May 2, 2009
According to ultra-conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh:
The Ford and Honda hybrids due out this month are among dozens planned for the coming years as automakers try to meet new fuel-efficiency standards and please politicians overseeing the industry’s multibillion-dollar bailout.” Nobody’s buying ‘em! Nobody wants them! The manufacturers are making them in droves to satisfy Obama! Sorry for yelling. Nobody wants them! The Prius is supported by the Toyota Tundra and the whole Lexus division ’cause it loses money. Nobody wants them! The only people that have them — well, I’m not going to characterize them — but there aren’t that many.
Obama? Really??
April 7, 2009
It’s an exciting year for green-conscious consumers. The 2010 Prius, Insight and Fusion hybrids are all making their ways to roads near you. Be sure to check out this first impression of the Prius by AOL Autos and this back-to-back Prius-Insight comparison by the Los Angeles Times.
April 2, 2009
Nissan will introduce a hybrid version of its luxury car, the Infinity M. Of note, while other automakers such as Toyota and Honda use nickel-metal hydride batteries in their vehicles, Nissan is opting for lithium ion batteries.
March 27, 2009
Those plagued by the low tank capacity and gas gauge problems of the second generation Prius will be happy to learn the 2010 Prius will abandon the tank “bladder” and adopt a rigid tank instead. Unfortunately, “bladders [also] help prevent fuel vapor from building up in the tank, thereby reducing hydrocarbon emissions.”
March 26, 2009
Toyota is “developing a small hybrid sports car,” said Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto at the Geneva Motor Show. “We have set a tough price point, as it will be easier to sell if it is affordable. It has to be fun to drive, too.”
Meanwhile, Honda is developing a vehicle inspired by the CR-Z concept (pictured).
March 23, 2009
Four years after Honda discontinued its record-setting Insight hybrid, the carmaker revived the model as the all-new 2010 Honda Insight. Now Toyota will go head-to-head by introducing a low-cost hybrid of its own.
The upcoming vehicle will cost one-third less than the Prius.
March 23, 2009
Ford has rolled out its 100,000th hybrid car from a plant in Kansas City. Though several years behind carmakers such as Toyota, which sold its millionth hybrid nearly two years ago, Ford has paved the way amongst America’s Big Three and is rapidly developing innovative hybrids for the consumer market.
