Hybrids

Mercedes’ major new concept car for the Frankfurt Motor Show is the new F700 design study, a luxurious touring sedan showcasing a raft of new technologies that will eventually make its way to the carmaker’s production models. The most exciting feature is the new DiesOtto powerplant, a...

In addition to the new X6 Concept, BMW is also presenting a modular two-mode hybrid version of the car dubbed the X6 Active Hybrid. The concept is running a new BMW drivetrain that integrates the batteries, electronics systems and power inverter all within the transmission. Compared with the...

Audi has announced plans to launch its first ever hybrid model with the introduction of a new hybrid Q7 SUV in America planned for later this year. Developed with both Volkswagen and Porsche, the new hybrid system combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and can run independently on either...

Updated: New images and PR Plug-in hybrids are the next big wave in automotive technology, as the slew of concepts being released in anticipation of the Frankfurt auto show attest. Yesterday, Volvo announced its ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept. Today, it's Opel's turn to join the ranks. The Opel...

Mercedes will be presenting no less than seven hybrid cars, eight new Bluetec diesels and one DiesOtto concept car at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, arguably the biggest number of offerings from a single carmaker at this year’s show. There will be 19 new models in total as well as...

It seems going green is one of the leading themes of the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show with nearly every manufacturer debuting some new green technology or hybrid concept. Volvo, however, has not yet produced a hybrid vehicle. That's all about to change. Volvo's plug-in hybrid ReCharge Concept...

Honda is hoping to claw back much of the hybrid car market that it lost to Toyota and its segment leading Prius with an all new dedicated hybrid model of its own. Despite beating Toyota to the hybrid market with the launch of the Insight back in 1999, Honda has since seen most hybrid-buyers head...

With Volkswagen pushing ahead on its BlueMotion program and BMW heavily promoting EfficientDynamics, it seems as though Mercedes has been left behind when it comes to green technology in its cars. Not so – Mercedes is in fact hard at work, and it's soon to show. The 2009 ML450 hybrid, capable...

Citroen will be displaying two new concept vehicles at next week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the previously announced C5 Airscape drop-top as well as the new low-cost C-Cactus. The design ethos for the C-Cactus was to save costs, which is why the concept features innovative manufacturing...

Toyota admits lithium ion battery technology is still too hazardous to use in its production cars despite GM announcing earlier this year that it expects to have a plug-in hybrid vehicle with lithium batteries by the end of the decade. The Japanese giant doesn’t want to rush out products with...

Opel will be going green at September’s Frankfurt IAA show with the unveiling of the Corsa Hybrid concept car. Though it’s not a “full” hybrid like a Prius, the concept car uses simple technology like a starter generator and stop/start automatic transmission to drop fuel...

General Motors has high hopes for its upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid car and is expecting to build over 60,000 units in its first year of production. This level of production will allow GM to price the Volt under $30,000, a crucial factor for the car’s success and something that execs are well...

Audi will not only be displaying its all-new A1 minicar at October’s Tokyo Motor Show but it will also unveil its new hybrid drive system. Targeted at premium small cars such as BMW’s Mini, the new A1 will come as a three-door hatch and be priced less than €20,000 when it goes on...

Auto parts supplier Siemens VDO has developed a prototype hybrid version of the C-Class Sport Coupe that it says offers better acceleration, torque and fuel-economy than its petrol-only equivalent. In this way, Siemens sees hybrid technology as being a method of adding performance to regular models...

The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 sedan has entered the record books as the world’s fastest hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle with a record speed of 207.297mph. A small team composed of enthusiasts from Ford, the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research, Ballard Power Systems and Roush Racing...

Tesla founder and CEO Martin Eberhard will step down from the top position, remaining at the electric car company as its new President of Technology. Eberhard, who has led Tesla since 2003, was planning the move since the start of the year and has the full backing of the company’s board...

Fiat is joining utility companies Cemig and Itaipu to develop new electric vehicles for Brazil, with an initial batch of 30 electric Palio cars scheduled to start testing later this year. The utility companies have been developing electric cars for the past five years, but they were in need of...

The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Toyota will be delaying the introduction of its next-gen hybrids models because of fears that the new lithium-ion technology is unsafe. There were plans to launch more...

Peugeot will unveil a concept version of a new diesel-hybrid powered 308 hatchback at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Until now, most carmakers relied on petrol engines for their hybrid cars but it makes sense to use a diesel as the oil-burners are already more efficient than petrol...

GM has made the bold claim that hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs will achieve 40% better fuel economy than regular petrol versions, equating to a mileage figure of roughly 19-20mpg in urban driving. Earlier forecasts predicted improvements of only 25%, but, according to USA...