Hybrid Car Blog
hybridcarblog.com
Buyer regrets Vue hybrid purchase
Disappointing dealershipsI've been commenting on my disappointment with Toyota dealerships recently and their markups on hybrid cars. Of course, not every Toyota dealership engages in markups - the ones whom value customers.
Thus, when a Hybridcarblog reader made a post about their problems with...
After more than 100,000 miles, hybrids keep saving fuel
Hybrid reliability keeps cruisingI was just reviewing the latest Toyota Prius testimonial about a 130,000 mile Prius that is still averaging about 50 miles per gallon on the highway - a pretty common story for older Prii. And it isn't just the Prius, the Honda Civic hybrid has been just as...
July 4th: Ready to celebrate our foreign oil dependence?
Let's celebrate Independence with dependence!As I read Manny Lopez's article 'Made in America' often is foreign this morning, I was reminded of the 'Celebrate Foreign Oil Dependence Day' that this site promoted last year. As we prepare to celebrate our independence this 4th of July, I cannot help...
Honda: Proof that plug-in vehicles are a gimmick?
Honda just not worried about CAFE?When it comes to CAFE and NHTSA fuel economy regulations, one automaker is always absent from the discussion, Honda. Interestingly, in this time of high gas prices and super sluggish auto sales, Honda sales keep on rolling. Sure, Honda doesn't have the hybrid cars,...
Why buy a hybrid vehicle?
Umm. Do you really need to ask?That's a question I hear regularly. This morning a man asked this question and then provided a list of small vehicles sold outside the US that achieve better fuel economy than the Toyota Prius. Yes, most were smaller-than-the-Prius diesels, and they outperformed the...
2010: Tesla WhiteStar v. Chevy Volt
Telsa ready to follow up the Roadster with a sedanThanks to $10 million in tax relief and incentives, Tesla will make its WhiteStar sedan in California, which should go on sale in 2010. Certainly, offering 225 miles per charge for $60,000 should bring more EV fans to Tesla than has the $100,000...
The problem with US automakers
The poster child of denial?As I've browsed through the news today, one headline stuck out: When pickup sales dived, automakers changed plans. The article explains how Ford (and GM) realized, way back in May, that small cars and fuel efficiency might be the keys to survival.
May, 2008? Hello? 9/11,...
Hybrids: Edmunds picks Camry over the Prius
Not the best hybrid?When it comes to hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius is the king of hybrid sales. Still, when you consider the sale's success of non-unique hybrids, or the lack thereof, the Toyota Camry hybrid is the one exception. This apparently doesn't surprise Edmunds. Recently, the Edmund's guys...
Hybrid Vehicle Shopping: Camry hybrid v Prius
A better buy right now?So, I've been helping a friend of mine, Carlos, shop for a Toyota Prius, which I first covered in $3000.00 Prius markup: Screw the Customer. Since that time we've gone to and called dozens of Toyota dealerships in Southern California, and we've found that many dealerships...
VW to put a plug-in hybrid out by 2010
2010: Year of the plug-in hybridInsideLine and gasoline engines. The Golf is reporting that VW "is adapting electric motors, hybrid drive systems and lithium-ion battery packs to its TDITwinDrive test vehicle delivers a combined 174 horsepower and can run up to 30 miles on pure electric power....
Oil tops $140, $7 gas by 2010?
Oil futures torching the economyOil futures topped $140 per barrel today for the first time ever. And as if the news couldn't get worse, a new CIBC study suggests that oil will hit $200 per barrel by 2010, equating to $7.00 per gallon gas.
Edmunds questions hybrid value
The best hybrid value over timeUsing "projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs, consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs," Edmunds.com has determined that ultra-compact and compact cars are a better value over time...
Ford Focus just as clean as the Prius?
Ford Focus a better deal than the Prius?Perhaps you've seen the Ford commercial that compares the Ford Focus to the Toyota Prius? It admits the Prius is more efficient, but that the Focus is cheaper. Likewise, the commercial implies the Focus is just as clean as the Prius, as both are PZEV...
Americans disappointed in US energy policy
Time for an energy revolutionAmericans blame the federal government, foreign oil companies, Congress and Middle East tensions for the lack of a quality energy policy in the US according to a new survey reported on BehindtheWheel. Of course, we should probably be blaming ourselves a bit for thinking...
Warren Buffett talks oil
Forget windfall taxesWarren Buffet, an open advocate for Barrack Obama, is on CNBC as I write this post. Thus far, he has stated that today's oil prices are driven by supply and demand, not speculation. He said for everyone speculating that oil prices will go higher, another is speculating that...
Dyson to focus on solar powered cars?
Do sun-powered cars make sense?When you hear Dyson, you probably think vacuum cleaners, but you might soon be thinking automobiles. Using his experience developing lightweight, yet powerful electric motors, Dyson hopes to create solar-powered plug-in electric cars according to an Independent...
Is McCain's battery prize really that dumb?
And the X-Prize was worth only $10 millionWhen I first heard of John McCain's battery prize and tax credit for EVs, I wasn't impressed. I wanted tax credits for today's hybrid vehicles. Others, such as Cars.com have called it hype, and the DetroitNews even called it dumb. Barrack Obama called it a...
JD Power - Americans ready for hybrid revolution
Build 'em and they will comeA new survey by JD Power indicates that American auto consumers are ready to buy hybrid cars according to a report that just aired on CNBC. The latest data demonstrates that 72 percent of American consumers are ready to buy a hybrid car. Even more interesting, even if...
Did the Prius kill the US auto industry?
All about expectations?Yesterday, Jim Cramer echoed a sentiment that has been growing louder on Wall Street: The Big 3 are running out of money and they might not survive until new, efficient products hit the market. Others believe they have enough in the bank and enough strong foreign sales to...
GM's plug-in revolution won't happen fast
Leaving the Prius behind anytime soon?By late 2010, if plans stay on course, GM will begin rolling out the Chevy Volt. Unfortunately, however, 2010 might see less than 1000 plug-in Volts hit the road. In 2011, GM hopes to produce 10,000 Volts, followed by 60,000 the following year. Thus, the world...
Will global warming stickers on cars help?
Will consumers care?If you live in California, the next time you go car shopping you might see a different sticker on your car of choice called an Environmental Performance sticker. Showing both a smog score and a global warming score based on EPA data, California lawmakers hope it will influence...
McCain offers prize to fight foreign oil dependency
$300 million for a new batteryIf President, John McCain would like to create a $300 million prize for a battery that is at least 30 percent cheaper than today's and has "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." Likewise, he would...
SoCal hybrid drivers save over $2,500 per year?
Dial a clue hybrid haters?OK, I don't have any statistics to support this claim, but I was just watching Jane Wells, of CNBC, discussing mass transit versus driving in the Los Angeles area. One interesting 'fact' she pointed out: the average SoCal commuter wastes $2500 per year just idling in...
How far will Prius sales drop in June?
40 percent in May, how far down in June?I was just browsing an article that Mainstreet.com posted on the Toyota Prius regarding how the Prius can save money on gas, but good luck finding one at a fair price. Since Toyota only planned on producing 180,000 Prius hybrids per year for 2007 and 2008,...
Mercedes: The Prius doesn't make sense
The future of hybrid cars?According to a report in LeftLaneNews, one of Mercedes' top vehicle researchers claimed that the Toyota Prius doesn't make sense for manufacturers, as LeftLane itself assumed stating that Toyota "is known to have absorbed enormous losses to keep its Prius Hybrid at the...