When you take a conventionally powered car and add a hybrid powertrain, there’s a price premium. A huge price premium – that’s just the way things are.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

The engineers are Ford have been wondering the same thing. Why does there have to be a $5k price premium just so you can have the privilege of getting better fuel economy? Well, buyers of the 2011 MKZ Hybrid won’t have to.

The 2011 MKZ Hybrid is priced the same as the gas-only MKZ.

Absolutely brilliant. Ford is using the excellent powertrain from the Fusion Hybrid, which mats an electric motor to a 2.5 liter four cylinder engine. The base price will be $35,180, which is exactly the same as the normal MKZ, powered by a 3.5 liter V6.

So, sure, you give up a few ponies. But you get the same fantastic fuel economy as the Fusion Hybrid – 41 MPG highway, and you don’t have to pay a dollar more.

In additional to the brilliant pricing in comparison to it’s conventional brother, the 2011 MKZ Hybrid clocks in at $350 lower than the Lexus HS 250H. Plus, it gets 6 MPG better in the city. Eat it, Lexus.

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If you believe a Reuters‘ source, the 2011 Honda Fit Hybrid will start at an astonishingly low price – $16,750. Considering that the conventional Fit starts at $14,900 , you can call me a skeptic.

Such a low base price would put the Hybrid Fit about $4000 less than Honda’s own Fit-based Insight. Some of the price difference could come simply from less equipment – a base Fit has less standard features than a base Insight.

However, I just don’t see four thousand dollars worth of equipment here… I’d like to believe this report. A very affordable Fit Hybrid would be a huge hit for Honda. Reality doesn’t seem to support such a low starting price, unfortunately.

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Before I even get started, I really, really hope that CT 200h isn’t the final name for this car. Even in this era of alphabet soup car names, CT 200h is decidedly forgettable and meaningless. Moving on….

The 2011 CT 200h is a compact, 4 door (some say 5 door) hatchback hybrid. Under the hood is Toyota’s 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine, attached to the Hybrid Synergy Drive that Toyota is so famous for. Front wheel drive and a Continuously Variable Transmission round out the drivetrain.

As for electric-only power, 2011 CT 200h can travel up to a mile without using the engine, if you are careful with the loud pedal. Estimated fuel economy isn’t available yet, but it should be pretty solid given the small size of the vehicle.

For now, Toyota has no plans to sell the Lexus CT 200h in the United States.  I cannot fathom why – Toyota has a long track record of selling tons of hybrids here…. but such is life sometimes.  They could always change their minds.  Check out the spy shots after the jump.

2011 Lexus CT 200h Gallery

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For years, the Toyota Prius has been the fuel economy champion in America.  Well, Toyota is trying to change that, since apparently no one else can.  (Honda, I’m looking at you.)

Introduced at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show is the Toyota FT-CH Concept. Surely if this vehicle makes it to production, that awful name will go away.  Names aside, what makes the FT-CH more efficient than the Prius?  For starters, it’s 22 inches shorter than the Prius.  Along those lines, the FT-CH is also quite a bit lighter than the Prius.  Since weight is the enemy of efficiency, the FT-Ch has made a good start.

What isn’t clear at this point, is the powertrain. Will the FT-CH use the 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine from the Prius? How large will the electric motor and batteries be?  These items are extremely important to fuel economy, though they are also quite pricey.

Toyota wants to slot the FT-CH in below the Prius price-wise, which makes sense since it is a smaller vehicle.  Hopefully they make the right choices when it comes to the powertrain, and don’t cheap out like Honda did with the 2010 Insight.

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You may or may not be looking at inspiration for the next generation Honda Odyssey when you look at the Skydeck Concept vehicle. I say may or may not because, well, it’s a little out there. Compared to the minivans of today, the Skydeck is downright sexy. It’s bold and stylish when compared to the Odysseys and Siennas of 2009. But bold is a tough sell in the minivan world, where boring and reliable sell.

Honda Skydeck killer feature
Hidden inside the center console that runs between the seats is a series of batteries. That’s right, the Skydeck is a hybrid, with a full Honda IMA ( Integrated Motor Assist ) setup. Minivan buyers would eat this up – they already chose the minivan instead of a gas-guzzling SUV, so up-selling them to a hybrid should be a no-brainer.

Some of the features that surely won’t make it to production in any way are: the cool scissor front doors, adn the magic floating seats. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the front two rows of seats are actually mounted to the center console. The second row can easily fold and slide under the first row, creating an absolutely ridiculous amount of cargo area. There is also the potential problem that the Skydeck seats “just” six, when a traditional minivan seats 7. Granted, not everyone who buys a minivan has 5 kids, but it needs to be pointed out.

I think with minor modifications, the Skydeck could be a viable vehicle. Perhaps not as a direct Odyssey replacement, but maybe even as a Pilot replacement. More room, better fuel economy, better styling, etc etc. Honda – we’re interested.

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There are tons of benefits to owning a hybrid vehicle. For starters, they’re about the most fuel-efficient cars around ( with the sometimes-exception of diesels ). For another, they emit a lot less CO2 and various other pollutants into the air. Even if you don’t believe in global warming, it can’t possibly be a bad thing to pollute less.
And of course you get the smug factor. Yep, even if you don’t brag about it, you know that your car is “better” than all those conventional cars on the road. Smug.

Until recently that was about it. Angry Green Girl recently ran a promotion where they offered free car washes to anyone driving a hybrid. I’m sorry, that’s a free Bikini Car Wash. If that isn’t a good enough reason to get a hybrid, well, I can’t help you. Check out the videos from Angry Green Girl below.

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The difficult to spell midsize SUV from Volkswagen is getting a tad bit greener, either for the 2011 or 2012 model year. Well, just a tad bit anyway. Volkswagen is planning to use the Audi S4′s engine to start – a supercharged 3.0 liter TSI V6. Add in a 38kW electric motor and an 8 speed automatic, and voila – you have a beast of a Touareg. Expected output is a whopping 374 HP, and a ground-shaking 406 lb-ft of torque. Can you say 0-60 in <7 seconds?

Though the EPA hasn’t gotten ahold of the Touareg Hybrid just yet, VW is hoping for as much as a 26 MPG combined rating. While that isn’t likely to save the pandas, it’s a pretty solid number for such a large, powerful vehicle. Pricing is anyone’s guess – can you say “really freakin expensive” in German?

Source.

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Hyundai has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success here in the US over the last few years.  They have avoided the hybrid market segment so far – leaving it to Toyota.  Well, it seems they’ve re-thought that strategy, and plan to introduce a Sonata Hybrid in 2011, as a 2012 model.

Word is that Hyundai plans to use the newer-technology lithium-ion batteries, instead of the current generation NIMH.  Lithium-ion allows for smaller, lighter, more powerful batteries, potentially giving the Sonota hybrid better fuel economy and a longer electric-only range.  Interesting choice, considering the fact that lithium-ion batteries are more expensive than NIMH.  Hyundai usually plays the value card, pricing their vehicles lower than similar Toyota and Honda vehicles.  With li-ion – that may be tougher.  Stay tuned for details.

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BMW is a bit behind in the luxury hybrid game. Both Lexus and Mercedes-Benz have luxury hybrid sedans on the market right now, ready for sale today. Though BMW is late to the game, they plan on arriving in serious style. Meet the BMW 755ih – the first hybrid that will wear a BMW badge.

BMW 755ih Specs

• 407 HP 4.4 liter gas engine
• 20 HP / 155 lb-ft electric motor
• Target fuel consumption 15% better than gas only

Ok, the 755ih is no Prius challenger. And a 15% fuel economy increase won’t change the world – especially when you consider the dismal fuel economy that a 7 series BMW gets. But I’d bet that BMW will sell quite a few of these puppies at a nice premium. Rich people love to feel like they’re saving the world, even when they’re doing no such thing.

Check out the rest of the spy shots.

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Good game, Malibu Hybrid.  In stark contrast to the excellent new Malibu, the Malibu Hybrid was a poorly conceived, poorly performing, and overpriced car.  Managing a feeble 2 MPG more than the vanilla Malibu, and costing several thousand dollars more, this vehicle never made sense.

I have never recommended this car to anyone – and now I won’t have to tell people to avoid it.  Thankfully GM ( or perhaps it was The Great Obama ) decided to axe this awful vehicle.

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