Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol star Paula Patton joined BMW of North America President Ludwig Willisch at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show to introduce the first concept vehicles of the new visionary and sustainable brand, BMW i – the fully electric BMW i3 Concept and the hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept. The two vehicles will be the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The BMW i8 Conceptis a sleek, low-slung, silver and glass sports car with flip-up doors. The BMW i3 Concept is a next level smart car, built for congested city driving and features the same color scheme with large glass doors that open “coach” style, i.e. the rear doors opening in the opposite direction from the front.

The new BMW M5 also made its debut at the LAAS. Sim Simma!

More images of Patton and the new concepts

In the new ad for the new M Hybrid, Infiniti challenges the notion of what a hybrid can be. The spot looks back over a century of hybrids culminating in their first hybrid sedan. Check it out below:

Infiniti has revealed the pricing for the upcoming M Hybrid. The first luxury sedan hybrid from the Japanese automaker will hit U.S. dealerships on March 16th with an MSRP of $53,700. As we reported earlier this month, the luxury hybrid’s fuel economy is rated at a very impressive 32 mpg (highway) and 27 mpg (street), which is impressive considering there are over 350 horses under the hood.

The 2012 Infiniti M performance luxury sedan is also offered in four non-hybrid models, which go on sale March 2, 2011. The non-hybrid Infiniti M has a starting M.S.R.P. of $47,700 USD for the Infiniti M37 RWD. The other models are the Infiniti M37 AWD ($49,850 USD), Infiniti M56 RWD ($59,100 USD) and Infiniti M56 AWD ($61,600 USD).

Hit the jump for more images of the M Hybrid.

Iconic German automaker BMW has thrown its hat into the electric vehicle market with the introduction of the BMW i sub-brand.

The first two vehicles under the new brand—the BMW i3 (p/k/a Megacity Vehicle) and BMW i8 (based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study)—will be launched in 2013.

The i3 marks the first vehicle made for an urban area powered 100% by electricity for the company. The i8 on the other hand is a plug-in hybrid that blends the sporting ability of a high-performance machine with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car.

Both vehicles feature the LifeDrive architecture that BMW introduced last summer. The Drive module including an aluminum chassis that houses the powertrain Then there is the Life module consisting of a high-strength and extremely lightweight passenger cell made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.

The automaker also plans to invest millions into mobility services that can be used with our without a vehicle. No pricing has been announced for the i3 or i8 yet. With the Volt and Leaf running at $40,000 and $25,000 plus respectively, we are fairly confident that  the Bimmer i will be fairly pricey, all things considered.

Infiniti announced official EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) fuel economy figures of 32 mpg (highway) for the 2012 Infiniti M35h.

The first ever luxury hybrid vehicle from the Japanese automaker offers 350hp (3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine, which paired with the 50 kW electric motor) and 27 mpg (city) for a combined fuel rate of 29 mpg. Ranking it 10 mpg below the popular Ford Fusion/Milan hybrid but given the M35h’s power it seems to be a fair trade off.

The soon to be released sedan also features the all-new Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid system, which is an advanced one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid design that utilizes precise, high-speed motor control technology enabled by the powerful Lithium-ion battery, allowing power to be delivered directly to the vehicle’s 7-speed automatic transmission.

It goes on sale in the U.S. in spring 2011.

Toyota has expanded the Prius line to include the roomier Prius v (for versatility). Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit–Prius v offers the same hybrid powertrain and platform yet features 50% more space than the Prius hatchback.

Due in the U.S. this summer, Prius V is also expected to have better fuel economy than any SUV or Crossover on the market.

Hit the jump for more info and images.

Prius v will be available with a new Toyota-developed resin panoramic sunroof that is nearly 40lb’s lighter than glass roofs of the same size. Prius v also shares other features with the Prius hatchback including Normal, Power, Eco and EV driving modes, push button start and e-CVT electronic gear shift.

Lastly Prius v will offer a new multimedia system that links with the owner’s mobile phone to give enhanced, integrated and wireless upgradeable navigation entertainment and information services.

With gas prices creeping towards the $4.00 per gallon mark a proven green car with size is definitely welcome on the market.

]]> http://www.kuhvet.com/2011/01/11/toyota-prius-v-debuts-at-naias/feed/ 0 http://www.kuhvet.com/2010/04/13/2011-touareg-hybrid-preview/ http://www.kuhvet.com/2010/04/13/2011-touareg-hybrid-preview/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:07:13 +0000 KHA http://www.kuhvet.com/?p=3900

With their latest edition of the Touareg Hybrid, Volkswagen seems to aspire to reach a level of newness and innovation.

The first thing you need to know is the Touareg Hybrid is much more about luxury than it is about fuel efficiency. The SUV shares the same platform as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi supplies the engine. The 26 mpg won’t please too many environmentalists however VW claims the latest Touareg will go 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and top out at 150mph, which should please most drivers.

More images and full preview

The hybrid also has the ability to deactivate the petrol engine whenever needed, a perfect combination of an electric motor and an 8-speed automatic transmission.

VW is that brand the floats under the radar, never universally mentioned as great yet, undoubtedly always a factor. You see them on the road all the time and everywhere and will continue to with the new Touareg. First off, on the 2011 model they changed the body significantly. The design language is different–you’ll notice that immediately. From far away it looks bigger but up close you can see that difference isn’t optical illusion. The new model is longer, wider, lighter and a little lower than its predecessor (480 centimeters long to be exact, 194 centimeters on the width).  It looks contemporary but not so much really modern just fresh. It has that thing that all VW cars have where it might not look like it’s pushing the envelope in design per se, but it somehow still is pushing it. It’s uncomplicated but definitely an attractive car.

The new Touareg has a very handsome interior as well. We can’t front on the inside of the car. It sits five grown adults’ easy—not European adults— meaning overweight Americans. At the end of the day those of us who are carrying a little extra poundage should feel comfortable in this car. The trunk is ok; you won’t be able to move any furniture but its standard I guess. You’ll be able to put some boxes back there, some weights, a couple pair of sneakers, etc. It is what it is. I would be remiss if is didn’t mention the seats. The leather is butter soft, granted that’s a prerequisite for luxury models these days and I’m not necessarily saying that VW should get points for having that. However, I can’t just pretend that when I touched the seat with my own hand I didn’t acknowledge how nice it felt. It’s impressively soft, next level soft, seemingly as soft as someone could hope.

The price tag is expected to be well north of 50K. It will be interesting to see how that flies in this unstable economy. –Khalid Salaam