Hybrids

Up until now, Acura has said its second-generation NSX sports car will feature a sophisticated through-the-road hybrid all-wheel-drive system consisting of a trio of electric motors and a 3.5-liter V-6 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. At an event preceding the 2013 Tokyo Motor...

It looks roughly like a black Honda CR-Z with a mesh grille--at least until you get up close. Then you notice that the doors seem much shallower, and that it has strange little glass panels in the roof. But what you're looking at is no ordinary CR-Z hybrid two-seater. Instead, it's a one-of-a-kind...

Porsche’s 918 Spyder is already the fastest production car to ever lap the Nürburgring, having managed the feat in an incredible 6:57, and now we have a better understanding as to why such a blistering time is possible for the car. It turns out the 918 Spyder is considerably quicker than...

Toyota is planning to unveil a handful of sporty concept cars at the upcoming 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, most of them based around its Prius C subcompact. We've already seen the Aqua G Sports (Aqua is the name used for the Prius C in Japan) and now we have a first look at two more concepts, the Aqua...

Coinciding with auto shows taking place in Los Angeles and Tokyo next week will be yet another event, China’s Guangzhou Auto Show, whose doors open on November 21. One of the main attractions pegged for the show will be an updated version of the Lexus CT 200h, which is expected to hit...

The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid replaces a conventional transmission with two electric motors and an electronic clutch pack.

Easily one of the most classically beautiful cars on display at this year's Frankfurt auto show, the Volvo Concept Coupe may see a limited production run, according to a new report. Taking its core cues from the classic, beloved P1800, the Volvo Concept Coupe is also a thoroughly modern bit of...

With a blistering 6:57 lap of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife already under its belt, Porsche's 918 Spyder may be capable of still faster laps, says the driver who clocked the record-setting run. Porsche factory racing driver Marc Lieb spoke with Australia's Drive recently, saying he thinks the...

The American Le Mans Series will host the fifth round of the World Endurance Championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas this weekend, and among the highlights will be the U.S. debut of the Toyota TS030 Hybrid race car and the official Toyota Racing team. It might seem odd that...

The BMW i8 was finally revealed in full production guise at the 2013 Frankfurt auto show, but so far, video of the hybrid sports car in action has been relatively scarce--especially in terms of real-world encounters. That's been solved by the gang at The Smoking Tire. While filming for an upcoming...

Infiniti’s new Q50, the replacement for the G37 and the first of the Japanese automaker’s models to use its new naming strategy, will hit showrooms in July priced from $37,605, including a $905 destination charge. That’s slightly less than what you’d have paid for a 2013...

Many of the world's top boutique or extreme supercars are pre-sold for their entire run--sometimes even before they're announced to the public. But unlike the dozens or few hundreds of these cars typically built, Porsche is planning to produce 918 examples of the 918 Spyder. At $845,000, the 918...

Sure, hybrids don't have the greatest reputation for driving appeal. But would you feel better about saving gasoline if you knew that the hybrid system in your car used Formula One technology? That's just what Volvo has done in an engineering prototype it's now testing in Sweden, which adds an...

Performance cars are about to enter a new era, one destined to be dominated by vehicle electrification, and in typical fashion it is the world of motorsport where the technology has been bred. It should come as little surprise then that the first round of electrified performance cars is coming from...

About two years ago we told you that Volvo was about to commence testing of an innovative flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system (KERS), not in motorsport but in the realm of production cars. The basic setup called for a flywheel KERS to be fitted to the free axle of a car. When approaching...

Italian design firm Icona revealed its new Vulcano supercar concept today at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The car was built to showcase Icona’s talents as well as preview some new automotive technologies, particularly those concerning its powertrain. The Vulcano actually features two possible...

There's every reason to be excited about the arrival of the McLaren P1--no matter how unlikely an in-person sighting of one in the wild might be. It's a 217-mph, 903-horsepower, twin-turbo V-8 hybrid, for Pete's sake. It is in this spirit that we bring you this gorgeous, completely gratuitous...

Mercedes-AMG has made its name on sharp-edged performance. And, until recently, that's involved cramming large-displacement engines under the hood. Now, surprisingly—representing a significant turnaround from some years ago—even AMG sees hybrid powertrains in its future. While BMW and...

Lexus is working on a new compact crossover to rival the likes of the Audi Q3 and BMW X1, as well as the upcoming Lincoln MKC and Mercedes-Benz GLA Class and possibly similar models from Acura and Cadillac. Compact crossovers with a little bit of luxury are the new darlings of the automotive...

If the 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid looks familiar from the outside, it should; after all, it’s been on the market as the Infiniti JX35, sans the hybrid drivetrain, since last year. Remember when Infiniti went through its alphabet soup naming exercise? The JX35 is now the QX60. What’s new...