Manufacturers unveil more hybrids
Mon 23 January 2006
View all news
A range of new hybrid petrol electric vehicles have been launched. General Motors has unveiled a low-cost petrol-electric Saturn Vue Green Line at the North American International Auto Show. At the same show, Toyota, displayed a hybrid version of its best-selling Camry; and Ford revealed the sporty Reflex show car featuring a diesel-hybrid powertrain. Over the next two years petrol-electric versions of Lexus GS450, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Chevy Tahoe, Nissan Altima, Dodge Durango, GMC Yukon and Chevy Malibu and Ford’s Mercury Mariner are all scheduled to enter the market. According to consulting firm J.D. Power and Associates the number of hybrid models on sale are expected to triple over the next couple of years. All five finalists for Green Car Journal’s 2006 Green Car of the Year are hybrids.
PSA Peugeot has announced they will shortly reveal two new diesel-electric models, a Peugeot 307 and a Citroen C4. Company officials claim diesel hybrid engines could reduce consumption and emissions by up to 40% compared with a regular gasoline engine. Speaking on the need to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels, President Jacques Chirac called on French research scientists and industrialists to develop hybrid diesel cars as well as battery – powered vehicles with long-range capability over the next decade. However, despite the presentation of two diesel-hybrid prototypes, PSA said it was unlikely hybrid vehicles would be available in showrooms before 2010 due to the challenge of integrating the technology into the vehicle platform and the weakness of the current business case for hybrid diesels at present.
Related Links
J.D. Power Press Release
PSA Peugeot Citroen Website
< Back to news list