Honda and Lexus to introduce new hybrids

Hybrid vehicles are hot these days. Factors like constantly rising fuel prices, a growing concern about the environment and fear of tighter emission norms around the globe have spurred the production and sales of hybrids. Powered by this interest, great strides have been made in the field of batteries and associated technologies. All this made the hybrids more user friendly and evolved greater consumer interest in these vehicles. Major brands are now seriously considering the launch of dedicated hybrids.

Brands now offer hybrid versions of some of their very popular gasoline models. The market interest, however, is ‘going back in time’. Honda and Lexus are considering the production of new vehicles that will be ‘just hybrids’. The first hybrids were dedicated design and offered only as hybrids, not mere hybrid versions of popular gasoline models.

Reports say Lexus is at work on a vehicle that will be marketed only as a hybrid. Lexus currently produces a wide range of hybrids including the RX 400h and its costliest car, the LS600hL. A point in case; Lexus hybrids are not mere fuel misers, the focus is more on performance and refinement.

With its new hybrid speculated to be launched in the D-segment, Lexus wants to address some problems that have dogged hybrids since long. The focus will be more on trunk space, interior space and quality rather than on styling and looks. This new dedicated hybrid is expected to enter the market by 2010.

Notwithstanding its recent hitches with the Insight and Accord hybrid, Honda is all set to work on its dedicated hybrid. Honda’s hybrid will most likely target the entry-level segment. This hybrid will come as a family-car. Nearly 200,000 units of this car will come to the market each year. This vehicle is scheduled for a 2009 launch.

Going back to the dedicated hybrids is a good idea. Honda and Toyota pioneered the hybrid market years ago, but can they pull another revolution now?

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Toyota Camry hybrid sheds $1000 off its price tag

The 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid will cost less by nearly a grand. The Camry hybrid will now be priced at $25,860, still $5,400 more than the gasoline only variant. The gasoline only Camry is the most popular car in the USA.

How does the Camry hybrid afford this price cut? Simply by doing away with some of previously standard equipment. The aluminium wheels have given way to steel units. The JBL stereo and leather trim on the steering wheel and shifter are now a thing of the past.

Camry hybrid comes with a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine that gives 187 horsepower when combined with the electric motor. Estimates say the Camry hybrid gives a fuel economy of 40mpg in the city and 38mpg on the highway.

The move may be welcome, as people will not have to pay for the stuff they don’t require. At the same time, many may resent the list of ‘not so impressive’ standard equipment.

Arguably, the Camry hybrid faces tough competition from other hybrids on the road. Some give excellent fuel economy; others give a better performance and more power. The lower price tag might just save the day for this car.

[Via: Autobloggreen]

Porsche Cayenne hybrid: the fuel friendly Cayenne

SUVs are mostly referred to as gas-guzzlers; the Porsche Cayenne is no exception. Porsche AG, however aims to change things a bit with the introduction of the Cayenne hybrid, likely to be rolled out by the end of 2009.

Cayenne hybrid will cut the fuel consumption of the Cayenne by nearly a third. Porsche wants the hybrid to cover 100km in 8.9 litres of fuel, as compared to the 12.9 litres of the all-gas Cayenne. With such a high fuel usage, the Cayenne exhales 320 to 378 grams of carbon dioxide per km. There is no word on the CO2 output of the hybrid.

These high figures of carbon emission can land the Cayenne into trouble in the near future. Emission standards are tightening worldwide. The European Commission plans for new rules by mid-2008, that aim to reduce pollution from passenger cars to 130grams of CO2 per km by 2012. Upcoming CAFE standards in the USA are already causing car manufacturers to lose sleep.

Porsche is working with Volkswagen and Audi for development of hybrid powertrains that capture energy from braking and use it to drive an electric motor. The parallel-full hybrid lets the electric motor drive the vehicle at speeds upto 120kmph (now that’s something), with the gas engine first taking over at high speeds.

The age of gas-guzzlers is over. As the world gets more conscious of environment and people feel the pinch of high gas prices on their wallets, demand for cleaner and fuel economical vehicles is on the rise. Hybrids lead the way in this changing world.

[Image: Autobloggreen]

[Source: Reuters]