Hybrid

Volkswagen has a new concept car on display at the 2016 NAIAS in Detroit called the Tiguan GTE Active Concept. The concept it is based on the second generation Tiguan set to hit the US in 2017.

I’d like to know where along the way it became the norm to design EVs and hybrids to look terrible. The Prius is one of the ugliest designs on the road, and Hyundai’s new hybrid called the IONIQ looks like it could be a close relative to the Prius.

Last month, we got our first glimpse at the Subaru Impreza Sedan concept car, and it looked pretty good. In all likelihood, the new Impreza will also spawn the next-gen WRX and WRX STi. Word on the street suggests that the new STi might be a hybrid that bows in during the 2017 model year.

Hyundai has unveiled a new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) variant of the 2016 Sonata. The big thing that sets the PHEV model apart from the normal Sonata Hybrid is that this version can drive for up to 27 miles on electricity alone.

When you think Toyota and hybrid, likely the Prius probably comes to mind first. However, at 95Octane we like our hybrids with a little more to them than the Prius. So, I am glad to get to review a hybrid that’s more my style and more well-suited for 95Octane.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new concept car at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show designed to showcase the future of aerodynamic design. The Concept IAA has the lowest coefficient of drag in the world according to Mercedes with a Cd value of 0.19.

Decades ago, when I first met my wife, she had an old beat up Honda CR-Z. I loved that car; it was so fun to drive and looked cool too. I always wished Honda would come back out with a car like that.

The Toyota Prius is a bonafide sales success that other manufacturers can only dream of. In spite of that fact, it has never been an attractive car. Designed more to cut the wind, as opposed to turning heads, it’s pretty much been the equivalent of a lozenge on wheels… until now.

When is a Ferrari not a Ferrari? When you can’t drive it down the street and have everyone ogle at your awesome ride and show off your Master of the Universe status. That’s essentially the situation for the new LaFerrari-inspired FXX K.

The gang over at Brabus is well known for taking Mercedes-Benz cars and giving those lots more power and torque. The last time we spoke of them was when they coaxed 850hp from the C63 AMG coupe.

Cadillac is on hand at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show and has officially confirmed the plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac CT6 we talked about earlier this month. It is withholding some key details on the car, but giving up lots of other info in the process.

I’m not typically that impressed with what Volkswagen is cooking up these days, but I rather like the looks of the C Coupe GTE Concept that has been unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The car looks very attractive on the outside with a wide and low profile.

After previewing it back in December, Volvo has officially announced the plug-in hybrid model of its XC90 SUV. This version aims for the green crowd that have a lot of people and stuff to move. The plug-in version of the car is called the XC90 T8 Twin Engine and as the name implies it has two propulsion systems.

We’ve seen the McLaren P1 reviewed alongside the shy Ferrari LaFerrari. Here’s a more definitive comparison of the best hybrid supercars, but this time it’s between the P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder. The goal? Fastest lap at the Laguna Seca. 

The Chevrolet Volt has been around for a few years now and it is an interesting vehicle. The car is a plug-in hybrid with a generator inside that powers the battery when the charge runs out.