In what could be a glimpse of the automotive industry’s future, electric cars grabbed the limelight at the ongoing ‘Mondial de l’ Automobile’ (Paris Motor Show) 2008 with several automakers unveiling a slew of new hybrid electric models. Most of the models, such as Renault SA’s Z.E. Concept, are still prototypes and could be several years away from production. Others, like Daimler AG’s all-electric Smart ED have entered the test phase.

Several automakers debuted new ready-for-production hybrid electric models. General Motors Corp. plans to get ahead of the pack with its rechargeable electric Chevrolet Volt, which is slated to go on sale by late 2010. “General Motors is betting an awful lot on the Volt, and I think it’s more than just an image issue, so we are all very interested in that,” said Finbarr O’Neill, head of international operations for J.D. Power & Associates.

Read the rest of this entry »

The continued rise in gasoline prices as well as tighter rules on vehicle emissions are reviving automakers’ interests in alternative fuels specifically compressed natural gas or CNG. Toyota revealed plans to expand its line of alternatively-powered cars aside from the Prius by unveiling a new Camry Hybrid that will run on compressed natural gas rather than gasoline.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chrysler makes a big jump into electric-hybrid technology with the announcement of three new production-intent vehicles that feature advanced electric-hybrid technology – one each for its brands Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. The automaker also launched a new enclosed GEM low-speed neighborhood car. The new vehicles are the Dodge EV, an all-electric performance sports car; the Jeep EV, a range-extended electric vehicle based on the Jeep Wrangler; and the Chrysler EV, a Town & Country range-extended electric vehicle.

From this line up, Chrysler will select one electric-drive model to be produced in 2010 for the North American markets and after 2101 for European markets. The development of Chrysler’s line up of electric vehicles and range-extended electric vehicles is spearheaded by ENVI, an in-house organization that was created to focus on developing electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technology.

Read the rest of this entry »

Honda’s newest hybrid car due early next year will carry the Insight nameplate. The new gas-electric vehicle will be named after the original Insight. “The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda’s ’insight’ into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers,” the company said. The new Honda Insight has a lofty goal of catching up to rival Toyota Prius’ success in the hybrid arena. Introduced back in 1999, the original Honda Insight was the first mass-produced hybrid automobile sold in the U.S. However, it was discontinued in 2006 due to sluggish global sales. In contrast, the Toyota Prius has sold more then a million units over the past ten years.
Read the rest of this entry »

Aiming squarely at the market-leading Toyota Prius, Honda Motor Co. will introduce a new gas-electric hybrid by April of 2009. Honda already has the most fuel-efficient lineup in the US. “We’re targeting sales of 100,000 units of this new vehicle in North America,” said Richard Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. in a speech at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars.

The new Honda dedicated hybrid model will be priced lower than the Prius while offering superior performance in the hope of cutting through the market share of Toyota’s popular hybrid. It will also be priced lower than the hybrid gas-electric version of the Civic. Smaller than the Honda Civic, the new five-door car will feature a hybrid powertrain. Colliver further added that Honda wants to make the hybrid affordable to a new generation of buyers and it is not specifically trying to match Prius sales.

The automaker has not yet released fuel economy figures for the new hybrid. It will sell the new Prius competitor in the US, Japan and Europe. A new hybrid version of the Honda Fit has also been announced.

Via International Herald Tribune

Riding on a high wave of demand for more fuel efficient vehicles, Toyota is planning to produce a new hybrid-only model to the tune of 100,000 units a year. The planned hybrid will be Toyota’s second dedicated hybrid model after the popular Prius. While the Prius features a 1.5 liter gasoline engine, the new hybrid model will feature a 2 to 2.5 liter engine. It will join the ranks of other hybrid models in Toyota’s lineup including the Prius, Camry Hybrid, and the Highlander Hybrid.

Toyota will also offer a rebadged version of it under the luxury brand Lexus, which is also currently producing a line of hybrid vehicles such as the LS Hybrid, GS Hybrid and the RX Hybrid.

General Motors is apparently planning on unveiling a production version of its new Chevrolet Volt by September this year, just in time for the automaker’s 100th founding anniversary. With sales declining rapidly, GM is seeking to focus the investors’ and consumers’ attention away from the gloomy prospect brought about by rapidly declining sales (GM’s US sales are 15% off this year) to the rosier perspective of its fuel-efficient vehicles under development.

GM first showed off a concept version of the Volt back in January 2007 but has since significantly revamped the vehicle’s look to improve its aerodynamics. Now the shape of the production car has reportedly been finalized. The Chevy Volt is a plug-in electric vehicle designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 40 miles (64 km).

With the help of a small internal combustion engine driving a generator to resupply the batteries, the vehicle’s range can potentially reach 640 miles (1,030 km) on the highway. Two suppliers are in the running to provide the lithium-ion batteries for the Volt: Korea’s LG Chem and German auto parts supplier Continental AG. The Volt is one of the first landmark attempts to use lithium-ion batteries, very common in consumer electronics, in automobiles.

Via Reuters

As oil prices climb up to record highs, automakers are scrambling to produce a commercially-feasible electric vehicle. Hyundai hopes to make a good head start in the Hybrid Electric Car segment with the introduction of the make’s first hybrid electric car. The Asian country’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy divulged that Hyundai is currently conducting test drives of a hybrid electric version of its Avante model, a compact car called the Elantra in Australia, North America and Europe.

The hybrid Avante will use a lithium ion rechargeable battery pack. Expected to be sold in 2009, it will be the first South Korean hybrid electric vehicle. The new hybrid car can reach 37.9 miles per gallon compared to 24.7 miles per gallon for conventional engines or up to 35% savings on fuel. If successful, Hyundai could beat GM and Mitsubishi to the electric car race.

General Motors is planning to roll out Volt, its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, in the US come November 2010. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors is aiming to be the first makor automaker to bring an all-electric vehicle to the mass market by 2010, is fast-tracking the development of its prototype 4-door iMiEV electric vehicle.

Source

At the 78th Geneva International Motor Show, Morgan, a sports car manufacturer from Britain, took the covers off a new hydrogen vehicle which they claim to have no emissions. This vehicle, named the LIFECar, gets its power from a fuel cell.

With the company’s first sports car with two seats as the basis, the LIFECar is something to look at because of the design. That design has also been combined with a concept vehicle done by another company that makes vehicle designs that are aimed to be solutions to environmental issues.

According to Morgan, their LIFECar’s performance can be like that of a vehicle which uses 1.8 liters of petrol fuel for every hundred kilometers. The company has also disclosed that the vehicle clocks in 137 kilometers per hour as its top speed.

Light materials were used to create the vehicle and the list includes aluminum, leather, and wood.

Toyota and Honda dominated the list of the top vehicle models with the highest fuel economy ratings released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Five of the top ten most fuel efficient vehicles in the U.S. today were manufactured by Toyota, now the world’s second largest automaker. The hybrid car Toyota Prius topped the list with a fuel economy rating of 60 mpg city and 51 mpg highway.

Meanwhile, Honda’s Civic hybrid and Fit were also cited for their high fuel economy scores with the gas-sipping Civic coming only second to the Prius. The list is rounded up by other Asian models: the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio tied for 9th place. Meanwhile, the Ford Escape FWD and 4WD were the only domestic models on the list.