~~~ Hybrid Cars Newsletter: Issue No. 0060 ~~~
Moderator: Bradley Berman [brad@hybridcars.com]
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Toyota Will Introduce a Larger Minivan-Like Prius
After years of rumors about a family of Prius vehicles, Toyota announced it will unveil the Prius V minivan-like vehicle at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show in January.
The 2011 Sonata Hybrid’s Secret Ingredient: Six-Speed Automatic Transmission
Last year, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid racked up award after award for its silky smooth hybrid drivetrain that made Toyota’s hybrids seem clunky and Honda’s seem weak. One short year later, it’s now the 2011 Sonata Hybrid making the Fusion Hybrid seem outdated and bland.
Honda Flip-Flops on U.S. Release of Honda Fit Hybrid
The Honda Fit Hybrid went on sale in Japan last week, and will be offered in Europe early next year. But the company remains indecisive about selling it in the United States.
Porsche’s U-Turn: Hybrid Sports Cars Coming After All
Porsche’s development chief, Wolfgang Duerheimer, said, “In the future, we will have hybrid drive in every model line.” Porsche? Wow.
Ethanol's Big Win
Just this summer it seemed as though the great American ethanol experiment might be running out of steam. But in the last few months ethanol's fortunes seem to have really turned around.
Consumer Reports: 39 Percent Considering a Hybrid or Plug-in For Their Next Car
Consumer Reports has released limited findings from a recent telephone survey it conducted about demand for hybrid and electric vehicles in the United States. Among the results: 39 percent are considering purchasing a hybrid or plug-in for their next car.
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Greetings, Hybrid & Electric Car Enthusiasts,
A couple of years ago, it seemed as if Toyota was going to dominate the green car market forever. But the picture looks very different today, with new names entering the hybrid and electric car race with their own exciting approaches to efficient motoring. Both Hyundai and Porsche are bringing out their first hybrids, and the cars are impressive not only for marked improvements in mpg, but also for engaging driving experiences. Add Nissan’s upcoming Infiniti M35 Hybrid and Nissan LEAF, and GM’s Chevy Volt, among others, and it puts even more pressure on Toyota to step up its game. We try to capture it all in this issue of our newsletter.
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Toyota Will Introduce a Larger Minivan-Like Prius
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/toyota-will-introduce-larger-minivan-prius-28761.html
After years of rumors about a family of Prius vehicles, Toyota announced it will unveil the Prius V at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show in January. Of all the directions that Toyota could have taken for its next Prius model, the company opted for more overall space, a higher roof, and a broader rear end with upright window—opening the possibility for third-row seats. Toyota described it in a tweet as “more comfort, style and versatility.”
In other words, the second member of the Prius family will be a hybrid people-mover with dimensions similar to the Mazda5. In the United States there are very few vehicles somewhere between a wagon, crossover and minivan—although you see quite a few of those vehicles in Europe and Asia. The Mazda5 appeals to urban dwellers that need the load space and families who want something smaller than two-ton-plus behemoth minivans.
Toyota has released few details, but the rumor mill has a 2.5-liter engine powering the Prius V—a bump up from 1.8 liters in the current Prius—to provide sufficient oomph for the larger size. In any respect, we wouldn’t expect the larger Prius to reach a combined mileage of 50 mpg—but if it hits the mid-40s in a platform that answers the same needs as a minivan, then it truly would be unique in the marketplace.
The Prius V would not be the first time a wagon-like small-minivan format was used for an alternative energy vehicle. In fact, the Mazda5 was the platform for a plug-in hydrogen hybrid concept displayed last year. The Mazda Premacy combined a hydrogen rotary engine—not a fuel cell—to power an electric motor for 125 miles of range. Don’t expect anything nearly as futuristic with the Toyota Prius V, which will utilize Toyota’s classic gas-electric hybrid system. The point is not to attract the early-adopter crowd, but for Toyota is to push its hybrid technology further into the mainstream.
Read more:
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/toyota-will-introduce-larger-minivan-prius-28761.html
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The 2011 Sonata Hybrid’s Secret Ingredient: Six-Speed Automatic Transmission
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/2011-sonata-hybrid-secret-ingredient-six-speed-automatic-transmission-28771.html
Last year, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid racked up award after award for its silky smooth hybrid drivetrain that made Toyota’s hybrids seem clunky and Honda’s seem weak. One short year later, it’s the 2011 Sonata Hybrid making the Fusion Hybrid seem outdated and bland.
I recently spent a sunny afternoon in San Diego with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, and came away feeling that the bar has once again be raised on how much driving pleasure can be offered by a fuel-efficient hybrid sedan.
The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is hands-down more attractive and better designed than the Ford Fusion Hybrid or Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Sonata has better lines, cooler LED headlights and taillights, more passenger and trunk space, a better layout and feel for the driver, and unique visual cues to separate the hybrid model from its conventional and turbo siblings.
But ultimately, the real innovation that Hyundai is bringing to the hybrid world is the use of a six-automatic transmission instead of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) found in powersplit hybrids from Toyota, Ford and others. Hyundai might have good business reasons to use its off-the-shelf automatic six, instead of a CVT—for example, lower cost and the ability to emphasize highway rather than city fuel economy. Ultimately, it’s customer appeal that counts.
“There’s nothing specifically synergistic between a CVT and a hybrid,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai USA, who rode with me during my drive of the Sonata Hybrid in San Diego. Krafcik’s complaint about CVTs is the “non-linearity” between pedal input from the driver, and the sound you hear. On the other hand, with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Krafcik believes that “you get back exactly what you expect based on what your foot is doing.”
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Honda Flip-Flops on U.S. Release of Honda Fit Hybrid
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/honda-flip-flops-us-release-honda-fit-hybrid-28708.html
We first heard about plans for a hybrid gas-electric version of the Honda Fit in 2006. Since then, Honda’s plans to bring the compact car—which could become the least expensive hybrid on U.S. roads—has been on and off again several times.
The Honda Fit Hybrid went on sale in Japan last month, and will be offered in Europe early next year. But the company remains indecisive about selling it in the United States. “We haven't decided on a U.S. launch,” Koichi Kondo, Honda executive vice president, said at the Fit Hybrid's launch event in Tokyo. “As for the future, it's open to question. We will carefully be watching the market situation.”
Honda’s uncertainty has been widely reported as a decision not to sell the Fit Hybrid in the United States. Some consumers, including a HybridCars.com visitor named Marty, were disappointed. “Honda has done it again! They always keep the coolest cars away from the U.S. market,” wrote Marty, who dislikes the new Honda Insight because of its limited space and versatility. On the other hand, the Honda Fit is frequently praised for packing a roomy interior into a small vehicle platform. “I love my ‘07 Honda Fit, but the mpg could be better [with] the 1.3 liter engine paired to the CVT that the rest of the world has on the Honda Jazz/Fit,” wrote Marty. “I have been waiting a long time for a Hybrid Fit and this really just burns me up!”
If Honda decides against bringing the Fit Hybrid to the United States, then Toyota could be the single automaker offering a compact gas-electric car in America. Toyota is expected to release a compact version of the Prius in the next couple of years. In 2012, Toyota will introduce an all-electric mini-car, about the size of the Scion iQ, to U.S. car buyers. The company said last month it would also produce a hybrid version of the Yaris compact for the European market at its factory in France in 2012.
Read more:
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/honda-flip-flops-us-release-honda-fit-hybrid-28708.html
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Porsche’s U-Turn: Hybrid Sports Cars Coming After All
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/porsche-u-turn-hybrid-sports-cars-coming-after-all-28780.html
By Larry E. Hall
Last January, Porsche’s CEO, Michael Macht, stated that the German automaker would not offer hybrid versions of the 911 and Boxster, denying rumors to the contrary. Even though the company had already announced that it would produce a hybrid version of the new Cayenne SUV, Macht rejected the idea of giving its sports cars a gasoline-electric powertrain. He said Porsche sports cars are not generally driven in the city, which is where a hybrid makes the most sense.
A few weeks ago, the German automaker flipped a U-turn when Porsche’s development chief, Wolfgang Duerheimer, said in an interview with trade publication Automotive News Europe, “In the future, we will have hybrid drive in every model line.” He also stated that in the future even its flagship 911 sports car will be available with hybrid drive and might only be offered with a four-cylinder engine.
Why this change in direction? Primarily, government heat. The European Union has established a target of reducing Porsche’s CO2 emissions to 216 grams per kilometer by 2015 from 255g/km now. The company believes hybrids will help the company meet the goal. Smaller engines are another possibility in reducing CO2 emissions. “If the CO2 guidelines require it, then our engines will become smaller and may have just four cylinders,” Duerheimer confided to Automotive News.
He is considering turbocharging and direct injection that could transform a four-cylinder powerplant into a Porsche engine. “The important thing is that the performance has to be right. The 911 must always be on the cutting edge.”
Learn more:
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/porsche-u-turn-hybrid-sports-cars-coming-after-all-28780.html
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Your Support
Check out the Hybrid Cars Store for hybrid accessories:
http://store.hybridcars.com
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Ethanol's Big Win
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/ethanols-big-win-28836.html
By Zach McDonald
Just this summer it seemed as though the great American ethanol experiment might be running out of steam. The industry faced a number of looming regulatory decisions and expiring economic incentives that threatened to significantly curtail the $6.7 billion a year it receives in federal subsides. What's more, oil prices were and continue to be relatively low, diminishing the limited fiscal gain the fuel offers consumers at the pump.
The political headwinds didn't appear to be blowing in ethanol's favor either. The Obama administration had refused at several points to intervene on behalf of the industry in pressuring the EPA to deliver a long-delayed ruling on whether to increase the allowable blend of ethanol in gasoline from 10 to 15 percent. Meanwhile, little action was being taken by an increasingly skeptical Congress to protect the billions of dollars in blender's and production credits that are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
But over the past few months, ethanol's fortunes seem to have turned around considerably. In September, HybridCars.com reported on an obscure trade publication interview with Brent Erickson, an executive vice president with one of the industry's largest lobbying groups. In the interview, Erickson referenced extensive meetings his group had recently held with lawmakers, and affirmed his confidence that the government would give biofuels companies the help they had been seeking.
This help, Erickson predicted, would come in the form of a “big bio-energy title” in the next farm bill, the extension of billions in annual tax credits, and an E15 ruling that the executive hinted he “wouldn't be surprised” to see in the near future.
Three weeks after the interview was published, the EPA announced that it had given the green light to E15, representing what will eventually be 50 percent increase in amount of ethanol blended into the U.S. fuel supply each year. The timing of the decision came as somewhat of a surprise given how long it had been delayed and how many conflicts—ranging from labeling to liability—remained unresolved.
Since the E15 announcement, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has also emerged to carry the flag for ethanol and pressure lawmakers on its behalf. In a pointed editorial last week in The Wall Street Journal, the secretary defended the fuel against a scathing column published in the paper the previous week.
Then there was Vilsack's recent appearance at the National Press Club, where he announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new measures intended to stimulate the corn and cellulosic ethanol industries.
Get the full scoop:
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/ethanols-big-win-28836.html
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Consumer Reports: 39 Percent Considering a Hybrid or Plug-in For Their Next Car
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/consumer-reports-39-percent-considering-hybrid-or-plug-their-next-car-28804.html
Consumer Reports recently released limited findings from a recent telephone survey it conducted about demand for hybrid and electric vehicles in the United States. The publication found that although driving green ranked just 11th out of 12 consumer considerations in purchasing a vehicle, 39 percent are considering buying a hybrid or plug-in for their next car.
The study underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy skepticism whenever you see headlines like "Most Consumers Not Ready for Hybrids" or "Bumpy Road for Electric Cars." While it may be true that just 51 percent of consumers factor in a desire to "go green" when they shop for a car, it's easily forgotten that hybrid and electric vehicles currently account for less than 3 percent of the total car market.
That means that if a relatively small fraction of the 39 percent who say they will consider a hybrid or EV actually buy one, it could still end up representing major growth for the market. Furthermore, with a plethora of new electric-drive models expected to hit the market in the coming years, consumers who may think they aren't in the market for a hybrid will have many more options available to them.
Fuel prices are also a major factor in determining the market for hybrids, and while currently low, any noticeable and sustained jump in the cost of fuel has been shown to boost the number of people interested in purchasing them. At the peak of the gasoline spike in 2008, a JD Power study found that 62 percent of its respondents were considering buying a hybrid.
So while most Americans may not go to the dealership thinking "green," plenty more are interested enough in saving money that they would take a look at a hybrid a when gas prices are high. Consumer Reports says that it's still analyzing the results of its study, but will be releasing them in full shortly.
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WRAP-UP
That’s it for now. We’ll continue to track all the green car news on HybridCars.com. And don’t forget to check out PluginCars.com, our site focusing on electric cars, plug-in hybrids, charging, and everything else related to using electricity to power your wheels.
Happy Driving,
Bradley Berman
brad@hybridcars.com
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