Hybrids

At the end of March the President's task force on the industry put a 30-day window on Chrysler and Fiat reaching an alliance agreement. Just hours later Chrysler announced the two companies had signed off on the deal. That turned out to be premature, but the deal is still being developed, with new...

This week’s New York Auto Show has seen the debut of three brand new Mercedes Benz models, as well as the U.S. debuts of the 2010 model year E-Class Sedan and Coupe. The trio of world firsts includes the recently revealed E63 AMG performance saloon, the 2010 model year facelifted S-Class, and...

Just days out from the New York Auto Show, General Motors, together with Segway, has unveiled a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities. Labeled Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), the vehicle is an electrically powered, two-seat pod that has...

Chrysler has announced today that it has signed an agreement with American battery supplier A123Systems for new nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries for its future generation of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. A123Systems plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Michigan, and via this...

Joining the Yukon Hybrid SUV and Sierra Hybrid Pickup this May is the all-new GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid SUV, which makes its debut this week at the New York Auto Show. The latest addition is an upmarket fullsize SUV that seats eight, tows up to 5,800lb (2,636kg) and according to GM achieves an...

Earlier this year, Honda won a lot of attention with its 'cheapest hybrid in America' pricing on the new 2010 Insight. But now Takeo Fukui, the company's CEO, says he won't be engaging Toyota in a price war for the title. The 2010 Insight starts at just $19,800 before delivery fees and taxes, and...

Hyundai is preparing to launch the world’s first hybrid vehicle powered by advanced lithium-polymer batteries and capable of running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), but the company is already looking towards the next-generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Now ranked as the world’s...

A company born out of Colorado is planning to launch an advanced hybrid sports saloon that will eventually compete in the multi-million dollar Automotive X-Prize competition to successfully build and market a 100mpg vehicle. The first prototypes are currently in development but a concept version of...

Hyundai is preparing to launch the world’s first hybrid vehicle powered by advanced lithium-polymer batteries and capable of running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Now ranked as the world’s fifth-largest carmaker in conjunction with its Kia subsidiary, Hyundai is making strides to...

When it comes to maximizing fuel savings, a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade is probably one of the best platforms for a hybrid drivetrain. The SUV’s are big and heavy and are mostly found in and around city suburbs. This means mostly slow traveling speeds and plenty of stop-start...

Hyundai is moving into the hybrid business quickly, with its first petrol-electric model expected to debut in South Korea this July and the U.S. by next year. Now, the carmaker’s American chief, John Krafcik, has revealed that management is considering building a more advanced plug-in hybrid...

Honda’s new Insight hybrid vehicle has been on sale in the U.S. for just over a week but demand for the car is already pushing production at the company’s Suzuka plant in Japan to the limits. Sales of the Insight in Japan are already triple what Honda had hoped for and with predictions...

Daimler commenced trials of a new mobility concept called the ‘car2go project’ in Ulm, Germany, in October last year in an attempt to provide a solution for increasing traffic volume in urban areas. The company is now expanding the program to the U.S., and plans to start the latest...

Diesel pundits have consistently argued that a good oil-burner can match, and in some cases outdo, a comparable hybrid powertrain when it comes to fuel-economy. Carmakers on the other hand, possibly motivated by the green image presented by hybrid vehicles, have been spending billions of dollars on...

Within days of unveiling the Insight hybrid concept at last year’s Paris Motor Show, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui boasted that the production version would arrive on the market priced below $20,000. He was spot on as the new Insight hybrid is currently on sale from $19,800, undercutting the current...

Testing the new Prius in the desert hills around Tucson, I came to a realization I'm still only half-comfortable with: I actually like this car. It doesn't go fast, it's not ultra-luxurious and it won't take a corner at anything above a sedate speed, but that's not the point. It's comfortable -...

Hyundai is determined to turn itself into a leader in hybrid technologies and has already unveiled a number of hybrid concepts, including an LPG version, as well as a fuel-cell vehicle. This time around Hyundai is expanding into the burgeoning plug-in hybrid segment, and will be presenting a new...

The roll-out of Fisker’s new Karma plug-in hybrid luxury saloon is going smoothly, with the company announcing that they have already signed up 32 dealers in the U.S. and should have a total of 40 onboard by the end of June. There are already 1,300 pre-orders for the car, which starts at a...

It's not often that major automakers push production dates ahead in time rather than back, especially with the current economic conditions, but Nissan might be doing just that with its electric vehicle program. While earlier Nissan was claiming that its first mass-produced electric vehicle would...

Small companies developing electric supercars with Ferrari-rivalling performance may seem fairly common these days, and the latest entrant into this niche market segment - the Liv Inizio - seems determined to follow in the footsteps of other fledgling electric car start-ups. EV Innovations, the...