Plug-In Hybrids

As recently as late January GM CEO Dan Akerson hinted that a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac SRX was “likely”, with most reports suggesting the eco-friendly luxury crossover would be available for sale sometime in late 2012 or ’13. This past weekend, however, Reuters...

The C-X75: It was one of the most amazing concepts of 2010, easily argued as the greatest of all. Jaguar managed to effectively sneak-attack an industrious automotive media force and come out with the best in show of the 2010 Paris Motor Show. With the show's sparkly paint, bright lights and...

First shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, the Fisker Karma has led a typical life for a performance plug-in hybrid concept: delays followed by reassurances, followed by more delays. Originally to be in production and on sale by late 2009, the car finally started rolling down the line at...

It's 7am, and your alarm is blaring to raise you bleary-eyed from your slumber. You grab breakfast, chuck some clothes on and get ready to head to work. As you step into your car, a message appears on the central screen. "What is your destination?". You press a button marked "Work". Although you...

Mercedes-Benz already has a number of electric prototypes out and about including the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, which is already available for lease and soon sale, as well as the SLS AMG E-Cell supercar, which has been confirmed for sale in 2013. Not only that but the automaker’s parent...

As we first reported several months ago, BMW and its Chinese partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. has developed a new plug-in hybrid version of its 5-Series, revealed today ahead of its debut in just a few weeks at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. The vehicle is classed as a prototype and...

Buick is reportedly the next recipient of Chevrolet’s ‘Voltec’ range-extended electric car platform, with news surfacing this week that GM’s mid-level luxury brand will get its own version of the Opel Ampera. Buick, you may recall, is already selling a rebadged Opel in the...

It’s official. The Porsche 918 Spyder, a plug-in hybrid supercar that so far has only been shown in concept form, is available for order and has been priced at $845,000 (not including destination and taxes). Porsche is only planning to build 918 examples of its stunning supercar so interested...

The second of Italdesign Giugiaro's two Volkswagen A-segment preview concepts is the Tex, which puts a sportier, more near-term spin on the future of the compact car. Using a hybrid drivetrain instead of the GO!'s electric system, the Tex also finds a happy middle ground between the present and the...

The last we heard about development of a second-generation Audi A2 model was that the project was on hold due to the lack of a suitable platform. Now it’s been reported that a platform has been found and that the car is on track for a debut in early 2015, more than two years later than...

We can finally confirm that the production version of 2009’s BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, set to go on sale in October of 2013, will go by the name ‘i8’ and head a range of new eco-focused vehicles from BMW. BMW yesterday announced its new ‘i’ sub-brand...

Land Rover’s pledge to become environmentally friendly is starting to result in some interesting developments. Having already previewed its new hybrid technology in the form of the ERAD (Electric Rear Axle Drive) diesel-hybrid LR2 concept back in 2008, as well as a diesel-hybrid version of...

Late last year reports of a plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac SRX surfaced, and though GM did not confirm them, neither did it deny such a vehicle was in the works. Today GM CEO Dan Akerson, while talking about future EV and extended-range EV (EREV) strategy, revealed that the SRX plug-in is...

While Audi readies its first hybrid model for launch later this year with the new Q5 Hybrid, rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW are already working on their third and fourth gasoline-electric models. Take Mercedes-Benz, for example. The automaker has already launched the S400 Hybrid and ML450 Hybrid, and...

First shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, the Fisker Karma has led a typical life for a performance plug-in hybrid concept: delays followed by reassurances, followed by more delays. Originally to be in production and on sale by late 2009, the car will finally start rolling down the line in March...

Ford is showing that it’s still a force to be reckoned with in the electric car field at this month’s 2011 Detroit Auto Show, with the unveiling of no fewer than three major electrified concepts. At last week’s 2011 Consumer Electronics Show we got a taste of the all-electric Ford...

It looks like the cost of building the 2011 Fisker Karma under contract with Valmet is higher than the company expected when it set its initial prices in 2008. A price rise of $7,900 came first, and today the company has hiked prices another $8,000 to a final starting price of $95,900. That's just...

As far back as two years ago, Bob Lutz was dropping hints that Cadillac could get a plug-in hybrid or Volt-based crossover. Today, a new report brings those hints back to live, with the plug-in project getting the nod, using--surprise--some technology from the Volt. Cadillac isn't confirming or...

Amidst concerns that the Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sedan could just be ‘vaporware’ and that an actual release is still be years away, Fisker Automotive has announced the formation of an alliance with a Chinese company to help distribute the car in the world’s most...

An Audi R8 can be yours for around $120,000, depending on which model you select and how options you laden it with, while the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will set you back closer to the $180,000-and-upwards mark. BMW’s entrant in this segment, the production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics...