What is green, has eight wheels, two wings, doesn’t fly, and apparently is difficult to make up a joke about? That’s right, the Eliica, an electric car prototype developed by Japan’s Keio University.

The Eliica’s most notable quality is its eight wheels, each with its own electric motor and energy-regenerative disc brake system, which produce a total of 640 horsepower and a top speed of 230 miles per hour. The front four wheels steer the car, which also has two rear gullwing doors. Instead of a flux capacitor, the Eliica is powered by 80 lithium-ion batteries which can be easily charged from a residential power grid in about ten hours.

Although the future is unclear for this futuristic car, we hope to see more of this green machine as it attempts to challenge gasoline-powered speed records.

View more pictures of the Eliica in the gallery above.

+ Eliica

Automakers like Tesla and Fisker have opened the door for electric sports cars, and now there are repots that Lotus is working on a battery-powered vehicle, as well. According to Lotus' CEO, Michael Kimberly, we should not be "surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly."

According to Motor Authority, this new Lotus will use a gas-powered generator to charge its batteries on the go and that this vehicle will be able to travel up to 400 miles on one tank of fuel. Lotus says that they're working in collaboration with a major automotive manufacturer to develop certain parts of this sports car. Also, MA points out that Tesla currently contracts Lotus to assemble the bodies for its electric roadster, though this new product from Lotus will compete directly with cars like the Tesla.

As for us, we're eagerly awaiting the fuel-sipping comparison test between these electric sports cars. Lotus wants to develop this car in order to expand its model range after the official launch of the new four-seat Evora later this year.

+ Motor Authority: Lotus working on range-extending electric vehicle

Held every January in Las Vegas, NV, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will feature a Greener Gadgets Techzone section for 2009. The exhibits will be displayed in Central Hall, and highlight pioneering technologies that benefit the environment and sustainability of global economy.  

Amongst the crowd will be ELV motors, one of the first electric transportation companies to participate at CES. The company presents a whole range of "Fleet Certified" electric bicycles and electric and hybrid scooters. At its booth will be both the regular and police versions of the company’s  2009 A2B electric bicycle, equipped with a 500 watt, throttle driven motor.

We already know that Fisker will be unveiling the production version of its Karma sport sedan at the Detroit Auto Show, but now there's proof that another concept will be making its way to the Detroit stage: the Karma S, or Sunset. (Sources at AutoblogGreen say that while the S stands for Sunset, Karma S will be the official name.)

Fisker says that the Karma S will have similar architecture with the production Karma sedan and that the two cars will share the same powertrain. Aside from this little bit of information and a very cropped teaser shot, no other details were released about the Sunset, so we'll have to wait until its Detroit Show debut. Speculation suggests that this could be a coupe or convertible variant of the Karma sedan, since the vehicle seems to lack a B-pillar in this photo. As always, we'll keep you posted with more details once they arise.

+ AutoblogGreen: Fisker set to debut new Karma S "Sunset" concept in Detroit

Look out Scion xB -- not only is the new Kia Soul more attractive, it's MSRP is a whole lot less than Toyota's second-generation xBox. In a memo meant for dealer eyes only, the Soul's pricing and specifications were leaked, showing that the new little econo-hatch will start at $13,995, which includes standard items such as six airbags, ESC, air conditioning, power windows/locks, ABS, and an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with three months of free Sirius radio. The base engine for the Soul will be a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder.

Moving up the chain, the Soul + gets a bump in power to 142 horses from its 2.0-liter engine. Sixteen-inch wheels, rear disc brakes, tinted windows, power mirrors, body-matched color door handles, Bluetooth, keyless entry, and cruise all come packaged in with this Plus model, which will retail for $14,950 with a five-speed manual and $15,900 with a four-speed automatic.

Lastly, there's the top-trim Soul! which uses the same 2.0-liter engine, but has attractive eighteen-inch wheels, fog lamps, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, metal interior trim, and an upgraded stereo. Optional Soul! equipment includes a sunroof and a sport package consisting of unique front and rear fascias, side sills, a rear spoiler, sport-tuned suspension, red/black interior, and sport pedals. The Soul! will command $16,950 and $17,900, respective to their transmissions.

+ Autoblog: Leakage: 2010 Kia Soul starting at $13,995

The Detroit Auto Show is right around the corner, and in addition to its all-electric city car, Toyota will be unveiling the next-generation 2010 Prius. In this latest teaser video, the infamous Blue Man Group checks out the latest Prius, though we'll have to wait until next month to get up close and personal, ourselves.

+ YouTube: 2010 Toyota Prius

Things are going to be rather quiet around the NextAutos office for the next few days, as we'll be taking some time off to relax over the holidays. Thus, don't expect to hear much from us for the rest of this week, unless some breaking news presents itself before Monday, which is always a possibility. In the meantime, be sure to read our review of the 2009 Nissan 370Z and scroll down through our news page to see the latest in Detroit Auto Show previews.

From all of us here at Winding Road Magazine and NextAutos, we wish you and yours a safe and cheerful holiday!

Toyota must be in shambles. Not only have they just reported their first annual loss in ages, but the Ford Fusion Hybrid now bests the Camry Hybrid in fuel efficiency, making the Fusion America's most fuel-efficient mid-sized car.

EPA testing has shown that the Fusion Hybrid can achieve 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, besting the Camry by 8 mpg and 2 mpg respectively. In fact, the Fusion gets 1 more mpg in the city than the smaller Honda Civic Hybrid. The Fusion Hybrid can travel over 700 miles on a single tank of gas and can travel up to 45 miles per hour solely on electric assist.

Click through the post for Ford's official press release.

Well, sort of.

We already know that Toyota is planning to show its 2010 Prius at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, but the automaker has now hinted that it will be showing an all-electric vehicle at Cobo Hall, as well. In a very short press release, Toyota said that "this display marks the world debut of this concept vehicle," so we're not really sure what to expect.

Naturally, there's been some speculation within the industry, and the folks at the Wall Street Journal seem to think that this new concept is a battery-powered version of Toyota's iQ, the Smart ForTwo rival. We'll be sure to bring you the full details from Toyota's press conference in a couple of weeks.

+ The Car Connection: 2009 Detroit Auto Show: Toyota Bringing Electric City Car