Daimler focuses on efficiency; shows hybrid and electric cars at Frankfurt Auto Show

August 6th, 2009 Toyota Prius top-selling car in Japan for 3 monthsTOKYO — Toyota's hugely popular Prius hybrid ranked as Japan's top-selling car in July, clinching the spot for the third consecutive month as tax breaks boosted sales of green vehicles, an auto industry group said Thursday. The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No.

September 3rd, 2009 Toyota Prius top-selling car in Japan for 4 monthsTOKYO — An auto industry group says Toyota's hugely popular Prius hybrid ranked as Japan's top-selling car in August for the fourth straight month. The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday the Prius kept the top spot in auto sales with 21,669 vehicles sold.

October 29th, 2008 Audi recently revealed their slick A1 Sportback Hybrid at this year’s Paris Motor Show. It is based on the A1 project Quattro concept released last year in Tokyo.

June 11th, 2009 GM cancels Malibu hybrid, works on new systemDETROIT — General Motors says it is working on the next generation of its gas-electric mild hybrid system that will be more efficient than the one it is canceling in the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura. Company spokesman Terry Rhadigan says cars equipped with the current system weren't selling and inventory is backing up on dealer lots.

August 12th, 2009 Hybrid and electric power systems at a glanceHybrids like Toyota's Prius and plug-in vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt run on systems other than purely gas-fired engines. The systems, or powertrains, that drive the so-called greener cars use electricity generated by batteries and electric motors to either supplement or largely take the place of internal-combustion engines.

May 11th, 2009 Honda Insight first hybrid to top Japan auto salesTOKYO — Honda's Insight, billed as the cheapest gas-electric hybrid on the market, ranked as the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April — the first time a hybrid has clinched that spot. Honda Motor Co.

July 17th, 2009 Toyota to start making hybrids in Great BritainTOKYO — Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, said Friday it will start making hybrid cars in Europe next year as part of a growth strategy that hinges on its strength in green technology. Toyota Motor Corp.

May 30th, 2009 Toyota Prius sales boom in Japan despite slowdownTOKYO — Orders in Japan for Toyota's new Prius hybrid have topped a booming 110,000, a major dealership chain said Saturday, in what is turning out to be a rare bright spot in the gloomy auto market. The third-generation Prius officially rolled out in Japan just two weeks ago.

June 5th, 2009 Mitsubishi unveils $47,000 electric carTOKYO — Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s electric vehicle is twice as expensive as popular hybrid cars by rivals Toyota and Honda, but Japan's No. 4 automaker said Friday the i-MiEV will help it survive increasingly intense global competition.

November 20th, 2008 You know how you see a show car, and it's really cool, and then four years later you see the production car, and it sucks? And you go, What happened? They had it! They had it in the palm of their hands! They grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory! What happened was, the designers came up with this really great idea. Then they take it to the engineers, and the engineers go, 'Nah, we can't do that.

October 6th, 2009 Toyota to show green sportscar with Subaru engineTOKYO — Besides showing off its well-known hybrids, Toyota will take a slightly different tack at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show to display a green sportscar with a special kind of gasoline engine. The FT-86, inspired by a sporty Corolla model from the 1980s called AE86, has a Subaru engine from Toyota partner Fuji Heavy Industries, whose pistons are positioned horizontally, instead of vertically as in standard engines.

June 4th, 2009 Toyota: hybrids best 'green' car for some timeTOYOTA, Japan — A Toyota executive overseeing research said Thursday a battery breakthrough is needed for electric vehicles to become mainstream, and hybrids will remain the best "green" car choice for some time. His comments came just hours after the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Toyota's Prius hybrid was the No.

June 4th, 2009 Toyota Prius tops monthly auto sales in JapanTOKYO — Toyota's Prius was the No. 1 selling vehicle in Japan for May, clinching the top spot in the domestic market for the first time and overtaking Honda's new hybrid, the Insight, which fell to third.

August 11th, 2009 GM says new Volt could get 230 mpg in city drivingWARREN, Mich. — General Motors said Tuesday its Chevrolet Volt electric car could get 230 mpg in city driving, making it the first American vehicle to achieve triple-digit fuel economy if that figure is confirmed by federal regulators.

October 7th, 2009 Nissan's electric vehicle tilts into cornersATSUGI, Japan — Nissan's Land Glider electric vehicle tilts from side to side, sashaying into curves by up to a 17-degree angle, as though showing off in a fashion statement that it's zero-emissions. The wheel segments of the car can move separately from the cabin, allowing the car, still an experimental concept model, to sway and swerve, almost like a motorcycle.