Hybrids
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Next year we’ll see the first regular BMW models fitted with the advanced plug-in hybrid technology already found in the automaker’s i8 sports car, starting with an X5 plug-in hybrid which we’ve already seen in concept form. The technology, dubbed eDrive, is also destined for BMW’s 3-, 5- and 7-Series lines, and today we have our first official look at a prototype for the upcoming 3-Series plug-in hybrid (prototypes have been spotted in the wild for almost a year). BMW’s plug-in hybrid system for its regular models uses an electric motor integrated with the...
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Ferrari LaFerrari XX To Be Revealed Next Month?
Ferrari is currently working on a more extreme version of its LaFerrari flagship that will follow in the footsteps of previous ‘XX’ experimental cars like the 599XX and Enzo-based FXX. Prototypes have been spotted for the past year and now we’re hearing that the reveal is set to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Acura NSX Spy Shots And Video
Concept versions of Acura’s second-generation NSX supercar have been hitting the auto show scene since early 2012 but now we have new spy shots of the production version that will be hitting showrooms next year, most likely as a 2016 model. This is still a prototype but it differs to previous...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video Proof Ferrari’s LaFerrari Has An All-Electric Mode
While both the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder can be driven solely on electric power, Ferrari has remained adamant that its flagship supercar, the LaFerrari, doesn’t have an all-electric mode. New video taken at a recent track meet at Italy’s Monza disputes that claim, however. MUST...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Acura NSX To Offer Ferrari 458 Performance For Audi R8 Price
Prototypes for Acura’s second-generation NSX are currently being tested at the Nürburgring, with one of the cars even burning to ground in late July. Despite the setback, Acura is confident the new NSX will be ready for launch in 2015 and that it will meet some pretty lofty goals set by...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New Audi R8 Could Have Both Plug-In Hybrid And All-Electric Options
It’s a well-known fact that the second-generation Audi R8 due out next year will eventually feature an all-electric model, but now the R&D chief for the brand with the four rings has confirmed that the car could also come as a plug-in hybrid. Audi plans to dramatically increase the number...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
We miss few recently defunct cars like we miss the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Born of rally and bred for the street, the car evolved to become a high-tech, if somewhat heavy, piece of asphalt artillery. Now it’s dead. But it might come back, in tortured and demented form, as a hybrid SUV. No, that’s not a joke. Apparently. MUST READ: The Average Bugatti Owner Has 84 Cars, 3 Jets, And A Yacht According to a report from Autocar, the idea of a high-performance hybrid SUV as a follow-up to the Evo seems to make sense to the heads inside Mitsubishi. The news comes from the floor of...
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Toyota C-HR concept previews future subcompact SUV
Toyota’s new C-HR concept car presented at the 2014 Paris Auto Show this week is a preview of a future subcompact crossover the automaker is working on, something designed to take on the Nissan Juke and a similar vehicle in the works at Volkswagen. To stand out from the crowd, the Toyota is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2015 Porsche Cayenne Gets Plug-In Hybrid, New Twin-Turbo V-6, More: Live Photos
The Porsche Cayenne is unquestionably not a sports car, but at the same time, it’s a darned sport SUV. And for the 2015 model year, it gets some spiffier sheet metal, some equipment tweaks, and, most importantly, a pair of new powertrains. First up, the new Cayenne S E Hybrid, unveiled today...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen XL Sport Concept Gets Ducati Power, Details & Live Photos: 2014 Paris Auto Show
For a year now, rumors of a Ducati-powered version of the Volkswagen XL1 hyper-efficient, super-lightweight car made the rounds. Today, those rumors have come true: this is the XL Sport concept. Powered by a Ducati V-twin engine out of the 1199 Superlegerra motorcycle rated at 197 horsepower, the...
Nelson Ireson -
Infiniti Q80 Inspiration concept: 550-HP hybrid previews future flagship
Ahead of the 2014 Paris Auto Show this week, Infiniti has revealed full details, and a full set of images, of a concept car that strongly hints at the direction of a future flagship Q80 production model—and an inspiration for all future models from the brand. Its 550-horsepower...
Bengt Halvorson -
Le Mans-Inspired Audi Hybrid Supercar Back On The Table?
Back in 2012, Audi’s then R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer let it be known that he wanted to develop a diesel-electric hybrid supercar to sit above the R8 in Audi’s performance lineup. The car would have borrowed technology from Audi’s hugely-successful R18 e-tron quattro Le...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen’s version of the Passat the rest of the world enjoys has just been redesigned and will appear for the first time at this week’s 2014 Paris Auto Show. The new Passat, which still offers sedan and wagon bodystyles, debuts with new engines, less weight and the latest assistance, infotainment and convenience systems. It also debuts with a new plug-in hybrid variant dubbed the Passat GTE. VW has already shown a version of its Golf with the GTE badge, short for Grand Touring Electric, and now the car is set to be joined by the Passat GTE. The powertrain of the Passat GTE is...
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More Details On The Next-Gen Volkswagen Phaeton
Volkswagen is working on a new generation of its Phaeton flagship sedan, and it’s to be sold in the U.S. market once again. However, the German auto giant isn’t rushing things so it’ll still be several years until we see the car. The last we heard, the new Phaeton will arrive in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Lexus RX To Shed Weight With Aluminum
Many automakers in the luxury segment use lightweight but pricey aluminum in the construction of their vehicles to help shed weight and thus boost fuel economy, including Lexus which has several models with aluminum hoods. Going forward, Lexus plans to increase its usage of the lightweight stuff...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S Revealed Ahead Of 2014 Paris Auto Show
Mitsubishi has revealed a new plug-in hybrid concept that it will be showing at next week’s 2014 Paris Auto Show. The concept is called the Outlander PHEV Concept-S and it’s described as a special design package for the regular Outlander PHEV first shown at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz C350 Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain Specs Revealed
Mercedes-Benz’s first plug-in hybrid model, the S550 Plug-In Hybrid, is due to go on sale next year (our first drive report is coming soon). It will be the first of as many as 10 plug-in hybrid models the German automaker plans to introduce over the coming years, with the next one to be based...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Porsche likely to launch Macan plug-in hybrid
Porsche already has three plug-in hybrids in its lineup, the limited edition 918 Spyder as well as the Cayenne and Panamera S E-Hybrid models, but the sports car manufacturer won’t be stopping there. This is because Porsche sees vehicle electrification as a crucial element of its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
After a stale showing at the previous Paris Auto Show back in 2012, Peugeot is pulling out all the stops for its lineup at this year’s event. Already the French automaker has confirmed the sporty 308 GT, advanced 208 Hybrid Air concept and sultry Exalt concept, but now Peugeot has revealed a third concept that’s set to grace its stands at the Paris Auto Show next month. The new concept is called the Quartz and it’s packing a hybrid drivetrain good for almost 500 horsepower. This hybrid drivetrain sits in a vehicle that’s not much bigger than a Range Rover Evoque and...
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Top Gear Drives Nissan’s Wacky ZEOD RC Le Mans Racer: Video
Nissan’s ZEOD RC electrified race car lasted just 23 minutes in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race, with the dart-shaped car forced to retire due to gearbox trouble. However, Nissan still reached its goals for the car, which included completing a full lap under electric power...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Renault Reveals 235 MPG EOLAB Concept: Video
Renault is out to prove that not only the Volkswagen Group can build a car that’s capable of consuming just 1 liter of fuel per 100 kilometers of travel, equivalent to 235 mpg. The French automaker has just revealed the EOLAB concept car, which is said to be as efficient as VW’s XL1 but...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hybrid Air Tech Edges Closer To Production Reality With Peugeot 208 Concept
The number of drivetrains available to car buyers has never been so diverse. Gasoline, diesel, natural gas, electric and all manner of hybrid vehicles are available right now—and French automaker Peugeot intends to add to the latter with its innovative 'Hybrid Air' technology. Peugeot...
Antony Ingram -
Official Honda CR-Z Supercharger Upgrade Finally Goes On Sale
Is it an eco car, or is it a performance model? Honda has always claimed the CR-Z hybrid is a little of both, but neither green-minded buyers nor driving enthusiasts have really been convinced. At 37 mpg combined, it's hardly a Prius-beater at the gas station, and a meager 130-hp output won't...
Antony Ingram -
One-Off BMW i8 Sells For $825,000 At Pebble Beach
Regular buyers will have to pay at least $135,700 for the pleasure of owning BMW's latest sports car, the plug-in hybrid i8. But one bidder has paid significantly more than that for a special edition version that went under the hammer yesterday at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance...
Antony Ingram