Hybrids

Volvo’s first plug-in hybrid model in the U.S. will be based on its next-generation XC90 SUV and is still more than a year away from reaching showrooms, but overseas the Swedish automaker has been selling a plug-in version of its V60 station wagon for a couple of years. Called the V60 Plug-In...

BMW’s new concept for the 2014 Beijing Auto Show isn’t the 7-Series-aping mega sedan that we were expecting, but it does pack enough technologies, premium materials and innovations to be worthy of a new BMW flagship. The concept is the BMW Vision Future Luxury, and as its name suggests...

Volkswagen’s second generation Touareg has enjoyed moderate sales since its launch in 2011, despite the vehicle’s lack of updates over the years apart from the addition of sporty R-Line trim. To reignite excitement in its mid-size SUV, VW will introduce an updated version for the 2015...

BMW is working on a plug-in hybrid version of its X5 SUV, with prototypes already testing on public roads (read a drive report at Green Car Reports), but the vehicle isn’t due to enter production until sometime in 2015. In the meantime, the German automaker is rolling out concept versions of...

Infiniti has revealed details of its latest Q70, updated for the 2015 model year with a subtle styling refresh and the option of a long-wheelbase model. These join a raft of standard safety features to ensure the Q70 remains competitive in an ever more advanced market sector. Only the eagle-eyed...

Audi is committed to launching plug-in hybrid versions of its mainstream models such as the A3, A4, A6 and Q7. A plug-in hybrid A3, the A3 Sportback e-tron, has already been revealed and is due in local showrooms early next year. Now, Audi has confirmed the launch of its second plug-in hybrid...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...