Hybrids
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Nissan has had great success with its GT-R revival and will soon be launching a new version of its giant-killing sports car. The success has spurred Acura to launch a new generation of its NSX and Toyota to bring back the Supra, and soon we may be able to add Mitsubishi to that list. It’s recently been reported that Mitsubishi will be culling its Lancer Evolution X by the end of this year, and that a successor may be several years away still. Now a report is claiming that the successor may not be a sporty sedan but a 2+2 sports car, a potential successor to the automaker's 3000GT (GTO...
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X To Be Discontinued This Year: Report
Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution is getting on in years, with the current generation, the Evo X, having been with us since the 2008 model year. Mitsubishi has hinted at launching a radically different successor, but there’s no official word that we’ll ever see such a car in the next...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford Parodies Caddy's Poolside Ad Using Ford C-Max Energi: Video
Remember Cadillac's ad for the ELR range-extended electric coupe? Of course you do. You were either whooping in agreement or throwing things at your computer screen at the time. Your emotions might be a little less extreme with Ford's parody ad for the C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid. A wry smile...
Antony Ingram -
Volvo Gives Update On Flywheel Tech, Eyes 2020 Rollout
About a year ago we brought you the first details on a flywheel-based hybrid system Volvo is developing that could reduce fuel consumption by up to 25 percent. Volvo has since partnered with Flybrid Automotive, part of transmission specialist Torotrak, to further develop the technology and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW i8 Sounds Far More Interesting Than We Expected: Video
BMW seems to be in love with the idea of adding fake sound generators to their vehicles these days. That's a shame since the engines can sound quite exciting on their own, with no help from false sources. Still, a car that will require some fake sound generation is the BMW i8, since it is capable...
Jeff Glucker -
Jay Leno Takes A Second Spin In The Porsche 918 Spyder: Video
Following its world debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show late last year, Porsche’s new 918 Spyder is slowly making its way into buyer hands. Avid Porsche fan Jay Leno hasn’t confirmed if he’s bought one yet (he's already bought a McLaren P1), but he did recently take a closer...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In late 2011, BMW and Toyota signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration on a number of projects, one of which was joint development of a sports car platform that would underpin a model for each automaker. While Toyota has made little secret of its plans for the new platform, having presented the FT-1 sports car concept and renewing its Supra trademark in the past couple of months alone, BMW’s lips have remained sealed. Given the expected size of the platform, we’re unlikely to see BMW use it for a revived 8-Series. Instead, it will likely be used for BMW’s next...
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2015 BMW i8 Specs Finalized As Production Starts
BMW’s new i8 plug-in hybrid sports car made its official world debut at 2013’s Frankfurt Auto Show, but development of the car’s advanced powertrain has been ongoing in the lead up to the start of production in just a few weeks. BMW has revealed that in parallel to the completion...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Sbarro Sparta Concept: Hybrid Rally Racer Makes Geneva Debut
The Sbarro Sparta, an all-wheel-drive hybrid rally car that made its debut at this week's Geneva Auto Show, has a lot of great ideas for an affordable production all-wheel-drive performance car. For instance, the model packs a mid-mounted Peugeot 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which drives the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Buying A BMW i8? Get The Matching Set Of Luis Vuitton Luggage
Future owners of BMW's i8 plug-in hybrid sports car will be a discerning bunch. Rather than opting for the obvious Porsche 911, they'll have bought into a progressive, innovative vehicle which plays as much on economical gains as it does outright performance. It'd be a shame, then, to sling any old...
Antony Ingram -
Sporty Volkswagen Golf GTE Plug-In Hybrid Heads To 2014 Geneva Motor Show
First, there was the Golf GTI. Then, the diesel-powered Golf GTD. And when Volkswagen's plug-in hybrid Golf makes its debut next month at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, it will carry the GTE badge, for GT Electric--marking the plug-in hybrid Golf out as something more than a mere eco-friendly version...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota FT-1 Concept Will Spawn New Supra: Report
Toyota has made little secret of the fact it's keen for new mid-size sports car to fill the void left by the Supra’s exit from the market early last decade. And at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show last month, Toyota pulled the covers off its FT-1 concept, which looks very much like a Supra...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Some of Audi's future technological advances have been revealed in the latest round of patent applications to hit the internet. Of a selection of new Audi patents noted by Autocar, the most interesting--yet most complex--is a new take on the firm's quattro all-wheel drive system, using an electrically-driven rear axle. This in itself is nothing new, and several other automakers, notably PSA Peugeot Citroen and Lexus, have used such a system on production vehicles for years. Where Audi's system differs is in the precise control it has over the torque output of the wheels, and the negative...
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Mercedes Expands S-Class Range With Diesel, Diesel-Electric Hybrid
Mercedes-Benz is expanding its S-Class family with two new fuel-efficient options, though neither have been confirmed for the U.S. market yet. The two models are the S300 BlueTEC Hybrid and S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, the latter of which is likely to arrive here as a replacement for its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota MR2, Prius Combined In TE-Spyder Hybrid Concept
It's fair to say the Toyota Prius isn't the most exciting of vehicles. In fact, it's pretty much the antithesis of everything gearheads like about cars. It is a method of transport, and little more. Toyota's old MR2 roadster is pretty much the opposite. It's peppy, has its engine and driven wheels...
Antony Ingram -
Audi Readies Sport quattro Concept With Laser Lights For 2014 CES
Audi is set to debut an evolved version of its Sport quattro plug-in hybrid sports car concept at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. After debuting in a bright yellow hue at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show last September, Audi’s Sport quattro concept has since adopted a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2015 BMW i8 Performance In Detail: Video
The 2015 BMW i8 is, as yet, an enigma. It promises solid, if not breathtaking performance. It also promises fantastic gas mileage (though we don't know exactly how much yet). While we'll have to wait until we can get our hands on one to render our own opinions, this video from BMW goes into greater...
Nelson Ireson -
Chris Harris Drives The Porsche 918 Spyder: Video
The Porsche 918 Spyder deserves the credit for forging the hybrid supercar territory trodden by the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, even if the car's venture to market has been a long one. But that lag time between concept and production has allowed Porsche to attain some pretty spectacular...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
A new Mitsubishi Evo is in the works, only it won’t be based on the Lancer platform anymore and its design will be being taken in a new direction. That direction is likely to be an electrified one, with most reports suggesting the next Evo will likely feature a diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain. Now Motor Trend has shed some new light on the car’s development. Citing an inside source, the American publication reports that the design goal for the next Evo is “uncompromised handling with state-of-the-art plug-in hybrid EV technology.” This is said to have warranted the...
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2015 Ferrari California Replacement Spy Shots
With the current California convertible delivering close to 500 horsepower, able to accelerate to 60 in under 4.0 seconds and capable of reaching speeds of almost 200 mph, the ‘entry-level’ Ferrari is hardly what you’d call lacking in performance. But next to cars like the 458...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Diesel, Hybrid And Even Electric Powertrains Considered For New Mustang: Report
Ford may take radical steps to improve the Mustang's fuel economy.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Acura NSX To Spawn Convertible Version: Report
Having appeared briefly as Tony Stark’s ride in the movie The Avengers last year, this Acura NSX Roadster movie prop may end up spawning a production version. Honda confirmed to Autocar that a convertible version of its new NSX was being considered, and if the green light is given the car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mitsubishi Delays New Evo To Focus On Mainstream Models And EVs
The wait for a successor to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X may be a tad longer than originally expected, as Mitsubishi focuses its resources on its strengths such as SUVs and electrified vehicles. That’s the claim of the automaker’s product chief, Ryugo Nakao, who spoke recently with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2014 Lexus CT 200h Debuts At 2013 Guangzhou Auto Show: Video
Coinciding with auto shows taking place in Los Angeles and Tokyo this week was yet another event, China’s Guangzhou Auto Show, whose doors opened today. One of the main attractions of the show is an updated version of the Lexus CT 200h, which goes on sale in the coming months as a 2014 model...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran