General Motors designed the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid to compete with the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid comes with several improvements over the 2008 model; most noticeable is the increase in gas mileage to 34 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in the city. When comparing mpg to mpg between the 2009 Malibu and 2009 Camry hybrids, the Camry takes the nod with its superior 33 mpg city rating but both vehicles have a 34 mpg highway rating.

“For 2009, the Malibu Hybrid offers more choices and style, including: new 17-inch ultra bright aluminum wheels with touring tires as standard equipment, five new exterior colors: Silver Ice Metallic, Summit White Metallic, Gold Mist Metallic, Golden Pewter Metallic and Silver Moss Metallic, Available engine block heater “ (Source: GM Media Online)

The Malibu Hybrid uses a nickel metal hydride battery and comes with General Motor’s standard five-year/100,000 mile power train warranty.

Continuing the trend of debuting electric or hybrid cars at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Heuliez will introduce the Friendly to the world. In addition to its electric car endeavors (like the Cleanova), Heuliez, a French company, is also known for its work with retractable hardtops for convertible cars.

Details on the Heuliez Friendly
The Friendly will be a three-seat electric car that uses nickel metal hydride battery technology. The vehicle will have a range of between 100 km and 250 km depending on the battery option that the consumer chooses. With a top speed of 110 km/h, the Friendly meets strict European vehicle safety guidelines so can be driven on the highway.

“The Friendly’s layout has a front center driver position, two rear seats and sliding doors. The front center driving position means the car could be produced for both left- and right-hand drive markets” (Source: Automotive News Europe)

The Heuliez Friendly is expected to have an April 2010 availability date. As of now, there are no plans to release this vehicle stateside.

MyCar, made by NICE (No Internal Combustible Engine) Car Company, has been named the electric vehicle of the year at the 2008 GreenFleet Awards. The MyCar debuted at the 2008 London Motor Show and is expected to be available in the United Kingdom next month.

In an official press release, Julian Wilford (co-founder of NICE) had this to say,

“We are obviously delighted to have won the award. Since launching NICE in 2006, our aim has been to bring clean, affordable and convenient transport to private and corporate customers alike. MyCar is the latest in a growing portfolio which already features the largest range of all-electric cars, vans and motorcycles on sale in the UK today.” (Source: Newspress)

In addition to the MyCar, NICE also makes the Ze-0 (a five door family car), the e500 and the MEGA City (which looks somewhat like an SUV).

BMW was also a winner at the 2008 GreenFleet Awards having captured the Car Manufacturer of the Year Award for the technology used in its EfficientDynamics program.

John and Helen Taylor have secured their place in the Guinness Book of World Records for setting a fuel consumption record. In a 20-day trip, the couple averaged 58.82 miles per gallon in their Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

From the September 29, 2008 press release:

“The previous Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption on a nationwide drive was 51.58 miles per gallon and the Taylors broke it by setting a new record of 58.82 miles per gallon, a whopping 14 percent improvement. In 20 days, driving across 48 states the Taylors drove 9,419 miles, exceeding 60 mpg on several legs of the record-setting run, spending only 6.9 cents per mile (total was $653).” (Source: PRNewswire)

Consumers who purchase the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI may be eligible for a $1,300 tax credit as owners of an “Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle.” The Jetta TDI, a 50-state compliant clean diesel, comes in a sedan and SportWagen model and as of 9/15/2008 are available for purchase. Although the Jetta used by the Taylors achieved a whopping 58.82 miles per gallon, the official EPA estimates are 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

“Volkswagen went a step further to evaluate the real world fuel economy of the Jetta TDI. Leading third-party certifier, AMCI, tested the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 percent better in real world conditions, achieving 38 mpg in the City and 44 mpg on the Highway.” (Source: Volkswagen)

Tychy, Poland was the location of the first new Ford Ka volume production vehicle, which rolled off of the assembly line earlier this week. The Ford Ka is not new to Europe having originally been manufactured in 1996. However, this new and completely redesigned Ford Ka is being met with much acclaim, as it is a result of cooperation between Ford and Fiat. Some of the parts used in the Ka are also used in the Fiat 500.

“The new Ka is unmistakably a Ford. It captures the same youthful and cheeky spirit of the model it replaces and retains all of the qualities which made the Ka so popular – its compact size, great looks, lively dynamics and fun personality – but presents them in a fresh new package.“ (Source: Ford Media Site)

Although the Ka is already being produced, consumers will have to wait until early 2009 before they will be able to purchase the vehicle. Ford has plans to produce 120,000 Ford Kas each year.

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid has been available for some time now. With a price tag starting at $71,685, there is not a huge demand for the vehicle. However, consumers who are looking for a luxury hybrid but want a full-size SUV have found their hybrid in the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.

Engine Basics

The Escalade Hybrid is equipped with a 332 horsepower V8 engine with an output of 367 lb-ft of torque. For those in need of towing capabilities, the Escalade Hybrid can tow 5,800 lbs in RWD and 5,600 lbs in 4WD.

Luxury Accommodations

The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is most definitely a luxury SUV. The vehicle has an upgraded navigation system, a digital display of the status of the 2-Mode Hybrid System, Bose Surround Sound, rear seat DVD player, multi-zone climate control options and it seats eight.

Fuel Efficiency

One thing that is noticeably absent from the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid stat and specifications sheets is the EPA estimated fuel economy ratings. In two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes, both city and highway fuel efficiencies are listed as TBD (to be determined.)

Earlier this week, Automotive News Europe reported that future owners of the Chevy Volt might be eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500. When a consumer looks at the likely $40,000 plus price tag, this is definitely good news. Today, the Chevy Volt makes headlines again; this time, Chevy is claiming that the Volt may have an official EPA fuel efficiency rating of 100 mpg.

In an article by Jeff Green that was published today on Bloomberg.com, “Obtaining a 100-mpg rating will require the EPA to develop a new way of measuring fuel efficiency for a car that’s likely to rely more heavily on electric than internal-combustion power.”

The Bloomberg article goes on to compare the Volt to today’s Prius that has a 48 mpg rating in the city and the Honda FCX Clarity, which has a 72mpg equivalency rating. The Volt will come with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine that will kick in to recharge the electric motor after the approximately 40-mile all-electric range has been exhausted.

In just a few days, the doors of the 2008 Paris Motor Show will open with much fanfare. Many vehicles have been making media headlines lately the 2009 Honda Insight. However, the 2011 Chevy Volt may just be the headlining green car debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Even though the Chevy Volt is likely to headline the GM Show, there are other exciting debuts from General Motors planned, some green and some not so green.

Premieres
In addition to the Chevy Volt, the Chevrolet Orlando Show Car, Opel Insignia Sports Tourer, Opel Insignia ecoFlex and a vehicle by Saab will be making their world premieres. The all-new Chevrolet Camaro (not so green) and the Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon will be making European debuts at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Since I am unable to make the trip to Paris for this year’s Motor Show, I will have to wait until the manufacturers update their respective websites with pictures and reports from the show. As soon as I have access to this information, I will be passing it on to The Green Motorist readers.

The 2009 Honda Fit has been completely redesigned and is available now at your local Honda dealership. The Fit is not a hybrid but it has fuel efficiency ratings of 27/33/29 city/highway/combined and it comes with an under $15,000 price tag. The Honda Fit is a solid alternative to hybrids that are out of your price range or just simply not available yet.

The standard model Honda Fit features a 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine with 117 horsepower. In addition to the base model, a Fit Sport is available which offers several premium upgrades and starts at $16,060.

“The Fit comes with standard amenities such as air conditioning, an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors and power door locks. The Fit Sport adds alloy wheels, an underbody aero kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights, security system with keyless remote entry and cruise control.”

(Source: Honda Media Newsroom)

Fans of green motoring and Honda will be pleased to hear that the 2009 Honda Civic GX may qualify for up to a $4,000 federal tax credit. In addition, future owners who reside in California may qualify for the $3,000 rebate from the California Air Resource Board (CARB). The rebates continue - those who install “Phil” may qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $1,000.

So what is Phil?

“Phil” is a home-based refueling appliance that can be mounted to a garage wall either indoors or outdoors to allow natural gas powered vehicles to be refueled overnight directly from a homeowner’s existing natural gas supply line.“ (Source: Honda Media Newsroom)

For those that do not know, the Honda Civic GX runs on CNG. The ability to refill at your residence through “Phil” is a huge addition to the already fantastic Honda Civic GX. The vehicle also qualifies for access to the HOV lanes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia and the District of Columbia without the need to meet minimum occupancy requirements.

Note: Images in the gallery are of the 2009 Honda Civic LX sedan. The 2009 Honda Civic GX is based off of the LX model. Honda did not have images of the 2009 Honda Civic GX available as of the posting of this article.