Posts Tagged ‘hybrid’

As the 2009-2010 auto show season comes to a close, a few vehicles stand out from the rest.  One of the most significant reveals was the Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept, a fullsize luxury sedan with striking good lucks and a secret weapon.

Revealed to an enthusiastic audience in Detroit, the XTS is expected to go into production later this year as Cadillac’s new flagship sedan, leading a product renaissance that includes the frisky CTS sports sedan and stylish SRX crossover.  It’s built atop GM’s all-wheel drive “Super Epsilon” platform and will replace the slow-selling DTS and STS sedans.

Besides a gorgeous and very modern interior, the XTS features a big surprise under its aggressive hood.  Instead of a burly V8, there’s an advanced plug-in hybrid system attached to a modest V6 engine.

A flagship sedan with this kind of tree-hugging powertrain begs the question: Is green the new color of high-end luxury?

Most times in the auto industry, advanced technology starts up top with the most expensive luxury vehicles and then trickles its way down to more common cars and trucks.  Hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion bucked that trend, though, and put super high fuel economy within reach of almost anyone.

This time it’s the high-end luxury cars that are playing catch up to the mass market entries.  The XTS will be joining a fairly new group of green super sedans that include the Lexus LS600h, Mercedes S400 Hybrid, and BMW ActiveHybrid 7.  Of this elite group, the Cadillac will be the first to use grid electricity to squeeze more miles from every drop of fuel.

Final numbers on the XTS are still pending but none of the other entries are anywhere near as fuel efficient as a Prius.  Are the hybrid powertrains under their respective hoods worthy of their high price premiums or is this just a case of green-washing?

Move over Audi A3 and Volvo C30 – there’s a new luxury hatchback in town. It’s called the CT200h and Lexus claims that it will be the only dedicated hybrid in its class when it comes to market in early 2011.

If you’re wondering why Lexus is choosing to cram yet another vehicle into the affordable end of its lineup, you’re not alone. After all, Lexus already offers the IS250 / IS350 performance sedans, the ES350 luxury sedan, and the HS250h hybrid sedan. So why add another player?

For the answer, look to Europe where Lexus has been eager to expand its market share. The CT200h, with its spacious hatchback bodystyle and high fuel economy, is the company’s first major attempt to court buyers across the pond.

Here in the States, the CT200h makes far less sense. It has to slot into an already-crowded hybrid lineup with only a few thousand dollars to separate it from the larger HS250h sedan above and the Toyota Prius below.

In fact, the CT200h appears to share much of its equipment with its little brother. Details are still coming in, but the 1.8-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain and advanced Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system appear to have been lifted straight from the Prius.

What you do get with the CT200h, however, is a unique body and some nifty techno-tricks, like four adjustable driving modes and a new soft-touch synthetic upholstery called NuLuxe™ (traditional leather will be an option). Lexus claims that the new model will, “excite eco-conscious, young consumers and symbolize urban luxury living.”

With so little difference in price, performance, and MPG between the company’s dedicated hybrid models, the CT200h will have a difficult role to play. Will the fresh sheetmetal and eco-friendly upholstery be enough to impress American customers without cannibalizing sales from the Prius or HS250h?

We’ve got some pretty awesome neighbors here at Honk HQ in San Francisco.  MySpace, Photobucket, and IGN have offices just down the hall and we’re within walking distance to the folks at Current, Wired Magazine, and Twitter.  As a shout-out to our tech-savvy neighbors, we decided to research the Top 33 cars for gadget lovers and technophiles.

We dug into the Honk database to search for car buyers who placed a lot of weight on technical innovations and high-quality infotainment systems when they chose their rides.

The list is full of hybrid-electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid, no doubt due to their advanced fuel-sipping powertrains.  Other vehicles that scored well, like the Lincoln MKS and Acura TL, are known for their exceptionally crisp audio systems.

Several family haulers made the list thanks to their kid-friendly DVD systems, auxiliary inputs for video game systems, and power doors.

High-end luxury vehicles on the list impressed with their state-of-the-art active safety features.  The BMW 7-Series, for example, offers an infrared night vision system that can detect and track pedestrians near the roadway.  And the Infiniti FX offers an Intelligent Brake Assist function that can automatically sound a warning and then apply the brakes if a collision becomes unavoidable.

Today’s cars are undoubtedly high-tech and they are getting better and better with each new model year.  Electronic stability control, a life-saving feature that prevents cars from sliding out of control, will become mandatory for all new cars in 2012.  Mobile phone integration continues to advance, too, with audio streams that can be played over the car’s speakers via Bluetooth.

If you’re a gadget-lover, check out these Top 33 Cars for Techies:

1. Acura TL

2. Toyota Camry Hybrid

3. Toyota Prius

4. Lincoln MKS

5. Acura TSX

6. Honda Insight

7. Honda Civic Hybrid

8. BMW X5

9. Volkswagen Jetta

10. Ford Fusion

11. Subaru Forester

12. Mercedes GLK

13. Acura MDX

14. Infiniti FX

15. Mercedes C-Class

16. Nissan Maxima

17. Infiniti EX

18. Volkswagen Eos

19. Toyota Highlander Hybrid

20. Chrysler Town & Country

21. Mazda 6

22. Ford F-150

23. Toyota Sienna

24. Nissan Altima Hybrid

25. Volkswagen Tiguan

26. Acura RDX

27. Ford Flex

28. Mercedes ML

29. Hyundai Genesis Sedan

30. BMW 7-Series

31. Ford Escape Hybrid

32. Audi A4

33. Honda CR-V

Tesla Kicked It Off

A couple of years back the whole world had their head spinning in amazement as Tesla, the small Silicon Valley company, launched their all-electric roadster. And while electric vehicles have been around before, Tesla made a traditionally niche vehicle available to the masses even if the price tag was well beyond affordable.

The “Tesla” movement surfaced a public outcry (“Why can’t the big car companies build these?”) that was so loud and energized that it compelled the government to loan Tesla $465M of our taxpayer dollars. Tesla got the money and now they have to figure out how to actually produce the $50K Model S they promised.

By now, many have already heard the back story that Lotus was the company responsible for building the Tesla Roadster (the Tesla is a modified Lotus Elise) and that Lotus is taking a year off production of the Elise, which means no Tesla Roadsters.  Yes, it kind of sucks if you don’t build your own electric cars. Tesla will be a legitimate car company, but we may have to wait a little longer than expected.

Porsche 918 Spider (source: autoblog.com)

The 918 Spyder – Not Groundbreaking, But Pretty Darn Exciting

One thing is for sure…  the world heard Tesla’s battle cry and the superstars of the sports car world are now warming up to swing their mighty fists.  At the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, Porsche took more than a swing with their new 918 Spider Concept.  While not all-eletric, the 918’s hybrid powertrain pushes this gorgeous cart from zero-to-sixty in 3.2 seconds. To add to the fun, it sips gas as a rate of 78MPG.

But before we get too excited, the truth is that these stats are skewed.  The car has different drive modes, ranging from gas sipper to full-burst electric racer.  On the high end, it’s only a few minutes of full electric torque blasting through the track. The 78 MPG is only on heavy electric mode, which only propels you for 16 minutes.  That’s not even a trip to the grocery store and back.

Audi E-Tron (source: NY Times)

The Audi E-Tron – Energized Mini R8

Late last year, Audi also showcased their latest sports car entry.  Unlike the Porsche 918 Spyder, E-Tron is all-electric and is almost like a Tesla Roadster with a real pedigree.  It’s 45-kilowatt electric motor will propel this car from 0-60 in a modest 5.7 second time. The car will also travel 155 miles on a single charge. While the car is beautiful, it’s performance is not stunning for what will be a high price tag out the gate.  Another beauty, this car is actually going to be produced in 2012 in small batches, similar to the earlier Tesla runs.

I’m not looking to refute Porsche’s claims or discounting Audi’s performance, but rather point out that everybody who already knows how to build cars is about to take a leap forward. It’s a glorious time for innovation and it looks like the big players will be taking center stage from here.  Thank you Tesla… you were a great opening act.

My brother and his wife have a bun in the oven and a serious need for a new family vehicle.  They’ve been busy getting ready for their new baby girl and asked me to help them start the initial research for their next car.

The Honk search tool was built to handle situations exactly like this so I fired up my browser to sort through family-oriented crossover vehicles with high safety ratings, ample seating, and great fuel economy:

2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Matt and Natalie have their own organic farm, complete with fresh vegetables, chickens, and a cow (yes, really – they own a cow).  It goes without saying that ‘green’ is at the top of their list.

The Toyota Highlander is one of the few family-friendly hybrids out there and I think that my brother and his family will appreciate both the great mileage and the roomy cabin.

2011 Kia Sorento

Matt and Natalie have already told me that third-row seats are a must-have.

The great-looking Kia Sorento just arrived and it’s got an optional third row of seats that will be great for the occasional carpool or visit from Uncle Josh.  It’s also easy on the wallet and it gets great fuel economy (up to 29 mpg on the highway).

2010 Toyota RAV4

In addition to two adults and two kids, this family also has two canines – Rio and Bella – to cart around.  The Toyota RAV4 scored well with people who own pets and I discovered that there’s a wide range of aftermarket pet accessories (cages, harnesses, etc) built especially for the RAV4.

2010 Mitsubishi Outlander

Matt and Natalie live in snowy Pennsylvania and they’re going to need all-wheel drive and plenty of ground clearance to handle the next Snowpocalypse.  The Mitsubishi Outlander has the most ground clearance of all the vehicles on this list and it can be had with the all-important third row.  Winter, you’ve met your match.

How now brown cow?

So what car should you drive if you’ve got two kids, two dogs, and a cow?  My vote goes to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid but we’ll have to see what Matt and Natalie pick for their family… Rumor has it that my 3-year old niece is in love with the sock monkey from the Kia Sorento TV commercial.