Is it real this time? Several years ago I had such hopes for Ford, particularly its couple hundred thousand hybrid cars per year by 2010 plans, including unique and new vehicles, such as the Reflex hybrid pictured here. Instead, Ford sold 30,000 hybrids last year. Toyota sold 500,000. Fortunately, that Ford is gone. Yesterday’s Ford died when it went into bankruptcy, along

Time to start mining Within a decade, American companies could run out of rare earth metals – essential materials for hybrid cars , wind turbines, computers, etc. – if China follows through on plans to stop rare earth exports according to experts . Yet, one of the biggest rare earth metal deposits probably exists right here in America, but…

60 percent want hybrids to be superior in every way According to a new Accenture Study taken in the US, Canada, Germany, France and Italy, 6 out 10 consumers will only buy a hybrid when it is “superior to gasoline-only models in every way.” Likewise, just 36 percent of consumers cited higher gas prices as a reason to buy a …

Well, I guess it’s green Dang, has the selection of hybrid cars increased significantly in just the last few days. Porsche, Maserati, Ferrari have all confirmed plans to produce new hybrid vehicles. Of course, those were just some of the top end hybrids, Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Infinity, for instance, also announced new hybrids during the course of the …

Time to take on the Prius I’ve met GM’s Bob Lutz a number of times, and I’ve largely been in awe of the guy every time, even though I’ve never really agreed with him on hardly any issue. Consequently, I’m glad that Mr. Lutz is retiring. It’s not that Lutz didn’t do a lot of great things…

Just the beginning By 2020 Ford believes that 10 – 25 percent of its global fleet will be hybrid and plug-ins, with hybrid cars making up the majority of sales. To highlight this new potential, Ford will use the Geneva Motor show to roll out two new hybrids, a plug-in hybrid and two EVs, reports the DetroitNews . Unfortunately…

Is it just about styling? When the new Toyota Auris hybrid goes on sale in Europe, it will be even more efficient than the Toyota Prius . The third generation Prius rates at 72.4 mpg on the European cycle, while the new Auris hybrid achieves between 70.6 mpg – 74.3 mpg, dependent upon options according to MotorTrend . Thus, at best, the difference in fuel economy between these two Toyota hybrid cars is not staggering, especially once downsized by the…

Watch out BMW The Audi A1 stormed into Geneva and showcased how Audi might be in the process of redefining itself as an automaker by accepting BMW’s Mini Cooper success. Fortunately, the A1 is about more than just small car luxury, as the A1 will also be offered in a

Nice improvement, but……. Starting in 2012, VW will launch a number of new hybrid cars and electric vehicles, including the UP concept, as well as hybrid and electric versions of the Golf and Jetta, in addition to hybrid versions of the Passat and Touareg. Combined, the vehicles should achieve 3 percent of VW’s …

Only way to save the US battery industry? By 2015, the supply of lithium-ion batteries will outweigh demand by about 62 percent according to Mary Ann Wright , manager of advanced auto batteries for Johnson Controls. Similarly, last week, analysis showed that this over-capacity would force about 60 battery makers worldwide to consolidate into just 6 or 8 manufacturers . More important, the winners will be determined by revenues. Based on US manufacturing …

The back end of the Lotus Evora 414E hybrid OK. I know that most following this blog don’t really care about luxury hybrids, such as Porsche’s latest Cayenne hybrid, or hybrid sports cars, such as the latest announced by Lotus. Nonetheless, I though the Lotus Evora 414E plug-in hybrid was worth …

On sale now in Japan The Honda CR-Z hybrid is now on sale in Japan and will make its way to the US and Europe this summer or a little thereafter. Based on Japanese pricing, the CR-Z hybrid should retail for $25,340, while offering Honda fatter profit margins than both the Honda Insight hybrid and the Honda Fit. $25,000 seems a bit steep for the CR-Z hybrid; however, Honda only intends to…