By John Addison (10/5/11)
As many as ten battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars selling for under $40,000 will be at this year’s LA Auto Show, open to the public November 18 to 27. The most groundbreaking categories, when it comes to technological advancements, continues to be the hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle categories.
The Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt were the early movers in the electric car category, but now a whole pack of EV’s are entering production and will be available at dealerships soon. On display will be the Mitsubishi’s all-electric i, which boasts 112 MPGe and has a single-charge range of 85 miles (62 EPA adjusted) starting at $29,125, over $5,000 less than the popular Nissan LEAF. City electric car competitors will also be on display including the Honda Fit Electric, Smart Fortwo ED, Fiat 500EV and the Scion IQ Electric.
BMW will debut two all-new concept vehicles that are part of BMW i sub-brand initiative. The high-tech and futuristic-looking, all-electric i3 Concept is actually close to becoming a reality and it is scheduled to enter production in 2013. The i8 Concept, scheduled for production in 2014, is a plug-in hybrid sports car with dual power sources-the i3’s electric motor over the front axle paired with a high performance three-cylinder combustion engine producing 164 kW/220 horsepower at the rear. Working in tandem, they deliver the performance of a true sports car while achieving up to 62 mpg.
The most popular hybrid vehicle in the world, the Toyota Prius, will showcase its production, plug-in hybrid version, which has a total all-electric range of 15 miles and an expected total range of 475 miles. According to Toyota, the Prius Plug-in will be rated at 112 MPGe. If you are looking for an all-electric SUV, check out the new Toyota RAV4 EV.
Fisker will debut its all-new sport wagon prototype, the Surf, slated to go on sale in mid-2012. Fisker’s luxury plug-in hybrid sports car, the Karma, will also be at the show. Karma customer deliveries have finally started.
Ford plans to introduce five electric cars over the next three years. Vehicles featured at this year’s Show include Ford’s first all-electric, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric which is now on sale, and the C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid, a 5-seater crossover SUV (2012).
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The entire Prius family of four models will be presented – Prius Liftback, Prius PHV, Prius V Crossover, and fuel economy hybrid champion Prius C. Honda will be going after Toyota with their latest hybrid improvements in the new Civic Hybrid and the more fuel-efficient Insight Hybrid.
A number of exciting turbo diesel cars will be on display that deliver 40 mpg in real world highway driving. Smaller cars with 40 mpg and without the cost of being a hybrid will be on display.
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With 13 million vehicles globally running on natural gas, alt-fuel vehicles will be more visible at the LA Auto Show including the natural gas (CNG) Honda Civic GX. Ford has added CNG versions of light-trucks and the Transit Connect.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles have also been tested in various scenarios for over a decade and several will be featured at this year’s Show. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV), are one of the most promising technologies, and are currently being tested by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, General Motors and Toyota. Hyundai is already testing a third-generation FCEV, the Tucson.
Bright Green Cars at LA Auto Show
Electric Cars
- BMW i3 Concept
- CODA Sedan
- Ford Focus Electric
- Fiat 500 EV
- Mitsubishi i
- Nissan LEAF
- Smart Fortwo ED
- Toyota RAV4
- DOK-ING XD
Hybrids and Plug-in hybrids
- BMW i8 Concept
- BMW ActiveHybrid 7
- BMW ActiveHybrid X6
- Buick LaCrosse eAssist
- Buick Regal eAssist
- Cadillac Ciel concept
- Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
- Chevrolet Malibu Eco
- Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
- Chevrolet Volt
- Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid
- Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Fisker Karma
- Fisker Surf
- GMC Yukon Hybrid
- GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid
- Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Coupe
- Honda Civic Hybrid
- Honda Insight
- Honda Plug-in Hybrid concept
- Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
- Infiniti M35 Hybrid
- KIA Optima Hybrid
- Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
- Lexus CT 200h
- Lexus GS 450h
- Lexus LS 600h L
- Lexus RX 450h
- Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
- Porsche Panamara S Hybrid
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Toyota Prius
- Toyota Prius v
- Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
- Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
40-plus MPG
- Audi A3 TDI
- Chevrolet Cruze Eco
- Chevrolet Sonic
- Ford Focus SFE
- Ford Fiesta SFE
- Honda Civic GX
- Honda Civic HF
- Hyundai Accent
- Hyundai Elantra
- Hyundai Veloster
- Kia Rio (2012)
- Mazda3 SKYACTIV (2012)
- Smart ForTwo
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon TDI
- Volkswagen Passat TDI
- Volkswagen Golf TDI
Turbo Diesel Cars
- Audi A3 TDI
- Audi Q7 TDI
- BMW 335d Sedan
- Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
- Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
- Volkswagen Passat TDI
- Volkswagen Golf TDI
