Hybrids
Report: Hyundai ix-Metro Hybrid Crossover Concept Coming to Frankfurt
Along with an electric version of the company’s tiny i10, Hyundai will also unveil an innovative hybrid CUV concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show in just over a weeks time. As a part of Hyundai’s Blue drive initiative, the ix-Metro is powered by a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. Designed…
Report: Mercedes BlueZERO E-Cell Plus Plug-in Hybrid Concept Coming to Frankfurt
We’ve already seen a pre-production electric B-Class concept and a hydrogen fuel-cell B-Class concept. Now Mercedes is readying a plug-in electric hybrid based on the B-Class chassis, which will debut in a more complete form at the Frankfurt Auto Show in just a few weeks time. Called the BlueZERO E-Cell Plus Concept this model can…
Official: Lexus LF-Ch Concept Revealed in First Official Photo
The first official photo of the upcoming Lexus hybrid hatchback concept car has been released. The new car, expected to be called the CT200h when it finally makes its way to production in 2010, is being called the LF-Ch by Lexus for now. Originally designed specifically for the European market, which will not get the…
Report: Toyota Dealers Price Gouging on 2010 Prius Models
Several reports of price gouging on the new 2010 Prius have been reported at Toyota dealerships across the country. While the $4,500 rebate offered with the (now completed) cash-for-clunkers program made the Prius an attractive buy, many dealerships were apparently engaging in a little creative market value adjustment of their own, to capitalize on the…
Report: Land Rover LRX Hybrid to Debut Next Year
Land Rover’s smaller, fuel-efficient SUV model based on the LRX Concept, is expected to debut next year as a 2011 model. Several drivetrains will be offered including a hybrid powerplant – a first for Land Rover. The date for the unveiling is expected to be June 17th, which will mark 40 years since the original…
Report: Toyota Prius Coupe To Be Designed in Italy
The upcoming Toyota Prius Coupe will add plenty of eye-catching passion to its environmentally-sound drivetrain thanks to a body that will be designed in Italy. Japan’s BestCar magazine has reported that an Italian coachbuilder will be outsourced to provide the design for the two-door Prius, with the possibilities being Pininfarina or Italdesign Giugiaro. The choice…
Report: Demand for Lexus HS250h Outpaces Supply
Demand for the new 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrid sedan is so high in Japan that the automaker fears it might not be able to keep up with expected sales volumes in the U.S. The world’s first stand-alone luxury hybrid has just gone on sale in Japan and its popularity has far exceeded expectations. Toyota initially…
Report: Lexus to Offer Entry-Level CT200h Hybrid Hatchback in U.S.
Lexus is set to debut a new hatchback model for the European market at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month and now word comes that the U.S. may also get this luxurious hot-hatch. Initially it was believed that the baby Lexus would not be offered in North America as it would be too close to…
Report: Lexus Teases European Market CT Hatchback
Lexus has just released a quick teaser image of a new model the luxury automaker will unveil at the Frankfurt auto Show this September. The car is a hatchback and is designed specifically for the European market. It is also expected to be a hybrid as Europe will not get the HS250h hybrid model. Small…
Gallery: The Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach
While the real stars of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are the vintage autos, the Concept Lawn is a special place where future show-stoppers are put on display. While some of the models are actually concepts, many are rare coachbuilt models and a few are full-production cars. In the concept category there was the luxury…
Report: BMW Unveils ActiveHybrid 7 Series
Just moments after releasing details on the company’s new X6 hybrid, BMW has now unveiled a new ActiveHybrid version of the 7 Series. The ActiveHybrid 7 uses the same twin-turbocharged V8 as found in the 750i, but pairs it with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack to make 455hp and 516 ft-lbs of…
Official: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid is World’s Most Powerful Hybrid With 480hp
BMW has finally made good on its promise to deliver a hybrid model… and in true BMW fashion it puts performance first. The x6 ActiveHybrid uses a the 400hp twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the X6 and combines it with two electric motors to achieve a massive 480hp and 575 ft-lbs of torque, enabling the X6…
Report: Toyota Forced to Slow Prius Production as Battery Supplier Can’t Keep Up With Demand
The 2010 Prius has been a popular car for Toyota since it first went on sale several months ago, but the pace of sales will slow considerably over the next few months. The reason for the lull is that the Prius’s battery supplier, Panasonic EV, can’t keep up with the demand. The third-generation of Toyota’s…
Report: European Entry-Level Lexus Hybird to Get CT200h Badge
A post on one of TopGear’s blogs last week had everyone chatting about a new Lexus hybrid designed to take on the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 in Europe. Now word comes from Lexus enthusiast site My.IS that the rumored Lexus C-Premium concept, which will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall, will arrive…
Report: Toyota Not Planning Hybrid Yaris After All
In a strange turn of events, a source inside Toyota has told the U.K.’s AutoCar that the Japanese automaker isn’t looking to build a hybrid version of the Yaris. The source says the car won’t be built in France, Japan or anywhere; not yet anyway. Toyota does plan to build hybrid versions of every car…
Report: BMW to Debut Green Sports Car Concept at Frankfurt Auto Show
What’s the best way to get people to stop talking about how much of a failure you were in Formula One? Why, announce that you’re building an environmentally responsible sports car, of course! That seems to be the public relations campaign being waged by BMW today as BMW board member Dr Klaus Draeger reportedly told…
Toyota Planning Yaris-Based Hybrid for Sale in Japan, Europe
Just a few weeks after Toyota officially announced that it would build a hybrid version of the Corolla-based Auris in the U.K., new reports suggest a similar (but smaller) model is being prepared for Japan and Europe. The car would be built in Japan for the Japanese market and Toyota has plans to build a…
Report: Honda Fast-Tracking List of Updates to Improve Insight
According to the U.K.’s Autocar, Honda is fast-tracking a list of updates for the Insight originally scheduled for a mid-cycle makeover that’s still several years off. The focus of the changes will be to further improve fuel-economy, which while impressive at 40/43 mpg (city/highway), lags significantly behind the 2010 Prius and its 51/48 mpg rating….
Report: Acura NSX to Return as All-Wheel Drive Hybrid
The latest bit of Acura NSX gossip points to a return of the luxury Japanese automaker’s flagship sports car, but as an all-wheel drive hybrid. 7Tune is reporting from their sources that when the next generation NSX (known as the Advanced Sports Car Concept) was canned, it was actually more of a temporary matter as…
Report: GM Launches ChevroletVoltage Social Networking Site to Help Promote Upcoming Volt
To help promote the upcoming Chevrolet Volt and provide owners and potential owners with a place to discuss the ground-breaking car, General Motors has launched a new forum called ChevroletVoltage.com. And to help kick-start interest in the forum, GM has released a video of the build process for the prototype Volt cars. The Voltage…
Report: Mazda to License Hybrid Technology From Toyota
Mazda is reportedly in talks with Toyota over the prospect of licensing hybrid technology from Japan’s largest automaker for use in future green cars. Currently Nissan has a similar arrangement with Toyota for the Altima Hybrid. Mazda currently has one hybrid model, the Tribute HEV (pictured above), which is based on the Escape Hybrid and…
Honda Confirms CR-Z Hybrid and Fit Hybrid for 2010
Honda has just confirmed that it will build two additional hybrid models that will go on sale in Japan starting in February 2010. The first is the highly-anticipated CR-Z hybrid and the second is a hybrid version of the sub-compact Fit. Both models will use Honda’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system, a less sophisticated…
Hyundai Brings Elantra LPI Hybrid to Market in Korea
Today Hyundai introduced a hybrid version of its compact Elentra sedan for the Korean marketplace. This mild-hybrid system makes use of an unconventional 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that is powered by LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), or what is also known as propane. That engine is then mated to an electric motor, which receives its power from…
Top Chevy Volt Engineer Says Hybrid Has the “Feel of a Sports Car”
Last week Andrew Farah, Chevrolet’s top Engineer responsible for the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid, said that the car would be a sporty rival to Japanese alternatives. Now he is taking that claim a step further, telling Automotive News that it will have, “the feel of a sports car.” In fact, Farah doesn’t say that the…
