Not at your local Hertz? So, you’re flying out of town and you’d prefer to rent a hybrid, since you already own a hybrid. Or, maybe you’re interested in buying a hybrid, so you figured you’d rent a hybrid vehicle to try out the technology. Unfortunately, finding hybrid cars at your local car rental agency probably won’t be easy. Although interest in fuel efficient vehicles is up at car rental agencies, according to…

Is BYD just the beginning? In recent years, GM’s Buick brand has been a top selling brand in China, but will that always be the case? In China, according to a recent Investors Business Daily article , there is growing pride in home grown automakers, such as BYD – the automaker in which Warren Buffett recently invested $230 million because he …

Expanding the Prius family This year Toyota produced about 500,000 hybrid cars worldwide. In 2011, Toyota plans to lift its annual production to 1 million hybrids per year. To achieve this new output, Toyota is currently expanding its production into other countries, such as China and Australia. Likewise, at least one new dedicated hybrid is expected to enter production by 2011, along the path to at least 8 new

Can the Volt revolutionize the auto industry? I’ve followed hybrid cars , intently, for a long time, and 5 years ago I would have predicted much greater hybrid penetration than exists today. Thus, when Toyota launched the second generation Prius , I believed auto analysts, such as Anthony Pratt of JD Power, for instance, were crazy when they claimed hybrid market share would…

Ford’s Car of the Year Isn’t Ford already serious about hybrid vehicles ? I mean didn’t the Fusion hybrid just win the North American Car of the Year Award? I know. I’m just a cynic. Still, when Toyota is selling 150,000 Prius hybrids per year, it’s hard for me to call the Fusion hybrid the the ‘Car of the Year’ when Ford could only sell 20 something thousand Fusion hybrids last year…

A meaningless hybrid? If you’re at the Detroit Auto Show, or following the coverage, you might think the automotive world has really changed. All our troubles are behind and new green vehicles, particularly hybrids and plug-in vehicles, are set to make everything better. Yet, in ten years less than 10 percent of America’s automotive …

Can you see CRX? Here’s the latest look at the Honda CR-Z hybrid that will go on sale in the US in August. Honda has previously announced that the new CR-Z hybrid will largely utilize the same hybrid powertrain as the Insight , but there will be a few changes. Most interesting is the three drive modes: normal, sport…

VW hybrids are on the way When the next generation of the Volkswagen Jetta hits the shores of the US, it might just come in a hybrid option. VW is ramping up its hybrid efforts and showing them off at the Detroit Auto show in the form of the New Compact Coupe Hybrid Concept. A combination of a turbocharged, direct injected…

Japan goes green While hybrid cars only make up about 2.8 percent of US new vehicle market share, they make up 10 percent of market share in Japan. In 2009, the Toyota Prius was the top selling vehicle in Japan, where Toyota sold 208,876 of the hybrids. The Honda Insight was the fifth best selling vehicle in Japan last year, selling

Small hybrids everywhere Fiat India, a partnership between Fiat and Tata, is planning to roll out a new hybrid by the end of 2010 or early 2011. So, does that mean a Fiat hybrid could soon be in the works for the US market? Regardless, the future of the auto industry is going to largely be built in Asia, and Asian automakers are quickly embracing …

Small hybrids everywhere Fiat India, a partnership between Fiat and Tata, is planning to roll out a new hybrid by the end of 2010 or early 2011. So, does that mean a Fiat hybrid could soon be in the works for the US market? Regardless, the future of the auto industry is going to largely be built in Asia, and Asian automakers are quickly embracing hybrid technologies. Outside of Toyota, and Honda to some extent; …

$15,000 hybrids coming soon InsideLine is reporting that Toyota’s new dedicated hybrid that is to debut at the North American International Auto Show is going to be a new Scion IQ hybrid. The first IQ hybrid will be a 5-door hatchback, however, a sedan and 3-door versions are also expected. Fuel economy is expected to be more than 60 mpg and pricing…