The new Honda Fit/Jazz Hybrid could be priced from as low as 1.5 million yen (RM 55,532, yet to include Malaysian duties) when it goes on sale in Japan this October, potentially undercutting Honda Insight, CR-Z, Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius to become the cheapest hybrid in the country. Motivated by the same 1.3-litre petrol engine and electric motor setup as the Insight, …Read More

The automotive world is losing out to the environment. Not long after the demise of Honda Civic Type R sedan in Japan and Malaysia as well as Mazda RX-8 in U.S. and Europe, the Euro-spec Honda Civic Type R hatchback will be phased out after failing to meet the forthcoming EuroV emissions regulations, with production ending in October and …Read More

Porsche has further committed themselves to the green cause, announcing plans of developing three all-electric, Boxster-based prototypes, all of which will allow the Stuttgart-based firm to fine-tune their all-electric-drive technology, including battery systems and other electric powertrain components. On-road testing will begin in Germany in early 2011. “We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in …Read More

Honda is gearing up for a future centred around smaller-sized, smaller-engined cars with a smaller environmental impact. In his annual speech, CEO Takanobu Ito called for “a new growth strategy” which involves offering more models utilising Honda’s IMA hybrid system, the launch of plug-in hybrid and electric cars for the …Read More

Toyota is aiming to produce hybrid variants of every model by 2020. A forerunner in the green scene, Toyota believes that their Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain, which powers the popular Toyota Prius, is versatile enough for use in every model from family sedans to sports coupes and people-carrying MPVs. “Our hybrid technology is adaptable. There is …Read More

Public pressure calling for eerily silent electric vehicles (EV) to be installed with noise-emitters appears to have paid off. Nissan has invited around 500 people, including the media, government officials and customers, to drive the new Nissan Leaf—installed with the approaching vehicle sound for pedestrians system—at the company’s Oppama test track in Japan next week. Also expected to …Read More

Heavily disguised in the spy photo above is the Audi R8 e-tron, the all-electric, four-wheel-drive supercar which debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and is heading for production in 2012. The full camouflage may have disguised the styling of the car well, but the combination of a profile that so closely resembles the distinctive shape of the R8 and the …Read More

BMW’s Megacity electric vehicle (EV) may be three years away from its 2013 launch date, but there has already been word of an EV sports car based on it, coming from none other than BMW’s head of sales and marketing Ian Robertson, who went on to confirm that the Megacity will not be sold in “just one format”. To be based on …Read More

It will be 10 to 20 years before fully-electric cars become mainstream, according to Honda CEO and President Takanobu Ito, who believes that the current battery technology still needs a significant breakthrough if batteries are to sustain the range and power of electric cars, in the way fuel does for combustion-engine cars. Honda is playing catch-up in most green areas: Toyota has established …Read More

Malaysians consume the most fuel in the Asian region on a per capita basis, according to a report from Malaysian newspaper thestar. Since 2004, Malaysians have consumed more than 400 litres per capita, per year, beating out our Asian peers by significant margins. Five other countries in the study including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China and India are much more modest when …Read More

Toyota Motor Corporation and Tesla Motors, an automaker specialising in electric vehicles including the full-electric Tesla Roadster, have formed a strategic alliance to cooperate on the development and production of electric vehicles. The deal involves Toyota investing USD 50 million in Tesla, while Tesla will purchase parts of a California-based manufacturing plant formerly owned by Toyota and General Motors. “I sensed …Read More

BMW has unveiled a hydrogen-petrol hybrid drivetrain, as part of their vision for vehicles to travel emission-free at low speeds in city centres. Working BMW 1-Series prototypes have already been seen on the roads, indicating that the hybrid drivetrain could feature on the next-generation MINI and front-wheel-drive 1-Series, both of which are heading for production in 2014, sharing the …Read More

Mazda has agreed to license Toyota Prius‘ hybrid technology from Toyota, as part of its Building Block Strategy, which calls for efficiency-boosting measures in every aspect from introducing more efficient drivetrains, lowering weight count, to using hybrid and other systems like start-stop and regenerative braking. By 2015, Mazda aims to improve the average fuel economy of its model range …Read More

The Honda CR-Z hybrid has proved to be quite a hit in Japan, where it has been on sale for an entire month now since February 25. The sales figure for the month reached more than 10,000 units—10 times the sales target of 1000 units. CR-Z is also helping Honda penetrate new markets, as half of the buyers are new to the …Read More

Becoming green, or at least putting in the effort to appear green, is the norm nowadays across the automotive world. Recognising that trend is crucial to understanding why niche, low-volume car companies are going out of their way to cut consumption and emissions: Just look at Lamborghini’s go-green efforts and Ferrari’s 599 HY-KERS hybrid system, which pairs a V12 engine and …Read More

Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has announced a tie-up with BYD (Build Your Dreams) Company Ltd, parent company of BYD Auto, to develop, build and market electric vehicles for the Chinese market. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will create a new brand to be marketed exclusively to the Chinese car market. A technology centre …Read More

The Proton hybrid concept car, a plug-in series hybrid developed in collaboration with Italian design firm Italdesign Giugiaro, will be using the chassis you see above. Designed and developed by Lotus Engineering, the advanced series hybrid drivetrain features Lotus‘ Range Extender engine, which will be debuting on the Proton since its introduction at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Lotus …Read More

Introduced at the Chicago Auto Show is the Kia Ray concept, a futuristic, four-seater plug-in hybrid that previews future Kia/Hyundai hybrids. Based on Kia Forte’s platform, the Ray showcases styling elements and hybrid technology that will eventually make it into production cars, beginning with the 2012 next-generation Kia Cee’d. The hybrid drivetrain consists of a …Read More

Jaguar has created an all-electric Jaguar XJ in accordance with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)’s vision for the future, which involves the major cities in the world introducing zero-emissions, zero-pollution zones and banning vehicles including hybrids with emissions. With financial assistance from the British government’s Technology Strategy Board, JLR is jointly developing the car with Lotus, the company contracted to produce the …Read More

The right-hand-drive all-electric Tesla Roadster is now available for sale in the U.K., before a rollout across other right-hand-drive markets. The right-hand-drive version offers a new sound system and better noise-reduction materials compared to the left-hand-drive version. “The right-hand-drive model is our response to growing demand from high-performance car buyers in the U.K. who are also interested …Read More