A Hybrid Car: The Best Of Two Worlds

If you have followed along with the news lately, you have no doubt noticed the growing interest towards hybrid cars. What is this all about?

After nearly 100 years on the road the combustion engine is slowly becoming an old-timer. The environmental pollution and its unlimited thirst for fuel cause problems from smog to global warming. Furthermore, conventional engines actually become increasingly inefficient as they grow in size. Most cars use at the most one third of the energy present in the fuel, the remainder is lost in the form of heat and sound.

But only if gasoline starts costing way over 3 dollars per gallon, traditional cars will be considered as too thirsty - apart from the fact that they get the environment dirty. But the cleaner electrical technology, as in electrical vehicles, is not the ideal solution either. And hydrogen or gas cells are not fully developed yet. Here the hybrid car has its window of opportunity - a new automobile technology, which unites the best of two worlds: a gasoline and an electric motor.

The results?

The most pollution free motorised vehicle on offer thus far.

The hybrid technology manage to do this by connecting a small petrol engine with a torque-strong electric motor and a battery. And can in this way lower the fuel consumption and have a lower pollution factor.

In fact, some hybrid vehicles produce 50% less emissions than your conventional car. Although this is very good indeed, one has to admit that two power sources under the hood is more complicated, more susceptible to errors and may sound a bit wasteful even.

But if this will allow almost any driver to have 50% of gasoline savings and reduces the emissions by a third, it certainly can't be all wrong. And the best of everything is that these hybrid cars - in the short time the have been on the market - have proven to be very road worthy vehicles as well.

Especially in the USA, where the environment is quickly becoming more and more polluted, hybrid vehicles play an increasingly important role - not least in California, where "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger have opted for strict environmental protection guidelines.

For this reason no doubt, we can also see somewhat of a Hybrid car craze in Hollywood right now. During the Academy awards of 2005, the most prestigious way to travel was not the long black limousine, but a hybrid car , which supposedly showed the environmental awareness of the celebrities.

On the other hand, one can also assume that the above phenomenon was a way to show ones status, as hybrid cars where rather rare and expensive at the time. Among the celebrities that where seen arriving in various hybrid cars were Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams Harrison Ford and (surprise, surprise) Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

Charles Hawkins is the editor of Knowmoreabout.net, where you can now get a gold of a thoroughly researched guide to hybrid cars that will teach you everything about the technology as well as make up your mind about buying one.

What Are The Benefits Of Hybrid Cars?

These days no one wants to buy a car that eats up dollars at the gas pump. A hybrid offers as much fuel efficiency as possible through its design and technology. Depending on the model, hybrid cars can give their owners anywhere from 20 to 60mpg. They also have a good performance rating and a smooth ride without the gas drain.

Its in the automakers interest to produce these hybrids for the US market, since by law Automakers are mandated to keep the ?Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard? or CAF? for short. Currently, the CAF? standard for all vehicles sold to consumers is 27.8mpg (8.55 liters per 100km). So if a car company can sell a hybrid with a mileage of 60mpg ( 3.92 liters per 100km) they can put 4 more large expensive luxury cars which give much less mileage on the market without violating CAF?.

In order to get the best mileage out of the hybrid, the car makers rely on optimizing the weight, the size and the aerodynamics. The weight is dramatically reduced by making the body out of light aluminum. The engine?s weight and height are also decreased. Materials such as carbon fiber and magnesium are also used in different models. The Honda Insight for example, which is about 1900 pounds (862kg) is less than half of what a traditional car weighs.

And a small efficient engine saves on energy, particularly when moving up and incline. A big engine uses more cylinders and puts those cylinders through more work and needs more gas. If you look at the Honda Insight, its engine weighs about 124 pounds (56kg) and contains only a 1 liter 3 cylinder engine. So it can produce 67 horsepower at 5700rpm. On top of that, there is the VTEC system and lean burn technology installed.

Another area that helps maximize the fuel efficiency of a hybrid is the use of advanced aerodynamics. When you are driving on a busy stretch of road, it?s the engine that provides the power needed to move the vehicle against force of the air. That force is called ?aerodynamic drag?. This drag is minimized in two ways. First, the hybrid is designed to have a smaller frontal area and second, all protruding objects are reduced. Covers are put on the wheels and some hybrids have small cameras in place of mirrors.

Jackson Porter is a staff writer at Environmental Central and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Automobile Enthusiast

Honda Accord Hybrid Car Review

Honda has been one of the most successful companies when it comes to hybrids and their infusion to the United States car market. The main reason for their success seems to be the fact that they do not sacrifice the power and style when they build the hybrid cars that are rolling off the lines. Unlike the other companies in the game that report less horsepower and reduced speeds with their models, the Honda company was actually able to produce hybrids that had increased horsepower and speeds thanks to their boosts in technology. This helped the company bring the hybrids to the over powering market of the states, where other companies were having to compete only in the foreign markets where speed and power is much less of an issue. Then you must consider the fact that the Honda company did not roll out with a whole line of new models. Instead of messing with the success they had with current models, they simply turned them into hybrids and left the formula alone.

One of the newer additions to the Honda hybrids line up has been the Accord. For many years the Honda Accord has been one of the most popular cars in the world, behind only the Honda Civic. The Accord and Civic are the most stolen cars in the world since they have become fashionable in the street racing world. This is not an issue with the hybrids as they are not set up for the street racing rigors. The Accord was launched and quickly flew to the top of the model line for hybrid vehicles. Thankfully for the company the sales have been very brisk on this line and they are now considering a new generation of the Accord for the 2008 model year. The endearing fact of the Accord is the fact that it is the same trim level as its gas powered cousin. There is nothing, with the exception of the power sun roof, that has been left out or moved when it comes to the trim level.

The high quality that people have come to expect from the Honda and their line of vehicles is not compromised with the hybrid versions. There is no lose of power or speed capabilities, in all truth the newer Honda Accord generation is boasting the fact that the speed is greatly increased as is the horsepower that is backing the vehicle.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Honda Civic Hybrid Car Review

For as long as most can remember Honda has been the company with some of the most fuel efficient vehicles. They were the company that started bringing the smaller and more efficient cars to the market in the time when America was overcome with the fuel shortage and in need of something that would get them more miles for the gas they were getting. So started the legacy of Honda and to this day they are known to be one of the finest in all auto makers when it comes to fuel ratings and car performance. This is seen well with the number of young people who have taken a liking to the Hondas and turned them into the street racers of this day. With each new generation of vehicles that is produced by Honda there is a whole host of upgrades that seem to be making the grade. This is seen easily with the Honda Civic hybrid that is taking the world by storm.

The Honda Civic is one of the most popular cars that has ever been made by Honda and the new hybrid version is set to break all the rules of the game. Using the same body design and such of the standard models, Honda has created a hybrid vehicle that appeals to the more conservative crowd who want something that is not only practical but also very efficient in that manner as well. The Honda Civic uses the new cylinder cut off system that has become so popular. During deceleration up to three of the cylinders will be cut off from power, which means that less is wasted in the time when the car is slowing down. This means that the Honda Civic hybrid is not only fuel efficient but also very safe in most respects. The cylinder cut off has virtually eliminated the problem of the car jumping forward during the stopping when one of the gears gets caught.

The other most popular feature is the electric motor assist that is high in the help for the fuel rating. At certain times during the acceleration process an electric motor that is attached to the crankshaft will take over for the internal combustion engine. This powers the motor to ensure that it does not need to work as hard as it would under normal conditions. With this method there is a lot of fuel saved that would not normally be possible as the motor would continue to burn the fuel and turn the motor.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Lexus RX 400h Hybrid Car Review

Another gathering of two auto makers has created brand confusion for a good many people who have a hard time telling one from the other. In this case we are speaking of the Lexus company. For many years most have believed that Lexus is an independent company making cars for the higher class of people, but anything but that is true. Lexus is nothing more then a subsidiary of the Toyota company who makes the Toyota cars under the brand name of Lexus, which has come to be known as high class and even higher price tag models. This sort of confusion is very much common in the auto world today. Many of the companies that we know and trust are actually owned by the larger auto making companies like Ford and GM here in the United States. Some of them are in partnership due to mutual agreement. This happens most often when a large company sees a smaller company making a big splash in the market and decides to flex their muscles a little bit to take care of the competition.

Toyota launched the RX 400h under the Lexus brand name last year and has seen the sales steadily rising ever since. This SUV in the smaller class of vehicles is one of the most fuel efficient to be found anywhere. Using the technology that Toyota has claimed as its own, the RX 400h is a dual drive hybrid. There are two additional electric motors attached to the car besides the normal unit that would reside inside the motor compartment. The first is designed to power the front wheels and the second is there for the rear wheels. These electric motors will kick in when the time is right and take some of the stress off of the gasoline engine. The original electric motor is housed beside the gasoline engine and will take over for the gas engine in times of acceleration and so on. This helps to drop the amount of gas that is injected into the cylinders and the amount of force that is needed to drive the cylinders themselves.

Thanks to the efforts of Toyota the RX 400h has been a top seller in their new line of hybrid vehicles. The name Lexus appeals to the high class crowd more so then the Toyota brand. All of the normal options and features appear on this model and there is three different trim levels that you can choose from depending on how much you wish to spend.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information

Suzuki Twin Hybrid car Review

There are some cars that were never meant to make it, that is simply the way of the world when it comes to car companies. Try as they might, some of the models that they produce will not make it in the market because the public is just not ready for them yet. This is the case of the Suzuki Twin and its hybrid style that was thought to be the next big thing. Sadly enough this was not the case and the car found its self in the scrap pile long before most would have ever thought. This is more common then people would like to believe. Car makers the world over are constantly producing new models, many of which will never see the road. These cars are built and then test marketed, through a long series of trade shows and such. Once the shows are complete, the car makers will look at the data that they collected to make a determination on whether or not the car should be produced. Less then one percent of all new models that are created for testing will ever be produced.

The Suzuki Twin was a bit ahead of its time, or at least that is what the experts believe is the case any way. The Twin was one of the first hybrids that hit the market, but the technology was still new and not well liked in the early days. The price of gas was driving all of the car makers to the design rooms in hopes of creating something that would sell well to the now angry consumer base. When Suzuki introduced the Twin it was thought to help ease the burden on the consumer by being highly fuel efficient but it fell short in many other areas. For one thing the three cylinder engine did not appeal to most of the car buyers of the time. While they wanted better gas mileage they did not want to trade off the amount of power they were used to. The three cylinder engine, similar to the one put in the Geo Metro, was not popular because it lacked the over all power that people were used to having. It topped out at around sixty miles an hour and was not meant for highway driving.

While the Twin was equipped with an electric assist motor it made very little difference. The three cylinder gas motor was already high in the efficiency, pulling in some forty miles or more per gallon, so it was not necessary to have the electric motor installed. The Twin was actually created to give consumers, like those in Japan, a tax credit for fuel efficient and low emissions vehicles, a practice that has been in place since the end of world war two.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Toyota Kluger Hybrid Car Review

In past years Toyota has been making some impressive steps towards building the brand that is the hybrid automobile. They have constantly added new models to their line up making certain that there are choices for just about any taste. This is easily seen when one looks at the Kluger. This model, closely related to the Camry station wagon is currently available in the Japanese market and has been selling well for their dollars to yen that is so competitive. The Kluger is made solely in the Japanese factories with very few parts being made in other parts of the world. This has meant that the company has more control over the price of the Kluger then they have in the past with other cars that have rolled off the lines. People have said that the Kluger is very much like the RX 400h put out under the Lexus brand name and they may very well be correct in that assessment.

Drawing from the success of their Avalon line, the Toyota company is finding a dream in the hybrid SUV line of vehicles they are now producing. For years there was nothing more than small cars being produced that would qualify as a hybrid and the public was hungry for new technology that would give them the comfort and space that an SUV provided without all the problems that come with poor gas mileage. The answer has been in the mixing of more than one electric assist motor into the SUV and that is where Toyota has excelled in recent years. They knew that it would take more then one of the electric motors to make any kind difference in the mileage of the large SUV. The original worry was that the addition of the motors would increase the weight too much, but the advent of the new brushless motors has made all of those worries dissolve.

The Kluger is very popular in the Japanese markets. It has managed to be rather large in size but still small enough to allow for the residents to receive the tax credit for fuel efficient vehicles. Not only that, but there is the matter that this SUV is high in style and is a joy to drive for most people. There is only one matter that one should take into consideration. The Kluger is not meant to be taken for the serious off road trips. In truth it is meant for regular driving and has the all wheel drive only for increased traction control.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Toyota Camry Hybrid Car Review

In an effort to boost the lagging sales that have been in force since the gas prices went through the roof most of the auto makers in the world are looking for ways to improve gas mileage. This is the main reason why so many of the largest car makers are rolling out models that are hybrid versions of their existing models. This is directly targeted at the consumers who are having a hard time dealing with the stress and strain of the increased gas price and are thereby buying fewer cars. In the past three years car sales have dropped an amazing forty percent which is a testament to the effect that the gas prices have had on the sales and the total industry. Toyota has been in the lead with the hybrid vehicles thus far. Using the technology that they claimed to have created, they are turning the entire line of models they offer into hybrids and this tactic has helped them to boost sales by about thirty percent world wide.

The Toyota Camry is one of the more popular models that this company has produced in its class. The Camry has always been a bit more sporty then the rest of the line and that has appealed to a much broader market then the other models which were aimed at the aging baby boomers and their children. Still the Camry has also been an important family car in most cases, and the four door style has seen a definite jump in sales since the hybrid version was released. It is important to note that companies like Toyota did not see the brunt of the sales down fall since they have always produced fuel efficient vehicles since they were invented. They did however see enough of a drop that they saw fit to bring about the hybrid technology which has revolutionized the entire auto making industry.

The Toyota Camry hybrid is nothing short of amazing. Using the multiple electric motors that has been so useful they have brought in a new day in driving. The main accessories, like power steering and air conditioning, are all run from the electric motors, which means the car can run as all electric rather than having to run the car on gas. One of the nicer perks is the self charging batteries. The batteries start to become recharged every time the car decelerates and can maintain enough power to travel over three hundred miles without stopping for recharging.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Toyota Estima Hybrid Car Review

The call too arms by many of the largest auto makers came in the form of reduced mile per gallon ratings. This was seen when the government changed or corrected the formula that was used to calculate this rating and it meant that a lot of cars with high ratings were now dropped down to nothing. To answer this call many of the largest auto makers began work on the hybrid vehicles that are so popular today. Hybrid vehicles are nothing that the world had ever seen before and Toyota was at the forefront of this technology as they have been with a good many things that refer to cars in general. Toyota was able to answer the call of the families who were in need of a fuel efficient car that was big enough to house the entire family. This was in stark contrast to the cars like the Honda Insight which are small and meant for two people only. With that Toyota released the Estima minivan and they have been popular to this day.

The Toyota Estima is like no other in the world. This minivan is a diesel based motor with electric assistance on board. Of course this means that a person would need to find a place to buy cheap diesel fuel which is not always easy. To curb that need the Toyota Estima can be run on vegetable oil. This is the basis for this hybrid as it can be run on different fuels and has the on board electric motor to assist the internal combustion engine in the times of acceleration and braking as well. This is coupled with the fact that the Estima is a large vehicle. It can comfortably seat five people with the standard equipment. Toyota offers upgrades to seven and eight seat capacities as well. This vehicle is also stocked with a good many features that most are looking for when it comes to the minivans that they are purchasing.

There have been three generations of the Estima to be released this far. Each one has been improved a little or a lot once it is released. Many of the newest vans are equipped with a third electric motor that helps the rear wheels in times of acceleration and such. This is one of the many ways in which the Toyota Estima is helping the people realize that gas mileage can once again be high and not have to spend a fortune to get it.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Car Review

Toyota has long been a front runner in the technology of cars. Powered by their Japanese business sense, this car company has introduced some of the largest and most important innovations that the world has ever seen when it comes to the cars of the world and the public has always treated this company well. Toyota is one of the few car companies that has never really been in trouble from the financial stand point, and the lines of cars that they have produced has been light on the disappointments. Some of the first Toyotas that were ever created are still on the road, which is an impressive testament to this companies commitment to quality in the cars they produce. This is why the Toyota company was the first to introduce a mass produced and marketed hybrid automobile, the Toyota Prius. They used the existing technology that was still years in the making and turned it into a car that the masses have been impressed with enough to make it one of the fastest and best selling hybrids on the market.

Using the normal styling Toyota has become known for, the Prius uses the very best in hybrid technology to bring about one of the most fuel efficient cars on the market today. This is all coupled with the fact that they are also very appealing to the eye and there is no loss of power on any level, which is something that many car companies struggled with over the years. Everything on the Prius has been integrated into one smooth motion. There is no need to tell the car that you want the electric assist motor to kick in as it will do it automatically when the time is right. Then you will find that a lot of the features that you have come to know and love, such as power steering, have become integrated in the system as well. Rather then using the less efficient hydraulic based power steering system, the Prius uses the electric version, which takes less energy and fuel to push.

Thanks to the new advancements in this hybrid technology people now can switch between the two motors at their leisure. If the time comes when you do not need as much power you can simply turn off the gas engine and run on total electric. If you find that the batteries are getting a little bit low, then you can turn off the electric portion and run on gas alone.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information

Mercury Mariner Hybrid Car Review

It is no secret that the Mercury brand of cars is part of the Ford Motor company. Mercury, like its cousin Lincoln, started out as independent companies but were bought out by the Ford company under the direction of the founder on his quest for domination in the world of automobiles. Since that time the name of all three makers has been with every dealership in the world. What most people fail to realize is the fact that Mercury is less of a work horse maker then Ford. For many years Mercury has released the higher trim levels of all their models, which are similar, but just a lot nicer then most of the Ford models that are released. This is the exact reason why so many of the Mercury models, while they seem to be duplicates of the Ford models, are so much more expensive. They are shall we say the higher class of Ford and the people who drive them expect something a bit more.

This can be seen easily in the Mercury Mariner. This hybrid SUV is closely related to the Ford Escape. Most often the models of the same type that are released by Ford and Mercury together are very similar, but there are many differences that are on going. Strangely enough most people cannot see the differences in the two models but they still lean towards the more expensive Mercury Mariner, whose sales have been far more brisk then that of the Ford Escape. In many respects from the mechanical stand point the two SUVs are identical. They both use the same motor and the same electric assist motor, but that is where the similarities stop. The interior of the Mariner is far more appealing to the higher class. Leather seats come standard with this model, as does on board tracking and a high end stereo system. The seating arrangements are even more complicated. The rear seats of the Mariner are automatic and can be folded down at the split to make room for cargo.

The Mercury Mariner has long been held as the best SUV hybrid on the market. The price difference between the two models of Ford and Mercury is great. There is little that one would not love about this model. You are getting all the fuel efficiency of the Escape with the high class styling that most have become accustomed too.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Renault Kangoo Hybrid Car Review

Renault is a car company that has been around the block and back again since their creation. Not all of the history of this company is great. In the early 1980's the Renault company produced some fairly disappointing models, most of which were built in conjunction with other car companies like was the practice of the time. This proved to be one of the largest down turns in the entire world for some of these car companies. Most of the merging was on the part of Dodge, who was seeking a way to cut costs. These cost cutting measures included a partnership with Renault which ended up nearly bankrupting both companies in the end. The cars that were produced at this time of the world were nothing short of terrible. The engines were second rate and most people found that they would not be happy with them because of the major problems that most would find. The problems were then solved as the companies ended the partnerships and today Renault is a highly respected car company all over the world.

The Renault Kangoo is a rather interesting hybrid version. It has been produced constantly since 1997 and has always been pushed as a standard activity vehicle and not one for the every day driving. This has not stopped the sales of this rather strange looking cross between a car and a minivan, just the opposite actually. Viewing this vehicle makes one think of the older style cars from the UK and the other European nations. The box type cargo area is strange looking but it is also very impressive in the amount of room it offers. There is also the matter that most of these vehicles that are produced come standard with four wheel drive. This has made this one of the more popular hybrids in the foreign markets around the world where four wheel drive is much more important. The Kangoo has the electric assist hybrid system that has become standard with most of the vehicles in its class.

The Kangoo is popular with the crowd of mobility impaired persons because there is more then enough room in the vehicle to add a lift and store for wheel chairs and other such devices. This is coupled with the fact that the ride height on this vehicle has been increased, making the extra weight from the lift not even a factor as it has been in other cars.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Mazda Demio Hybrid Car Review

Trying to sort out which car belongs to what company can be very confusing to say the least. In many cases there are cases when one car maker has tapped another smaller car maker to produce a vehicle which they will then brand as their own in a sort of trade off for the sake of profit. This is very common in the industry as the cost of having another company that is better equipped to deal with the new line is cheaper then revamping the entire factory to make room for another car. This is the case when it comes to the Mazda Demio. This car was created by Ford, but they never laid a finger on the car itself as it was completely built by Mazda, which is partly owned by the Ford Motor Company. Ford hit Mazda with the task of creating a small car for the market that would then be branded as their own. The answer came in the form of the Mazda Demio, also known as the Ford Fiesta.

The Mazda Demio is a strange hybrid. The hybrid part of this car has nothing to do with the fuel economy of the vehicle, but instead is meant to aid in traction control. An electric motor is added to the rear of the car and is meant to power the back wheels when needed since the car is actually a front wheel drive. This is the idea that Ford had in answer to the problems with the front wheel drive cars of the time being too light in the rear end and fish tailing all over the place on slippery roads. The concept worked well and the fuel economy of the vehicle suffered very little since it was nothing more then an electric motor housed in the rear. This was a great improvement over the standard rear wheel drive vehicles which were deemed to be far safer on the roads then the front wheel drives were.

Ford eventually ended the production of this vehicle when it announced that it would be creating its own version of the Mazda Demio. This did not stop Mazda in the slightest. They simply announced that the new Mazda 2 would be released with nearly the same design and a lot more features then its close cousin the Demio. Mazda made a smart move as they have created a far greater car and taken the time to listen to their customers. Ford's version fell flat on its face and they had to go back to the drawing board but the next generations of the Mazda model are still available and highly popular.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Dodge Durango Hybrid Car Review

The history of Dodge is one of strange disappointments and then some major come backs that have launched the company into the top lines of the industry. During the 1980's Dodge rolled out a line of seemingly well built yet inexpensive automobiles and the public began snapping them up. Well it was not long before the bottom started falling out this whole time period. The cars were anything but well made and the problems started happening. The auto maker had went with a cost cutting measure that turned them upside down and nearly drove them bankrupt. They had decided to run a deal where all the new Dodge company models would feature foreign made motors because there was a large price break. Well the motors turned out to be nothing more then junk and they ended up having a huge down turn in sales as nothing was selling amid these disappointments. Beginning in the early 1990's Dodge decided to get back to their grass roots. They introduced the highly popular Ram truck with a new design. Today they are back where they should be and making waves by once again offering the Hemi motor in many of their vehicles.

The Dodge Durango is one such vehicle. The five liter Hemi V8 has been added to the new Dodge Durango and this has made the public very happy. There has been a definite problem though. Thanks to the ever increasing price of gas, the V8 is no longer a popular motor and Hemi does not offer anything less. To answer that issue the Dodge company has decided to roll out the hybrid version of the Dodge Durango, complete with the Hemi V8 motor for the 2008 model year. This has the entire industry in fits as this will be one of the biggest things since the invention of the hybrid. In most cases the hybrids that are created require all new motors. With the new Durango the same Hemi V8 that is now available will have the new electric assist motors attached to improve the gas mileage and the emissions of this widely popular model.

The Durango will feature the new Advanced Hybrid System 2, which is a shared system that was devised in partnership with GM. This system will make the Durango one of the first full hybrid full size SUVs in the entire world. The Dodge company has stated that they expect the new system to increase the Durango's mpg rating to at least thirty miles per gallon in the city, which is practically unheard of for a vehicle that size.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Daihatsu Hijet Hybrid Car Review

Some car maker names do not ring a bell with the people of the United States and that is normal because there are so many and they do not always actively market their cars in the US as a matter of slow sales and export taxes that found their way into the world of today. This is the case with Daihatsu and their models like the Hijet. Unlike the other car companies from Japan, the Daihatsu company is completely independent of anyone else other then in their sales range. The cars that they produce are made solely by their factories since the early 1960's. This would stand until the early 1990's when the company merged with super giant Toyota to create one of the largest foreign born car companies in the entire world. This has served both of these companies well as they work towards building the best there is in cars for the people in need of a better mpg rating.

The Hijet has been in existence since the early days of Daihatsu and was actually their first model to hit the market. The models include pick up trucks, cargo vans and mini cars, all of which are highly popular in Japan as they meet all of the requirements for the tax credits on small, fuel efficient vehicles in the country. For this reason the company decided to make the Hijet into a hybrid vehicle to perhaps gain some world wide appeal to the models. This has served them well and the company is now reaching a much wider market with the Hijet since it became the first pick up truck to be listed as a mild hybrid and receive the highest mile per gallon rating of any model in its class. The style and design of the hybrid version of the Hijet is very similar to the gas only version. They made very few changes in the manner of how the vehicle looks as opposed to how it performs when on the road.

The Hijet unit is very different then a lot of the hybrids that are currently on the road. The electric motor and the gas motor are built as one unit rather then two separate ones which is the norm for these kinds of vehicles. The electric motor resides behind the gas motor and attaches to the transmission, which is the concept that was created by Toyota for their line of hybrids, like the Prius.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

Ford Escape Hybrid Car Review

The long troubled car maker that is Ford has been trying to bust into the hybrid game for quite a long time. The main problem they were having is the changing of the designs rather then sticking with the formula that has worked with the cars and trucks that have been selling for so long. They finally caught on to this concept when they launched the Ford Escape. This vehicle is a cousin to the Bronco II that was so popular as a smaller version of the SUV that was made popular by OJ Simpson and the like. Of course the design was not completely Ford. Using their shares in Mazda, they venture into a joint development deal where Mazda would help defray the costs of developing a hybrid SUV for the ever growing market. This was a smart move for Ford as they were getting nailed in the market for not having a mid sized SUV available since they discontinued the Bronco II.

The Ford Escape is very similar in design to the Jeep Cherokee, and many of the Cherokee drivers have taken a liking to the hybrid version of the Escape. Thanks to the hybrid technology being employed, the Escape is about seventy-five percent more efficient then the gas version. This is something that has really put Ford on the hybrid map. The world was hungry for a SUV that was efficient and thanks to the Escape they now have that option. Using electric assist motor technology the Escape is capable of being either total electric, electric and gas together, or just gas depending on the desire of the driver. There is only a slight loss of horsepower with the total electric running and that is due to the fact that the batteries must constantly be recharging themselves as the car is decelerating or braking. Most often the driver will not even notice the loss of power.

The Ford Escape under went a major over haul for the 2007 model year. Knowing that it look a bit too much like other SUVs, they decided that the Escape needed a completely new design. This new design has become very popular. The curves are much more soft and the front end is completely new, taking nothing from the original. This hybrid is also available in Europe as the Maverick, not to be confused with the car from the late 1970s that was made by Ford.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.

AC Propulsion tzero Hybrid car Review

Some things were never meant to be and that can be sad when it comes to some of the highly styled and very important cars of our time. This is the reason why so many car makers are interested in the ability to raise the mpg rating on their cars but they are still struggling to understand how they will be able to accomplish this. There is a high cost that comes with creating some cars and this is one of the reasons why so many of the new hybrids were long in the waiting to hit the market. The technology for these cars has been around for a long time but to make it affordable the companies had to wait until the price of production would drop to a new level. It has taken more then ten years for this kind of thing to occur, and the first hybrid cars are now becoming popular on the market. Sadly they are anything but sporty and are more akin to those that a family man would drive when he knows that money must be saved to keep the family going.

This is exactly what happened with the AC Propulsion tzero hybrid. The tzero was the first of its kind. A hybrid like the world has never seen and may never see again. Using a kit car design this company created the very first hybrid sports car and the world has never been the same. This car is a fiberglass body with the sleek styling that gives it the appearance of being from Italy, like a Ferrari or the like. Completely aerodynamic, the tzero works with the best of all the features, including double wish bone suspension and a beautiful gear ratio that would make any car guy quiver in his boots. Powered by more then six thousand lithium batteries, this car is amazing in the way that it can move. There is nothing in the hybrid market that can even come close to it.

The tzero is capable of doing zero to sixty in just over three seconds. The batteries have a three hundred mile range which is impressive considering the power source is very similar to that of a laptop or a cellular telephone. But there is more to this car that meets the eye. There is the backtracking trailer which is an impressive option. The trailer contains a gasoline engine that acts in conjunction with the electric motor for the car. It is said to get about thirty miles to the gallon on the highway and can run at speeds of sixty to eighty miles per hour with ease.

Sadly only three of these cars have ever been produced due to their high cost of production. Those who love them are hoping that someone will pick it up and perhaps run with the concept to make the hybrids a bit more sporty.

SouthEastDealers.com provides Automotive Information, Car Dealers and leasing contact information with around 40,000 listings from United States and Tips on dealing with Car Dealers, Saving Money with Insurance Premiums. Please visit http://www.southeastdealers.com for more information.