Hybrids
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After years of promises, Audi is finally ready to roll out plug-in hybrid versions of its core models globally. They will feature the automaker's next-generation plug-in hybrid powertrain, and the first of them was confirmed on Tuesday as the Q5 55 TFSI e. Others will include A6-, and A7- and A8-based models. The Q5 55 TFSI e's lengthy name represents the new format Audi is using for its plug-in hybrids, as the previous e-tron badge is now exclusively reserved for battery-electric models, like the e-tron and upcoming e-tron Sportback. Its powertrain meanwhile consists of a 2.0-liter...
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Get a taste of the explosive acceleration of the new hybrid Ferrari
Ferrari will launch a new hybrid supercar on May 31, and the performance is expected to eclipse that of the LaFerrari.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren spied testing new hybrid
A tester for McLaren's next hybrid car has been spotted.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes estimates plug-in hybrids and EVs will be half of sales by 2030
Mercedes-Benz on Monday announced the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2039. That's 20 years away or less than three product cycles, which for an automaker the size of Mercedes is a short time to transform its entire operations. Key to reaching the goal will be expanding the number of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Opel's first plug-in hybrid is a 300-horsepower crossover
The new Grandland X Hybrid4 is the first model in a future fully electrified Opel lineup expected to be complete by 2024.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
AMG 53 deep dive: Mercedes-AMG's straight shot at hybrid performance throws a few curves
The AMG 53 Series looks to the past for its future in the Mercedes-Benz lineup. In addition to the CLS-Class, E-Class, and upcoming GLE-Class, the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 that defines AMG 53s is likely to appear in nearly every Mercedes model soon. Related to the inline-6 found in the 450...
Aaron Cole -
Polestar may be a standalone brand within Volvo Cars these days, but the former performance arm is still working its magic on various Volvo models. The latest models to receive the Polestar Engineered option are the V60 wagon and XC60 SUV, Volvo announced on Wednesday. The Polestar Engineered option is designed for the range-topping T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain. It features a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 on the front axle and an electric motor on the rear axle to create an all-wheel-drive system. Compared to the standard T8 Twin Engine powertrain, this setup...
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Puritalia returns with 965-horsepower Berlinetta GT
Niche Italian sports car marque Puritalia made a name for itself earlier this decade with the introduction of the 427 roadster, a lightweight sports car with a Ford V-8 that we imagine Carroll Shelby might have built had he grown up in the hills around Modena. Now Puritalia is back with a hard-top...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW X3 xDrive30e plug-in hybrid due in US in 2020
BMW didn't have much in the way of surprises at this week's 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, but the automaker did roll out a new plug-in hybrid version of the X3. The vehicle is badged an xDrive30e and packs the same powertrain as the new 330e sedan. A 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 works...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Audi readies A8, A7, A6 and Q5 plug-in hybrids for Geneva auto show
After years of promising, Audi is finally ready to roll out plug-in hybrid versions of its core models globally. The automaker on Monday announced that plug-in hybrid versions of the Q5, A6, A7 Sportback and A8 will be presented next week during the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. The cars...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
SEAT's Cupra performance brand readies Formentor SUV concept
Spain's Cupra performance brand will present a concept at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show potentially previewing a new model in the works. Cupra for years has served as the performance arm of SEAT, a mainstream brand from Spain owned by the Volkswagen Group, but in 2018 it was transformed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Peugeot previews performance hybrid lineup with 508 sport sedan concept
French automaker Peugeot last October announced plans to launch a new range of high-performance plug-in hybrid vehicles starting from 2020. The cars, to be developed with the Peugeot Sport motorsport department, form a key part of Peugeot's overall strategy to transition to an electrified lineup...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
A redesigned MKC is coming for 2020, only it won't be called an MKC as Lincoln has ditched its confusing three-letter naming strategy in favor of proper names that just so happen to feature a nautical theme. Look for the MKC replacement to debut later this year as the Corsair, an old French term for a pirate but also the name of an American fighter plane from World War II. The compact crossover SUV will be twinned with a redesigned Ford Escape that is also due for 2020, just as the current generations of the MKC and Escape are related. Underpinning them should be Ford's new platform for...
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2010 Lotus Evora Hybrid concept surfaces for sale
In 2010, Lotus toyed with the idea of a hybrid Evora sports car with the Evora 414E Extended-Range hybrid concept. Today, the car is for sale. Listed on Lotus For Sale and first reported by Motor1, the show car ended in private hands and now seeks a new owner. The current owner doesn't explain how...
Sean Szymkowski -
New "entry-level" Koenigsegg supercar in the works with camless engine
Koenigsegg is hardly a budget brand, but the Swedish supercar maker has plans for what could be considered an "entry-level" supercar. And it's going to be a hybrid. Top Gear spoke with founder and CEO Cristian von Koenigsegg, who said the latest deal with China's NEVS will pave the way for a new...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford hybrid V-8 patent discovered, could power Mustang and/or F-150
We've known for two years that Ford has a Mustang hybrid planned, but a new patent gives us a glimpse at what could be the electrified pony's powertrain. The best news: eight cylinders are pictured, which indicates any Ford Mustang hybrid will keep a V-8 engine and only add electric motors for more...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota and Panasonic to form battery joint venture
Toyota and Panasonic on Tuesday confirmed plans for a joint-venture company responsible for production of vehicle batteries, not only to supply Toyota but also rivals. Pending approval by regulatory authorities, which is expected to take until late 2020, the joint-venture company will be...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
FCA boss: Next Challenger to use electric boost, skip 700-hp supercharged V-8
You better get them while they last, folks, as the next Dodge Challenger looks like it's going to be a very different beast to the car on sale today. That's the word of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley, who took over following the sudden death of his predecessor, Sergio Marchionne, last...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Infiniti's new president Christian Meunier said Monday that the Infiniti QX30 luxury crossover won't return for a second generation in its current form. "(The QX30 is) not a very successful product. We’ll keep selling it for now...but this is not a product that has a future beyond its current life," he said at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "It will be replaced in the future by an all-Infiniti platform," Meunier added. The current QX30 is a result of a partnership between Infiniti-parent Nissan and Mercedes-Benz with a equally uncertain future. The two...
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Thrifty or rambunctious: 2020 Ford Explorer hybrid and ST revealed
It's been less than a week since the 2020 Ford Explorer made its formal debut, and the Blue Oval's already expanding the crossover SUV's lineup. On Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford introduced the 2020 Explorer hybrid and ST models to give Americans more options...
Joel Feder -
Subaru's STI division has a tuned Forester hybrid for the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon
Subaru's motorsport department and in-house tuner, STI, will use next month's 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon to show off a handful of concept cars, one of which will be a Forester concept packing a number of STI mods as well as the e-Boxer hybrid powertrain introduced in the Japanese market earlier in the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lamborghini's reportedly building a $3M hypercar with hybrid V-12 power, may glow in the dark
Lamborghini likely will unveil another limited-production model next year that can reportedly glow in the dark and will pack a hybrid V-12 system powered by supercapacitors. Road & Track reported Thursday new details about the hypercar, codenamed LB48H. The hybrid V-12 powertrain likely will...
Sean Szymkowski -
First details emerge on Porsche's hybrid plans for the 911
Details on Porsche's first 911 road car with hybrid technology have reached the Internet. Autocar reported Tuesday that Porsche will put performance ahead of efficiency with the hybrid system destined for the recently revealed 992-generation 911. Retiring chief 911 engineer, August Achleitner, told...
Sean Szymkowski -
No paint, no clear: Koenigsegg crafts Regera wearing "naked" carbon fiber
Koenigsegg is an expert when it comes to carbon fiber. After all, the small Swedish company was the first to offer carbon fiber wheels straight from the factory. Now it's ventured into a new realm concerning the light yet sturdy material: Koenigsegg Naked Carbon. Shown here on a Regera, Koenigsegg...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran