Toyota is going to release a 2007 Camry Hybrid 50th Anniversary Edition, that will list for $31,680. The car is meant to commemorate Toyota's 50 years of business in the US. They are only planning on producing 3000 of these cars.
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Saturn has announced today that the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid will be the lowest-priced hybrid on the market, starting at $22,695. The car also qualifies for a $1,300 tax credit from the IRS.
Continue reading "2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Takes the Award for the Cheapest Hybrid!" »
According to an article posted on The Recorder Online by Chris Demorro, the Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid is not actually that efficient. "Their ultimate 'green car' is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer."
Continue reading "Toyota's Prius is Less Efficient and Environmentally Friendly than a Hummer?" »
According to a story on USA Today, Californians seem willing to pay as much as $4,000 more for a hybrid vehicle with the state issued carpool stickers than for hybrids that don't have it.
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The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has named Honda as "2007 Greenest Automaker". The group ranks automakers U.S. auto fleet by overall performance of smog-forming emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. This is the fourth consecutive time that Honda has won the title of "greenest automaker"
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According to GM Vice President Bob Lutz, President Bush's proposed fuel efficiency increases could raise car prices by as much as $5,000.
Continue reading "According to GM, New Fuel Standards Could Raise Car Prices by $5,000?!" »
According to an article on Leftlane News it looks like gas prices will be over $4 a gallon in the U.S. this summer.
Continue reading "It Looks Like We Will be Paying $4 a Gallon for Gas this Summer..." »
Lexus has just released the pricing for its newest hybrid, the 2008 Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid. The car is going to have a base price of $104,750, which is much higher than the $71,715 base price of the non-hybrid version.
Continue reading "2008 Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid will Start at $104k...Is That Too Much?" »
Following the announcements made by President Bush to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, Vice Chairman of GM, Bob Lutz has announced that the company is going to have to put their RWD cars on hold.
Continue reading "General Motors puts Rear-Wheel-Drive Models on Hold!" »
It seems like every week there is a new story about the current gas issue. Well now comes word that a legislator in California, US is proposing that the state should tax gas guzzling vehicles. The higher taxes on the gas-guzzling vehicles would then go to those people that buy fuel-efficient vehicles like the Toyota Prius.
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Apparently Honda is having this exact dilemma in Canada. New Canadian regulations have been imposed that give buyers of fuel-efficient vehicles a $1,000 rebate. If the vehicle falls below the fuel-economy threshold of 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers, the car is eligible for the rebate.
Continue reading "Would You Sacrifice Your Safety for Better Gas Mileage and $1000?!" »
Chrysler has announced that there will be a hybrid version of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango on the market in 2008. The SUVs will feature a Two-Mode hybrid system that was developed with GM and BMW, coupled with a 5.7L V8 HEMI engine with cylinder deactivation.
Continue reading "2008 Chrysler Aspen Two-Mode Hybrid Will be the Automaker's First Hybrid" »
Audi has unveiled their new Audi A4 1.9 TDI e. The car features a 115 horsepower engine and is capable of using only 5.3L of diesel fuel per 100km, which translates to 44mpg, when the car is equipped with the six-speed manual.
Continue reading "Audi Unveils an A4 that Rivals the Fuel Economy of the Toyota Yaris" »
According to the Detroit Free Press, a proposal has been created to give automakers until 2020 to raise the fuel efficiency of their vehicles. By 2020 automakers in the U.S. would be required to raise the average fuel economy of their cars and trucks to 35 mpg.
Continue reading "Washington Proposal Gives Automakers in the U.S. Until 2020 to Achieve 35 mpg" »
Since the concept version of the Chevrolet Volt was unveiled earlier this year, GM has been working hard on the production model. The project which is going to cost the automaker at least $500 million is as top of a priority as the new 2008 Chevy Malibu.
Continue reading "The Chevy Volt Hybrid Could Take on the Prius in 2010" »
Toyota recently unveiled the Hybrid X Concept at the Geneva Auto Show. The familiar shape of the concept car lead many people to believe that it was a preview of the next generation Prius. According to Automobile Magazine and Toyota insiders Toyota is going to offer three versions of the next generation Prius.
Continue reading "The Next Generation 2009 Toyota Prius is Going to Come in Three Versions" »
According to Automobile, the Toyota FT-HS is going to be released in 2009. The hybrid sports car has been given the green light.
Honda has announced that it will put its new fuel-cell vehicle into production next year. The automaker is also working on another hybrid vehicle that will be cheaper and smaller than the current Civic Hybrid.
Continue reading "2008 Honda FCX Sedan...We Are Finally Going to Get a Hydrogen Powered Car!" »
Toyota is currently the leader in hybrid sales and they intend to stay that way. Last year the automaker sold 313,000 hybrids and this year they are expected to sell 430,000. Increased pressure from competitors and new diesel technology is forcing the automaker to find ways to cut costs. Toyota hopes to make as much money on hybrids as they do from conventional cars by the end of the decade.
Continue reading "Toyota Claims that All of Their Vehicles will Be Hybrids by 2020" »
Yesterday was a historic day for General Motors, their Chevy Sequel was the first fuel-cell vehicle to travel 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. The 300 mile trip traveled in and out of cities in New York. The drive began at GM’s Fuel Cell Activity Center in Honeoye Falls and ended in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Larry Burns, GM Vice President of research and development and strategic planning announced that GM will likely have a fuel-cell vehicle in showrooms by 2012.
Continue reading "Chevy Sequel Fuel-Cell Vehicle Goes 300 Miles on a Single Tank of Hydrogen" »
Everyday there are news stories about record gas prices in the U.S. Consumers are constantly complaining and overall consumer spending has been hurt by the high gas prices. Analysts and politicians continue to debate on possible solutions to the problem. Lately it seems that arguments for extra taxes are consistently on the table. Now comes an argument that the US should raise gas taxes to the same as Europeans, which would possibly help American consumers.
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According to a new report by Ricardo and UBS, diesel powered cars will outsell hybrids by 2012. Right now diesel cars barely register on the radar in the US, but in the next few years many automakers will offer diesel versions of their popular vehicles.
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This fall BMW is going to launch many changes to the current MINI lineup that will result in increased fuel-efficiency across all models. The changes will result in increased engine performance and fuel efficiency all without the use of hybrid technology or alternative fuels.
Continue reading "Who Cares About the Prius When the New MINI D Gets 72.4 mpg!" »
According to Japan's newspaper, Nikkan Kogyo Toyota is delaying the use of lithium-ion batteries in the next generation Prius because of safety concerns.
Well apparently you can buy a new solar panel kit for your Prius that will save you even more gas! Solar Electrical Vehicles (SEV) has created a solar panel kit for the current Prius that will allow the car to travel up to 20 miles on the battery alone.
Every week there are more spy photos of the new 2008 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe. (Edmunds) This time the V6 Accord Sedan has been caught during testing. The difference between this sedan and the earlier ones is the dual tailpipes. A glimpse of the interior has also shown up.
According to Car and Driver, there are sources that are claiming that Audi is working on a diesel version of its new supercar. Obviously the diesel version of the car isn't going to be built for increased fuel-efficiency, but instead for the perfromance.
Continue reading "2009 Audi R8 TDI? Yes, That's Right a Diesel R8 May be in the Works" »
At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz stated that they would have their first hybrid on the market by 2009. Well according to sources the car is in the production phase and is going to feature a Bluetec diesel engine mated to a mild-hybrid system.
Continue reading "2009 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrid...Someone Finally Designed a Diesel-Hybrid!" »
Many of you may remember the Jetta Trek or the Golf K2 from the 90's that came with a bike or a snowboard. Well VW is doing it again with the current Rabbit. Chicago (U.S.) Rabbit buyers are getting a bike and a roof rack in addition to their new Rabbits. The dealers in Chicago are trying to encourage drivers to use bikes for short/quick distances.
Continue reading "Volkswagen Throws in a Bike with the Rabbit in Chicago" »
It has already been confirmed that Honda is going to replace its slow selling Accord Hybrid V6 with a new diesel powered Accord in 2009. The new engine will be based on Honda's 2.2L i-CTDi engine. Honda claims that the new Accord Diesel will be able to achieve over 60 mpg.
Continue reading "2009 Honda Accord Diesel Will Achieve Over 60mpg" »
Brad Pitt showed up to the premiere of his new movie, Ocean's 13 in a BMW Hydrogen 7 yesterday. Most of the onlookers at Grauman's Chinese Theater probably didn't even notice, since the car looks just like the regular BMW 7-Series.
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According a new study by the Civil Society Institute, 76 percent of Americans favor drastic changes to the current fuel-economy standards. 3/4 of the U.S. population is in favor of a 40 miles-per-gallon standard by 2010 rather than waiting until 2018.
Ok, as ridiculous as that headline sounds, it is true. There is a proposal to the European Parliament that is calling for a ban on making cars that are capable of reaching speeds faster than 101mph.
Lately it seems that hybrids get all the attention for being fuel-efficient, but there are a handful of non-hybrid cars that get close to the same levels as the hybrids. In the US this list is dominated by Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Only one European model made the list, the MINI. The big question is: Why aren't there any models from Ford, GM or Chrysler on this list?
Continue reading "What are the Top Ten Non-Hybrid Cars That Get Over 30mpg?" »
Honda has already announced that the automaker will have a new diesel powered Accord in the US by 2009. Now Honda has announced that they are hoping to be able to launch their low-pollution, fuel-efficient diesel powered vehicles in Japan within the next few years.
Ford is planning on expanding their range of hybrid vehicles beyond the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs, but the automaker is having engineering issues with a new generation of rechargeable electric cars.
Continue reading "Ford is Planning on Releasing More Hybrids in the Near Future" »