As hybrid vehicles rapidly increase in popularity, advocates for the blind and several safety groups are voicing concerns that the comparative silence of the green cars could cause an uptick in accidents. In fact, government research has shown that hybrid cars …. donjay, it concerns me when the PC police can find a solution with government regulations for everything. What would we do for the deaf?….place signs every 20 feet that say “Caution, 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…

The new American sedan? A new Lexus hybrid usually isn’t that exciting to me, but the latest photos of the Lexus CT 200h have piqued my interest. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. If this were the latest Scion hybrid, it would be a home run. No. A grand slam. But it’s not. Certainly, the Lexus version will be nice…

91 percent would buy again The Ford Fusion hybrid topped the Toyota Prius in the Consumer Reports ‘Buy Again’ category. 91 percent of Fusion hybrid buyers would buy again, while 88 percent of Prius buyers would buy again. Interestingly, however, according to Consumer Report’s testing, the Camry hybrid and the Fusion hybrid both average about 34 mpg, despite the EPA’s higher fuel economy rating for the Fusion hybrid. Still, both hybrid cars offered Top 10 fuel economy. Ultimately, …