The U.S. auto market experienced its weakest August sales since 1983. Overall sales dropped by 21 percent compared to last August, when the Cash for Clunkers programs gave an all-too-brief boost to car sales. Gas-electric hybrids, which disproportionately benefited from Clunkers a year ago, took a harder fall in August, dropping by 38 percent compared to last year. In a rare bright spot, the Ford Fusion Hybrid—a vehicle that racked up numerous “Car of the Year” awards in 2010—saw big gains in sales in August.
A University of Michigan Auto Researcher says it’s possible to triple fuel economy of cars—without plugging them in. In a new study released today, John DeCicco shows that optimizing internal combustion engines plus rising adoption of “grid-free hybrids” will enable new fleet efficiency to reach 52 MPG by 2025 and 74 MPG by 2035. DeCicco believes that electric cars have a role in play in the long run and perhaps in emerging markets—but they are not ideally suited to the U.S. landscape and marketplace. “My scenarios can be seen as pulling the rug out from the business case for plug-in cars.”
Infiniti will debut the company’s first hybrid model at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show. The Infiniti M35 Hybrid will use the conventional M sedan's 3.5-liter V6 engine, coupled with a 68 horsepower electric motor and hybrid drive system. The M hybrid system was designed to fit all of Infiniti's rear-wheel-drive models, including the G sedan and coupe and the EX and FX crossovers. Nissan engineers are already planning on additional hybrid models.
After three years of speculation about the introduction of a Fit Hybrid, Honda is set to unveil the world’s first subcompact hybrid next month at the Paris Motor Show this September. Not only will the Fit Hybrid be the smallest hybrid on the market, it could carry the lowest price tag. The design of the Honda Fit has been freshened up for the 2011 model.
The company behind the bold and beautiful $87,000 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid has a credibility challenge. The sleek vision of a four-door sports car combining 400 horsepower and 100-mpg fuel economy is alluring. Yet, the company has failed to deliver on scheduled production dates, and has not allowed journalists to drive the car or delve into details. With the next announced launch date scheduled in a few months, Fisker’s marketing plan starts to look like a tease. Fisker’s new red-hot sexy television commercial does little to change that perception.
The Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, a $68,000 gas-electric SUV, will not be a big seller. Like other luxury hybrid SUVs from BMW and Cadillac, the Cayenne Hybrid is more of a platform for technology experimentation—rather than a whole-hearted effort to reinvent hybrids for high living. If only a handful of well-heeled buyers will fork over the dollars for the Cayenne S Hybrid, then why should green car fans care about this vehicle? A couple of reasons.
Our 125-mile loop consisted of a broad sampling of road conditions: highways, town streets, and sweeping country roads. We did not apply hyper-mile techniques, but instead moved right with the traffic. At the end of the run, our automatic CR-Z tester tallied 35.3 miles per gallon—a couple of mpgs shy of the EPA ratings of 36 miles per gallon in the city and 38 on the highway with an automatic transmission. Still, the ride was fun. You can't say that about every hybrid.
As General Motors moves forward with plans to recapture its status as a publicly traded company, its S-1 SEC filing provides us with some valuable insight into how the company plans to turn things around in the coming years—even if it sends some confusing signals about what role the fuel economy will play in that process.
While most major carmakers have been forced to significantly green their fleets with fuel economy upgrades—thanks to a looming increase in federal CAFE standards—Ford is taking things a step further at the production level.
Pike Research projects that between 2010 and 2015 China will have 1.85 million hybrids and EVs sold, with 1 million EVs on the road. In the U.S. more than 2.3 million hybrids will be sold during that time, and 840,000 plug-in and all-electric vehicles.
