2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Review
Having a hybrid car nowadays has been a trend. Earning credentials is another thing plus reducing carbon footprint what with those massive boots that modern day vehicles come out with. At the fore front is each and every manufacturer. But then there are some which outdo the others genuinely and in the process earn green bonus and stuff. The recent manufacturer which has managed to do it is Hyundai and their flagship model, as far as the sales are concerned, happens to be blessed with this green bookings. We have the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid for a review with us and we have narrated it here.
Looks
The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid would be the most expressive designs on a sedan in the Hyundai lineup. The front of this car has got the typical Fluidic Design language with some sprinklings of the Kinetic theory thrown in. Design mis-match is something which this Hyundai is adept at. The wing mirrors are one of those most sculpted units that we have seen. Speak of aerodynamics here and it shows. There are some bodyside moldings which appear to be a tight fit. The rear shows coupe like styling with a lowered glass. The 17 inch wheels also cut in a distinct figure and it seems like most of the Hyundai alloy wheel designs are cut out from their concept metal stages. There is a raised letter decal in the rear which says Hybrid plus some more of the Blue Drive badges. Typical of hybrid cars, this one doesn’t display its tail pipes.
Interiors
Ferrari Enzo Successor will Pack a V12, Hybrid Technology
October 6, 2011 at 10:52am by Daniel Pund
It might not surprise you that the replacement for Ferrari’s Enzo super-double-hyper-car, which will arrive next year, will be constructed of carbon fiber and powered by a mid-mounted V-12 engine. What you might not expect is that the car likely also will be fitted with a hybrid system. But that is indeed what we were told by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa in an interview at the launch of the 458 Spider.
When asked about the possibility of hybrid tech, Felisa responded, “This is the place for using the newest technology, in the supercar. So, yes.”
Ferrari has been toying with hybrid options, as shown in the awful-green 599 HY-KERS concept from the 2010 Geneva auto show. Felisa also implied that hybrid technology could filter down the Ferrari range, but that unlike the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) used on Ferrari’s F1 race cars, the roadgoing arrangement would be “not just KERS,” and would have to provide efficiency gains and not just extra performance.
According to Ferrari’s future product plan, which was revealed at Fiat Investor Day last year—the full details of which you can read here—the Enzo replacement will hit in 2012. Also arriving in 2012 is the company’s replacement for the 599GTB.
Infiniti M35h Sets World Hybrid Acceleration Record
Published September 21, 2011
Infiniti says it has set the record for the world’s fastest-accelerating production full hybrid. On August 23, at the Britain’s Santa Pod Raceway, CAR Magazine associate editor Chris Pollard tested the Infiniti M35 hybrid in front of a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, accelerating from a stop to drive a quarter mile. After multiple runs, the M35h averaged a time of 13.9031 seconds, with the fastest run coming in just a hair better, at 13.8960 seconds.
The new record (which doesn’t best a standing Guinness mark but rather establishes the original bar in the hybrid acceleration category,) was attempted to coincide with the release of the M35h in the U.K. The 5-seat luxury hybrid debuted in North America earlier this year, at a starting cost of $ 53,700. The car produces up to 360 combined horsepower between its gas engine and electric motor, and can accelerate from 0-62 in just 5.5 seconds. To put that in perspective, the Toyota Prius achieves 0-62 in 10.7 seconds—nearly twice the M35h’s time.
“You could feel the instant torque of the electric motor away from standstill – the car just leapt off the line,” remarked Pollard in an Infiniti press release. “But what impressed most was the Infiniti M’s duality of purpose: it might be quick, but it’s also comfy and very easy to drive.”
At an combined EPA-rated 29 mpg, the M35 hybrid’s appeal comes not from its ability to test the limits of overall sedan fuel economy, but its ability to match the performance of its luxury sedan competitors while delivering vastly superior efficiency. By comparison, the non-hybrid Infiniti M base model and competing Audi A6 sedan also achieve 5.5-second 0-62 times, but carry overall fuel economy ratings of just 21 mpg and 19 mpg, respectively. The M35h starts at a $ 6,000 hybrid premium over the M37.
Other hybrid records tracked by the Guinness Book include “best selling hybrid car”—which of course belongs to the Toyota Prius—and “largest parade of hybrid cars,” a record set earlier this year at the Green Drive Expo in Madison, Wisc.
VW Jetta Hybrid Headed for Detroit, Beetle Convertible for New York; Jetta Coupe Coming Never
September 13, 2011 at 7:25pm by Erik Johnson
While attending the Frankfurt auto show, we’ve learned that Volkswagen plans to debut the production-ready 2013 Jetta hybrid at the Detroit show in January ahead of its on-sale date later in the year. It will use a TSI engine as previously announced, but we’ve also confirmed that it will displace 1.4 liters and that it will only be turbocharged, and not turbo- and supercharged as the 1.4 is in non-hybrid applications, in the interest of keeping costs down. The battery pack will be of the lithium-ion variety, and the car will be positioned as a sporty, performance hybrid, although we were told to expect big-time fuel-economy numbers, too. We’ll learn more about VW’s second hybrid—after the gas/electric Touareg—in the run-up to Detroit.
In related news, capacity constraints at the Puebla, Mexico, plant that builds the Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Golf, and Beetle mean that there’s just no room to fit in a Jetta coupe, so it’s not happening. The Puebla plant also will have to take on production of the Beetle convertible, which will be revealed at the New York auto show in April. That’s too bad, as we were fans of the handsome NCC concept shown in Detroit in 2010, which previewed the car.
Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Jetta hybrid |
BMW Engines To Power Fisker
Automobile News, Supercar News — By Lawrence on September two, 2011 at eight:30 am — No Comments
BMW and Fisker have signed an agreement for up to 100,000 turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines to be made obtainable for Fisker’s upcoming ‘Project Ninja’ hybrid car. There will be 3 variants of the platform, a saloon, convertible and shooting-brake, and it’s staying developed to rival the BMW three-Series and Audi A4.
The new model will mark an expansion for the American auto maker who lately delivered their 1st production Karma. It is scheduled to enter production in late 2012 at a price of about $ 50,000. This time, proper-hand drive markets have not been left out.
The new model will be constructed in the re-commissioned former GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware. By 2013 ‘Project Ninja’ will be on sale globally, it is hoped that 40% of sales will be in North America, a more 40% in Europe and 20% in Asia.
Fisker ‘s CEO and Executive Design and style Director, Henrik Fisker, stated:
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid First Impressions
MONTREAL, Quebec—Kia’s new mid-size sedan, which hit dealerships earlier this year, is selling well. So well in fact, that production in Korea can’t keep up with demand. Soon, the Optima will be built alongside the Sorento in Kia’s recently-established plant in Georgia.
And this fall, a hybrid version of the Optima will go on sale as well. Without any ‘green’ car in their respective line-ups, Hyundai and Kia have developed a new hybrid powertrain that teams up the companies’ 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine, an electric motor and a battery pack.
Instead of going the same route as Ford, Honda and Toyota with a continuously-variable transmission (or CVT), Kia chose to keep their conventional, smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic for duty with the gas-electric powerplant. Combined output is rated at 206 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is slightly more muscle than in the hybrid versions of the Fusion and the Camry.
More efficient on the highway
Curiously, fuel economy ratings are reversed compared to the Fusion; the latter consumes less fuel around town than the Kia, while the Kia is more fuel-efficient on the highway. During our short drive, the trip computer read 7.6 L/100 km as we criss-crossed through the city and residential areas; after a reset, the highway portion of our test resulted in an average of 4.9 L/100 km. Not bad.
But what’s impressive is how natural the Optima Hybrid feels; drive it normally, and it’ll behave like a regular car. The harshness sometimes felt in a hybrid car’s brake pedal during energy regeneration is barely noticeable, and the start/stop system doesn’t cause the car to shudder while it fires the gas engine back to life.
Launching the Optima Hybrid from a standstill at a snail’s pace, the EV mode will get up to about 20 or 30 km/h before the gas engine kicks in; you won’t be able to slowly speed up to 70 km/h on battery power alone like you can in the Fusion. That’s probably not the way most people would drive, anyway.
2012 Peugeot 508 RXH first diesel hybrid car
The electric range of the French carmaker continues with the presentation of the new Peugeot 508 RXH, a wagon hybrid (diesel-electric) a model based on the knew HYbrid4 of the model 3008. The Peugeot 508 RXH will be previewed at the Frankfurt Motor Show next 15 to 25 September and will be available at dealers next year.
The new French model aims to compete with some prestigious competitors like the Audi A4, A6 allroad and Volvo XC70 and according to the carmaker of the Lion, the 2012 Peugeot 508 RXH promises much lower consumption. The new model will be the first “full hybrid” turbo-diesel on the market, with an electric motor mated to a engine that exploits the synergy of the economy of a diesel engine for long trips with the efficiency of the hybrid system in city driving.
The efficiency of the Peugeot 508 RXH: 4.0 liters per 100 km.
The hybrid system of this medium wagon can push the Peugeot 508 RXH up to 100 km with only 4.0 liters of diesel. The 508 RXH features the four-wheel drive: the internal combustion engine moves the front wheels while the rear wheels are driven by the motor. The Peugeot 508 RXH can still travel in ZEV mode, using only the electric motor. The hybrid system fitted on the Peugeot 508 RXH is the 2.0-L HDi FAP, which together with the electric unit develop 200 hp and 450 Nm, whith the average emissions of 109 g/km of CO2.
The aesthetic details that distinguish the Peugeot 508 RXH from the rest of the range are the triple line of LED daytime running lights, the wheel arch moldings, side profiles, dedicated colors and materials for the interior. The equipment of the Peugeot 508 RXH is high standard and includes electric front seats, head-up display, 18″ alloy wheels, panoramic roof, tinted windows, last generation audio system and navigation system.
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