Peugeot SR1 Hybrid Roadster Showcases New Design Language, Marks the end of Gaping-Mouth Grille Era

This here is the Peugeot SR1 hybrid 2+1 seater roadster concept that will be displayed for the first time at the upcoming 2010 Geneva Salon in March. The significance of the SR1 lies in its styling as the French automaker revealed that it foretells the stylistic design trends for its future models.

In short, this concept car showcases the firm’s new design language that abandons the chunky shapes and the much criticized gaping-mouth grille of the current Peugeots in favor of more elegant and sharper looks that hark back to the Pininfarina-era Pugs.

The concept itself, which bears a passing resemblance to Aston Martin’s Vantage V8, is a proposal for a low-slung roadster model with a hybrid powertrain.

The SR1′s interior, is pure concept though we might see the driver-orientated center console making its way into Peugeot’s future production models. The roadster can seat up to three in a 2+1 layout with the rear seat mounted centrally.

The roadster makes use of Peugeot’s HYbrid4 technology, which will be available in the company’s 3008 crossover from 2011. A front-mounted 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a power output of 218 bhp is combined with a rear electric motor developing 95 bhp.

When the two power trains work simultaneously, the SR1 develops a potential maximum power of 313bhp and also benefits from four-wheel drive.

Peugeot said that in electric only mode, the car becomes a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV), with a combined cycle fuel consumption of 4.9 lt/100km (48.0mpg US) and CO2 emissions of just 119 g/km.

The concept model also benefits from the adoption of 4-wheel steering with the turning angle of the rear wheels controlled as a function of the vehicle speed, via motorized links on the rear wishbones.

BYD Auto F3DM EV: China's Volt Makes it to Detroit, will be Launched in the States by 2011

Along with the E6 fully-electric crossover, China’s BYD Auto (which stands for Build Your Dreams) also showcased the F3DM plug-in hybrid sedan at its Detroit Show stand. This is not the first time we’ve seen the F3DM in the U.S. as the Chinese automaker displayed the car at last year’s NAIAS.

Looking a lot like a previous generation Toyota Corolla, the 4,533mm (178.4 inches) long FD3M makes use of a small 1.0-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor for a combined output of 168hp (125kw).

Even though some sites have reported now and in the past that the F3DM’s hybrid drivetrain works in the same that the Chevy Volt’s does, meaning that the gasoline engine doesn’t drive the wheels but charges the battery, BYD Auto’s press release clearly points towards a system similar to the one found in the Prius.

“When the vehicle needs more power to accelerate, a gasoline engine and an electric motor drive the wheels together to provide greater output and torque,” BYD Auto states in the F3DM’s press release.

BYD claims that the plug-in hybrid sedan can drive up to 100km or 62 miles on electricity and 580km or 360 miles on a single battery charge and a full tank of gasoline.

The Chinese maker says that the F3DM’s battery pack can be charged to 50% power via quick charge in 10 minutes, and 100% power via household charge in seven hours.

The vehicle also features a solar panel sunroof, which can be used to channel power to the battery pack.

According to BYD, the F3DM can sprint from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 10.5 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 150 km/h or 93mph.

The plug-in hybrid sedan recently went on sale in China for the U.S. equivalent of around $22,000. The company said that it plans to sell the F3DM in the States by 2011.

Toyota Unveils MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept, Combines 3.3-liter V6 and Electric Motor for 400HP

It may only be a concept for now, but Toyota’s GRMN MR2 Sports Hybrid study that was unveiled today at the Tokyo Auto Salon may very well form the technological base for a similar production sports car in the very near future, according to reports from Japan.

Developed in cooperation with Toyota’s racing and tuning partner Gazoo, the concept is a two-seater, all-wheel drive hybrid sports car based on a modified version of the platform used in the now obsolete MR2 roadster.

Underneath its widened body, the MR2 concept gets a mid-mounted 3.3-liter V6 petrol engine that drives the rear wheels and the company’s THSII hybrid system with the electric motor propelling the front wheels.

The combined output of the hybrid system and petrol engine is estimated to be in the range of 400 horsepower

Power is transferred to the wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifts.

Toyota did not release any performance figures, but if you take into consideration that the 400HP plus roadster tips the scales at just 1,300 kg or 2,866 pounds (official data), this pocket rocket promises to be nothing less than fast.

Report: Infiniti mulling more rear-wheel-drive hybrids

The Infiniti M35 Hybrid won’t be hitting showrooms until Spring 2011, but that doesn’t mean future applications of the hybrid powertrain aren’t already in the works. Speaking with Automotive News, Nissan North America’s vice president of product planning, Larry Dominique, says that the M35′s hybrid drivetrain was designed to fit all of Infiniti’s rear-wheel drive models, not just the flagship M.

Infiniti’s new hybrid system is the first gasoline-electric powerplant solely designed by Nissan (the Altima Hybrid uses a Toyota-sourced unit). Once the M35 launches, we could see new hybrid versions of the G, EXand FX models, though we’d expect those to come long after the initial launch of the M35.

Currently, the market for rear-wheel-drive hybrid sedans is very small, with the Lexus GS 450h and LS 600h,Mercedes-Benz S400 and BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid making up the entire segment. More entries are expected to arrive over the next few years, and Infiniti will surely test the waters with the M35 before electrifying any more models within its lineup.

First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid looks to split the uprights

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid hails from a nation where Buddhism is one of the dominant religions. After all, this slippery sedan’s design is the gas-electric’s equivalent of The Middle Path – a road that the company hopes is truly the way to automotive enlightenment.

Say what?

In the still-young history of the modern hybrid automobile, there have been two prevailing schools of thought on design: As the less costly path, The Low Road to hybridization is already a crowded one – it’s a design route that basically calls for the electrification hardware to be buried beneath a familiar bodyshell that’s shared with a conventional internal combustion-only model (see: Lexus LS 600h, Ford Fusion Hybrid,Chevrolet Silverado, etc.). The driving philosophy here is to keep production costs in check while also appealing to audiences that might be otherwise reluctant to embrace “new” technology.

By contrast, The High Road calls for swoopier model-specific bodywork – if not an entire dedicated platform – enabling a “greener than thou” halo for its owners and parent company. Unfortunately, this high-visibility strategy also costs a boatload of cash, and the only such model that has managed to make a solid business case for itself is the Toyota Prius, a vehicle that’s become the de-facto postercar for the green movement.

But here’s the conundrum that Hyundai has keenly recognized: Despite being on the checklist of every politician, environmentalist and Hollywood glitterati, hybrids don’t sell in America – they account for less than two percent of new vehicles purchased in the U.S. every year, and their high technology bandwidth means that they require a disproportionate amount of money to develop. Basically, Hyundai knows that the Sonata Hybrid is a necessity for improving its technological capabilities, as well as for burnishing its industry-leading CAFE scores, but it also seems to understand that it is almost certain to lose money on each one it builds. Which is why they’ve taken The Middle Path.

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Returns 41mpg in the City

Following in the footsteps of its Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan siblings, the Lincoln MKZ will be offered with FoMoCo’s new hybrid powertrain that comprises of a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and an electric motor that churn out a combined output of 191HP.

Lincoln’s first-ever hybrid model is expected to deliver at least 41mpg (5.7 lt/100km) in the city and reach speeds of up to 47 mph (75 km/h) in pure electric mode.

Ford stresses that both these figures are better than the MKZ Hybrid’s closest rival, the Lexus HS 250h, which returns 35mpg in the city and reaches a top speed of 25mph in battery-only mode.

The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will have its world premiere today at the New York Auto Show with sales to follow in the fall.

Toyota Auris Facelift gets Subtle Makeover and New Hybrid Version with Prius Drivetrain

When Toyota introduced the successor to the hatchback versions of the Corolla (the sedan variant kept the name) in Europe in 2006, the company’s bosses decided to baptize the new car “Auris”, not only due to its supposedly fresh and contemporary styling, but also because the name “Corolla” had become more synonymous with dull than with quality in the Old Continent.

Fast forward to 2010, and the Auris has yet to shake off its predecessor’s bland-mobile reputation…

And while the subtle cosmetic makeover for the 2010 model year won’t make the standard Auris any more interesting than before, the addition of a full hybrid version to the range is something that could very well capture the interest of European buyers.

Toyota’s Spartan press release did not get into any details whatsoever, but the two official photos reveal that the 2010 Auris hatchback benefits from the same cosmetic changes as the JDM model that was introduced last October and almost the same styling upgrades as the Auris HSD Hybrid study that was presented at the 2009 Frankfurt Show.

On the outside, the 2010 model year Auris features a revised grille, reshaped front and rear bumpers, new headlamps, tail lights and alloy wheels plus a different bonnet design and new exterior mirrors with integrated turning signals.

We assume that the production Auris HSD (which stands for Hybrid Synergy Drive) will keep if not all, most of the exterior styling cues and aerodynamic tweaks such as the underbody panels of the concept study.

The Auris HSD’s petrol-electric hyrbid drivetrain will be largely shared with the Prius meaning that the five-door hatchback can run on battery power alone in zero-emissions mode.

Full details and photos of both the standard and hybrid versions of the Auris are expected to be released closer to their official debut at the Geneva Salon in early March.