http://carscoop.blogspot.com/
CHECK OUT THE X6 HYBRID SPY ARTICLE:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/GeneralFuture/articleId=129486?tid=edmunds.il.futurelanding.latestnews..4.*
First shown as a concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the 2010 BMW X6 Hybrid is now headed for production. Far from a fuel-sipping economy car, this gasoline-electric hybrid is designed to take the edge off fuel costs without giving up much in the way of SUV practicality or performance.
Prototypes spotted in Death Valley reveal few significant styling changes from the recently introduced X6 other than an obvious bulge in the hood. Subsequent photos show a maze of electrical connections beneath the protruding sheet metal. All the extra hardware is necessary to control what’s expected to be a two-mode hybrid system similar to what’s found in GM’s current Tahoe and Escalade Hybrid SUVs. BMW partnered with GM and Daimler in the development of the system.
The two-mode system essentially combines electric motors with a sophisticated automatic transmission and traditional gasoline engine. It is able to provide pure electric power like a Prius, but most of the time it’s a mix of both gasoline and electric power. A fuel mileage improvement of around 10-15 percent is about all you can expect given the added weight of the hybrid system’s batteries combined with the X6’s already substantial curb weight.
With full production of the V8-powered X6 just now starting to ramp up to full speed, the introduction of the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid (as BMW calls it) is probably at least a year away. Expect a substantial price bump, one that could put this hybrid BMW’s base price in the $70,000 range. So much for saving money on gas.
Duration : 0:1:56
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid at L.A. Auto Show - Car and Driver
Ford claims Camry hybrid-beating fuel economy for its pair of mid-size misers.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid / Mercury Milan Hybrid - Auto Shows http://www.caranddriver.com/news/auto_shows/2008_los_angeles_auto_show_l_a_auto_show_auto_shows/production_debuts/2010_ford_fusion_hybrid_mercury_milan_hybrid_car_news?cid=95
2008 L.A. Auto Show
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/auto_shows/2008_los_angeles_auto_show_l_a_auto_show_auto_shows?cid=95
Duration : 0:1:15
2009 Fisker Karma Hybrid Sports Sedan with Quantum Q-Drive
The worlds first luxury high performance hybrid sports sedan. The Karma is a joint venture between Quantum Technologies World Wide Inc. and Fisker Coachbuild llc. The company is already sold out and will be delivering them in the fall of 2009.
Visit Quantum Technologies Worldwide Inc. at
www.qtww.com
And visit Fisker Automotive at
www.fiskerautomotive.com
Duration : 0:9:53
2010 Porsche Panamera Goes for a Ride in the Arctic Circle
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/GeneralFuture/articleId=124756
As it edges closer to production next year, the 2010 Porsche Panamera is starting to stray her from home. This time our spy photographers caught up with the Panamera while it was undergoing cold-weather testing in the Arctic Circle.
Like most of the prototypes we’ve seen before, this Panamera had camouflage over the front and rear ends to conceal the final design details. In this case, however, the huge ducktail spoiler was absent, a change that gives a much better look at the unique rear window.
It appears as though the Panamera sedan will actually look something like a four-door hatchback. Cut lines clearly show a rear window that starts at the top of the C-pillar and extends all the way down to just above the license plate. It’s an odd design cue to say the least, but it should keep the Panamera from getting lumped in with the rest of Germany’s luxury sedans.
Other notable design elements include a side window that extends rearward all the way to the middle of the rear wheel and taillights that wrap around to the side of the rear quarter panel. Up front, it appears as though there might be a set of quarter-panel vents just after the front wheels along with the usual air intakes in the airdam to feed the V8 engine under the hood.
We still expect the Panamera will use the 4.8-liter V8 variants found in the current Cayenne SUV. With roughly 400 horsepower for the base model and 500 hp for the Turbo, the Panamera should have little trouble keeping up with its German competition. And like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Porsche has also announced its intention to add a hybrid sedan to its lineup. The Porsche Panamera Hybrid will use the same system slated for the Cayenne Hybrid and is expected to arrive in late 2010.
Production of the standard Panamera is slated to begin next year, so expect to see the official introduction either late this year or in early 2009.
Duration : 0:1:40
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2010 HONDA HYBRID:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/GeneralFuture/articleId=129607?tid=edmunds.il.futurelanding.latestnews..4.*
It’s been in the works ever since the Honda Insight went out of production in 2006, but this is the first time the 2010 Honda Hybrid Sedan has been caught out in the open. Designed as a direct competitor to the forthcoming 2010 Toyota Prius, this new Honda hybrid sedan is expected to debut early next year.
The styling is intended to mimic Honda’s FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-powered sedan that Honda began leasing to the public this summer. The Clarity fuel-cell vehicle is closer in size to Honda’s Accord sedan while this hybrid will fall somewhere between the Accord and the smaller Civic.
More important, this new hybrid sedan is expected to cost less than the Civic sedan. In a press conference earlier this year, Honda CEO Takeo ui told reporters that although the company’s Prius fighter won’t have next-generation lithium-ion batteries, the batteries it will use are lighter and more powerful than the current nickel-metal hydride variety.
John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, added, “These new advancements in Honda’s technology and production systems will result in cost reductions that will allow us to make hybrid technology available to a whole new generation of buyers.”
In other words, even if the new 2010 Honda Hybrid is seen as nothing more than a Prius knockoff, it could still do well in the marketplace based on its rock-bottom price alone.
Add in the fact that it could realistically get 45-50 mpg and this new entry-level hybrid sedan could eclipse the Prius as the best-selling hybrid in America — that is, it will be if Honda decides to bump up production. At the moment, Honda expects to ship only 100,000 units to the U.S. per year beginning in the fall of 2009. If gas prices continue on their current trajectory, however, that number could be just the start.
Duration : 0:1:21
Movement.