By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Appeasing to both the extreme supercar enthusiast and the green ideologist, Russia’s new hybrid supercar the “Marussia” is stunning in both appearance and technology. Loaded with all the goodies like Bluetooth, GPS, and 4G Yota network, the Marussia is the new staple of hybrid drive supercars. Read more about the Marussia at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

You know things in Detroit are depressing when a small Chinese car builder is taking up premium space on the main floor. BYD is showing off their gas electric hybrid called the F3DM. This car will have the ability to plug in to a standard 110V household current, or it can do a “quick charge” at a charging station. This is more of an electric vehicle than the Prius or Insight hybrids, as it can run about 50 miles on just electric power before the gasoline engine is needed.

Continue reading "NAIAS: China Carmaker BYD on the Main Floor with a Hybrid" »

By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

While the true debuts at this year’s LA Auto Show were far and few between (note to OEs: we know times are tough, but you can do better than dress up the sloppy seconds of your Frankfurt and Tokyo debuts), Honda always manages to roll out something cool and concepty (yes, that will be the new auto journo “it” word of 2010).

This year was no different as Honda’s designers created what they feel an urban car would look like twenty years in the future (we can only hope Doc Brown’s iridium shades will be in the mix too). The Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) looks sort of like what would happen to an Element in the hands of Frank Geary and the three-person seating arrangement is configured a’la McLaren F1 with the driver up front and two passengers arrears. Since this is a concept there are a few different powertrain possibilities from an efficient gas engine to a gas-electric hybrid, or even a pure electric set up. We’re hoping this is a hint of things to come from Honda. Hit the jump to see more images of this nutty concept (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Continue reading "Honda’s P-NUT Concept is Quirky and Fun, Like a Filbert!" »

By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

So we’re at Mitsubishi’s LA Auto Show press conference. And MMC President, Osamu Masuko starts in about the all-new 2010 Outlander GT. And we start checking our Facebook (oooh, someone liked our status and a friend of ours is taking a road trip. Hmmm, maybe we can tag along).

Suddenly this shot of a Lawson Mart flashes on the screen and visions of CC Lemon, Pocari Sweat and onigiri dance in our heads. But is that chica charging an i-MiEV at Lawson Mart? Sho nuff. It seems Mitsubishi has sold some 800 examples of the quirky little EV since it went on sale in Japan last summer. Mitsubishi also plans to have an EV on sale in North America in as early as 2011. As part of the promotional push the automaker will lease four JDM-spec i-MiEVs to Best Buy as part of it’s Geek Squad fleet (note to the nerd herd: watch those left hand turns!). There are more i-MiEV images as well as other big news from Mitsubishi after the jump.

Continue reading "Mitsubishi Hooks iMiEV Up With JDM Convenience Stores, Geek Squads, Brings USDM Colts" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

It probably shouldn’t bother me, but I tend to get kind of steamed when people tell me racing is boring. Seriously, there are people out there who will make that statement, and then in the next breath, start talking about how awesome watching soccer is. Obviously, these people are insane. But what really pisses me off is when folks start whining about how “wasteful” auto racing is, because the fact of the matter is that a lot of the technology that makes road cars safer and more efficient comes from lessons learned on the grid. Two quick cases in point? Well, the American Le Mans Series recently launched the Green Challenge, a set of rules designed to encourage the use of environmentally friendly technology, and NASCARs are already running on E85. For some great info on the future of earth-friendly racing, head over to Wired and read the great interview with Lord Drayson, the UK’s minister for science and innovation. He moonlights as a AMLS racer, and he’s got an awesome perspective.

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

When we encountered an unattended Hyundai Sonata prototype we though we had stumbled upon a prototype of Hyundai’s mid-sized Sonata Blue Drive. While it was an educated guess, based on what we already knew of Hyundai’s hybrid plans, we think we were about one week premature as our analysis indicated that from the high level of trim, and the fact that the interior didn’t show any indication of a hybrid-only status gauge, we determined that it was a V6 Limited in very near production specification. But today our initial analysis was proved correct when we encountered two Hyundai Sonata Blue Drive prototypes along with competitive models from Toyota, Nissan, and Ford, along with two dozen engineers who had stopped, en masse, for lunch. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

By DriverSide

DriverSide

Looks like General Motors has let a few pre-production Chevrolet Volts escape from the company’s Warren Testing Center. A few of the cars have been spotted scooting around on all-electric power near the facility, representing the closest we’ve come to seeing the real deal in action. GM says the company plans to unleash up to 80 pre-production models to help work out any bugs in the system and prepare for the car’s launch next year. For those of you who are blissfully unaware, the Volt is being hailed as GM’s savior incarnate. The extended-range EV can cruise up to 45 miles on a single charge, plug into a household outlet and pop you in the wallet for $32,500 after a government rebate. Via BackSeatDriver

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Almost too much to digest here for a Ferrari fan. I mean, all wheel drive and hybrid? The basic idea is that a gas motor will power the rear wheels while an electric motor will drive the front wheels (eliminating the need for the transfer case and driveshafts normally found on AWD cars). Ferrari is seriously looking at a system like this to help them with the new CAFE standards, and may even unveil a concept later this year at the LA Auto Show. Below is a look at Ferrari’s recent European patent filings. More at Jalopnik

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Keith Buglewicz of Automotive Traveler just concluded a review of the new Lexus HS 250h Hybrid Sedan, testing the car in and around Newport Beach, California. Newport Beach is perhaps the perfect place to introduce the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, the company’s first hybrid-only vehicle. After all, the coastal town combines the two qualities that Lexus itself hopes to blend with its new car. It is, of course, an extremely affluent area, with housing prices often well into seven digits or higher. Yet since this is California, it also has an environmentally friendly bent; you could practically walk on Toyota Prius roofs from Crystal Cove to Balboa Island. It is those Prius drivers that Lexus hopes to tempt with its new hybrid. The HS 250h will offer a hybrid drivetrain and fuel economy superior to any other Lexus–and virtually every other luxury car of this size–but in a uniquely styled package that will make more of a statement than a hybrid version of one of the company’s other cars will make.

If you want to read his conclusions on this Lexus hybrid, continue reading at Automotive Traveler.

Continue reading "First Drive: 2010 Lexus HS 250h" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Hyundai has introduced two of the most talked about new cars this year: the Genesis Sedan, and the hot new Genesis Coupe. They are also responsible for a huge marketing coup, the Hyundai Assurance Plan, that has helped grow the brand, while almost everyone else shrank. Within this volatile market, Hyundai has given us a glimpse into their future, with the Nuvis. Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "NYIAS: Hyundai Nuvis" »