mild hybrid

There were lots of comments on my last two columns (speaking with Ford and Chrysler execs about CAFE regulations), and some were very savvy on EVs and hybrids. But most seem to have little knowledge of what really goes into designing, developing, validating and successfully marketing a desirable, ...

In its latest 30-second advertisement pitching the 2012 LaCrosse eAssist, Buick makes an interesting point: since people don't constantly run in place, its near-luxury mid-size sedan doesn't either. The ad thus extolls the virtues of eAssist, a fuel-saving mild hybrid setup with stop-start ...

There's no questioning that Toyota dominates the hybrid vehicle segment. So of course Subaru wants to ditch Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology in favor of its in-house-developed mild hybrid system for the automaker's first-ever hybrid vehicle. According to Just Auto and contrary to ...

According to Dominique Boesch, general manager of FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company's Audi sales division, German automaker Audi will equip all of its Chinese-made vehicles with mild hybrid technology starting in 2012. If true, then Audi will become the only automaker to make stop-start ...

Hafei Motor aims to crush its competition by equipping its compact multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) with mild hybrid technology. That sounds good, but who's Hafei Motor? Hafei Motor Company is a subsidiary of Harbin HF Automobile Industry Group. In 2009, Hafei Motors was purchased by Chang'an ...

As expected, Buick has announced that its new 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist is priced identically to its more powerful V6-powered sibling. That means that $29,960 (*plus an $860 destination charge) will get the buyer either ...

When General Motors debuted the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2010, the automaker made it clear that this fuel-saving technology would find a home in other models soon. Last month, the ...

Back in 2008, Volvo launched its DRIVe range of vehicles in Europe. At that time, the Swedish automaker claimed that every DRIVe model would offer "best in class consumption" and "lowest CO2 emissions levels." The Volvo C30, S40 and V50 were the first models to be tagged with the DRIVe badge, but ...

What a coincidence. Iranian strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently removed government subsidies on gasoline, causing prices to quadruple overnight. This week, Iran Khodro Company (IKCO), the region's largest automaker, has announced its future models will incorporate micro hybrid (ie. start/stop) ...

Let's try this again, shall we? General Motors has announced that it will jump back into the mild hybrid game by the third quarter of 2011. Larry Nitz, the company's director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering, made the announcement at a seminar in Traverse City, MI, though he declined ...