Posts Tagged ‘Hybrid Cars’
Jaguar seeks some Karma
April 21st, 2009 | 
Author: 
Luxury plug-ins are the rage!
Tesla. Fisker. How many more names was it going to take for established luxury auto makers to realize that plug-ins represented an important niche for niche luxury auto makers?
Not much longer for Jaguar.
Now that Jaguar is a little better financed, according to MotorTrend, the luxury automaker is ready to roll out a new plug-in hybrid version of the XJ sedan around 2011, and a number of other hybrid vehicles are also planned.
I know most of us can’t afford these luxury hybrids – I certainly cannot – still it has really been amazing how resistant established automakers, including luxury makers, have been to change. One might have assumed these niche players would have been quicker to react than the the major players, but they’ve been in the same denial.
Posted in Cars, Hybrid Cars | 
Tags: blog, Cars, Finance, ford, hybrid car, Hybrid Cars, idc | 
Comments Closed
Plugged in: Does Buffett prove BYD is golden?
What does the oracle of Omaha know about cars?
Not much, according to Warren Buffett, but Buffett partners, Charlie Munger and David Sokol, knew enough and Buffett listened. Thus, last fall Buffett settled on a 10 percent share of BYD.
Why?
According to a great Fortune piece, the Buffett team now believes that BYD could become the world’s largest automaker thanks to its ability to sell plug-in hybrid cars and other electric vehicles at a cheaper cost than other manufacturers. For instance, BYD’s current plug-in, the F3DM costs just $22,000 – far cheaper than most hybrid cars on the road today.
Unfortunately, don’t expect a BYD hybrid in America anytime soon. BYD isn’t sure it wants to come to America because the economics are not compelling for plug-in viability, however, BYD is interested in selling batteries to American auto manufacturers, which is ultimately, the key to BYD’s future.
Thus far BYD believes it has developed a technological breakthrough enabling the safe and cost-effective mass-production of lithium batteries. If true, even mighty Toyota better watch out according to Warren Buffett.
Posted in Cars, Hybrid Cars |
Tags: blog, Cars, Electric, hybrid car, Hybrid Cars, idc, money, Technology, world |
Comments Closed
Shopping for a new or used Prius – April
Good time for a used Prius?
So, the 2010 Toyota Prius, based on the third generation Hybrid Synergy Drive, is just weeks from hitting dealer showrooms. A couple of months ago, expectations for this new Prius included a significant bump in sticker prices. However, rumors have leaked out of Japan that indicate the new Prius might be priced much cheaper than originally anticipated.
Moreover, we also know that the current generation Prius will continue to be sold as an even cheaper package. How cheap? That isn’t completely clear.
So, what about buying a Prius today?
For the next few weeks I’m going to be out hybrid shopping, looking for deals and bargains. This weekend, I learned that many Toyota dealers don’t feel too desperate to unload their Prius hybrids yet. Certainly, there are incentives on the current Prius, about $1,000, but dealers don’t seem willing to bargain too much below that price, unless fully loaded.
Pricing on used Prius hybrids, however, is more flexible. Prices have already been reduced at a dealership near my house, and my salesperson indicated he would instantly knock another $1,000 of that reduced price. That would have put a 2007 Prius with 33,000 miles at about $18.5. A similarly packaged 2009 was priced just shy of $25000.
Is the green auto revolution more hype than reality?
Can Honda sell 100,000 Insights per year?
?In spite of government and advocacy groups touting the benefits of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, Americans seem to have an insatiable feeling that bigger is better,? claims AutoTrader research data according to MSNBC’s Dan Carney.
In recent years, automakers have built a lot of PR hype around their green offerings, or at least their future green offerings. For instance, America has been hearing about the Chevy Volt for years now, yet the Volt’s sale’s debut is almost 2 years from reality. Even then, and for a number of years after, GM will be making 10′s of thousands of Volts, not 100′s of thousands.
Likewise, many other automakers have plans for a hybrid or two, maybe a few small cars, and a limited production EV. Yet, none of these automakers have stopped building beefed up sports cars and gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. Go to any auto show and most of the crowds are still drawn to the usual, inefficient suspects.
In terms of sales, for instance, Ford has been putting great effort into promoting its fantastic Fusion hybrid, but the automaker is only going to make 25,000 of these great hybrid cars per year. On the other hand, Ford sold over 30,000 F-Series trucks in March alone, despite the fact that Ford truck sales are down more than 40 percent year to date thanks to a recession – not gas prices.
In reality, isn’t the green auto revolution still mostly hype?
Posted in Cars, Hybrid Cars |
Tags: blog, Cars, Electric, ford, hybrid car, Hybrid Cars, idc, Investing, money, msn, research |
Comments Closed
Hyundai Nuvis hybrid interesting but…
Great styling but questionable potential
I’ve been looking at pictures of the Hyundai Nuvis hybrid all morning, and I have to say I’m slightly disappointed. While I really like the styling of this vehicle, I have to question its approach.
Offering the room of a large sedan the Nuvis crossover is an appealing vehicle, but at 34 mpg combined, I’m just not sure its the right approach for Hyundai to showcase its future unless it can be priced considerably less than the Ford Escape hybrid.
Instead, I’d like to see Hyundai’s Hybrid Blue Drive, which will use Hyundai’s new lithium polymer batteries, in a smaller, cheaper Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrid contending package.
Moreover, considering Hyundai’s lithium battery helped reduce the battery weight of this hybrid, coupled with the effort Hyundai took to make the hot new 228 hp inline 4 cylinder engine more efficient, I’m a bit surprised that the Nuvis doesn’t blow the Escape hybrid’s fuel economy numbers out of the water (Water was the design influence of the Nuvis).
Nonetheless, Hyundai’s increasing focus on hybrid cars is very encouraging.
Posted in Cars, Hybrid Cars |
Tags: Battery, blog, Cars, Design, ford, hybrid car, Hybrid Cars, idc |
Comments Closed