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We just caught some images of BMW’s X6 Active Hybrid mule, captured in a trim that seems to be very near a completed product. Though the mule seen here differs only slightly in appearance from the standard X6, the game is given away by the rather bulgy lump on the hood of the vehicle—ostensibly needed to contain some of the new hybrid-style running gear.

The hybrid X6 will be a full, two-mode affair as previewed by the X6 Hybrid SUV concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, and will make use of two electric motors powered by nickel metal hydride batteries. The configuration is said to deliver 20 percent better fuel economy, in part because it offers a fully electrically powered mode.

The production car is likely to make its world debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in January. Scroll down below to read the spy photographer’s own notes.

At last year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chinese automaker BYD surprised industry pundits by bringing an advanced concept for a dual mode hybrid to its stand. Now the battery specialist (BYD’s parent company is also one of the world’s biggest suppliers of rechargeable batteries) claims to be moving the game on even further, saying that it will bring a plug-in hybrid vehicle to the U.S. market by 2010.

BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu has said that the new hybrid, which is most likely to come in the form of the F3 sedan pictured above, will be able to travel up to around 68 miles on electric power alone.

In addition to its previous hybrid concept experience, the plug-in plans are also being greatly bolstered by an alleged investment of $230 million from rich guy Warren Buffet, which should go a long ways towards developing the safety features needed for U.S. regulations. BYD is reportedly getting help with the safety standards via “third-party consulting and engineering companies.”

Despite the fact that BYD doesn’t currently sell any hybrid in its home market, the company has lofty sales goals for the plug-in already—hoping to make the car available not only in the U.S. and China, but eventually in Europe as well.

+ Motor Authority: China's BYD to sell plug-in hybrid in U.S. by 2010

One of the largest hurdles yet to be overcome by the average hybrid car is the inherent high cost of its gasoline-electric powertrain. The average hybrid will set the manufacturer back around $6000 more than a car with a conventional powertrain. However, this difference could be brought down to just $2000 within the next ten years.

Just about every automaker out there is developing a next generation hybrid vehicle. General Motors recently unveiled its new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and Toyota already released photos of its next-generation Prius. Honda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Nissan are also getting into the mix with hybrids of their own design.

In a recent Bloomberg report, the potential drop in hybrid costs is said to be primarily due to technological improvements, economies of scale due to rising production numbers, and a greater amount of experience with the technology.

Considering the recent jump in demand for hybrids, pressure for the vehicles will surely increase in the future from possible higher gasoline prices and more arduous emissions standards. This demand rise is expected to be over 16 times its current level or around 10 million hybrids by 2018. JP Morgan Chase and Co. analysts predict that sales of hybrid vehicles will increase to 10.2% of the overall market. The U.S. is anticipated to see the largest growth after 2013, with Europe and China not too far behind.

+ Motor Authority: Hybrid costs expected to drop by two-thirds over next decade

Looks like the boys over at Jalopnik have uncovered what look to be the first shots of the 2010 Toyota Prius. These images first appeared on PriusChat, and when the Jalops showed some Toyota PR people these images, they confirmed that this is, in fact, the next-gen Prius.

No word on any other details at this time, but look for the car to be officially unveiled at the North American International Auto Show this January in Detroit. In the mean time, head over to Jalopnik to see some other photos.

+ Jalopnik: This IS The New Toyota Prius

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Sure, you may remember the Lexus LF-Xh hybrid crossover concept from last year’s Tokyo Motor Show but if you’re anything like the wild concept car mavens at Lexus, you’ve probably been wondering how good it might look clad entirely in flat black.

We tease, but Lexus did reprise the LF-Xh for the Paris crowd, and the car which the automaker promises will foreshadow the replacement vehicle for the current RX looked pretty hot in its new duds. Under the hood the Prince of Darkness Lexus still offers the same combination of electric motors and V-6 power that it did in Japan. Have a further look at the concept in our gallery above.

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Honda Insight Concept Arrives in Paris

Honda debuted its new Insight hybrid concept today, and while we were happy to find that the car looked less like Toyota’s Prius in person than it had in photos, it is a bit disheartening to think that many of the elements that strongly set the two apart will likely be gone when Honda brings the car to market. The radical multi-element lights and slick allow wheels are likely to fall into the concept car dustbin of history, leaving the future Insight just a bit less desirable than its fancy concept forbearer when it makes it to dealers sometime next year.
 
We’ve got live images of Honda’s ultra-important and ultra-frugal Insight concept in our gallery above, and the full scoop from the company about the car in the press release below.

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We’ve just returned from the belly of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, where General Motors celebrated its centennial with the unveiling of its keystone future product, the Chevrolet Volt.

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The Car Connection has gotten its hands on some production images of the Chevrolet Volt, and many of those individuals responsible for it, just about a week ahead of the planned General Motors reveal in Detroit.

While all of the photos show the Volt at least a little bit obscured by executives and designers, we can clearly see the final product that has been such a long time in the making. Early impressions are that of a neatly detailed, yet altogether less sexy vehicle than its concept car starting place. The production Volt seems a little too tall, and a little too narrow, with a faux-grille that is entirely too plastic. Still, we’ll reserve our full critique until we get a chance to see the car in person next week, when many more details will no doubt be revealed as well.

+ The Car Connection: 2011 Chevrolet Volt: First Production Photos

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New reports indicate that General Motors is planning to reveal the production version of its Chevrolet Volt (something like the car spied in the photo gallery above) in conjunction with plans for its 100-year anniversary celebrations later this month. A GM source was reported as saying that, “The rumors that a production version of the Volt will show up at the celebrations are true.”

The source went on to say that it will be the actual production version of the car, and not the concept, which will be on display for the anniversary festivities. The big event will be taking place at GM’s Detroit headquarters, and not at the Paris Auto Show as had previously been speculated.

GM’s anniversary is celebrated on the 16th of September but no word has come through as to the official date for the Volt launch yet.

+ Automotive News: GM plans to show production Volt this month

Honda has revealed the first official image of its next generation Insight Concept, set to be revealed in full force at this year’s Paris Auto Show in just about a month.

The Honda concept shares some styling cues with the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, though it’s hard to overlook its obvious resemblance to the Toyota Prius as well. Like the Prius, the Insight concept will offer the versatility of a five-door hatchback configuration, and gain the aerodynamic benefits of the reduced front end profile. Despite its visual similarity, Honda claims that the Insight will be priced “significantly below hybrids available today,” when the car debuts in the U.S. market next spring.

The Insight will go on sale with rather huge expectations from its parent company, which says that it expects to sell on the order of 200,000 examples worldwide, and more than 100,000 units in the U.S. alone. Those hybrid sales will also be boosted with the launch of a smaller, sportier model based on the CR-Z concept, after the Insight is revealed.

Hyundai's first entry into the gasoline-electric hybrid segment is scheduled to arrive on U.S. shores within the next two years via the Sonata sedan. Prototypes should to be hitting the road around November and this Sonata Hybrid is said to feature cutting-edge lithium-ion battery technology, but will not be plug-in rechargeable.

Vice president for product development John Krafcik says that the Sonata Hybrid should be launched sometime within the 2010 calendar year. This hybrid will, no doubt, go head-to-head against gasoline-electric mid-size offerings from Toyota, Chevrolet, and Nissan.

+ Automotive News: Hyundai plans to launch hybrid Sonata in 2010

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General Motors has released a new set of Chevrolet Volt images today, showing engineers and artisans hard at work crafting the production version of the hybrid. These pictures don’t exactly tell the whole story of what the car will look like, but they do give us more of an insight into the car’s front grille treatment and, hold your breath, rear badging.

The best shot depicts the Volt’s high-tech front lighting, which seems to incorporate some kind of blue LED fog lamps at the extreme corners of the car. Most of the photos though, depict the building of a full size clay model of the car, as well as safety glass-bedecked workers making thoughtful faces and important gestures over the Volt’s all-important powertrain. Strong stuff.

Take a peek at Volt’s production form in the gallery above.

These are booming times for small car makers and sky-high fuel prices are causing some pretty interesting situations for the sale of high mpg vehicles.

Toyota can’t make copies of its Prius hybrid fast enough for the swelling demand, that’s bad news for Joe Consumer who’s just trying to cut down on his commuting costs every week, but great news for the dealers who are handing out the keys. J.D. Power has calculated that so far this summer (through the first three weeks of July) the average new Prius has spent only five days on dealer lots, while used 2007 model cars last only a bit longer at 20 days.

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While we’ve seen images of a Toyota test mule for the next generation Prius hybrid already, that earlier test vehicle was little more than a powertrain mule built from the current model with a new front fascia attached. These new images reveal much more; the very first look at the all new, next generation Prius.

The images confirm the rumors that the Prius would be growing in exterior dimensions – the car seen here is both longer and wider than today’s version – meaning more usable space for backseat passengers and trunk storage. Toyota is said to be giving the Prius a power hike as well, supplying the car with better performance in addition to its beefier body. While one might expect that a larger more powerful car would indicate an attendant drop in fuel efficiency, we’re told that the new Prius will be even more fuel efficient than the old one. That’s a viable claim considering the pressure Toyota must be under to improve the vaunted mpg numbers for its green halo car.

One of the ways in which Toyota will pull off this trick new packaging is by replacing the current car’s nickel-metal hydride batteries with smaller lithium-ion units. Reported solar panels on the roof also seem to be for real.

Look for the Prius to start a family in this generation as well, with possible station wagon and convertible variants reportedly on the table.

Scroll down for the spy shooter’s own words on the next gen Prius and be sure to browse through our gallery of exclusive images above.

 
Larry Nitz, General Motor's executive director for hybrid powertrain engineering, told listeners at the recent Plug-In Conference in California that the Saturn Vue Hybrid had already undergoing real world testing. According to Nitz, the Vue Hybrid's lithium-ion batteries already had extensive battery management work done to them both in the lab and on the road. It was also mentioned that the plug-in charge integration was fully operational, though still in its early stages.

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After spending a little over a week and a half in our test fleet, we found the 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid to be a good contender in this segment, but not something we’re eager to drive on a daily basis. For the new model year, Ford bumped up the power of the four-cylinder gasoline motor to 175 horsepower, but overall acceleration is still somewhat slow. On top of that, the weak engine mated to continuously variable transmission creates a really horrible noise when a lot of power is needed. The interior, however, is quite pleasant, and we're definitely not complaining about nearly 30 miles per gallon in observed fuel economy.

Click through to read all of our individual impressions of the Mariner Hybrid.

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When it was first spotted, this smaller than expected Porsche Cayenne mule was anticipated to be a new “baby” version of the popular German SUV. Now these new images and some fresh information have our spy photographers reporting that this vehicle is simply the next Cayenne, built smaller to meet changing demands in the marketplace. The search for better mpg numbers, along with the strangely buckled hood on the mule in these photos, has us wondering if the Porsche pictured isn’t the hybrid version that has been discussed.

Alternative fuel or no, we’re told that then newest Cayenne should be coming to market in the early part of 2010, beating out the next Volkswagen Touareg which shares a platform with the Porsche. Look through our gallery of spy shots above or scroll down to read the photographer’s own words.

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Several automakers have contributed to the Olympic Games by having the official fleet use their hybrid or hydrogen powered cars, most likely due to China pushing the upcoming event as the "greenest ever." Even taxi drivers outside of the games have upgraded to new hybrid models.

Those to make the effort to travel to the Olympic Games held in Beijing will also have a chance to ride in one of their hybrid taxis, such as the Chang'an Jie Xun MPV, or the FAW Besturn B50 Hybrid. Though only in Beijing at the moment, the other Olympic cities like Qingdao and Tianjin may eventually have the hybrids as well.

+ China Car Times: Take a hybrid cab this August, thanks to the Olympic Games

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When the Chevrolet Volt was unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2007, one of the things General Motors claimed it had a 600 mile range by the use of a battery pack, and a 12-gallon fuel tank. The batteries alone would take the Volt 40 miles until a gasoline engine and generator would kick in.

Toyota has announced some production changes in response to the rapidly changing needs of auto buyers in the U.S. The company will look to address rising interest in its Prius hybrid sedan by beginning production of that vehicle at its plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi. North American Prius production will begin sometime in late 2010.