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Mitsubishi has made a timely announcement regarding the Euro-spec i-MiEV. The information comes just a few weeks before the Paris Motor Show.
First pictures of the Honda Fit / Jazz Hybrid have been released and it will make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Peugeot has officially announced its 3008 HYbrid4. The car is the world’s first diesel-powered fully hybrid vehicle. The HYbrid4 comes with a 2.0 liter HDi diesel engine with 163 PS (120 kW) and 300 Nm of torque which powers the front wheels.
Fisker has released a promotional video of the luxury plug-in hybrid, the Fisker Karma. The car features two electric motors, which are powered by a 200kW lithium-ion battery pack that produces 300 kW (402 hp / 408 PS) and 1,300 Nm (959 lb/ft) of torque.
Interest towards the Nissan Leaf has suddenly surged, after a brief lull. Though there had been lots of interest for pre-order, there had been a fall in numbers as time went by. However, the Leaf is seeing a comeback in interest. The car maker is said to be steadily jacking up more potential sales though not in the same tempo as it used to be earlier.
According to Nissan, Leaf’s pre-order status in the US market place which stood at 13,000, plus an additional 6,000 in Japan, has now gone up to more than 15,000 in the US. It looks like more US buyers are ready to shell out $99 as reservation fee to be in line to drive the initial batches of the Leaf.
It may be also noted that the pre-orders for the Nissan Leaf in the US and Japan combined would stand somewhere well over the 20,000-levels. In case you are interested to know what color is being most sought after, market analysis says that around 29 percent of the recorded pre-orders have chosen the Aqua Globe vehicle while the one with Silver hues comes in as the second most preferred at 26 percent.
The Auris Hybrid from the Toyota stables is set for a line-off ceremony from Toyota’s production company in the United Kingdom. The first ever hybrid vehicle that is being mass produced in Europe will sail off today from the Toyota Manufacturing, UK (TMUK) assembly line. With sales expected to start with sales on July 1, Toyota intends to take the Auris Hybrid to as many as 32 European nations. The TMUK will be rolling out as many as 30,000 units of the vehicle annually. The TMUK which had come into being way back in 1992 has already recorded a cumulative production of 3 million vehicles this year, going by the June 7 figures.
Audi has long been pondering over filling the vacant spot between the A1 and the A3 and now the official word is that the Audi A2, slated to fit in the bracket will be a pure electric commuter. Banishing previous reports of the arrival of a fossil fuel driven car, the A2 will be an all-electric variant which will challenge the likes of the BMW Megacity which will arrive in 2013. Comparing the previous A2 and the fresh arrival, the difference will also be in the usage of a steel space-frame. The similarity between the two would be the continuance of the one-box style design. [via WCF]
Do not confuse the Nissan Leaf with this because this concept comes from the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. The original name of the concept vehicle is Ye Zi which means ‘leaf’ and this concept probably gathers energy for mobility from the surrounding environment. Amazingly, the Ye Zi isn’t just a leaf in the name; the concept vehicle is shaped like a leaf too. Interestingly SAIC Leaf isn’t a zero emission vehicle but a negative emission automobile and SAIC will have to explain that bit in detail. The car body is itself made of metal-organic framework that can absorb CO2 and water to generate an electric current and oxygen.
BMW is desperate to jump on the green bandwagon and as per the company sources the German automobile brand is targeting to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2014. The targeted drive-train for the hydrogen fuel cell options includes a petrol engine clubbed with a 5 kW fuel cell, and an 82 kW ( 110 hp) electric motor. At low speeds it is the hydrogen fuel cell that will power the rear wheels and when there is a need to pelt, the petrol engine will kick in to power the front wheels. It is noteworthy that both combinations can also work together to render speedy acceleration.
Hyundai is keen to extend its green bandwagon and it will be at the New York Auto Show revealing its 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. A teaser image of the Hybrid automobile has been revealed by Hyundai and it gives us a glimpse of the distinctive looking front fascia.
The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will be a far cry from its non-hybrid version in terms of design. The front will feature a new-large mouthed grille, new headlamps and a sporty looking bumper with bigger air-intakes.
The Sonata Hybrid is supposed to feature the Blue Drive hybrid system and in its case, the combination will involve a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder petrol engine, and a 30 kW electric motor with 205 Nm (151 lb-ft) of torque. The combo will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission while the motor alone will be powered by lithium-polymer batteries.
Look for the 2011 Sonata Hybrid unveiling at New York on March 31.
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