Earlier this month, Chris brought you the official Geneva Auto Show unveiling of the Ferrari 599 HY-KERS hybrid show car. Although not as breathtaking or groundbreaking as the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid unveiled at the same show (Ferrari must have been cursing under their breath at having the limelight stolen), the 599 HY-KERS is also an impressive work of engineering.
Imagine for a second you are the President of Honda’s North American division. The closest thing you have to a performance car right now is the Honda Civic Si, and your main competitor to the Prius, the Insight, is getting killed in the market. The CR-Z two-door hybrid should be a godsend then, right?
Apparently not. The CR-Z almost didn’t make the cut, and US bosses didn’t even want they car. They didn’t think it was unique enough. Maybe they also weren’t wowed by the underwhelming stats like 122 horsepower.
I remember when Subaru first introduced the WRX version of their Impreza sedan. I vowed to one day own one.
Alas, to this day I’ve yet to get my hands on one, but that vow remains. There have been murmurs of an impending Subaru hybrid vehicle for about a year now, although the company is certainly tiptoeing into the electric/hybrid car race. The first guess was the larger Legacy sedan, but Road & Track seems to think the the Impreza might be chosen instead.
Dare I hope for a hybrid WRX?
Well folks, it’s official, Lexus will be selling the CT 200h luxury compact hybrid wagon in the US. After a well-received launch at the Geneva Auto Show, Lexus officials were still non-committal about what a “global launch” of the car at the end of the year actually meant. But now Lexus has taken the mystery out of that phrase–and apparently the US is still considered part of the globe.
The CT 200h will be Lexus’ 2nd dedicated hybrid (next to the HS 250h) to be sold in the US once it hits showrooms later this year or early next. To get the US market ready for the car, it will be making its US debut early next month at the New York International Auto Show.
We’ve been hearing rumors and speculation regarding a Ferrari hybrid for months now. But the Geneva Auto Show opens tomorrow, and the media has had access since Monday, meaning Ferrari finally had to lift the veil on its much-touted hybrid concept.
Called the HY-KERS concept, it is in most basic terms a Ferrari 599 with an electric motor powered by a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS. This concept will serve as a basis for a road-going Ferrari hybrid which should be on sale in the next three to five years.
At the Geneva Auto Show, Toyota is full steam ahead on the launch of its upcoming Auris Hybrid–a for-European-eyes-only hatchback based on the Corolla platform. In addition to the hybrid, the new Auris is available in straight up gasoline and diesel versions. The car represents the company’s first attempt at a compact hybrid, and it’s a rather impressive one at that.
Mercedes has announced that they plan on building an E300 Bluetec Hybrid starting later this year—representing the company’s first foray into the world of diesel-electric hybrids. The car will reach European dealerships by early 2011. No word on whether or not Merc has any plans to release the vehicle in the States yet… so if you want it here, start making your voices heard now.
Toyota has been playing a three-pronged strategy to get the ball rolling again after such a dismal few months by simultaneously launching a major mea culpa with the politicians and public, providing huge incentives for potential customers, and accelerating the announcement of new products to fuel excitement.
After seeing some congressional testimony and watching Toyota execs respond to issues over the last few months, I can’t say that Toyota is doing a very good job with the groveling. But, given that you can find some of the best deals ever for getting yourself in a Prius right now (how does $249 per month for a 3 year lease sound?) and reportedly more and deeper deals on the way, it seems the huge incentives strategy is in full effect.
And in terms of new product announcements, Toyota has been dropping a slew of them which clearly lay out Toyota’s accelerating pace of hybrid deployment including a Hybrid RAV4, a sports coupe to compete with the Honda CR-Z, a larger Prius-based car, and the Lexus CT 200h compact hybrid hatchback. Also rumored is a rear wheel drive Lexus-based hybrid sports car.
The Honda CR-Z hit markets today in Japan, and should make it to North American and European markets later this year. At $25,340 it is a bit pricier than the Prius and Insight, but arguably better looking as well. It is also the only hybrid in the world to offer a six-speed manual transmission as an option. While underpowered and overweight, it is a stylish breath of fresh air in the hybrid market.
Mugen, an aftermarket tuning company formed by the son of Honda’s founder, has released images and details of its first body kit for the CR-Z. While this kit offers more in the way of looks than performance, it is yet another step-up in the looks department.
Even though its official launch is next week at the Geneva Auto Show, VW has just announced that their brand new Touareg hybrid SUV is available for German customers to order right now… for the paltry sum of 73,500 Euros (roughly $100,000). Holy hell. That’s just about $27,000 more than the lowest base price of a non-hybrid version of the Touareg in Germany.
I don’t know, would you rather own a Tesla Roadster or a VW Touareg hybrid? Craziness.
In true modern internet style, pictures of Lexus’ brand-spanking-new compact hybrid 4-door hatchback appear to have leaked out ahead of its official debut in Geneva next week… there is no such thing as surprise car launches anymore.
Building on the LF-Ch concept shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year (and then dragged from auto show to auto show), the Lexus CT 200h, although moderately toned down, appears to have not strayed far from that car’s original styling cues.
Back in November, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association held its annual show where all sorts of companies put on displaying their new products. These ranged from simple fuel additives and in-car audio equipment to entire built-from-the-ground-up cars. But while there was a heavy emphasis on power and style, a few hybrids managed to sneak in and make waves.
Among them was the Toyota Aerius kit, by Five Axis Designs. Five Axis teamed up with Toyota to produce the kit, and they are now offering a modified version for public purchase, giving some aggressive styling to the Prius while maintaining its low drag coefficient.
Most of us remember the original Honda Insight as that tiny, quirky car that got 70 mpg long before phrases like “peak oil” and “smart grids” had really entered our collective vocabulary. At the time it was introduced, major debates on climate change hadn’t even started. In that sense, the original Insight was far ahead of its time… so much so that you could say it missed the target by about 8 years. And after Toyota introduced the Prius, Honda was relegated to playing the hybrid bit part.
If you’re like me, you were more than a little disappointed in Honda’s CR-Z hybrid coupe. The sharp looking hybrid two-seater, a spiritual successor to the CRX of the late 80’s/early 90’s, lacked both sportiness and the fuel efficiency of its predecessor. With just 122 horsepower on tap, a 3,900 pound curb weight, and MPG ratings 31 city/37 highway, it was a major let down for lots of people.
But Honda seems to be listening. AutoExpress is reporting that Honda is working with in-house tuning company Mugen to produce a sportier, more powerful CR-Z Type-R. But will fuel economy suffer?
Love him or hate him, you’ve got to admire Bob Lutz’s ability to speak his mind, consequences be damned. And, as GM’s Vice Chairman and Volt front man, he’s somebody the world tends to pay attention to.
The same guy who once called global warming a crock of crap has now remarked that the hybrid car market is unlikely to ever comprise more than 10% of the U.S. market. Furthermore, Lutz seems to think that General Motors will always lose money on hybrids, driving up the costs of its other cars. If you ask me, that seems like a bit of a paradox.
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