for Wheelbase Communications

Hybrids are a growing part of the automotive landscape, which began with the original Honda Insight about a decade ago.

That was followed by the Toyota Prius and the audience of interested buyers quickly grew as both companies developed hybrid versions of mainstream cars such as the Civic and Camry.

There are almost two-dozen hybrids on the market today with more to come in the next year or two, including the highly regarded Chevrolet Volt. The spectrum ranges from the 2010 Honda Insight (coming in April) at about $20,000, to the $107,000 Lexus LS600h. In between, there are all sorts of cars, sport utility vehicles and pickups.

What the heck is a hybrid?

Hybrids are vehicles powered by a combination of an electric motor and internal-combustion engine. Depending on the system, the electric motor can either assist the internal-combustion engine under acceleration and/or work all by itself up to a given speed. For example, the Ford Fusion Hybrid can travel at close to 50 mph on electric power alone. Juice for the system comes from large, high-voltage batteries that are charged while the gas engine is running and by the brakes when they’re applied. Although you’ll see separate horsepower ratings for the gas and electric powerplants, total power is not calculated by merely adding them together since the two are seldom, if ever, at their peak output at the same time.

So, what’s here or just around the corner? You’ll get a charge out this.

Ford cars

The 2010 Fusion benefits from further developments of the system Ford has been using, and perfecting, in the Escape tall wagon for several years. In this application, it showcases some significant upgrades and combines a 156-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a 106-horsepower electric motor and continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) allowing it to be driven on the electric motor alone up to almost 50 mph. The 2010 Mercury Milan will share the same system. How good is it? The Fusion Hybrid has been rated higher in terms of economy than the Toyota Camry Hybrid by a significant margin.

General Motors cars

All hybrids are not created as equals and the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura are living proof. Both cars share the same European-developed platform and the hybrid versions use the same basic system that is much less complex and less expensive than other hybrid systems. It’s basically a stop-start setup that only shuts down the engine when the vehicle is stationary, which shows in fuel savings that are minimal when compared to cars such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid.


A second-generation Honda Insight arrives this spring as a 2010 model. Expected to be the lowest-priced hybrid on the market at about $20,000, it combines an 88-horsepower 1.3-liter engine, a 13-horsepower electric motor and CVT in a five-door, five-passenger compact car that rides on its own specific platform that has not been poached from any other Honda car line. The Civic Hybrid uses a similar but more powerful engine-motor combination in what is otherwise a normal Civic body.


The current Altima-sedan hybrid combines a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a Hybrid Synergy Drive system obtained from why not Toyota. The Altima is only available in some states and Nissan is actually well down the development road with its very own hybrid system.


The Prius has become the poster child of the hybrid movement and the best-selling hybrid in the world. In the face of new competition, the car has undergone a serious makeover. The all-new model boasts a 98-horsepower gasoline engine paired with an 80-horsepower electric motor and CVT. The popular Camry Hybrid has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine coupled to an electric motor. The rear-wheel-drive Lexus GS450h sedan pairs a 292-horsepower V6 with an electric motor, while the full-size, full-price LS600h has a solid lock on the top of the hybrid car pyramid, that is at least until the BMW and Mercedes-Benz efforts arrive. The LS600h is all-wheel-drive and combines a 389-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 with an electric motor and CVT for a combined 438 horses. Who says hybrids are just for saving fuel?

Trucks and sport utes

Despite the obvious downsizing going on (just check your neighbor’s driveway), there are still plenty of folks out there who need to haul plenty of stuff and/or people. But that doesn’t mean they have money to burn on fuel, and even if they did, why would they want to? So while full-size sport utility vehicles have fallen somewhat out of favor, General Motors has stepped up to the hybrid plate in a big way. Enter the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size sport utes that ride alongside the Cadillac Escalade sport ute as well as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickup twins. The system is different than all the other hybrids in that it originated in large commercial busses. Developed by BMW, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, it consists of an intricate array of electric motors, gear sets and clutches within a conventional automatic-transmission housing, combined with a conventional gas engine. The result is considerably better fuel economy (a claimed 40 percent in city driving) with no sacrifice in towing or hauling capabilities.

Looking for something a little smaller? Ford offers the Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids and supplies the same system to Mazda where it is available in the Tribute. GM has two versions of the Saturn Vue: one with a simple shut-off-when-stopped system and a second arriving soon with an electric low-speed helper motor. Toyota’s Highlander couples a 209-horsepower V6 to an electric motor, while 2010 Lexus RX450h has a pair of powerful electric motors (165 and 232-horsepower) mated to a 245-horsepower 3.5-liter V6.

About 500,000 hybrids were sold world-wide in 2008 and up until the current economic turmoil that dragged down the industry, growth was expected to be in the area of 30 percent. As the acceptance of hybrids climbs, there will be even more to choose from.

n Richard Russell is a feature writer with Wheelbase Communications. He can be reached at: Wheelbase Communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across North America.

blog comments powered by Disqus

More in News