by Zach McDonald: HybridCars.com A new study released this week by Consumer Reports has found that a full 37 percent of new car buyers look to fuel efficiency as the leading factor in determining which model of car they will buy. According to the publication and consumer advocacy group, two thirds of those surveyed said [...]
by: Zach McDonald – HybridCars.com An Australian couple has set a new record for single-tank fuel economy this week, making the more than 1,600-mile trip from Houston, Texas to Sterling, Virginia on just one tank of gas. The duo used an American-built 2012 Volkswagen Passat SE TDI Clean Diesel to set the new mark, beating [...]
by: Zack McDonald – HybridCars.com Toyota says it has plans to begin manufacturing the Prius in the United States for the first time. Last year, the carmaker recorded its 1 millionth Prius sale in the U.S., and despite supply shortfalls in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, sold more than 136,000 Prii here [...]
by Zach McDonald HybridCars.com Audi has confirmed that the long-awaited Q5 Hybrid will finally be coming to the United States for 2013, according to a report on Cars.com’s Kicking Tires blog. The compact crossover will be Audi’s first hybrid available for purchase in North America. Audi’s experiments with hybrids date back to at least 1989, [...]
by Zack McDonald Hybridcars.com The Volkswagen Up! small car has been announced winner of the 2012 World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show last week. The diminutive new vehicle beat out the Porsche 911 and BMW 3 series to take the honor, with judges citing superior innovation and refinement as the [...]
by Zack McDonald: HybridCars.com Slated to debut for 2015, Volkswagen says that its seventh-generation Golf will feature a slew of powertrain options—including a plug-in hybrid version that Auto Express recently rated 5-stars after briefly driving an early prototype. The plug-in hybrid Golf will join the forthcoming 2013 VW Blue E-Motion electric as one of two [...]
by Zack McDonald HybridCars.com Toyota has upgraded its expectations for the 2012 Prius Plug-in’s official fuel economy rating, ahead of the vehicle’s March 2012 launch. According to Toyota Division Group vice-president, Bob Carter, the 2012 Prius Plug-in returns 95 miles-per-gallon-equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode, and 50 mpg in hybrid mode. That’s a decent bump over [...]
By Brad Berman Hybridcars.com The grueling 2012 Dakar Rally crossed 5,500 miles of rough terrain through the harshest conditions of South America. It’s hell on machines and drivers. The terrain is torturous and can strand even the most capable of vehicles. Since its inception in 1978, the Dakar Rally, which has taken place in Europe, [...]
by: Zach McDonald Hybridcars.com Toyota’s chief executive in the United States confirmed last week that electric versions of the Scion iQ and the Toyota RAV4 will enter the production cycle in 2012. The two electric vehicles have been promised for a couple of years, so hitting the delivery dates on time is good news. The [...]
By Laurent J. Masson PluginCars.com To some onlookers, the Volkswagen E-Bugster concept unveiled at the North American International Auto Show was a disappointment. As we say in French, this E-Bugster is déjà vu. We’ve seen it before. Really. Seven years ago, exactly at the same place, Volkswagen unveiled the Ragster concept, which looked pretty much [...]
