Hyundai Motor America announced today that it will be able to achieve a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of the timetable for new fuel economy regulations. The company revealed its fuel economy goals at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where it unveiled the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and described its plan for low-cost high-mpg options on other models.
Hybrids will take center stage at 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public on Nov. 21. Thirty hybrid models will be on display—revealing the diversity of options coming to the market, including small affordable hybrid cars, luxury hybrids, sporty hybrids, hybrid crossover SUVs, hybrid pickups, and even a Toyota Camry Hybrid concept that runs on a combination of electric power and compressed natural gas.
The number of hybrid car sales in North America will double in the next three years, according to a new forecast presented by R.L. Polk & Company, a leading auto industry market research firm. The rate of growth in Western Europe will be even more dramatic—from one-half percent this year to 5 percent in 2012.
In his first televised interview since winning the election, President-elect Barack Obama spoke with Steve Kroft of CBS’s 60 Minutes about the potential bailout of the American auto industry. He also reminded the American people about the importance of breaking from their addiction to oil—despite the recent and dramatic drop in prices at the pumps.
Last month, total sales of cars and trucks fell to 838,592 units, a 32 percent decline from October 2007. With sales hitting levels not seen since the early-1980s recession, the industry is in serious trouble. All three domestic automakers now face potential cash crises in 2009, and even traditionally strong players like Toyota and BMW are reporting staggering drops in sales and profits. Despite the challenging sales environment, hybrid sales were up slightly from September.
Emblazoned with racing graphics, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid will take to the national stage this Sunday in Miami, becoming the first hybrid vehicle to serve as official pace car at a Nascar race.
As concerns over global warming, high gas prices, and dependence on foreign oil snowballed in the last few years, movers and shakers around the country decided to get in on the green car revolution. We take a look at six megamillionaires, who have each taken major stakes in a green transportation technology. But as these men surely know—or are about to learn—most small green car and alternative fuel companies face an uphill battle. Which of these wealthy tech investors do you think will be successful?
After accepting the position of White House chief of staff under Barack Obama, Rep. Rahm Emanuel said, “You don’t ever want a crisis to go to waste. It’s an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid.” Emanuel was speaking broadly about the economic crisis, but his statement holds even truer for the crisis facing Detroit automakers.
In recent years, many argued that the path away from Middle East oil and toward reduced vehicle greenhouse gas emissions would be led by a switch to ethanol and biodiesel. That argument—and the biofuels movement championed by entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and some researchers—is quickly dying. In the past week alone, VeraSun—the largest public ethanol producer in the country—filed for bankruptcy, and Germany became the first country to formally scale back its commitment to biofuels.
In many ways, the key to hybrid cars is the battery pack. But what is a hybrid car battery? Do different hybrids use different batteries? What's on the horizon for even better batteries? These questions, and more, are answered in our new guide to the hybrid car battery.
