Hybrids

Expect to see smaller engines and more hybrid options for future Mercedes Benz models, as high fuel prices and greater environmental concerns push buyers – even luxury oriented ones - towards more efficient vehicles. The solution for most automakers, including arch rival BMW, is to downsize...

After months of previews, teasers and small official photos, the 2010 Opel (Vauxhall) Astra has finally been let out of the bag. The hatch has been revealed in high-res photos and for the first time we get a look at the upcoming car’s stylish new interior. The new Astra is crucial for Opel as...

French automaker Renault has been working on its own electric car concepts for the last couple of years, and last year we saw some of the fruits of its labor in the form of the Z.E. electric vehicle and Ondelios hybrid concept vehicles. This year, Renault plans on unveiling three new electric...

It's no secret that Porsche's planning a range of production Cayenne hybrids, but today Porsche board member Wolfgang Dürheimer told the German daily Rheinische Post that the vehicle would be in dealerships and on the street by the second half of 2010 with a starting price around €90,000...

If the rumors are true, General Motors may be in the process of developing a new Buick crossover - with a new two-mode plug-in hybrid engine that should take the alternative fuels fight to its competitors. GM, Daimler, Chrysler and BMW have been jointly developing the two-mode hybrid for some time...

Anyone in the market for the new 2010 Lexus RX can rest assure they are buying one of the safest crossovers available as the vehicle has just earned the highest safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Along with the 2009 Toyota Venza, the new RX receives the...

Jaguar's transfer to new ownership last year had many, from customers to dealers to industry analysts, worried about what might come of it. But Tata Motors' ownership has so far proven reassuring in its commitment to the Jaguar brand. The latest word from Ratan Tata reaffirms the vision Tata has...

Airbag brakes, inflatable metal and seats that push the passengers around? It sounds like a car straight out of a transformers movie, but Mercedes-Benz has let loose the full details of its ESF 2009 S400 Hybrid experimental Safety Vehicle that has all that and more - even though it won't be...

High sales hopes aren't exactly in fashion right now, especially in the car industry, and Lexus is following suit, eying a fairly humble first-year target of 25,000 units for its new HS 250h dedicated hybrid sedan. Total sales for the Lexus brand in 2008 rode above 20,000 per month, and even with...

Hybrid-electric and other green propulsion systems are as much a theme of the current climate as is the restructuring and 'right-sizing' of the industry - even more so, at ground-level. Audi is doing its part to contribute to the swell of green vehicles and announcements by revealing its plans to...

Ferrari has been working on a proprietary part-time 4WD system designed for both its mid and front-engined models for the past several years, which the carmaker has christened ‘Insertable 4x4’. Not much has been seen or heard about the system for some time but last month a search of the...

Looking ahead to year 2020, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the company, Mitsubishi today announced its new ‘Group Environmental Vision 2020’ roadmap for its future environmental and sustainable motoring policies. The new environmental roadmap directs Mitsubishi’s...

Following news that the company has delivered its 500th all-electric Roadster model, Tesla has announced that it’s ready to expand its dealer network with seven new sales and service centers around the globe this summer. Prospective customers will now be able to test drive the company’s...

It's important to have a broad perspective in the auto business - tunnel-vision has been one of the biggest criticism of the American automakers. But seeing beyond the trees of economic meltdown to view the forest of the future industry is easier said than done. Toyota, however, is demonstrating...

A brand new electric car company has been established and plans to start selling its cars in the U.S. by the second half of next year. The new company is Coda Automotive, the latest brainchild of electric car entrepreneur Miles Rubin and based in Southern California. Coda’s first model will...

While most automakers are scrambling to add hybrids and other alternatively-fueled models to their lineups, General Motors is getting rid of a couple of struggling hybrids currently residing in its range of cars - the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the Saturn Vue Hybrid. The move comes as a greater...

Audi currently sells two versions of its R8 supercar, the original 4.2L V8 model and the recently revealed 5.2L V10 version, but there are two more versions in the works, one of which will be unveiled at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The two new versions are the R8 Spyder convertible and...

The collapse of GM and Chrysler in recent months has seen the manufacturing employees and the extensive dealer networks of both firms suffer heavily, but now there may be a new and revolutionary product in sight that not only gives flailing dealers a chance to pick themselves up but may also keep...

It's a rare thing to remark on the government's hesitation to spend money these days, but that's precisely the case of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program. The government set aside $25 billion to fund the program last year, but to date...

Just a bit over ten years ago, only a few of the dedicated had any idea what a hybrid car was, but in another ten years or so, the eco-friendly vehicles will account for 19.4% of total sales in the U.S., according to JP Morgan's latest estimates. Today hybrids make up a little less than 1% of the...