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Honda recently announced that it will begin selling a hybrid version of its popular Fit subcompact car in Japan and Europe starting next year. With a starting price of 1.59 million yen ($19,310), the Fit Hybrid will be the most affordable hybrid in Japan. But what about bringing it here to America?

The entry-level Honda has enjoyed great success in the States thanks to a hugely flexible interior and sub-$15k price tag. In reviews on Honk, Fit owners rave about the high fuel economy, EPA rated at 27 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway.

At current exchange rates, the Fit Hybrid would add about $3,000 to the bottom line but would boost fuel economy into the 40 mile-per-gallon range. That’s on par with the Fit’s big brother, the Honda Insight, but still below the 50 mile-per-gallon rating of the best-selling Toyota Prius.

The Fit Hybrid uses the same 1.3-liter hybrid powertrain that’s found in the Insight. On the road, its 98 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque should match up closely to the standard Fit’s 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet.

Honda so far won’t commit to selling the Fit Hybrid in the US, the obvious fear being that a Fit Hybrid would cannibalize sales from the already slow-selling Insight.

But the longer Honda delays, the more hybrid sales they risk losing to Toyota. And with Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, announcing the company’s intention to be a leader in hybrids and all things green, it doesn’t seem wise for Honda to hesitate.

Let’s hope that Honda chooses to bring this fuel-sipping Fit Hybrid to market before competitors makes them green with envy.

If you reserved a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, chances are that you’ve already been contacted by Nissan to schedule your first test drive. For the rest of us, there’s the Drive Electric Tour and it may be coming to a city near you.

For those who live on the west side of Los Angeles, that magical test drive happened this past weekend at Santa Monica’s annual Alt Car Expo.

Nissan set up a large-scale test drive center for the expo that resembled an amusement park ride (minus the life-size cartoon characters). Those who have already reserved a Nissan Leaf were notified before the event and could register early for their spin around the block.

After registration, drivers were invited to wait in a general lobby area where you could meet and chat with other zero emissions enthusiasts as you waited for your chance to drive Nissan’s new green machine around the test track.

Even though I’ve already reserved a Leaf of my own, I decided to give up my spot and let others take a turn behind the wheel. I was able to test drive Nissan’s EV two months ago at Plug-In 2010 event in San Jose and wanted to let someone else get enjoy the exhilaration of electric power.

What astounded me about this particular display, however, was the sheer number of people there to experience electric drive. Everywhere you looked there were smiling faces and excited people.

There really is only one way to understand the beauty of electric drive…and that is by getting behind the wheel of a green machine. Nissan plans to offer 50,000 test drives across the country this fall and you can check tour dates and schedule a test drive of your own here.

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Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., loves driving clean, green machines. You can read more at MissElectric.com

The Kia Pop Concept is beyond Car 2.0. This is Car 3.0.

The South Korean automaker’s futuristic three-person city car was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and it’s one concept car I hope makes the passage from fantasy to reality.

About the size of a Smart ForTwo, the Pop Concept’s design is centered around the user experience. The long, sweeping windshield is meant to provide optimal vision for driver and passengers while the chic purple interior is enhances ambiance and style.

All the controls for the vehicle are accessible via one button in the cabin that powers a touch screen Transparent Organic LED display. This display shows the speedometer, battery’s state-of-charge, and other readouts on a small piece of plexiglass in front of the steering wheel.

As for the technology under the hood, the Pop Concept goes beyond the electric cars coming to market this year with a new battery technology based on lithium polymer gel. This new gel can hold more energy than current lithium-based batteries and Kia promises more energy storage at a lower cost.

The concept is said to have a 100-mile driving range and a top speed of 87 miles per hour. A small seat for a third person is located behind the front passenger.

Says Gregory Guillaume, Kia Europe’s Chief Designer: ”We’re trying to stir things up in the automotive world, to surprise people even more. We wanted this car to act as a loose nucleus, a wild atom,”

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Shannon Arvizu, Ph.D., loves driving clean, green machines. To read more, visit MissElectric.com.

Toyota recently announced new suggested retail prices for its 2011 Prius hybrid. But in a sign of these dark economic times, prices will rise $250 without any changes to equipment levels. Sorry to disappoint but those floor mats will still cost you.

The 2010 Prius is the most popular hybrid on the market today. Its EPA ratings of 51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 on the highway outperform rivals from Honda, Ford, and Volkswagen at the pump and add a green halo to the entire Toyota brand.

But is the 2011 Prius worth another $250?  The new base price of $23,050 increases the gap to its nearest competitor, the $19,800 Honda Insight, and brings the Prius closer to upmarket rivals like the $28,100 Ford Fusion Hybrid.

While an extra $250 may not seem like much when rolled into monthly payments, consider that the amount would buy you over 4,000 miles of driving in your Prius at today’s fuel prices. At the very least, you should insist on those floor mats.