Hybrids

With fuel prices continuing to edge higher, the cost benefit of fuel saving hybrid and diesel vehicles are now more important than ever. We recently looked at why mainstream automakers in the U.S. refuse to launch more fuel efficient diesel models locally, and now we have details of a new study...

Chinese auto giant BYD is one of the world’s leaders in the field of hybrid vehicles, having been the first in the market with a mass-produced plug-in hybrid back in 2009--albeit in China only--and now with several small fleets of plug-in hybrid models here in the U.S. These are small-scale...

Think car buyers understand what a hybrid is, or a plug-in electric car? Think again. A new survey conducted by research firm Synovate finds that many of almost 1,900 new-car "buyers and intenders" don't understand how hybrid vehicles work. Worse, most of them don't seem to understand how...

Honda has been slow to the game when it comes to plug-in hybrids and electric cars but at the recent 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show the automaker proved that it was not completely in the dark in this area. On display at the show was a new version of its Fit compact car powered by an electric...

Democracy can be a messy and ugly thing to watch in practice. Especially when it's being pointed toward carmakers, which aren't often the subject of mass protests pointed toward their future product lines. This morning, we received an e-mail with a link to a Causes page urging Mitsubishi not to...

Honda said yesterday it would recall 36,700 of its 2006 and 2007 Civic Hybrid models to replace a key component of the Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system. The part to be replaced is the DC-to-DC converter, which adjusts the voltage of power moved among different components of the hybrid system...

Ford has been burning the midnight oil for several years now, and its hard work is paying off. The automaker's One Ford philosophy has resulted in a slimmer product lineup, two fewer brands, and a healthy bottom line. Ford also boasts a much spiffier brand image among shoppers these days, thanks in...

Saab has confirmed its commitment to introduce a hybrid vehicle with the unveiling today of the striking 2011 Saab PhoeniX concept car at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The new concept is a preview of Saab’s future production models, both in terms of styling and technology. It’s built...

Gas prices got you all nervous? Figuring the days of cheap gas are over? Thinking about a new car with much better gas mileage? Well, just because the EPA rates a specific car at the magic 40-mpg mark doesn't mean you'll actually get 40 mpg. But the ratings are a good indicator of where cars stand...

Two weeks ago, the EPA rated the 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid at 27 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 29 mpg. That makes it the only car in its class, as Infiniti proudly trumpeted, with both 350 horsepower and a highway rating of 30 mpg or more. Now, the cost of that fuel efficiency...

Toyota announced this week that it had ended what it called a “decade-long debate” by decreeing that the plural of Prius would be Prii henceforth and to the end of time. Okay, they didn’t say that last part. Toyota unveiled the winning word at the Chicago Auto Show this morning...

Hyundai is no friend to cheating spouses, that's for sure. Of course, neither is Congress (despite the recent Craigslist antics of former Representative Chris Lee). But perhaps we should start at the beginning. 'Vast defect' ?!?!? We've gotten several notes over the past few weeks from Colorado...

Our reader Jonathan P asks: I have a 1997 Saturn that, remarkably, is still running. It probably has the book value of a large watermelon, so if anything major goes wrong with it, that's the end of that. If that Saturn were a hybrid, I'm guessing the battery pack would have died about four years...

While Toyota clearly hopes the worst of its recall problems are behind it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a new investigation into an older Toyota vehicle. On February 15, the NHTSA opened an investigation into 32 complaints of engine stalling in 2006 Toyota...

Slowly, ever so slowly, the image of green cars is expanding beyond tiny tin-box hatchbacks and nerdy Toyota Prius hybrids to encompass a broader spectrum of the car scene. Take, for instance, this 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid show car, customized by Jonathan Garcia of M&J Enterprises in Phillips...

At last month’s 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the wraps came off the new 2012 Toyota Prius V, a bigger and more practical version of the Prius hatchback that treads the line between wagon and minivan. Despite the extra height, weight, and girth, however, the vehicle is still limited to five...

California is already viewed as one of the most progressive states towards the adoption of mainstream electric cars. Now, a new study has confirmed what may have seemed obvious: It is likely to be the biggest market in the U.S. for a new generation of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The study...

Lexus has gone to great lengths to emphasize the sportiness of its upcoming hybrid hatchback, the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h. After previewing an F-Sport endowed concept version of the car at last year’s Sydney Motor Show, Lexus has now used this week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show to present a...

We asked last year if the new GM would be a cleantech play. It’s looking more and more like that’s the case. Yesterday, the company announced it would be rolling out a hybrid technology system called eAssist in the Buick Regal 2012 that will boost fuel economy by 25 percent. The system...

Think "hybrid" and what comes to mind? Small or midsize, sometimes odd-driving Toyotas? There's now actually a raft of low-volume hybrid luxury and sports sedans from such makers as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, and now Infiniti. The 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid was officially unveiled at last fall's...