochure showing a modification package by famed Honda-tuner Mugen has appeared online. No details on the kit have been confirmed but judging from the photo we’re looking at a new aero package including front…
Leaked: Honda CR-Z Revealed as Official Brochure Sneaks Out
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Thanks to an official brochure that has slipped out, we now have our first glimpse at what the production version of Honda’s upcoming CR-Z hybrid sports car looks like. We also have the specs. As expected, little has changed from the concept version with the CR-Z…
Report: On-Again, Off-Again Infiniti Essence Concept May be On-Again
After previous reports had suggested Infiniti’s stunning Essence concept would never be any more than a shinny piece of auto show metal, word has now emerged that the luxury automaker may turn this fantasy into a reality. According to a report in Motor Trend, one Infiniti executive, Shiro Nakamura, once again referred to the hybrid…
LA 2009: Lexus Continues to Gauge Interest in a Premium Hatchback for the U.S.
Lexus continues to probe the U.S. market to see if it is ready and willing to accept a premium hatchback model. At the LA Auto Show, Toyota’s luxury division is displaying the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept that the company first introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Lexus has confirmed the model will inspire a production…
LA 2009: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Makes M Power, Passable Fuel Economy
The seconds of two production hybrids to get their North American debut at the LA Auto Show, the X6 ActiveHybrid joins the ActiveHybrid 7 in using the new green technology to make ridiculous amounts of power with modest (very modest) improvements in fuel consumption. In fact, BMW’s engineers have chosen to exploit hybrid technology to…
LA 2009: First Chevy Volts to Hit the Road in California, Starting Late Next Year
For what seems like the 100th time, Chevrolet was once again showing off its new Volt plug-in hybrid at the LA Auto Show, but what made this time special was an announcement about when the car will launch. Chevy has said the Volt will go on sale in late 2010, starting in California and expanding…
LA 2009: BMW Declares War on Lexus LS Hybrid with 455-hp ActiveHybrid 7
BMW officially declared war today on the Lexus LS hybrid, with its own hybrid version of the 7 Series. A hybrid 7 of any sort would be a serious competitor to the LSh, but the ActiveHybrid 7 is a true BMW, offering not only a dynamic drive (relatively speaking), but a big increase in performance…
LA 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept Gets 70 MPG, Could See Production
Volkswagen’s big news at the LA Auto Show was the world premiere of the Up! Lite Concept, a hybrid diesel based on the company’s upcoming small-car architecture – meaning it could very well see production. As a natural progression of the two-seater L1 concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show, this four-seater offers practicality…
LA 2009: BMW’s Futuristic Turbo-Diesel Plug-in Hybrid Arrives in LA
Undoubtedly the focal point of BMW’s display at the LA Auto Show, the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept embodies the German automaker’s high efficiency philosophy and is being shown in LA for the first time since its word debut in Frankfurt. The Vision ED Concept is also a true BMW, offering impressive fuel economy while not sacrificing…
LA Preview: Watch Out Lexus, BMW to Give Hybrid 7 Series its U.S. Debut in Los Angeles
Along with BMW’s futuristic Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, the German automaker will also showcase hybrid versions of the 7 Series and X6, both if which are slated to go on sale in the near future. The ActiveHybrid 7 uses the same twin-turbocharged V8 as found in the 750i, but pairs it with an electric motor and…
LA Peview: BMW’s Hugely Powerful, But Not So Efficient, X6 Hybrid Headed to Los Angeles
When BMW first introduced its X6 model, one of the many questions surrounding it was, “who wants a vehicle like this?” Apparently the answer is BMW engineers. The X6 platform seems to be a favorite for the German automaker’s latest and greatest technology. After introducing two standard gasoline versions of the CUV, it was then…
LA Preview: Volkswagen Bringing 170-MPG L1 Concept to LA Auto Show
As amazing as the 71-mpg Polo BlueMotion model is that Volkswagen plans to show at the LA Auto Show next week, the German automaker will also show another fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more than double that car’s mpg rating. Called the L1 Concept, this tiny two seater uses just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100…
LA Preview: Prius PHV Concept Set to Plug-In at Los Angeles Auto Show
After first debuting in Frankfurt and then traveling to Tokyo, the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept is set debut on U.S. soil for the first time at the LA Auto Show next week. Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric…
Report: Toyota Shelves Plans for Entry-Level Prius I Model
Remember back when Honda announced pricing for its Insight hybrid would start at under $20,000 and Toyota, in a bid to compete, said it would offer the Prius for just $21,000? Several months later, and the launch of the Prius II, III, IV and V and Toyota is now saying the Prius I isn’t likely…
LA Preview: Subaru Announces Hybrid Engine for 2012
In a weeks time at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Subaru will display its Hybrid Tourer Concept which will be the focal point of an announcement that the Japanese automaker will introduce a hybrid engine in 2012. The new gas/electric hybrid engine will be a first for Subaru and will be based on one of…
