Audi has had quite an agreeable reaction to the new A8 as production for their flagship sedan has increased. A new iteration is just around the corner in the form of a hybrid and if the fuel efficiency numbers are to be believed, this is quite the technical achievement.

Audi is claiming that the new A8 hybrid will get an efficiency score of 6.4 L/100 kms. And what makes it even more impressive is that the A8 hybrid uses a 2.0 litre TFSI engine which makes 245 horsepower and 345 pound feet of torque. So while it won’t be the most powerful A8 ever made, it certainly is no slouch.

The A8 hybrid has a lithium-ion battery which stores energy and can use it to power the wheels up to three kilometers at as much as 60 km/h. Once up to highway speed, the A8 can run on the battery alone at around 100 km/h.

While 6.4 L/100 kms is not Prius levels of efficiency, it’s pretty much at Ford Fiesta levels of efficiency which is incredible considering how much the A8 weighs and considering the power plant under the hood. It’s especially impressive considering it absolutely slaughters the efficiency of the regular gas-only A8 which is rated at 13.3 L/100 kms city and 7.2 L/100 kms highway. The A8 hybrid’s closest competition is the BMW Active Hybrid 7 which is rated at 10.2 L/100 kms. The BMW offers much more power though with 440 horsepower and 480 pound feet of torque.

Which would you rather? The more efficient but less powerful Audi or the more powerful but less efficient BMW?

[Audi]

Mitsibishi recently shocked us all a few weeks ago when they revealed that the Lancer Evolution was not in the cards for their new product direction.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mitsubishi fan or not, you can’t deny the awesomeness that is the EVO. Hell, even muscle car purists give respect to the EVO, that’s why everyone was so socked when its apparent demise was announced. There’s even been a petition going around the internet to try to save the EVO.

Well it seems Mitsubishi has taken notice of all that, and they are now back tracking a bit saying that the EVO will now “evolve” (their words, not mine) into a slightly different direction.

Since Mitsubishi’s new product direction is investing in fuel efficient technologies, it’s safe to say that the rumour of the EVO going the performance hybrid route is probably now legit.

It’s an interesting idea and I’m sure EVO afficionados will still cry blasphemy, but hey it’s better than no EVO at all. It’s not like the EVO will turn into a Toyota Prius, auto manufacturers are finding ways to have both performance and efficiency these days – just look at the Porsche 918 or the BMW i8. Unlike those vehicles, a hybridized EVO is expected to take on a diesel engine and an electric motor.

Whatever it ends up being, I’m just glad Mitsubishi didn’t give up on the EVO all together because as one of my recent test drives proved, they don’t have much else going on in their current product portfolio.

[Mitsubishi]

Much to the dismay to most North American Volvo wagon enthusiasts, when Volvo debuted the V60, they also said it would not be coming to North America due to poor V70 sales. However it now seems there is a possibility of the very stylish V60 being available for sale here.

Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby recently indicated that it’s possible for the V60 to come to this side of the pond as a sort of niche vehicle. He suggested that perhaps the V60 could be a hybrid only if sold here. The goal would be to keep Volvo loyalists happy all while ensuring they don’t jump ship for the Toyota Prius, Lexus HS 25oh or Audi A3 TDI should they want something more efficient. This would also help Volvo achieve its CAFE standards as they currently offer no hybrid or diesel models in North America.

Volvo is currently working on electric vehicles and has also hinted at a deisel powered C30 coming to our market as well.

Would you buy a hybridized V60 or would you rather just a pocket rocket version in T6 form? Maybe beggers can’t be choosers.

[Swedespeed]

The Mazdaspeed3 is one of the few pocket rockets that actually deliver on the performance end. The Honda Civic Si and Chevrolet Cobalt SS might try their damndest, but they really don’t measure up to the Mazdaspeed3 or the GTI.

As good as the Mazdaspeed3 is, it’s not without its faults. For instance, the turbo lag is almost as bad as the turbo lag in the Saab Viggen. And on top of that, it’s trying a little too hard to seem boy racer-ish, doesn’t it?

Well it seems that Mazda is going to give the new Speed3 quite a big change that will probably address neither of those problems. Well done, Mazda.

Anyway, according the VP of product development of Mazda USA Robert Davis, the next generation Speed3 could get a diesel in its engine bay. Say whaaaaaat?

Actually it’s not a bad idea. Since diesels are inherently torque-y there will likely be minimal or no loss of performance and the Speed3 would get excellent mileage to boot. In fact, I wonder why it’s taken other manufacturers (besides the Europeans) so long to figure this out. Mazda is undoubtedly concerned about the new CAFE standard and needs to do something about its sporty lineup. That’s why the RX8 is getting the axe next year. Don’t worry, the RX8 will return in 2013 with a new efficient engine.

[Car and Driver photo credit: edmunds.com]

YES!

Thanks to all those luck enough to afford a 918 Spyder writing in to Porsche. It’s because of that that Porsche was able to build a business case to build the 918 Spyder and now it has officially been confirmed. It will indeed enter production, albeit in limited numbers.

I think this is going to be the most significant car for the next five years, despite what GM may tell you about its Volt (see my post below for why I have doubts). While I appreciate the Volt and am very intrigued by it, I think Porsche is going to truely upstage it with the 918 Spyder. Being able to make a car that can get from 0-100 in 3.9 seconds, emit just 70 g/km of carbon dioxide all while getting 3 L/100 kms is astonishing. Mind boggling even. On top of that, the 918 Spyder will be able to keep classic handling abilities that Porsche is known for and will be quite the looker if the concept is any indication.

Pricing is the downside, but that’s the case for any supercar. It is expected to start around $650,000 US. Yikes. But considering the technology packed into it and what it’s capable of, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. Also this is likely the reason why it will be produced in limited numbers. I’d be surprised if Porsche was able to make any profit on it too, actually.

People are already saying that this could be the successor to the amazing Carrera GT. And if the history of the Carrera GT is any indication, the 918 Spyder should have no problem fitting in with the big boys.

[Canadian Driver]

GM, GM, GM. What were you thinking?

Why would you go and develop a car that is supposedly going to be your saviour as well as an industry game changer for fuel efficiency and the environment and then go and make it require premium gas?

That’s like encouraging people to practice safe sex, yet charging them a premium to use condoms.

And the things is, I don’t even understand why the Volt would require premium gas. Why would a tiny 80 horsepower engine need a high octane output? I will concede, however, that’s it might be possible to get added efficiency by using higher octane for the Volt’s generator. And if it is, and it’s also the reason why premium gas is required, then you need to explain that to the public, GM. Because right now it looks kind of foolish offering no explanation for people to spend more money for your supposed halo car.

However, it’s not like you’ll be going through loads and loads of premium since GM claims you can go up to 65 kilometres on the electric motor alone before using a single drop of premium. It’s still a bit of a disappointment nonetheless.

[The Truth About Cars]

The Honda CR-Z.

Previously Honda themselves held the honour with the very unimpressive and underwhelming Insight which starts at $24,900. Honda even scared Toyota with that price and had them scrambling to make a hybrid version of their Toyota Yaris so that they could take the cheapest hybrid crown. But I’m sure that idea took the back burner when the results were in on the Insight. Just terrible.

Well Honda has just released Canadian pricing and the supposed successor to the CR-X will start at $23,460 for the six speed manual or $24,290 for the automatic making it the cheapest hybrid available in our market. The CR-Z is also the first ever hybrid available with a manual transmission. Sweet!

But the numbers don’t seem so sweet on paper. I mean, being the successor to the CR-X means that you gotta hold your own in the performance department. And with a 1.5 litre four cylinder engine making 126 horsepower and 136 pound foot torque, well, it just doesn’t seem possible to be fun to drive.

But at least it will be really efficient, right? Nope. While its 5.6 L/100 kms city (6.5 for the automatic) is nothing to sneeze at, this is a hybrid! There are regular gasoline cars that can do those numbers.

So, basically the new CR-Z is going to be nothing special in either performance or efficiency. Way to go, Honda. Let’s just hope it’s better than the Insight.

Oh and by the way, I’m fully aware that the pic above is not the production version of the CR-Z. It’s just I think the concept looked so much better.

[Honda Canada]

Last week we reported that Mercedes-Benz had decided to make the flagship of their lineup, the S-Class, hybrid only meaning every single trim level offered would be a hybrid.

Mercedes-Benz assured us that the only exception would be the high performance AMG version. It was expected to stay gas only but apparently that is not the case.

Automotive News is reporting that the AMG version of the S-Class will indeed by hybridized. If true, this will mark the first time that an AMG Mercedes will be a hybrid. It could also set precedent for future AMG Benz’s as well.

On the flip side, Automotive News has reported that some Mercedes-Benz dealerships aren’t happy with the idea saying that most S-Class drivers are interested in performance, not fuel economy.

True, if you are going to buy an S-Class, efficiency is likely not at the top of your priority list, but if Mercedes can somehow maintain AMG performance with added efficiency, isn’t that just a bonus? BMW has some ideas up its sleeve on how to acheive performance and efficiency, so if they can do it, you can be assured that Mercedes-Benz will try too.

A lot of people tend to wonder why no one has thought of combining a diesel with hybrid technology, as oppposed to a regular gasoline combustion engine, since diesels are inherantly efficient to begin with. Seemingly combining two forms of efficient technology would be the ultimate in both efficiency and power as diesels tend to have high torque ranges.

Well, someone has thought of it before. Mainly mostly every car manufacturer. The problem with a diesel hybrid set up is that diesels are bigger and heavier than traditional gas engine. Therefore, there generally isn’t enough room in the engine bay for both the diesel and electric motor. On top of that, the set up would be quite costly. Both hybrids and diesels tend to be more expensive than gas engine vehicles, so having a vehicle with both likely would likely produce some sticker shock.

But, that of course doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying. Kia has recently been flirting with the idea of a diesel-hybrid, and Mercedes-Benz has just announced a production diesel hybrid version of their E-Class sedan.

Details after the jump.

The E 300 BluTEC Hybrid will make its debut for the 2011 model year. It will feature an upgraded 2.2 litre CDI engine and a 15 kw electric motor charged by lithium-ion battery technology.

Combined power will be good for 224 horespower and the set up is expected to return a rather impressive 4 l/100 kms.

The eight-speed automatic with stop/start technology, and the ability to run up to 35 kilometers on the electric motor alone help the new E-class hybrid acheive its efficiency.

No pricing as of yet, but expect to pay a  premium for all this technology. Chances are, if you have the kind of dough to spend on an E-Class to begin with, then the price jump may not be such a hard pill to swallow.

Congrats to the 2011 Lotus Elise where the big news is that it is the the best performance car for CO2 emissions.

It’s able to achieve this mostly by its light weight (just under 2,000 ounds) and it’s new small 1.6 litre efficient engine borrowed from Toyota. 134 horsepower is generated from this 4 cylinder and it cuts its emissions by 13% over the 1.8 litre engine, producing only 155 g ofC02 per kilometre.

The new Elise will now sport a toned down front end with design cues borrowed from the awesome Evora.

Now for the bad news. We won’t be getting this new environmentally friendly Elise in Canada due to it being an extremely low volume selling vehicle.

But the 1.8 litre version will still stick around and it can hold its own for efficiency with a 9L/100 kms rating.

BMW is known for being the benchmark in many areas, specifically handing and performance, but not many people would consider the brand when it comes to efficiency or the environment.

Well it seems BMW wants even more accolades as it is trying to take the ‘Green Leader’ crown in the premium segment as they have confirmed production of a hybrid supercar. On top of that BMW finally has their awesome diesels for sale in both the 3 series and X5 in our market, they’re in pilot production stages of an all-electric Mini, they recently introduced an all-electric 1-series concept and now comes word that BMW will add two small cars beneath the 1-series. This new venture into the green territory is likely the result of new stringent efficiency standards, but if anyone can somehow match performance with efficiency, BMW is likely to do it.
Find out more about the new models after the jump
The first of the two new introductions is an all electric Megacity car which appears to have a set up similar to the Chevy Volt. Details beyond that are quite scarce.

The second vehicle is rumoured to be a small front-wheel drive hatchmack. Yes, you read that correctly, front-wheel drive.  This new hatch is rumoured to be dubbed the “o-series” (one thing that BMW apparently sucks at is vehicle name schemes) and is supposed to be offered as an alternative to a Mini owner who is looking for more premium aka someone who just wants a BMW badge to show off to the neighbours.

Seriously, if people wish to have a premium hot hatch from BMW, then bring over the 1-series hatch, match it with that superb diesel of theirs and- ta da! You’ve got a proper rear wheel drive efficient hot hatch. It’s really not that hard.

BMW purists are sure to shout blasphemy from the rooftops, but truthfully BMW has proved with its Mini brand that it could make front-wheel drive cars fun too. Again, leave it to BMW to seemingly do the impossible. But we would tend to agree that any vehicle that dawns the BMW name should be rear or all-wheel drive. Leave the front wheel drive business to the Mini division.