Hybrids

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...

One of the standouts of last weekend’s 2013 Shanghai Auto Show was a stunning supercar concept from Italian-owned but Shanghai-based design firm Icona. The concept carried the Vulcano name, which is Italian for “volcano,” and its lines were penned by French designer Samuel...

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...

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...

Now that Lewis Hamilton has moved on to AMG Mercedes for the 2013 Formula One season, his former seat at McLaren Mercedes is being filled by Mexican driver Sergio Perez. One of the perks of being a driver for McLaren is that you get to test the company’s wares before anyone else does. For...

Infiniti's recent announcement of its renaming scheme to all Q-prefixed models may still be confusing for some, but the first of the renamed crossovers, the 2014 QX60 (once known as the JX), should help straighten things out. It's coming to the New York Auto Show--as a hybrid. Joining the QX80...

The reveal of the Ferrari “La Ferrari” may have stolen some of McLaren’s Geneva Motor Show thunder, but the Woking-based automaker wants the world to know the McLaren P1 won’t be known as the second-fastest production car in the world. As Cars UK tells us, McLaren’s...

Mitsubishi is giving a clear indication of its future plans with the reveal of two new concept vehicles at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show this week. Both vehicles fall into the ‘electrified’ category, though the two couldn’t be more different. One is a diesel-electric hybrid pickup...

Few people will have heard of Swiss sports car manufacturer Sbarro, and we bet even fewer will have heard of the company’s industrial design school, Espera Sbarro. Each year at the Geneva Motor Show, Espera Sbarro students typically unveil new concepts showcasing their talents. One of the...

One of the most sought-after pieces of information concerning the upcoming McLaren P1 supercar has been revealed today. We can confirm that the P1 will deliver a peak output of 903 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque from a newly-developed hybrid drivetrain consisting of an electric motor setup...

After a disastrous 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign last year, where both of its TS030 Hybrid prototypes ended up crashing, Toyota is back to fight again in 2013, with an updated version of its advanced gasoline-electric race car. The 2013 Toyota TS030 Hybrid prototype made its debut today at a special...

Last month it was confirmed Toyota and BMW would collaborate on a new platform that would form the basis of at least one sports car from each of the automakers. For Toyota, the platform would be used for a new generation of its Supra, a car that has been hinted at by the automaker’s execs for...

From the same company that brought us the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid, comes a new concept that does away with the electric component of hybrid cars and replaces it with compressed air instead. That company is French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen, which at its recent Innovation Day...

Acura has unveiled an updated version of its production-destined NSX concept, which not only gives us a better indication as to what the final version will look like but also the styling of its interior. You may recall that the previous NSX concept unveiled at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show only showed...

With Lexus having already released images of its new 2014 IS range, and international media having already driven it, there’s not much else to reveal now that the car’s official public debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show has taken place. We can confirm that the latest IS will once again...

The 2014 Infiniti Q50, the replacement for the aging G37 Sedan, has finally made its debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, and while we weren’t completely enamored after seeing the initial press photos, now that we’ve seen it live we must admit that the new 3-Series and C Class fighter...

Infiniti is starting a new chapter in its relatively short life, with the new Q50 sedan the first model to be launched under the automaker’s bold new naming strategy. It’s also the first to be launched under the watchful eye of Audi veteran Johan de Nysschen, who was recently appointed...

Porsche’s upcoming 918 Spyder supercar is, perhaps, the most eagerly anticipated hybrid vehicle in history, and images of pre-production cars are all over the internet. We’ve even shown you a leaked video (now private) that reportedly captures a production version at an uber-secret...