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Hybrid Vehicles Hybrids - News, Reviews and Views in the Press
567 messages, Last post on Oct 30, 2009 at 9:21 PM
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Replying to: larsb (Apr 23, 2007 7:12 am) Maybe it is. It does offer good mileage and utility. If it can be bought under invoice it can be practical. It still has a lot of competition selling below $21k. The complexity would be a killer for me. I will never succumb to that trap again. Main reason I am looking at used truck based SUVs with low mileage. I want a vehicle I can keep for 10 or more years without spending a ton on repairs. Hybrids will never fill that need. As you have pointed out, most new cars are overly complex and prone to high repair costs after the warranty expires. Planned obsolescence. |
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Hemi Hybrid? You betcha !! AUBURN HILLS, MI, April 30 /CNW/ - That new Chrysler Aspen Hybrid got a HEMI(R)? Yes, it does - as does the new Dodge Durango Hybrid. Both vehicles - powered by Chrysler Group's all-new 5.7-liter HEMI Hybrid powertrain - debut next year as the first volume-production hybrid offerings from the Chrysler Group and the first vehicles to feature DaimlerChrysler's advanced two-mode hybrid technology. "The all-new Chrysler Group HEMI Hybrid will offer our customers the best of both worlds: renowned performance and significantly improved fuel economy," said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President - Product Development, Chrysler Group. "With the new HEMI-powered Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, we are delivering the ultimate combination of fuel efficiency, overall performance and capability in a premium full-size SUV." The new 5.7-liter HEMI Hybrid is expected to deliver an overall fuel economy improvement of more than 25 percent, including an improvement of nearly 40 percent in the city. The HEMI powerplant, in hybrid form, will continue to feature Chrysler Group's Multi-displacement System (MDS), which allows the engine to seamlessly alternate between four-cylinder mode when less power is needed and V-8 mode when more power is in demand. For the fifth year in a row - and every year since its 2003 re-introduction -- Chrysler Group's famous 5.7-liter HEMI engine has earned a place on Ward's 10 Best Engines list. The new Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and Dodge Durango Hybrid vehicles represent a bold change in what is generally a "me too" category. Chrysler Group's full-size hybrid vehicles will deliver seamless dependable power on demand in an efficient package. With an electrically variable transmission (featuring two electric motors), two full hybrid modes of operation, and four fixed mechanical gear ratios, the drive system improves fuel economy around town and at highway speeds. |
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Gitcher Hybrids Heya, Get 'Em While 'Their Hot' Incentive bonus Buying a hybrid car makes more economic sense today By Andrea Coombes, MarketWatch Last Update: 7:13 PM ET Apr 29, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- If you've been toying with the idea of buying a hybrid car, the cost equation is tilting in your favor. Until recently buying a hybrid meant you were willing to shell out for a pricier car because you believe in helping the environment or because you like to own the latest high-tech gadget. Auto-research firms found it could take up to 15 years, depending on the model, of gas-pump savings to offset hybrids' higher sticker price. But now it's taking less time to break even, thanks to carmakers' new deals on hybrids. Right now, the average incentive for all hybrid models is about $1,638, according to Edmunds.com. "Up until maybe a year or so ago, we were paying over sticker prices for hybrids," said Philip Reed, consumer-advice editor with Edmunds.com. But now, "there are hybrids on car lots and they're being discounted. That's unusual. And it's also at a time when gas prices are ... high so people are going to want these cars," Reed said. Repair costs Another cost consideration is maintenance and repair. There's good news for hybrids on that front, Reed said. "People are really worried about the batteries and it's proven to be much less of a problem than anybody ever thought," Reed said. "Plus, nearly all the manufacturers have very long and strong warranties to protect you," he said, as long as eight years and 100,000 miles or even 10 years and 110,000 miles for the hybrid components. Plus, brake repair costs may be less than on a standard car. Because of hybrids' braking systems, "you don't have to do brake jobs as often," he said. "That's a savings that a lot of people don't consider."
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Replying to: larsb (Apr 30, 2007 7:05 am) At first there were valid concerns about longevity, durability, cost of ownership and performance. Performance was answered quickly. Those wanting 'zoom' have several options, hybrid or not. Those wanting the best fuel economy without sacrificing vehicle content have several options. As the vehicles being to enter their 7th year on the road data is being accumulated showing that problems are few and far between while the cost of operation is amazingly low ( maintenance, fuel, insurance, brakes, etc ). So...the vehicle pricing is much more affordable than before; the vehicles ( all of them ) have little or no issues of durability; the cost of keeping them on the road is far lower than other vehicles;... ...Oh and gas is at $3/gal for the third year in a row now. 'What if we really only had to spend $30 to go 500 miles?' |
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How low can ya go, 'Yota? Toyota Motor expects to cut costs for hybrid cars enough to be able to make as much money on them as it does on conventional gasoline cars by around 2010, a top executive said Thursday. Japan's top automaker has been keen to see the fuel-saving power train enter the mainstream since launching the Prius, the world's first hybrid car, in 1997, but sales have come at the expense of profitability, given their high production costs. But Masatami Takimoto, executive vice president in charge of power train development, said cost-cutting efforts on the system's motor, battery and inverter were bearing fruit and that the cost structure would improve drastically by the time Toyota reaches its sales goal of a million hybrids annually in 2010 or soon after. "By then, we expect margins to be equal to gasoline cars," he told Reuters in an interview at Toyota's headquarters in Toyota City, central Japan. If it succeeds, Toyota would be removing the main hurdle preventing rivals from pushing the expensive power train, which twins a conventional engine with an electric motor, and likely widening its sales lead as more consumers seek better mileage amid rising fuel costs. |
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Toyota has spent $100 millon promoting the "hybrid" name? REALLY? Sources please That was money well spent. Thank you Toyota for bringing hybrids to the masses. Keep it up...
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Replying to: larsb (May 24, 2007 9:52 am) No matter what type of vehicle you choose, smaller is better, a lesson Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't yet learned: California's partially green Governator has five Hummers in his driveway |
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Replying to: larsb (May 24, 2007 9:52 am) Hardly. They are still the play toys of the High paid techno geeks in the USA. The complexity will catch up and bite Toyota in the back side. They are far from mainstream vehicles. May 17, 2007 Traction control problems continue to plague the electronically-sophisticated Toyota Prius, at times stranding owners of the little hybrid at the bottom of a hill or driveway. Toyota has addressed a similar problem in other of its models including the new 2007 Tundra pickup truck and the Scion xB and xD.
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Replying to: gagrice (May 25, 2007 7:04 pm) 
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quote- If you’ve been waiting for an all-new Prius, get ready to wait an extra six months. According to news reports, Toyota has delayed the launch of the third-generation hybrid to the spring of 2009. This comes after the announcement in May that early versions of the new Prius will not be equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Toyota and battery supplier Panasonic EV claim issues pertaining to initial cost and thermal safety (read: fire hazard) have yet to be addressed.-end
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