Volvo will show an all electric version of its entry-level C30 hatchback at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September. News of the expected unveiling comes from the U.S.’s AutoCar, saying that the model will be displayed and driven at the Innovation for Life event, which will take place shortly after the auto show.

Interestingly, Volvo has no plans to put the car into production, similar to how it (apparently) never had any plans to bring the C30-based Recharge Concept (shown above) to market. That model was a plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV), whereas this model will be a pure electric vehicle along the lines of the upcoming Nissan LEAF.

The car is part of a larger initiative by Volvo to explore the possibility of bringing pure electric vehicles to market. Currently Volvo has made clear that it will bring a plug-in diesel hybrid version of the V70 wagon to market by 2012.

[Source: Autocar]

Buick has just released a teaser image of a new entry-level luxury crossover that will slot in underneath the Enclave. Normally word of a new model is news enough, but GM has decided to increase our expectations of its new model by announcing that it will be offered with a version of the Volt’s Voltec plug-in hybrid system.

This will make the new crossover the first plug-in hybrid SUV on the market.

The new five-passenger crossover will go on sale next year with PHEV models on sale in 2011. The conventional gasoline models will be offered with a choice of two engines: a direct-injection 2.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder or a direct-injection 3.0-liter V6. The Ecotec motor is expected to deliver 30 mpg on the highway.

The Buick PHEV will use a battery pack roughly half the size and power of the one found in the Volt and be mated to a 3.6-liter V6 FexFuel engine, indicating that the Buick hybrids will follow the Lexus philosophy of using the hybrid powertrain to deliver high-performance with reduced fuel-consumption. Similarly, it appears, Chevy models like the Volt will follow the Toyota model of delivering maximum fuel-efficiency.

The Buick PHEV will be able to be recharged fully in 4 to 5 hours through a conventional 110V household outlet and will be ale to travel up to 10 miles on pure electric power (at low speeds).

“Buick has always been at the forefront of new technology, so it is only fitting that the brand should debut our new plug-in hybrid technology in a beautiful new crossover,” said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman of product development. “This will firmly put Buick, and GM, front and center in the advanced technology game.”

Official release after the jump:

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GM’s new communications boss has confirmed that the automaker is looking at equipping the upcoming Orlando MPV with a plug-in hybrid system similar to the one used in the Chevy Volt.

Jon Lauckner, VP of global program management at GM hinted at this earlier this year and now Lutz is being more specific telling GM-Volt.com that, “We are actually studying the adaptation of Volt technology to the upcoming Orlando.”

But considering Lutz’s “yes we will, no we won’t” about-face on the Pontiac G8, we’ll take pretty much anything he says with a grain of salt from now on.

What makes the Orlando such a strong candidate, however, is that it’s based on the Volt’s platform. That being said, many of the same parts could likely be carried over from the Volt to make the Orlando a Plug-In Hybird Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

[Source: GM-Volt.com via LeftLaneNews]

Just a year and a half after it was first unveiled as a concept car the Fisker Karma is set to take to the road track during the Monterey Peninsula’s Classic Car Week. On August 15th, the plug-in hybrid Karma will run two laps of the world-famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca course at 11:10 a.m on August 15th, during the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Race.

“The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races is the best stage in the world for great moments in automotive history,” said Fisker Automotive CEO, Henrik Fisker. “Fisker is honored to be a part of it.”

Using a 260hp GM-sourced Ecotec motor and two 201.5hp electric motors, the Karma’s Q-Drive powertrain allows the plug-in hybrid to travel 50 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the lithium-ion battery packs. But it’s more than just a plug-in hybrid, it’s a full-on luxury sedan and can even perform with a 0-60 mph time of 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph.

The Karma will also be on display the day before at Concorso Italiano, alongside the Karma Sunset hardtop convertible concept. The Karma Sunset will also make an appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 16.

GALLERY: Fisker Karma

Official release after the jump:

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Last week Andrew Farah, Chevrolet’s top Engineer responsible for the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid, said that the car would be a sporty rival to Japanese alternatives. Now he is taking that claim a step further, telling Automotive News that it will have, “the feel of a sports car.”

In fact, Farah doesn’t say that the Volt will be that way, but rather that it already is. One reason for this is that the lithium-ion battery pack lowers the car’s center of gravity, improving overall handling dynamics.

That added weight also has its disadvantages, but Farah says they are making the best of the situation. “There are a thousand reasons why heavy is bad, but a few why it is good,” he says. “And so we are getting those advantages of the good heavy, and the disadvantages we are managing.”

Farah does admit that while the Volt may feel like a sports car, it is certainly lacking the sound of a sports car – something which is almost unavoidable with a tiny gasoline engine and a silent electric motor. He says the Volt team of engineers continues to work on that aspect of the hybrid, but did not comment on if the Volt could use a noise-maker to generate a more sports car-like exhaust note.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

According to a report in Japan’s Nikkei business paper, Toyota expects to sell as many as 30,000 plug-in Prius models annually once production begins in 2012. This would put the PHEV Prius on the market almost two years after General Motors has said its plug-in hybrid, the Volt, will be launched.

The paper is also reporting that pricing will be close to the $50,000 mark (4.59 million yen) in Japan. That is roughly twice the price of the current Prius hybrid.

Toyota is working with Panasonic Energy Co. which is supplying the lithium-ion batteries that will help to run the Prius PHEV. The battery packs will allow the Prius PHEV to run on just battery power from 12.4 to 18.6 miles (20 to 30 km).

A limited number of plug-in Prius models are due to hit the roads on three continents by the end of this year with 200 in Japan and 150 each in Europe and the U.S. These vehicles will be leased to corporations and governments.

[Source: Automotive News]

The upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will be a sporty alternative to Japanese hybrids says the car’s chief engineer. Andrew Farah let this juicy bit of info slip on a recent chat session on GM’s official FasLane blog.

“Our chassis is much more sporty than either of the other vehicles,” said Farah, referring to the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. One-upping a Toyota in a performance contest isn’t exactly something to brag about and while Honda usually makes an excellent handling car, the new Insight is not a usual Honda and even rides on a rear suspension setup that is only “semi-independent.”

Perhaps the extra sportiness of the Volt will help to justify its expectedly high price-point.

Farah also let slip some other info about the car. He confirmed that the battery port for recharging the lithium-ion battery pack (which has a life expectancy of 10 years) has been relocated from the fender trim to where the gas cap would typically be.

Farah also said that the Volt will be undergoing hot weather testing this summer “out west,” so to everyone in Phoenix, we suggest you keep your cell phone cameras ready.

[Source: Edmunds]

General Motors may still be in bankruptcy protection but that doesn’t mean work at America’s largest automaker has stopped. In fact, engineers have been hard at it, especially those working on the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

Today Chevy has released a few photos of a pre-production model of the Volt. Until now, every other version was either a show car or a test mule and not an actual representation of what the Volt will look like – or be like for that matter.

The pictures show top Volt engineer Andrew Farah testing the car in a real world scenario and then plugging it back in to charge the battery pack. The Volt uses state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries and if the car makes it to market soon enough, it will be the first mass-market vehicle to do so with lithium-ion power.

The Volt is a PHEV (a plug in hybrid electric vehicle). It is a full hybrid that can operate on gasoline, electric power or a combination of both and will be able to travel as many as 40 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine needs to kick in.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Volt Pre-Production Model

[Source: Edmunds]

The next General Motors product to get a plug-in hybrid powertrain, like the one that will be introduced in the Chevy Volt, may be a Buick.

This new PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) was supposed to be a version of the Saturn Vue, but as GM has now sold off the Saturn brand to the Penske Automotive Group those plans have most likely been scrapped. After all, we can’t see GM parting with its fancy new PHEV system so easily after all the time, effort and resources it has poured into creating it.

Speculation as to which model would get the powertrain immediately turned towards similar GM crossovers, but according to the folks at GM-Volt.com, the doner chassis will be an all-new small crossover which, according to GM’s design boss Ed Welburn is due out in 2011.

If GM does decide to go this route, we will most-likely see Toyota develop a similar PHEV platform shortly afterwards. Or perhaps just a PHEV-version of the Lexus RX.

[Source: GM-Volt.com]

Toyota has announced that it will lease 500 plug-in hybrid-electric Prius models starting this year. These will be the first plug-in version of the Prius on the road and will feature new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold more energy than the conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries used in other hybrid systems.

Of the 500 vehicles, 200 will be leased in Japan, while 150 units will be sent to the U.S. and 150 to Europe. Two-thirds of the European vehicles are earmarked for France. The vehicles will be leased primarily to corporations and governments.

Toyota hopes that by introducing these plug-in hybrids now it can raise awareness about the upcoming production model. For short distances the Prius plug-in hybrid will be able to operate on just electric power. Once that energy store has been depleted, the gasoline engine will kick-in to to charge the battery-packs, which in turn will power the electric motor. This will allow for the cars to be driven without the driver having to worry about a place to plug-in.

Toyota is currently considering expanding this project to include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.

[Source: Edmunds]