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Mitsubishi Reveals Two EV Prototypes in Geneva

February 20, 2009 in EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | No comments

Mitsubishi will reveal two electric vehicle prototypes at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March: the Prototype i MiEV and the i MiEV Sport Air concept.

Mitsubishi Prototype i MiEV

The first car will introduce features that inch the little EV closer to Euro-spec readiness, including left-hand drive. All of the electric Mitsubishis on the road right now in their first phase of testing are Japanese-spec right-hand models, even the few in the U.S. The potato-bug of a car gets a wider stance and longer overhangs for Europe as well.

Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Air Concept

The i MiEV Sport Air concept is expected to have a more powerful electric motor and a solid driving feel, due to the weight of the in-floor battery packs. It also will feature a “clear cutaway” top, which in Mitsubishi’s sketches looks like a sweep of glass from the windshield to the rear window.

Images courtesy of Mitsubishi.

Lexus HS 250h Hybrid On Sale This Summer

January 30, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids by kristen | No comments

Lexus HS 250h hybrid

Lexus held the second press conference of the 2009 Detroit auto show, where the HS 250h Hybrid was revealed. Coming as it did immediately after GM’s noisy press conference, Lexus was all quiet confidence. It has brought out a new hybrid every year since 2005, and the HS 250h is the first dedicated hybrid model from Lexus — there is not conventional gasoline-only counterpart. It’s hybrid or the highway, baby.

Lexus didn’t give a price for the new four-door sedan (it always waits until the last minute), but it did say the HS 250h is aimed at entry-level luxury car buyers who said in surveys that if there had been a hybrid in their price range, they would have bought it. Like a hybrid genie, Lexus is hoping to make their wishes come true.

As for its green cred, there aren’t any EPA mileage numbers, though the company says the HS 250h will get higher mileage than a Smart car. The interior plastics are plant-based, from the panels to the foam and upholstery. Thirty percent of the interior is recycled, while 85% of the entire car can be recycled at the end of its lifespan.

The New Honda Insight

January 19, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG by kristen | 4 comments

Honda Insight

The blogosphere (GoodGreenCars.com included) has been abuzz this fall about two new hybrids: the third generation of the crazy popular Toyota Prius, and the resurrection of the pioneer Honda Insight. We’ve already talked about the “most important reveal,” according to humble Toyota execs, of the 2009 Detroit auto show, so now let’s turn to the potential giant-killer Insight.

First of all, if you take a look at the pictures of the new Honda Insight on the stand in Detroit, one thing stands out: it looks just like a Prius. Same short, sloped nose, same little wheels, same chunky back. Part of that is due to the aerodynamics necessary to get high fuel economy in a hybrid, but part of it is probably a little Prius piggy-backing, as well. In order to sell a lot of Insights, you have to aim for the familiar.

Honda hasn’t announced an official price for its hybrid, but it keeps saying it will be cheaper than the Prius. The new Prius doesn’t have an MSRP yet, either, but we can expect both of the cars to be somewhere slightly north of $20,000.

Interestingly, while Toyota couldn’t have tooted its own horn louder if it had brought a drum and bugle corps to Detroit, Honda didn’t schedule a press conference for its Insight. It left the car on the dais for the curious to find, with a cutaway car showcasing the Insight’s technology nearby. Humility won’t get anyone anywhere in the new automotive landscape, so if Honda wants to take on the mighty Prius, it had better step up is marketing game.

Insight insides