The success of the "Cash For Clunkers" program is being closely monitored, as rumors swirl that Congress may try to extend the deal past its November 1 deadline and allocate new money if it shows results. But there are several issues other than sales volume that may deserve consideration as well—some of which you probably haven't heard before.
BMW’s first hybrid scheduled to hit the market, the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, is moving closer to production. We have exclusive spy photos taken this morning, near BMW’s Spartenburg, SC manufacturing facility. The company’s test driver said the X6 hybrid vehicles are starting to roll off the production line and will be introduced at the end of this year.
As we reported last month, BMW has encountered several problems with its program to evaluate the all-electric Mini E with real-world drivers. The program continues to stumble, as drivers and activists accuse BMW of establishing the program merely to meet regulations, while delivering a sub-standard product. Meanwhile, BMW is planning to deliver the City—its first production electric car—in 2011.
In recent weeks, the city of Vancouver and the province of Ontario have taken two bold steps toward the electrification of Canadian automobiles. Though neither measure will singlehandedly ensure the success of EVs in Canada, they are symptomatic of a real determination on the part of a coalition of city planners, lawmakers, businesses, and green car activists to lead the world in electric vehicle adoption. So far, at least from a policy standpoint, they're getting results.
Ford Motor Co. unveiled plans today for higher fuel efficiency across its 2010 lineup. The company said the new vehicle lineup will improve fuel economy by about 20 percent compared to 2005 levels. The focus on efficiency is helping Ford earn customers who did not previously own Fords.
On Friday, a Nissan spokesman told Bloomberg News that the automaker is “studying possibilities to put our hybrid system in other models” in addition to the Nissan Altima Hybrid and a future luxury hybrid. The statement comes after hybrids have become number one sellers in Japan, Nissan's home market.
The fourth annual Hybridfest Green Drive Expo, in Madison, Wisc., kicks off this weekend. The event, one of the country’s largest gatherings of green car owners, is not only about Ford and Toyota and other hybrid makers selling their wares. It's an opportunity for the car companies to learn what hybrid drivers like and don't like about their cars.
Hybrid drivers get more tickets and get into more accidents than drivers of conventional cars. That’s the conclusion of a new study of 360,000 vehicle insurance claims by San Francisco-based Quality Planning Corp. A key to the findings could be that the typical hybrid owner is more likely to live in a city, and urban drivers generally are cited for more traffic violations.
In the auto industry’s struggle to re-invent itself as innovative, high-tech, and environmentally friendly, car companies have fixed on the idea of plug-in hybrids and electric cars as a solution. What hasn’t been worked out is the fundamental question of how and where a million plug-in vehicles will find juice for their cars. Pike Research, a renewable energy research and consulting firm, identified a number of myths about how electric car charging will unfold by 2015.
Honda's new president Takanobu Ito promised today to speed up production of hybrid cars. Ito said that Honda will offer a CR-Z hybrid in Japan in February 2010, followed by a hybrid version of the company’s best-selling compact, Honda Fit, before the end of 2010. "Our theme is hybrids," said Ito.
