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Toyota’s all-new 2010 Prius officially went on sale in Japan today and has already garnered enough orders to easily outsell the rival Honda Insight hybrid. According to Toyota, the Prius has already had 80,000 advance orders and should easily reach its annual sales goal of 400,000 units worldwide.
The news bodes well for Toyota, which is still preparing for an all-out price war with Honda's Insight. Now, sales for both cars are expected to rise, especially in light of new incentives for hybrid car buyers provided by the Japanese government.
The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, remains the best-selling petrol-electric hybrid in the world, with sales of more than 1.25 million units since its launch. With a fuel-economy rating of 51mpg in the city, 48mpg on the highway and a combined figure of 50mpg, the latest Prius is expected to be the most popular yet and by itself should eclipse this tally.
Pricing starts at ¥2.05 million (approximately $21,400) in Japan, which is more costly than the Honda Insight, but it comes with a larger engine and more standard features. Interestingly, Toyota is still selling the previous generation Prius alongside the new model and it will be interesting to see what this will do for overall sales. In the U.S., pricing for the 2010 Prius will start at $21,000, or about $1,200 over the Honda Insight.
Whoever will win out of the hybrid battle will now be decided in the global market, but whatever the outcome the result is good for consumers as the rivalry will likely create a new price war.
GM first unveiled the Trixx concept in 2004 as a city-micro car similar, for example, to the Toyota iQ. Now, Despite its financial woes on the back of General Motors’ money troubles, Opel is still working on developing its own new models and technologies, including what could prove to be the European division’s first all-electric vehicle. While it’s long been anticipated that Opel would follow sister brand Chevrolet's footsteps in terms of how it will launch its new electric range, this is only partly true.
While Chevrolet's Volt will be coming to Europe under the guise of the Ampera plug-in hybrid, Opel is reportedly working on a new car that would do away with the range-extending petrol engine - making it purely electric.
As a city car, it would be significantly smaller than the Volt, however, reports surrounding it suggest that there will still be enough room for four people and their luggage. According to AutoExpress, the new electric city car will be based on 2004’s Opel Trixx Concept and borrow battery technology from its Ampera big brother.
Without the petrol range-extender, the Trixx is likely to have a driving range of only around 90 miles, but as it would be billed as a city car this isn't likely to present too much of a problem. What will prove to be a problem, however, is the price of the battery packs. At current prices, putting a cell in the Trixx would cost around $12,000 alone - making the car a relatively expensive proposition as a city car.
Opel is yet to confirm its production but if given the green light we should see the compact electric car on the market by 2012. 
Hybrid versions of all sorts of cars - even sports cars like the Nissan 370Z - are in the works or on their way, and now Audi is adding to the list with reports of an A3 hybrid confirmed for production. The hybrid hatch is expected to use an Audi-adapted version of Volkswagen's TwinDrive hybrid powertrain.
The TwinDrive project will be at the heart of a future hybrid Golf, and is also being trialled in a Seat Leon plug-in as well. The TwinDrive system produces about 40hp (30kW) - half the power of the TwinDrive system in the concept Golf revealed last year, and meager by U.S. standards, but the system, once depleted, is backed up by either small petrol or diesel four-cylinders rated at a more typical 105hp (78kW) or more, according to Autocar. Top speed will reach about 105mph (168km/h).
Inside the TwinDrive system lies a 12kWh battery pack of lithium-ion batteries that should be enough to give the car a 30mi (48km) electric-only range. That's enough to rival the Volt plug-in hybrid, and at the Audi's higher market point, hints at a price closer to $50,000.
Efficiency for the combo will be very high, with estimates placing the car's combined electric and regular operating at more than 113mpg. The car is expected to reach commercial buyers in 2012 with retail sales sometime after that, though Audi hasn't yet confirmed any dates.
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There were previous reports that came out suggesting that a sedan version of the 2011 Audi A3 was already set to hit markets in the US. However, the carmaker did not confirm these reports, but said that a four-door variant of the car is a possibility.
The company is currently considering the cabriolet, sedan and Sportback variants for sale in the US and is still in the process of deciding which will be ideal for the consumers of America. Furthermore, the company stands by its commitment to the A3 lineup and rules out the possibility of a three-door A3 in the US. There are talks going abroad that suggest that if Audi will manufacture the A3 it will come with similar dimensions as the VW Jetta. Clearly, nothing is certain with regards to the future of the A3 model at this time. So, for the moment, speculations will remain just that.
Modern turbodiesel powertrains already match petrol-electric hybrids in fuel-economy and often outmatches them when it comes to driveability and performance, but a combination of the two separate technologies could provide a perfect blend of performance and economy. French auto giant PSA Peugeot-Citroen group is at the forefront of the technology, already previewing a number of concept vehicles packing diesel engines and electric motors under its Hymotion4 moniker.
Citroen has confirmed its diesel hybrid drive system will enter production in 2011 with the upcoming Citroen DS5 – the third model in Citroen’s new premium range of cars, which will include a smaller DS3 and DS4. The DS5 promises to set new standards for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, has also been confirmed for Australian sales by mid-2011, at a price that is yet to be announced.
Development is still in the early stages but PSA is confident of a “considerable fuel saving” and a drop of up to 35% in carbon dioxide emissions compared to a similar sized petrol model. The Hymotion4 system is offered with AWD capability, however, the design eliminates the associated heavy weight of AWD vehicles by using two powerplants in the car. By putting the diesel drivetrain up front, where it can drive the front wheels, and the electric motor at the rear, where it drives the rear wheels, PSA has eliminated the need for heavy and bulky transfer cases, driveshafts and differentials.
As for the DS5, which will debut the diesel-hybrid system, it is expected to be a premium hatch/crossover due for launch in 2011. Its styling will be influenced by the DS Inside Concept from last month’s Geneva Motor Show, though it will be significantly bigger than the show car.
One of the most exciting cars from January’s Detroit Auto Show was the Cadillac Converj concept car, which General Motors used to showcase its plug-in hybrid technology in a luxury platform. Despite the concept featuring one of the most striking designs we’ve seen in a while, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz said it was designed so that any eventual production version would look “exactly like” the show car, hinting that we may eventually see such a car in showrooms. 
The company’s financial state, however, says the opposite, but there remains a chance the Converj may make it out of the economic storm. GM in its viability plan presented to Congress in February outlined plans for two new plug-in hybrid vehicles, and today MotorTrend is reporting that the stylish concept has been given the green light for production.
According to an inside source, the new model will be on the road by 2011 if GM’s financial situation improves. The car would be based on the same Delta platform as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, and power would also come from the same Voltec plug-in hybrid system. The source also revealed that a seven-seater MPV plug-in hybrid was in the pipeline – already previewed by the 2008 Chevrolet Orlando concept.
The Cadillac plug-in hybrid would feature extra batteries to power a higher-output electric motor than the one in the Volt. The styling of the vehicle would also be slightly different to the Converj concept as much of internal structure, such as the firewall, would need to be sourced from the taller Volt.
GM has consistently stated that its Voltec plug-in hybrid system would be used in other models to spread the investment costs as much as possible, and reports of a Cadillac plug-in hybrid date back as far as last August.
Source from: http://www.motorauthority.com/report-cadillac-converj-headed-for-production.html
