On November 17 the 2012 Green Car of the Year® will be announced by Green Car Journal at the LA Auto Show. This year’s five finalists include the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, 2012 Mitsubishi i, 2012 Toyota Prius v, 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, and 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI. I have been impressed with my test drives of these cars. All will be available for dealer sales by January 2, 2012.
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 starting at $29,195, over $5,000 less than the popular Nissan LEAF.
Now you can have an excellent SUV without sacrificing premium features, comfort and good fuel economy. The Lexus RX450h is a stylish 5-seat, 5-door, SUV that delivers 28 miles per gallon (mpg) city, 32 highway, and 30 overall. For an extra $1,590 you can get the all-wheel drive (AWD) version for better handling on snow and ice and still get 28 city, 30 highway, and 29 overall. The FWD 2011 Lexus RX 450h has a suggested starting price of $44,735 and the 2012 are $500 higher.
As electric and hybrid car competition intensifies, Nissan, GM, Toyota, and Ford are in a race to sell the most vehicles with lithium batteries. I have driven cars from each of these automakers that use lithium batteries. The cars performed beautifully and delivered great fuel economy. Nissan will be the first to sell 100,000 battery electric cars. GM will be the first to sell 100,000 plug-in hybrids. Ford is switching all hybrid models to lithium batteries. Toyota, with 3 million hybrids sold, is bringing out three new cars with lithium batteries.
The new 2012 Toyota Camry family of sedans offer improved fuel economy and more for the money. The new Camry Hybrid delivers a combined 41 mpg, soaring past current midsized sedan leader the Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Camry is so popular that 15 million have been sold. It has been America’s best selling car for 9 years. Toyota has sold more than 3 million hybrids; more than all competitors combined. Toyota announces its new seventh-generation Camry family as a bold, sophisticated new design with a more spacious interior, class-leading safety features, improved driving dynamics and quieter ride than before.
President Obama announced a historic agreement with thirteen major automakers to increasing fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. This will save U.S. drivers $1.7 trillion in fuel costs with today’s oil prices of about $100 per barrel. If the price of oil is higher in 2025, consumers will save more. Forecasts of 10 million electric cars by 2020 in the U.S. look more likely. High volumes will lower the cost of lithium battery packs and electric motors, which are also used in hybrids. By 2013, at least one of these automakers will sell 100,000 electric cars and hybrids in one year – Toyota, GM, Nissan, and Ford.
Ford is ready to give U.S. buyers of crossover SUVs record fuel-economy. Active families want more cargo flexibility and space. With high gas prices they also want over 40 MPG. The new 5-seat C-MAX Hybrid delivers. In 2012 it will compete head-to-head with the new larger Prius V crossover SUV. The Ford C-MAX Energi will challenge the Chevrolet Volt by supporting 5 passengers to the Volt’s 4 and by offering much more cargo flexibility.
Del Coates loves driving his new Lexus CT200h through the windy roads near his Northern California home. He is enjoying sports handling, premium interior, and impressive design without paying a fortune for the gasoline. With the Prius hybrid system inside, the Lexus CT200h is rated at 42 mpg combined highway and city. After 2,500 miles including a long-trip to Lake Tahoe and time driving in Sport Mode, Del is getting 44.8 mpg actual!
Prius v test drive, review, and detailed specifications of the new larger Prius that will shake-up the crossover SUV and wagon market when it goes on sale starting at $26,400, about $3,000 more than the classic Prius. The iconic Prius Liftback is not going away. Prii is now a family of four, with the Prius v being the largest. Prius v delivers 42 MPG, sailing past other SUVs, crossovers, and wagons.
Being aerodynamic and using low rolling resistance tires are reasons that the Toyota Prius achieves good fuel economy. When you buy your next vehicle, look for cars with better miles-per-gallon due to use of advanced powertrains. There are more than one hundred car models that offer over 40 miles per gallon. An increased number of these models are being made available in the United States. People are often surprised by the excellent safety of some lighter vehicles with excellent fuel economy.