Hybrids

It's often hard to get excited about hybrid cars these days. The new sheen of the technology itself has worn off, leaving behind the dull and often tarnished statistics about gas mileage and savings--neglecting, of course, the purchase price penalty. But in the case of Volvo's V60 Diesel Plug-in...

Ferrari’s strategy for the reveal of its new flagship, the rumored F70, appears to be to release details of a single component at a time. First, the Italian automaker gave us a peek at the Enzo-successor’s hybrid drivetrain, at April’s Beijing Auto Show. Then, at September’s...

Honda isn’t as well known as a hybrid manufacturer as its primary Japanese rival, Toyota. Though Honda has been producing parallel hybrids nearly as long as Toyota, its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system lacks the popularity of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system. Now Honda is...

Acura may not quite have the prestige or the cachet of longtime luxury marques like Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, or even Lexus, but it does have top-drawer access to the most innovative powertrain and chassis engineering developments from Honda. And with Acura’s upcoming flagship sedan, the 2014...

Turbocharged, supercharged, STI--we've seen and heard it all, and even done some of the speculation ourselves. But the chief engineer of the Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, and Toyota GT-86, Tetsuya Tada thinks that's the wrong direction. Instead, he's talking about a KERS-type hybrid like that seen on the...

The 2015 Audi R8 may not share its platform with Porsche, despite years of previous rumors and reports that it would. What this means for the Lamborghini Gallardo isn't yet clear, but it looks like it could share its underpinnings with the Audi. Jaguar has kindly gifted us a video comparing the...

Holden’s performance division HSV is working on its own racing series together with motorsport firm Walkinshaw Racing, using the Holden Commodore-based ClubSport R8 as the basis for a new one-make series aimed at India and several other markets in Asia. HSV has now revealed that it is...

In 2009, a company calling itself Kepler Motors revealed its Motion hybrid supercar at the Dubai International Auto Show. The concept produced a claimed 800 horsepower, and was capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, on its way to a 200 mph top speed. At the time, Kepler said...

More stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations rolling in across major markets around the globe have all automakers, even supercar manufacturers, rethinking their designs and manufacturing processes in an effort to become greener. Even the likes of Ferrari and Porsche will be launching new...

The next Lexus IS is set to appear in late 2013 as a 2014 model. We’ve seen spy photos of the new car in testing, and we’ve previously reported that the car will be both sportier and more upscale than the version it replaces. We know that a hybrid version is in the works, too, although...

If you want to buy a hybrid automobile from luxury manufacturer Infiniti today, your only option is the performance-oriented M35h. The big sedan can reel off a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds (on par with the range-topping M56), yet it's still rated at 27 mpg around town and 32 mpg on the highway...

Whether you’re fan of its styling or not, the people behind the 2013 Lincoln MKZ deserve a lot of credit. The sedan, in its hybrid form, has just had its gas mileage rated by the EPA at 45 mpg across the board--city, highway and combined. This puts it ahead of most rivals in the mid-size...

If the Porsche 918 Spyder were a celebrity, it would likely be Lindsay Lohan or Lady Gaga. That’s not commentary on the Porsche’s behavior, dress or after-hours habits, but instead recognition that few others spend as much time in the glow of the spotlights (and in follow-up media...

Ever since Honda launched its CR-Z “Sports Hybrid,” fans of the car and of the brand have wished for one thing: more power. Even in early 2011, less than a year after the car’s launch, there was talk about a new, more powerful version in the works. That car made its debut at this...

The spies have captured more images of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette (C7) in testing, and it's looking like it's very close to ready--and still very close to the C6 in overall design, though it will be sporting some significant hardware changes. If you're in the market for a 2013 model-year...

Ride-alongs, without the opportunity to drive, as Chris Harris notes in this video, are one of the main gripes of the canapés-and-cocktail-shrimp lifestyle of the automotive journalist. It's just kind of lame not to be allowed to drive the car yourself. It's also a lot less valuable in terms...

Following the warm reception for Lexus’ LF-LC 2+2 hybrid sport coupe concept, launched at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Lexus is showing its LF-CC mid-sized coupe concept at the Paris Auto Show. Power for the LF-CC comes from a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine mated to a water-cooled electric...

While Ferrari is displaying all five cars in its current lineup at the Paris Auto Show, the most interesting part of its exhibit for supercar fans may be a simple carbon fiber tub, sans bodywork, wheels or drivetrain. That carbon fiber tub, known professionally as a monocoque, is said to form the...

After teasing us with a few fleeting images of its updated CR-Z on its website, Honda has now released full details on the car following its debut today at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. Our prediction Honda engineers would be adding more power to the CR-Z has come true, though the new figures are...

Toyota was the first major automaker to commit to electrified vehicles, announcing as far back as 2007 that it will have a hybrid version of each of its models by the year 2020. Next to make the promise of a full hybrid lineup, believe it or not, was Porsche, though the sports car manufacturer...