Hybrids

Building hundreds of quick-recharge power stations across the island nation is Japan's first step toward welcoming a new era of motoring. Expecting a rapid roll-out of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles beginning next year, the country is rapdily preparing to become a welcoming environment for...

Talking points for Toyota executives over the past year have kept a heavy emphasis on plans to offer every vehicle in the lineup as a hybrid, with the most recent promises highlighting the emissions savings already achieved by the Prius and other hybrids. Now reports of Toyota's upcoming tiny city...

Next year will see the launch of Toyota’s third-generation Prius, and the year after that the introduction of what could possibly the world’s first mass produced plug-in hybrid, however the carmaker is also working on a third eco-friendly technology – the all-electric car. Until...

General Motors is investing hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of man hours to develop the E-Flex powertrain for the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle, so to use the technology for just a single vehicle wouldn’t be the best business decision. Luckily, GM is planning to use the...

Despite regular legal tussles with rivals like Tesla and the occasional production set-back due to the high-tech nature of the product, Fisker is aiming to get its Karma plug-in hybrid car to market by the end of next year. After the Karma sedan hits the streets, there are already plans for three...

Update: General Motors’ product chief Bob Lutz has a revealed that test fleets for the production Chevrolet Volt would start running as early as next year and that the first customer cars could start rolling of assembly lines earlier than the proposed November 2010 release date. However, Lutz...

Since the release of its official strategy outline in September last year, media sources around the world have been speculating that BMW is looking at launching a new generation of ultra-efficient city cars. Then in March this year, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed that the carmaker was planning...

Racing and competitive motorsports have long been some of the primary avenues of automotive research and advancement, and that tradition is set to continue with the Formula Zero kart racing league. The series' first race took place in the Netherlands this past weekend, featuring the first...

This October’s Paris Motor Show is expected to be very busy for BMW as the carmaker is reported to be preparing no less than four different reveals for the upcoming show. The lineup is set to include the world debuts for the 2009 facelifted 3-series range and the recently revealed 7-series...

Lotus has designed a system to make hybrid cars produce whatever engine sound the owner might desire, and recently Eberspacher revealed a similar technology. The reasoning is that hybrids are so quiet they actually pose a danger to pedestrians - and especially the blind - who can't hear the cars...

Global demand for the Fiat 500 has been so high that its sales have been backlogged for months, and now the company is reportedly adding a hybrid powertrain to the modern classic to make it even more attractive. Based around an upcoming efficient two-cylinder petrol engine and a bespoke battery...

Aiming squarely for the jugular of the world's leading purveyor of hybrid vehicles is a daring move, but few companies are better suited to the task than Honda. With its new dedicated hybrid model, the company hopes to undercut the current market-leading Prius on price while offering superior...

Mary Ann Wright, head of the hybrid-battery joint venture for Johnson Controls and Saft has made a strong statement about the need for new thought and organization for the government officials and agencies that deal with the advanced vehicle industry. Criticizing the U.S. Council for Automotive...

Brand loyalty is a highly-sought after attribute in a customer base, from the carmaker's perspective, and according to data compiled by Experian Automotive, American hybrid buyers are among the most loyal car shoppers around. Fully 47% of hybrid buyers buy the same make (brand) of car when shopping...

Update: While some may doubt the likelihood of General Motors' upcoming Chevrolet Volt appearing on time, the carmaker’s engineers and designers don’t seem to have the same qualms. In a video for ABC news, GM's exterior design executive director Michael Simcoe gave a preview of the...

While its main Japanese rivals, Honda and Toyota, are both working on their next-generation of dedicated hybrid models, Nissan is heading down a different route and is looking to all-electric vehicles to differentiate its offerings in the increasingly competitive ‘green’ segment. Toyota...

Update: Inexpensive and fuel-efficiency focused, Honda's new dedicated Prius fighter will be taking off its wraps at the Paris Motor Show, according to the latest reports. The new car is hoped to give Honda renewed vigor in the struggle against Toyota's ascendancy to the top of the hybrid ranks...

Update: Mitsubishi is planning to begin testing of its i-MiEV electric cars in cooperation with power company Southern California Edison (SCE). The tests will be used to gauge how electric vehicles will connect to the future electric grid and 'smart' meters being developed by SCE. In addition, the...

Japanese battery manufacturer GS Yuasa Corp today announced plans that would make it one of the largest suppliers of batteries for the automotive industry. Rising demand for fuel-efficient cars from both the public and private sectors is leading the industry to begin development of the...

Updated: General Motors’ Opel division is working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the same E-Flex architecture that’s set to debut in the Chevrolet Volt, but the Chevy will also make it to Europe, although not until late 2011. In his latest post on a GM blog, Carl Peter...