Hybrids
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Toyota has promised an ever greater range of hybrids over the next few years, to add to its already significant range of 23 hybrid models worldwide. One of those will be the 2015 Lexus NX, a compact crossover showing off the latest in the company's L-finesse design language. This concept, the LF-NX, is the best indication yet of what that car will look like. Due to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next week, the LF-NX is a premium compact crossover sitting below the RX in Lexus's range--and alongside rivals such as the BMW X1. Unlike the X1, a hybrid drivetrain will be part of the deal. Lexus...
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BMW i8 Plug-In Sports Car Edges Closer With New Teaser VideoOne of the most exciting launches at this month's Frankfurt Auto Show will be BMW's new plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8. The German automaker has released a teaser video of the new car ahead of its official debut on September 10, where it'll join the existing i3 electric city car on BMW's...
Antony Ingram -
Chevy Corvette Hybrid: Not Nearly As Horrifying As Purists ThinkTraditionalists may be feeling faint right about now. The thought of a Chevrolet Corvette with a hybrid-electric powertrain threatens to make their heads explode. But that's exactly the concept at which GM president Mark Reuss says, "Don't laugh." Reuss made the comment during a Los Angeles Times...
John Voelcker -
Toyota FCV-R Fuel Cell Concept Updated, Previews 2015 Production CarToyota says it's still on course for launching its first production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 2015, and has updated its FCV-R fuel cell concept for the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show to publicize the fact. Since the concept debuted in 2011, the FCV-R's setup has changed, reflecting Toyota's new take...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Sells 23 Hybrids Globally; How Many Can You Name?By this point, pretty much everyone can identify a Toyota Prius by its shape, and knows that it's a hybrid-electric vehicle. And most people know that Toyota sells many more hybrids as well. But how many of them can you name? Turns out that Toyota offers 23 separate and distinct hybrid models...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Crown Royal Saloon: Driving The 'Hybrid Brougham' Luxury SedanHave you ever wondered what a mid-size hybrid sedan would be like if it had the ride and handling of a Sixties Cadillac: big, soft, and wallowy? If so, Toyota has an answer for you, assuming you're willing to travel to Japan. All told, Toyota makes 23 different hybrid passenger vehicles for its...
John Voelcker -
Toyota today released a few more nuggets of information about the next, all-new generation of its Prius hybrid car. The all-new Prius, to be released in 2015, is likely to continue each generation's 10-percent improvement on the fuel economy of its predecessor. With the current Prius Liftback rated at 50 mpg combined, that would take the 2015 model to 55 mpg. The news was released by Satoshi Ogiso, Toyota's chief engineer and the man in charge of developing the next range of Prius models. He stressed the challenge of continuously improving efficiency as consumption falls to extremely low...
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Porsche 918 Spyder: Plug-In Hybrid Sports Car Photo GalleryWhat do the Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Toyota Prius all have in common? Apart from four wheels and an engine, not a lot, you might be thinking. But there's something else that connects the four--they're all hybrids. Specifically, the Porsche and its supercar cousins are...
Antony Ingram -
EPA's Ford C-Max Hybrid Gas Mileage: "Our Testing Not At Fault"It's frustrating buying a car to find its gas mileage falls short of the official EPA ratings, and it's a frustration quite familiar to owners of the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The car was launched to much fanfare with its 47 mpg combined rating--identical to that of the Ford Fusion Hybrid--but it...
Antony Ingram -
Does Toyota's Hybrid Leadership Blind It To Electric Cars?Many who follow the progress of plug-in electric cars wonder why Toyota, despite its leadership in hybrids, lags other carmakers in its electric vehicles. The business principle of The Innovator's Dilemma suggests that the company has been slow to embrace electric cars not despite its hybrid...
Matthew Klippenstein -
2014 Range Rover Hybrid, Range Rover Sport Hybrid RevealedLand Rover has announced full details of its two new hybrid Range Rover models, due to hit the streets in 2014. The Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid are the first official hybrid models that Range Rover has sold, both based on the company's new aluminum 'Premium Lightweight...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Will Add Murano Hybrid, Rogue Hybrid In 2015 (Or So)The 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid hasn't quite hit the dealerships yet, but already Nissan is promising more models that use the same hybrid system. When they're redesigned during the next couple of years, both the Murano and Rogue crossovers will be offered with a hybrid option, Nissan said. The...
John Voelcker -
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid may not have a catchy name, but we've been expecting it for some time--ever since the marque showed off its Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid Concept back in 2009, in fact. No self-respecting luxury automaker can be without a plug-in model these days. Rival Audi might see diesel as the future of luxury and sport sedans, but Mercedes joins fellow Stuttgart automaker Porsche in offering a plug-in version of its high-end sedan. Performance is as important as economy, here. On that front, the S500 does well. The power source is a turbocharged 3.0-liter, V-6...
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Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Revealed In Full, Debuts FrankfurtToyota has revealed a full teaser image of its Hybrid-R concept due at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show--and it's the hot hybrid hatch we were expecting. The company revealed a simple R logo a few weeks back, and rumors were rife it might find its way onto a next-generation Supra sports car. Then the...
Antony Ingram -
Canadian 'Loki' Stealth Hybrid Military Vehicle: A SnowmobileThere are many reasons for making a vehicle a hybrid--driveability, improving gas mileage--but "covert operations" is the best we've heard so far. You could sneak up on people in a Prius--as you'll probably have discovered in parking lots as pedestrians dive out in front of your near-silent...
Antony Ingram -
Ford's C-Max Mileage Mess: How It Happened And What It MeansFord spent nine months justifying the 47-mpg fuel-efficiency rating of its new 2013 C-Max Hybrid--before it bowed to public pressure and lowered it to 43 mpg late Thursday. While its three latest hybrid models continue to sell well, the latest reversal draws attention to Ford's challenges when the...
John Voelcker -
Honda NSX Concept-GT: Honda's Hybrid Racer RevealedHonda and Acura can't resist teasing us with its latest hybrid sports car, the NSX. We've seen concepts and disguised production models, and now there's a race car ready to hit the circuit, aimed at Japan's premier GT racing series. The Honda NSX Concept-GT is designed to comply with GT500...
Antony Ingram -
Plug-In Hybrid Model To Join Next Audi A4 Range: ReportAudi has had its fair share of criticism from plug-in car fans, but the automaker now seems to be coming around to the idea of electric propulsion after some rather public dismissals of the technology. Audi's first production plug-in model will be the A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid arriving next year...
Antony Ingram -
It seems strange that Audi has so far failed to capitalize on the huge success of its R18 e-tron quattro endurance racing cars. They're without doubt some of the most technologically-advanced race cars of the modern age, yet the Ingolstadt automaker has made only token references to the R18 with plug-in hybrid or diesel A3 hatchbacks, or the not-for-production R8 e-tron supercar we drove in Berlin a few months back. The company's next sports car, due to be unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show next month, may well change that. The new Audi quattro concept harks back to the original rally...
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Will 2040 See All Non-Hybrids Banned From British Roads?The idea of banning internal combustion vehicles from city centers is nothing new, and similar schemes are expected to appear all over Europe over the next decade or so. Banning them from the road entirely though is a different matter--and it's one that the UK's Liberal Democrat party proposes...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota's Frankfurt Hybrid R Concept Is A Hybrid Hot HatchbackToyota has released its second teaser image of its Frankfurt Auto Show Hybrid R concept--and it's not at all what we thought it was. There was plenty to suggest that Toyota might use the show to showcase a much-anticipated sports coupe using the Supra name--one with a hybrid drivetrain. The latest...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Hybrid R Concept Due At 2013 Frankfurt Auto ShowAs teaser images go, it doesn't leave us much to go on. But Toyota's Hybrid R logo, in familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive blue and with the smallest hint of a checkered flag graphic, suggests the company's next concept will be rather more racy than normal. Toyota will show the Hybrid R Concept at the...
Antony Ingram -
BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Sports Car: More Details EmergeBMW has only just officially revealed its electric i3 city car, but already the German automaker seems ready to tease us with its i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. The company has released further details on the i8's plug-in drivetrain, with detailed images showing some of the i8's more intimate...
Antony Ingram -
Real-World Gas Mileage Varies By Brand; Honda Does Well, Ford Not So MuchJust how close do cars get to their official EPA gas mileage figures? We expect it's a question many of our readers are familiar with--either in keeping an eye on their own car's gas mileage, or from friends asking about their next car. It's become all the more important in recent months, with...
Antony Ingram