Showing posts with label Hybrids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hybrids. Show all posts

Thursday, October 11, 2012

New Ford C-MAX Energi PHEV EPA Certified at 100 MPGe, Beats Prius PHEV by 5 MPGe


Thanks to an EPA certified EPA-certified 108 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in the city, Ford's new C-MAX Energi has been afforded the title of America’s most fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid.

The compact minivan that shares most of its parts with the regular 47 mpg C-MAX Hybrid adding plug-in capability, also returns 100 MPGe on the combined cycle.

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Friday, October 5, 2012

New GM App Shows Chevy Volt Owners the Real Cost of Charging Their Hybrid at Home


Plug-in hybrid vehicles claim to be much more fuel efficient, and thus cheaper to run, than regular models powered only by international combustion engines.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, though; in the case of plug-in hybrids, you have to factor in the energy consumed to charge the battery at your home, which adds to the electricity bill.

General Motors’ OnStar service is currently testing an application that will inform Chevrolet Volt owners about the cost of charging their extended-range plug-in hybrid.

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Spied: Volkswagen Filmed Trying Out XL1 Diesel-Electric Hybrid


The XL1 is Volkswagen's vision of a plug-in hybrid car that returns an amazingly low combined fuel consumption of 0.9lt/100km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK, or to be precise, MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) since this figure includes the use of both the internal combustion engine and the battery.

The two-seater model was presented as a concept last year and is now heading for very limited run production starting from next year - if all goes according to plan. VW's engineers were filmed in Spain completing new tests with the car as they prepare for its introduction.

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Ford Takes Another Swipe at the Prius V with La Linea-Inspired Commercials for C-MAX


If you take a moment to check out Ford U.S.A.'s recent press releases on the new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, you will notice that the Blue Oval always finds some room to insert a reference or two…or three to Toyota's rivaling Prius V minivan, be that for its fuel economy numbers, pricing or features.

In Ford's latest release, the word "Prius" appears…15 times, but that's to be expected since the automaker is bumping the challenge to the next level by launching a new campaign to "establish C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid as better, more fuel-efficient hybrid alternatives to Toyota Prius V".

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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Volkswagen Prices New 45MPG 2013 Jetta Hybrid from $24,995* in the States


While on one side of the Atlantic, Volkswagen's local arm was releasing prices for the UK market 2013 Golf Mk7, on the other side, the German automaker announced U.S. pricing for the 2013 Jetta Hybrid.

The turbocharged gasoline-electric hybrid will go on sale in the States in the last quarter of 2012 with a base MSRP of $24,995 (€19,350 at today's rates), excluding a destination charge of $795 (*).

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2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid to Gain More Luxurious Trimmed Titanium Edition


Starting early next year, Ford customers in the U.S. will have one more option when it comes to the new 2013 Fusion Hybrid as the Blue Oval announced the addition of a Titanium model to the range.

The Titanium edition is based on the already available Fusion Hybrid SE, which is EPA rated at 47mpg combined, adding new exterior and interior appointments.

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Monday, October 1, 2012

2013 Lexus CT 200h Gains New 87g/km CO2 Base Model and Added Features in the UK


The 2013 model year brings a new lower priced and with less CO2 emissions entry-point S trim along with a revised grade naming and extra standard equipment features for the UK market CT 200h.

The Lexus hybrid compact hatchback is now offered with a total of five model grades in Britain starting with the new S that is fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels and a larger rear spoiler, which help it return lower CO2 emissions of 87g/km compared to 94 g/km of the next model in the range.

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mitsubishi Showcases Production Version of New Outlander Plug-in Hybrid in Paris


Nearly a year after Mitsubishi unveiled the concept car in Japan, the production version of the new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV (PHEV) has been unwrapped at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The PHEV will first go on sale in Japan early next year, followed shortly after by Europe, North America, and other regions around the world.

Mitsubishi says the new generation of the Outlander was developed from the beginning to be offered with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

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Friday, September 28, 2012

2013 Honda CR-Z Comes to Paris with Better Performance Numbers and New Lithium-ion Battery


Compact, sporty coupes are a fast-growing segment right now. Honda returned to the segment in 2010 with the CR-Z, a front-wheel drive coupe with distinctive styling and a hybrid powertrain.

At the Paris Auto Show, Honda displayed the updated version of the CR-Z, which had already made a surprise debut in Indonesia and will go on sale in January 2013. It sports subtle cosmetic revisions, including a revised front grille and rear diffuser, plus two new exterior colors.

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Paris Motor Show: SsangYong's e-XIV Crossover Concept Crossover [Updated]


A couple of weeks ago, we brought you news that Korea's SsangYong plans to introduce a new concept model in Paris and now, we have the first real-life photos of the e-XIV range-extender hybrid electric crossover. Read more »

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo in Detail with Live Photos and Promo Video [Updated]


Porsche is giving us a strong hint at the future of the Panamera series with its new Sport Turismo Concept that was unveiled during a press event on the eve of the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

With the Panamera Sport Turismo concept, Porsche's intention is to kill three birds with one stone, in the sense that it is previewing both a new design language for the next Panamera saloon and a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, while also testing the waters for an expansion of the series with a more practical and roomy, estate-like model.

"The body concept of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow," said the company in a press statement.

The Sport Turismo is 1,990 mm wide, 1,401 mm tall and 4,950 mm long, which makes it 61mm wider, 17mm lower and 20mm shorter than the current Panamera.

At least in concept form, the Sport Turismo has a slightly more aggressive and simultaneously sleeker appearance than today's Panamera, but this could all change once it enters the realm of production.

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BMW’s Hybrid Active Tourer Concept is a 1-Series GT in Disguise


If things stayed the same, we would probably still be living in caves – or even worse. Change is inevitable and this stands for car manufacturers, too.

BMW apparently thinks the same way; that’s why the Active Tourer Concept that premiered at the Paris Auto Show toady breaks with the Bavarian carmaker’s tradition by offering front-wheel drive.

The automaker claims that its latest study “offers an initial insight into innovations for the premium compact segment… in terms of both the interior and the drive concept.”

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Lexus LF-CC Concept: This is What an IS Coupe May Look Like


If you have not noticed, Lexus doesn't have a coupe model for the masses. The LFA is a technical tour-de-force, but it comes with a ridiculous price tag and a production run of only 500 units, making it essentially a halo car that displays the brand’s capabilities. The only other two-door model is the IS CC, which is a hardtop convertible.

Now this space will be filled with the production version of the LF-CC concept that premiered at the Paris Auto Show.

Building on the very positive reaction that the LF-LC received at January’s Detroit Motor Show, the LF-CC is a more down-to-earth, almost production-ready model, that will inspire a coupe version of the next IS series to compete against the BMW 3/4 Series Coupe.

The front-engined, rear-wheel drive concept also features a hybrid powertrain, which according to the company, will eventually power other models, too.

It consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with direct injection that operates on the more efficient Atkinson cycle, a compact electric motor, a generator, a battery, a power split device and a central control unit that manages the internal combustion engine-electric motor-battery operation modes.

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New Crosslane Coupe Hybrid Points to the Design Language of Future Audi SUVs


A new concept that gives us a glimpse of Audi’s design language for its future crossovers was revealed today at the German automaker’s stand at the Paris Auto Show.

The Crosslane Coupe (which may or may not preview a Q2 production model), is built around an innovative Multimaterial Space Frame made from aluminum, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP).

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Audi Rumored to Debut Crosslane Coupe Hybrid Concept in Paris to Preview New Q2 CUV


Alongside the brand-new A3 Sportback and S3, Audi's stand at the 2012 Paris Auto Show is rumored to host the world premiere of the Crosslane Coupe, a concept for a two-door compact SUV with a hybrid powertrain that will spawn the Q2 crossover. Read more »

New Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept Previews Next Sedan and Shooting Brake Model


The rumors about Porsche readying a sporty-looking station wagon concept - much in the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake, for the Paris Motor Show turned out to be true as the first images of the study hit the web today.

Named the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, the prototype foretells the future of the Panamera series previewing the next generation model's design language, the addition of a second body style and judging by the ghost picture and the 'e-Hybrid' badge on the front door, a plug-in hybrid variant.

The lines and styling elements of the Panamera Sport Turismo including certain elements such as the shape of the headlamps and tail lamps, clearly inherit the design DNA of Porsche's latest models like the Boxster, 918 Spyder and the 991.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

PSA Peugeot Citroen Reportedly Terminates Hybrid Research Partnership with BMW, Continues with GM


When it formed an alliance with General Motors last February, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe’s second-biggest car manufacturer, said that this would not affect its partnerships with other manufacturers.

Yet according to Agence France-Presse, Peugeot’s head of R&D Gauillaume Faury said that the French group would end its joint venture with BMW on hybrid research that was established in February 2011, and continue with GM instead.

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Toyota to Launch 21 New Hybrids and a New Fuel Cell Vehicle in the Next Three Years


When the first-generation Prius was launched in 1997, annual sales were negligible. Today, Toyota delivers more than one million hybrids annually and which account for 10 percent of its total global sales and 50 percent of the brand’s domestic sales.

As the current leader in the field, Toyota believes that hybrids and plug-in hybrids are the way to go and fuel cell technology is much closer to production than most people think.

Japan’s biggest auto manufacturer is getting ready to add no less than 21 new hybrids, an all-electric RAV-4 and a fuel cell vehicle by 2015.

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Fisker Says Karma Hybrid Luxury Saloon Already Surpasses 2025 CAFE Standards


The launch of Fisker’s first product, the Karma, has not gone as smoothly as the automaker would have liked to. Delays in production and recalls over a battery-related fire risk wasn’t exactly the publicity company founder Henrik Fisker was expecting for the luxury hybrid saloon.

On Tuesday, though, the upstart manufacturer announced that the Karma already surpasses the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that were finalized on August 28 by the NHTSA and EPA and will come into effect in 2025.

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Toyota Prices New 2013 Auris Hatchback from £14,495 in the UK


The second generation of the Auris will make its first public appearance on Thursday at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, but Toyota has already announced pricing and trim specifications for the UK market model.

The British-built five-door hatchback will launch in Britain this December in a four-grade line-up with on-the-road prices ranging from £14,495 for the base petrol model to £21,745 for the Hybrid.

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