Honda Fit Hybrid to hit market next year

Honda Motors plans to roll out a gas-electric hybrid version of its Fit subcompact in mid 2010 to tap growing demand for low-emission vehicles. The Honda Fit hybrid will hit the market about a year and a half ahead of schedule as Honda looks to take advantage of receptive marketplace trends.

Amid the devastating global slump in demand for cars, hybrid cars have become a bright spot for the industry with Honda seeing robust demand for their latest models.

Honda spokeswoman Akemi Ando said the automaker has not decided the timing of release, price or sales target for the Honda Fit hybrid.

GM unveils new hybrid engine the HCCI

General Motors unveiled their new homogenous charge compression ignition engine (HCCI) that will eventually be used to power its lineup of hybrid and plug-in vehicles. In the HCCI engine the air and fuel mixture is compressed to ignite rather than using a spark. When combined with other advanced technologies, the HCCI engine provides up to 15% better fuel economy.

"We're not fully set up for plug-in electric vehicles or fuel cell vehicles. Until we get the infrastructure in place, we have to have a variety of solutions available. There will be some cities that can accommodate these new technologies, but for the rest of the public, we don't want to leave them stranded," she explained.

March Hybrid Car Sales down over 40%

The Green Car Congress reported that US Hybrid Car sales declined by a whopping 44% from a year earlier reflecting lower gasoline prices and the economic downturn in the US. The Toyota Prius suffered a sales decrease of 57% while the Camry Hybrid was off 63%. General Motors reported 1612 hybrid sales during March led by the Tahoe Hybrid.

Sales are expected to improve along with the US economy during the 2nd half of 2009. Oil prices have also been rising lately and with the summer months looking a rise in gasoline prices is also expected.

Ford Fusion Hybrid goes over 1400 miles on a single tank

Ford Motors announced that a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid had broke a world record for a gasoline powered midsized sedan travelling over 1400 miles on a single tank of gas. Of course the driver was trained in hypermiling and mileage maximization techniques. The Ford Fusion Hybrid got 81 mpg on the trip. The average driver like you and I is expected to be able to get around 700 miles to the tank in normal driving conditions.