Things are looking good for Fisker's new Karma plug-in hybrid luxury 4-door. The company recently announced that the $87,900 car already has 1300 preorders, with 22 dealers signed up in the U.S. Fisker predicts they should have a total of 40 dealers by the end of this year. Unfortunately, eager European customers will still have to wait until March for the automaker to announce the European pricing. First U.S. pre-order deliveries will be made this November.

The Karma's drive comes from two electric motors rated with a combined output of 408 horsepower and a massive 959 pound-feet of torque. Even with a curb weight of 4,560 pounds, the electric motors are able to send the luxury sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 5.8 seconds, and are able to continue to a top speed of 125 mph. To hold the car to the road is a sport suspension system as well as 22-inch alloy wheels. Rooftop solar panels, lithium ion batteries as well as a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline generator provide energy for the electric motors.

Details about the Fisker's next release were announced last week at the Detroit Auto Show. A new convertible version of the Karma called the Karma S (pictured), the plug-in hybrid will have two doors instead, but still feature a four-seater layout with a folding metal roof. The Karma S is scheduled to be available in 2011.

+ Motor Authority: Fisker receives 1,300 orders for Karma plug-in hybrid, plans to open 40 dealers

While we were out in Arizona driving the all-new 2010 Honda Insight, we had the chance to sit down and chat with Yasunari Seki, Honda's chief engineer for the Insight. Here's what he had to say.

WR: How did the Prius influence the new Insight?
YS: We didn’t base it on the Prius at all.

WR: Not even a little?
YS: The original Insight was copied by the Prius. They just added two doors to the rear! (laughs)

WR: There’s no flat “dish” wheel on this car. Why go for a standard spoke design if the Insight is supposed to save fuel?
YS: It is funny you mention this. The spoke wheel is not good for fuel economy, of course. The dish wheel really works when the rear axle is shorter in width than the front. This is how the original Insight was designed. In this car, it would have generated a little less than 1 MPG, but of course all MPG is cumulative so a lot of us wanted it. Ultimately as a company we decided to do spoke wheel, although some people still think the dish would have been better. (Smiles).

WR: There is a lot of talk about different energy sources but little action. Where are you with fuel cells?
YS: It is hard to build infrastructure for fuel cells. But it will be easy for people to see this when there is no more gas to sell. This is the only way a lot of people will know.

+ WINDING ROAD: 2010 Honda Insight First Drive

We've just put the final touches on the latest issue of Winding Road magazine, so click here to read it in our online format, or if you prefer, click here to download the PDF.

This month, we feature the 2010 Honda Insight, a vehicle which will take on the Toyota Prius in terms of size and efficiency, though the Insight is expected to undercut the Toyota's base price by a couple thousand dollars. Additionally, we have road tests of the 2010 Ford Mustang, 2009 Nissan 370Z, 2010 Ford Fusion, and we drive the Pagani Zonda F in Tuscany. Don't miss our wrap-up of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, too.

+ CLICK HERE to read in our online format.
+ CLICK HERE to download the PDF.

After much anticipation, Toyota has finally pulled the wraps off of the all-new 2010 Prius hybrid which will hit American dealerships this coming Spring. The Prius has been slightly redesigned to improve the drag coefficient, and this effort has now made the Prius the most aerodynamic car in America. Small adjustments like a sleeker roof and larger rear spoiler aid in swooping the air over the car, improving fuel economy in the long run.

Fuel economy is the big story here, and Toyota says that the Prius will achieve a combined fuel economy rating of 50 miles per gallon -- besting the numbers recently quoted for the new Honda Insight. Obviously, we'll have to wait until we do real-world driving tests to see how these numbers stack up, but this initial rating of 50 mpg makes the Prius (once again) the most fuel-efficient car in America. Additionally, the Prius has been given a more powerful engine, delivering net power figures of 134 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque, able to scoot the little Toy from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under ten seconds. (Not that you'll be doing 0-60 runs in the Prius.)

Interior refinement is also improved with a new electronic display which shows hybrid functions, steering wheel controls, and other useful information pertaining to driving. Concerning functionality, the Prius' cargo area has been expanded by 0.4 inches in length and 2.2 inches in width because of a new battery cooling unit which saves space. Rear seat legroom has been improved greatly, as well.

We can't wait to drive this third-generation Prius and we're sure it will be a hit among consumers. In fact, Toyota hopes to sell 180,000 of these hybrids annually, which shouldn't be too hard to do if 50 mpg is on tap. Click through our gallery above for a raft of both stock and live shots and be sure to click through the post and read Toyota's own words in their press release.

We just got back from a very snowy trip to Detroit's MGM Grand casino where the thirteenth annual International Car of the Year Awards were held, hosted by Road & Travel magazine's editor-in-chief, Courtney Caldwell. The ballots had all been tallied, and from the original list of nominees, the following winners emerged.

International Car of the Year: Nissan GT-R
International Truck of the Year: Dodge Ram 1500

Additionally, the ICOTY jury presented their first-ever Earth, Wind & Power awards, which specifically shine the spotlight on fuel-efficient vehicles which have really taken our marketplace by storm. Those winners are:

EW&P Car of the Year: Volkswagen Jetta TDI
EW&P Truck of the Year: Ford Escape Hybrid

Click through our small gallery above to see photos of all the winners and stay tuned for all of our coverage from the 2009 North American International Auto Show, starting bright and early tomorrow morning.

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

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

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.

Nikolai Fomenko, a noted Russian celebrity and racecar driver, has just launched his own sports car company called EMM.

The company's first project will be the rather stunning Marussia sports car, which features an environmentally friendly hybrid drivetrain. On top of that, Fomenko hopes that the company will produce a completely electric car, possibly something similar to the Tesla, later on. For now though, hybrid technology is a lot more viable.

Russian media is reporting that the car will have a 3.5-liter Nissan engine, possibly from the existing 350Z, churning out around 240 horsepower on the entry model, and 298 hp on the premium version. Though this power output may not seem very supercaresque, the car will also use its electric motor at the back to boost its power. Adding in a feather-light curb weight of about 2000 pounds means that the car should be able to hit 60 miles per hour in around 5 seconds.

Apart from its drivetrain, other details on the Marussia are scarce. There are details on the interior however, as the car will have a 4G Yota network, which uses WiMax technology and will be able to wirelessly transfer 10mbps of data to ensure high-speed internet access. The Marussia will also feature three LCD screens in the car, a Bluetooth telephone system, and three cameras. One of these cameras will monitor the car in a “black box” manner for insurance companies.

+ Motor Authority: Marussia sports car born out of Russia

Each year, a jury of well-seasoned automotive personnel give out the International Car of the Year awards in a big ceremony to kick off the North American International Auto Show festivities. This year will be no different, and the final nominees have officially been announced. The Dodge Challenger, Ford Flex, and Nissan GT-R will do battle for the International Car of the Year title, while the Dodge Ram 1500, Ford F-150, and Subaru Forester duke it out for the International Truck of the Year honors.

In addition, the jury will be presenting their first-ever Earth, Wind & Power awards, showcasing cars that help to reduce global warming and promote a cleaner environment. For this new award, the BMW 335d, Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and Jetta SportWagen TDI are the nominees for Car of the Year, and the BMW X5 35d, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec are in the runnings for Truck of the Year.

Which cars will reign supreme? We'll have to wait until the official awards ceremony set to take place on January 10 at Detroit's MGM Grand casino. In the meantime, click through the above gallery to see all of the nominees and stay tuned for the winners.

+ ICOTY