While the Toyota Prius has long been the automotive ambassador of the green movement, Pike Research conducted a Cost of Driving test to find out whether the all new 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in can trump the Chevrolet Volt. According to its findings, by first establishing the price for every gallon of gas at $3.50 and every kilowatt-hour for 11 cents for the test, the Volt earned a more economic and cost effective result than a Prius Plug-in for trips under 70 miles.

For the first 15 miles of the graph, the lines are not visible because both vehicles will be capable running full electric. By 30 miles, the Volt’s cost for every mile gets significantly more expensive until it eventually crosses over Prius’ costs at 70 miles of driving.

Of course, if pricing parameters on gas and electricity were to change, then a different result would surface. All in all, customers should consider their driving routines day to day. When trips taken are no longer than 70 miles, as is often the case in urban regions where electric vehicles are popular, then a Volt proves to be more appealing.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Plug-in & Chevrolet Volt

[Source: Autoblog Green]

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has given a look at the direction Honda will be taking in the coming years, putting strong emphasis on small cars and hybrids. At his annual mid-year speech, Ito gave a rough outline of the Japanese automaker’s future direction, while dropping a few important notes about new products.

Two important new hybrids will join the automaker’s lineup: a revised Civic Hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The Civic Hybrid (which will be the only version of the Civic Honda plans to sell in Japan in the future) will toss its conventional nickle metal hydride battery for a more advanced lithium ion unit, that will be more powerful and more compact. That model is set to debut in 2012 in both the U.S. and Japan.

That same year Honda also intends to bring a plug-in hybrid model to market, as well as a battery-electric “commuter vehicle.” It’s not yet clear if the plug-in hybrid will be a version of the Civic Hybrid, or perhaps a version of the Insight or CR-Z.

In addition, Honda will expand its hybrid lineup with a long list of small cars, many of which are also tipped to include hybrid drivetrains. The first of these will be the Fit Hybrid, which is set to debut this Fall – possibly at the Paris Auto Show.

Honda is expected to stick with it’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid setup for these new models. While not as sophisticated as Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, nor as good on fuel, it is significantly less expensive, allowing Honda to equip smaller cars with the system and to sell them at more affordable rates.

In the same timeframe Honda is expected to debut a new small car for emerging markets like India. Last year Honda hinted at the direction this new model would take when it unveiled its New Small Concept at the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, India.

Beyond 2012, Honda will look to add electric vehicles to its lineup, improve upon its gasoline and diesel engines, with a new diesel engine being developed for Europe that is smaller than the current 2.2-liter offering). Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles are also in the automaker’s plans, with Ito commenting that the company’s FCX Clarity, “will provide the ultimate mobility.”

GALLERY: Honda New Small Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

Several new models are planned for emerging markets that will also be locally built to improve cost effectiveness. A new sub-£7000 small car will be launched in India next year, while Thailand will also get an “eco-car with an excellent level of fuel economy” in 2011. This model will be exported to other emerging nations, too.

Ford has just announced that it will introduce both a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid version of its new C-Max model for Europe. Based on the new Focus platform, both models will be built at Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain and sold exclusively in Europe. A larger version of this tall hatchback/wagon, called the Grand C-Max, will be offered in North America as well – although there are no plans for a hybrid Grand C-Max yet.

There’s no word on what sort of hybrid powerplant the C-Max will use, but Ford has said the C-Max will also be the first model to use the company’s new 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder. While it is possible that Ford could build an EcoBoost hybrid, it seems too complex an engine for a lower-budged compact model like the C-Max.

Ford hasn’t commented on an all-electric C-Max model, but with an electric Focus planned, a C-Max EV wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Official release after the jump:

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After first debuting in Frankfurt and then traveling to Tokyo, the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept is set debut on U.S. soil for the first time at the LA Auto Show next week.

Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Toyota also claims the car will be able to recharge fully in 90 minutes using a conventional household outlet.

The car has a zero-emissions electric mode that will allow it to travel up to 12 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in. This is considerably less than the Volt’s 40 mile claim.

Toyota has announced that some time in 2009 it will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States. It is expected that with only one month left for the year, delivery of those 150 vehicles will be announced at the LA Auto Show.

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

GALLERY: Toyota Prius PHV Concept Debut in Frankfurt

First unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the seemingly futuristic Cadillac Converj is now well on its way to production. According to a report in The Detroit News, the Volt-like plug-in hybrid, has been given the green light, but won’t be offered for several more years.

Similar in both look and size to the Cadillac CTS Coupe, the Converj would use a similar plug-in hybrid electric system as found in the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, although presumably with a focus more on power.

By adding an extra PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) to the GM lineup, it would allow for lower cost per unit production of the expensive hybrid system parts – like the lithium-ion batteries. Having a Cadillac PHEV model also makes sense as it will be easier for GM to recoup the cost of the expensive hybrid system in a high-dollar premium vehicle.

Cadillac already sells a hybrid version of the Escalade, but a sporty PHEV luxury coupe would certainly help in creating the sort of brand image that GM has been seeking for Cadillac.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Just last week Mitsubishi announced that it is planning to bring over a smaller Lancer-based crossover to North America and now comes word that the Japanese automaker has yet another new model to debut shortly thereafter. Based on a new global small car platform the car will be smaller than the Colt (shown above), which is currently on sale in both Japan and Europe. Fuel-economy for this new model is important and the engine size could be as large as 1.3-liters or as small as just 1.0-liters. It is not clear if this new model will replace the current Colt (which is in the same class as the Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent and Honda Fit) or if it will be more of a mini-car.

This new platform will also spawn an electric car and a plug-in hybrid. Mitsubishi is planning to bring one of the two green options to North America but has not yet decided which one.

Having suffered significantly in the recent recession, Mitsubishi is examining where it stands as a manufacturer and is aiming to grow its business in North America by offering extremely fuel-efficient models.

The company is also examining it’s U.S. dealer network and is looking to cut some loose while signing up others (in prime locations) that were let go by Chrysler and General Motors.

[Source: AutoWeek]

The next iteration of the amazing Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution could be offered as a plug-in hybrid. Due out in 2013, the EVO XI model could use the all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid setup that will officially be unveiled on Wednesday October 21st at the Tokyo Auto Show, reports the U.K.’s AutoCar. For the show, however, Mitsubishi is displaying this new technology in a crossover vehicle called the PX-MiEV Concept.

The vehicle’s name combines the automakers “MiEV” nomenclature, which stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, with a new “PX” designation, which stands for Plug-in Hybrid Crossover.

As a full plug-in hybrid, the Concept PX-MiEV can operate using either the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine, the electric motor, or both. On pure electric power it can travel up to 30 miles. Mitsubishi rates that crossover at an impressive 117.6 mpg!

In EV mode the vehicle uses just electric power for the short 30 mile distance. When the batteries are depleted, the gasoline engine then kicks in to recharge the batteries and power the electric motor (much like on the Chevy Volt). At higher speeds, the gasoline engine takes over completely. In addition, the PX-MiEV features the company’s S-AWC and E-AYC all-wheel drive systems, along with a new center differential electric motor that works to send power to the rear wheels. All these technologies are part of what Mitsubishi calls E-4WD, which uses electric rather than mechanical systems to optimize grip.

Currently Mitsubishi hasn’t made a decision about actually bringing a hybrid version of the EVO to market and recent repots have suggesed that development of the EVO XI has stalled completely.

GALLERY: Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

Volvo will bring diesel engines as well as diesel-hybrids to North America in the future says the company’s North American CEO. Doug Speck made the comments to Automotive News, as the automaker is faced with the same lofty corporate fuel economy standards as the rest of the industry, which will see automakers average 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Volvo has already announced a plug-in hybrid vehicle will arrive in Europe in 2012 (shown in prototype form above) and while this car is expected to make its way to North America shortly thereafter, no time frame has been given.

We’re more likely to see diesel-powered models (which are big sellers for Volvo in Europe) much sooner as the technology is already here – and has been for some time. It continues to improve, however, and at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, Volvo had on display its C30 1.6D DRIVe model, which gets an incredible 74.3 mpg.

[Source: Automotive News via LeftLaneNews]

Officially unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Toyota is now set to give the Prius plug-in hybrid concept an official unveiling in its native land and in front of a more welcoming audience.

Toyota has said that the Prius PHV Concept will be able to travel up to 12 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine kicks in. Using a version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, the automaker says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Even more impressive is the claim that it will be able to recharge fully in just 90 minutes.

Later this year Toyota will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States.

GALLERY: Prius PHV Concept

Suzuki is looking to take its small car expertise to new heights (and new distances) by unveiling a new plug-in hybrid concept at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks. Based on the current Swift platform that is sold in both Japan and Europe, this PHEV uses a 658 cc gasoline engine (0.7-liters), along with a 74hp electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack.

Working much like the system int he Chevy Volt, the car runs on pure electric energy until the battery is depleted, at which point the gasoline engine kicks in to charge the batteries.

We’ll have to wait until the Tokyo Auto Show (starting October 21st) to find out more about how far the Swift PHEV will be able to travel and how little gas it will use. We also expect to hear when Suzuki plans to bring a production version of this car to market.

GALLERY: Suzuki Swift Plug-In Hybrid

[Source: Edmunds]