Hybrids

  • 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    Mercedes-AMG is committed to electrifying its lineup, a stance made clear with the unveiling of the 805-horsepower GT hybrid sedan concept at March’s 2017 Geneva auto show. The first of AMG’s hybrids will be the Formula One-powered Project One hypercar debuting in September at the 2017 Frankfurt auto show. Higher volume hybrid models are set to follow. Speaking to Wheels, a source at Mercedes-Benz said AMG will start by offering a hybrid powertrain pairing Mercedes’ new 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 with an electric motor. This setup will feature in new ‘53’...

  • Polestar logo
    Polestar becomes standalone brand for high-performance electrified cars

    Originally an independent motorsport team dedicated to racing Volvos, Polestar would later start tuning Volvo road cars and eventually be bought out by the Swedish automaker. Volvo’s original plan for Polestar was to make it an alternative to BMW M and Mercedes-AMG. But on Wednesday the...

  • No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans
    LMP1 Hybrids will require an electric-only mode in 2020

    There’s no doubt vehicle electrification is going to play a major role in the development of new cars in the coming decade. Organizers of motorsport, even at the highest levels, are well aware of this and are reshaping the regulations to ensure the technology of the racing world doesn’t...

  • 2018 Lexus CT 200h F-Sport
    Lexus CT 200h updated, but discontinued in US

    The Lexus CT 200h has been discontinued in the United States (2017 was the final model year), but overseas the hybrid hatch lives on. To keep it fresh, Lexus has introduced a new round of updates. Like the updates introduced for 2016, the latest changes are hard to spot for all but the...

  • Honda Clarity lineup at Honda R&D Center, Tochigi, Japan, June 2017
    Honda presents 2030 Vision strategy, aims to have Level 4 self-driving car by 2025

    Honda has outlined its plans for the coming decade in a company-wide strategy dubbed the 2030 Vision. As outlined in the strategy, Honda plans to follow the now-familiar path of electrifying its lineup and introducing self-driving technologies and associated mobility services. In the area of...

  • 2018 Buick LaCrosse
    2018 Buick LaCrosse offered with standard mild-hybrid powertrain

    The 2017 Buick LaCrosse made waves with its attractive design and impressive build quality at its unveiling at the 2015 Los Angeles auto show. For 2018, the large sedan gets a new standard powertrain which happens to be a mild-hybrid system, referred to as eAssist by General Motors. Like the...

  • 2019 Audi A8 spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    As power demand rises in modern cars from all the ancillary features they are being fitted with, automakers are responding by installing more powerful 48-volt electrical systems to complement the existing 12-volt systems we’re all used to. The higher voltage of the system also means smaller cable cross-sections are needed. This translates into lighter cable harnesses with lower power dissipation. As an added bonus, 48-volt systems are powerful enough to drive mild-hybrid systems which have the ability to make internal combustions engines much more efficient. In the years to come, these...

  • Mercedes-AMG Project One's Formula 1-derived powertrain
    Mercedes-AMG reveals Project One hypercar’s F1-spec powertrain

    As we approach the debut of Mercedes-AMG’s “Project One” at September’s 2017 Frankfurt auto show, more and more details on the hybrid hypercar are surfacing. AMG used this weekend’s 24 Hours Nürburgring to provide a sneak peek at the car’s layout and...

  • Volkswagen Golf GTE Performance concept, 2017 Wörthersee Tour
    VW unveils 268-horsepower Golf GTE Performance concept at 2017 Wörthersee Tour

    Volkswagen waited until Thursday’s opening day for the 2017 Wörthersee Tour GTI tuning fest to release details on yet another hot hatch concept present at the Austrian event. Joining the Up! GTI and hybrid Golf GTI and Golf GTE SportWagen concepts at the event is the Golf GTE Performance...

  • Volkswagen Golf GTI First Decade concept, 2017 Wörthersee Tour
    VW reveals GTI hybrid concept with rear-axle electric motor

    This year’s Wörthersee Tour GTI tuning fest is upon us and Volkswagen has revealed some exciting concepts. Last week we were treated to the production-bound Up! GTI concept and now we have details on two new concepts present at the Austrian event. The highlight is a Golf GTI hybrid...

  • 2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless charging
    BMW 530e iPerformance to offer wireless charging option

    BMW’s new plug-in hybrid 5-Series, the 530e iPerformance, will eventually get wireless charging capability. It will mean no longer have to bother with plugging the car in for charging. Instead, you simply position the car over a inductive charging plate plugged into a wall outlet. BMW says...

  • 2020 Porsche 911 spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
    Porsche drops plans for 911 hybrid

    Porsche’s former R&D chief, Wolfgang Hatz, confirmed in 2015 that the next-generation 911 would feature a hybrid model, and that knowledge gained from the 918 Spyder and 919 Hybrid racer put Porsche in a good position to develop just such a car. It turns out Porsche has since dropped...

  • 2019 BMW i8 Roadster spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

    The upcoming convertible version of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car has been spied testing. Confirmed by BMW CEO Harald Krüger as the i8 Roadster, the new convertible is due on sale in 2018, meaning we should see it arrive as a 2019 model. Its arrival is expected to trail that of an updated version of the i8 coupe due later this year. An i8 coupe can be seen in some of our spy shots and reveals the differences between the two body styles. The sloping rear windshield of the coupe has been replaced by a small, vertical rear window and new engine cover. Flanking the engine cover are...

  • 2018 Land Rover Range Rover facelift spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
    2018 Land Rover Range Rover spy shots

    For years, Land Rover’s Range Rover was unparalleled in the luxury SUV segment. But with demand for SUVs soaring over the past decade it was only a matter of time until rivals started to challenge it: Bentley and Mercedes-Maybach have joined the SUV game and soon Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce...

  • Jeep Yuntu concept, 2017 Shanghai auto show    [photo: Ronan Glon]
    Jeep Yuntu hybrid concept may foreshadow future Chinese 7-seater SUV

    Jeep has yanked the veil off of its 2017 Shanghai auto show debut, a hybrid SUV concept dubbed the Yuntu. The Yuntu concept, Chinese for "cloud," may preview a China-exclusive vehicle, representing the brand's largest SUV offering there. Combining future-forward design cues with classic Jeep...

  • Honda CR-V Hybrid introduced at 2017 Shanghai auto show
    Honda CR-V Hybrid bows in Shanghai, nearly confirmed for US

    Honda used the 2017 Shanghai auto show to debut the next logical step for its hybrid technology—the hotter than hot crossover segment. The Honda CR-V Hybrid made its official debut in Shanghai and the automaker has made it all but official that the hybrid crossover will be making its way to...

  • Chevrolet FNR-X Concept for plug-in hybrid crossover, 2017 Shanghai auto show   [photo: Ronan Glon]
    Chevrolet FNR-X concept debuts at 2017 Shanghai auto show

    Chevrolet is exploring the future as well as showcasing the talents of its Asia-based design team with the FNR-X concept car. Unveiled on Wednesday at the 2017 Shanghai auto show, the concept is a follow-up to the original FNR concept unveiled in Shanghai two years ago. While the previous concept...

  • Hyundai Vision G (HCD-16) concept
    Genesis coupe to skip V-8 in favor of electrified powertrain

    One of the six cars Genesis plans to have in its lineup by the end of 2020 is a large, luxurious coupe built more for grand touring than carving up race tracks. Unfortunately, a previous plan to fit the car with a V-8 looks to have been axed with Genesis instead favoring an electrified powertrain...

  • Teaser for Jeep concept debuting at 2017 Shanghai auto show

    Jeep is set to unveil what's shaping up to be a stylish little SUV concept at next week’s 2017 Shanghai auto show. Official teasers for the vehicle, believed to be called the Yuntu, have surfaced and reveal a modern yet handsome design that we’re hoping is production bound. The teasers also reveal that the concept is powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The beltline, floating roof and wheel arches resemble elements on the latest Jeep Compass, however, the front and rear of the concept are unique. The concept is also thought to be sized between the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee...

  • 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid
    Honda Clarity family grows with plug-in, electric models at 2017 NY auto show

    Honda’s Clarity Fuel Cell will soon be joined by plug-in hybrid and battery-electric variants. The Japanese automaker unveiled the two new variants on Wednesday at the 2017 New York auto show. The cars are known as the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid and Clarity Electric, with the Clarity Plug-In...

  • 2018 Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan pursuit-rated police car
    Ford Police Responder becomes first hybrid cop car

    Cop cars are not known for being super efficient machines—but with its 38-mpg Police Responder Hybrid, unveiled ahead of its 2017 New York auto show debut on Wednesday, Ford has an answer that it says could help departments save nearly $4,000 a year in gas. The Police Responder Hybrid is...

  • 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, Seattle area, April 2017
    2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD first drive review

    The Acura MDX is the most popular three-row luxury crossover vehicle, says Honda's premium division, with 850,000 sold since 2001. The vast majority of those were sold in North America, since the Acura brand is almost entirely focused on the U.S. The MDX was also Acura's highest-selling vehicle...

  • 2018 BMW 2-Series Active Tourer facelift spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
    2018 BMW 2-Series Active Tourer spy shots

    BMW sells a frumpy, front-wheel-drive minivan known as the 2-Series Active Tourer in some markets. (There’s also a seven-seat version known as the 2-Series Gran Tourer.) The vehicle made its debut in 2014 and was originally pegged for sale in the United States, though BMW’s local...

  • McLaren P1
    Report: McLaren readying 900-plus horsepower hybrid V-8 for F1 successor, hybrid V-6

    If you thought the buck stopped at the bonkers McLaren P1, the automaker’s CEO, Mike Flewitt, wants to make it clear there’s more to come. Specifically, the famed McLaren F1’s successor sounds like it’s in for some serious power. Speaking to Car and Driver at the 2017 Geneva...

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