Dave Mulroney is our Ambassador to China and he recently is catching some flack for a recent purchase. No, it’s not any sort of spending scandal but it’s apparently due to the choice of government vehicle that Mulroney recently posted pics of. Mulroney’s Toyota Camry Hybrid (which is identical to the one posted above) was immediately mocked by over 1000 Chinese as soon as he posted the picture. In China, most politicians are seen in uber premium German sedans, primarily Audis. One Chinese commuter commented:

“It’s always best to yield to an Audi — you never know who you’re messing with, but chances are it’s someone self-important.”

In China, Camry’s are generally regarded as cars the next step up from buses and bikes. That’s about it. A fellow Chinese Ambassador also joined in the ribbing as he posted to Mulroney’s pics saying “A Chinese mid-level cadre wouldn’t lay an eye on your car!”

Mulroney actually responded to the Chinese backlash saying that he only has a budget of around $32,000 (CAD) to spend on his governmental vehicle and that spending any more is outside of the set guidelines.

“I have to answer to Canadian expectations. What happens to China is for Chinese people to decide,” Mulroney continued. He also said he originally posted his hybrid because he often gets questions about how the embassy operates, and how much money is usually spent. Mulroney said he was just trying to seem transparent with the Chinese people, something that their government is often criticized for not being.

While this certainly won’t spark any sort of international incident, it does indeed show different cultures attitudes towards certain vehicles and vehicle makes.

[The Globe & Mail]

Just because you may have an interest in the environment or just plain ol’ saving some cash doesn’t mean that you have a disinterest in performance. Just ask the Prius driver jailed for racing.

Anyway, there are lots of performance oriented brands that have now offered up their version of a no-compromise hybrid. Infiniti is the latest with their brand new M35 hybrid. In fact, Infiniti is so confident that their new hybrid is a no nonsense performance sedan that they decided to put their money where their mouth is and stack it up against in a drag race against one of the most expensive hybrid offerings on the market: The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid.

First things first, the specs. The Porsche comes with 380 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h time of just 5.7 seconds all while returning 7.8 L/100 kms in fuel efficiency on the highway.

The M35 gets a 360 horsepower V6 which makes the dash in… your guess is as good as mine. Infiniti has not released official numbers yet. Perhaps this is why this video exists in the first place. In terms of efficiency, the M35 fairs better at 7.3 L/100 kms on the highway.

So without further ado, check out the drag race above. Since this is a video made by Infiniti I probably won’t ruin it for you by saying the M35 hybrid beat out the Porsche on this one, but in the same regard, since it is indeed made by Infiniti, take it with a grain of salt as there is probably lots of unaccounted variables that gives the M35 an edge (not least of which is not showing the drag race from the start line).

Still, the M35 hybrid does make a decent case for itself for those who want luxury and performance but who aren’t willing (or who aren’t able) to pay the Porsche’s $95,000 price tag.

[Youtube]

Porsche has just released this image of the production version of the 918 Spyder. Looks tremendous!

It will officially be a plug-in hybrid and will get a 4.0 litre V8 along with two electric motors that produces a combined 218 horsepower. That’s a total of 718 horsepower in a car that supposedly gets 3L/100 kms! Very impressive!

The 918 still hasn’t been rated yet by U.S efficiency standards, but we should still expect fairly impressive numbers. On top of that, it will have a 0-100 time of 3.1 seconds with top speed being 320 km/h. What’s even more imrpessive than that is the 918 Spyder can apparently run on both electric motors up to 150 kph before the gas engine kicks in.

If this all sounds good to you, get on the phone to your local Porsche dealer ASAP because Porsche also said they will only build 918 for the entire world. Yeah, very limited production. Oh, and it will also cost you about $845,000.

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]

When Honda announced it would be reviving a successor to the CRX, many CRX fans pretty much wet their pants. It had been decades since the hot hatch was around and the only thing that Honda made since the CRX that was even close was the Civic SI hatch.

However excitement turned to dismay and disappointment when Honda announced that the CRX replacement, the CR-Z, would be a hybrid. Honda marketed it as being the best of both worlds matching performance and efficiency in perfect harmony, but it seems most of the world (except for Japan) disagreed as sales for the CR-Z have been quite disappointing.

Well apparently in order to fix that, Honda is giving CRX fans what they should’ve gotten in the first place: a true CRX successor. If Autocar is to be believed, Honda will either replace the hybrid technology all together in favour of a regular gas engine, or at the very least make a gas only version optional.

No word yet on engine or power details, but this is very welcomed news. One of the many things the original CRX did well was achieve excellent performance with good efficiency – without the help of hybrid technology (which adds weight).

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Autocar]

Toyota isn’t effing around anymore, are they?

Toyota Canada has quickly issued a stop sale on the Lexus HS 250h due to fire risk concerns. Apparently if a rear collision is severe enough, excessive amounts of fuel can spill out causing a risk of fire, or even an explosion.

Toyota said in a press release:

“As part of its annual compliance testing program, the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently conducted a test of the
2010 model year HS 250h. The test involved striking the vehicle with a
deformable barrier from the rear at approximately 80 km/h. The vehicle
is struck by a moving deformable barrier with a 70 per cent overlap. As
part of the test, the vehicle was then rotated on its longitudinal axis
incrementally to each successive increment of 90 degrees. During the
rotation, the vehicle exhibited fuel spillage that exceeded the
requirement in the standard.”

That’s all fine and good, but what is the solution Toyota? They have no idea. Until they can think of something, no new 2010 HS 250h’s will be delivered or sold to the public.

Better get on a solution soon, Toyota.

[Toyota Canada]

My friends usually make fun of me for where and how I park my car. I refuse to park next to anyone anywhere. Therefore, I park way at the other end of the lot where no one bothers to park because it’s too far from the doors of the store. Because you know, it’s not like North American’s could use the exercise that the extra walk from the car to the door provides. Anyway, even then I only park in corner spaces because there is always some cock bag who will park next to me regardless of how much out of my way I go to ensure that very situation does not happen. And then I park on the line closest to the corner of the space to ensure no dings can ever occur from people who apparently have enough sense to pass a driving test but not enough sense to know how to open a car door properly. People usually call me a jack-ass for purposely parking on the line, but whatever. I figure if I park far enough away, it doesn’t really affect anybody anyhow.

Now, the picture above is a perfect example of why I do this. I don’t think I could describe in words the amount of rage that would consume my body and soul if I was the owner of the Nissan 370Z (40th anniversary edition too!) pictured above while coming back to my car. I would likely bludgeon the owner of the white Honda Accord along their family with an axe. There’s no way the clot who owns the Honda Accord Hybrid didn’t notice how close they had parked to the 370Z. There’s no way there wasn’t any scraping. Judging by the condition of the Accord, the owner obviously doesn’t care about the car to begin with. If there were a car equivalent of child services, I would be tempted to call to save this poor Accord from its reckless owner.

In any event, FAIL FAIL FAIL to the Accord Hybrid owner. I’m going to print this picture and show it to the next person who makes fun of me for parking the way I do.

By Kevin Harrison

There’s a problem with society. Well, there’s many problems actually. But most notably, we seem to always want and demand impossible combinations of stuff.

For instance, we all wish to eat healthy but as soon as companies cut fat or sodium from our foods, we all turn into pouty six year olds. With our arms crossed and our faces full of irritation we declare “I’m never buying this again” because the cheese with 25% less fat tastes like a rubber boot.

No matter where you are in Canada, people will insist that their roads are the worst in the country, as if it were some sort of accolade. But then when taxes get raised or money gets diverted to fix the roads, we all turn into selfish children yet again.

“Fix the roads with someone else’s money, not mine” we all say.

The same can be said for fuel efficiency and the environment. Sure, we’re all concerned about these issues (most of us are anyway), but are we willing to do anything about it? Nope. Because the energy efficient bulb takes a bit longer to reach its peak brightness it’s not worth buying apparently. And if you tell someone they’re going to have to downsize if they’d like to save on gas, they’ll look at you as if you hunt rats in the middle of the night for fun.

So due to these kinds of attitudes, we’re left with things like the X6 ActiveHybrid – a stab in the dark to try to bring us a solution to our uncompromisable problem – power yet efficiency. Has it worked?

The X6 ActiveHybrid exists for these kind of people – the ones who demand the impossible. BMW set off to turn its standard X6 into a powerful yet efficient off roading, cargo swallowing, coupe-like luxury CUV. Something for everyone, right? Well straight off the bat, I’m going to tell you, it hasn’t worked.

Starting with the engine, it uses the same 4.4 litre V8 found in the X6′s gasoline powered brother the X6 50i. Not quite what you’d expect in a hybrid. Its two electric motors is also unique from a typical hybrid, as most hybrids tend to use just one electric motor. One electric motor is designed to kick in a lower speeds & ‘offline mode’, and the other is designed for high speed driving. The gasoline engine uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but again, it isn’t a conventional CVT. It actually has seven set transmission ratios thanks to multiplate cluthes. Got all that? All this helps the X6 hybrid produce 407 horsepower, making it the most powerful hybrid ever made.

But the most powerful hybrid ever made is only useful if it returns good fuel efficiency. The X6 ActiveHybrid will return 12.6 L/100 kms in the city and 10.3 highway. This is out of the ordinary yet again as hybrids tend to deliver better mileage in the city than on the highway. But at the end of the day, the end result for fuel efficiency is pretty underwhelming. When compared to the regular X6 V8, which gets 17.1 city and 11 highway, it’s not too bad. But considering the unusualy and complciated set up, it could definitely be better. And afterall, most cars don’t come even close to their rated efficiency so you will likely be returning worse fuel economy than 12.6 L city.

That brings me to my next point. Having a hybrid with huge amounts of power just means you are going to take advantage of it by driving fast all the time. The X6 ActiveHybrid really is hard to drive slowly, like most BMW’s. The V8 is so smooth and responsive. But of course, when you put your foot to the floor, fuel economy takes a big hit, despite all those electric motors and the CVT transmission. Performance is fantastic if you ignore how poorly it does for fuel efficiency when pushed. 0-100 takes only 5.6 seconds which is identical to the X6 V8. And thanks to those massive 19 inch wheels and typical BMW suspension, the X6 feels quite stable in corners as well.

The X6 ActiveHybrid can technically drive on the electric motor alone up to 60 kph, but this will never happen because the conditions need to be absolutely perfect. As in, everything from the smoothness of the road surface to the outside temperature plays a role. I experienced the electric motor only propulsion once and it was when I was backing out of a parking space. Hoping to keep moving with just the electric motor, I was very easy on the throttle when I put it in drive, but because there was a bit of an incline on my way out of the parking lot, the gas engine kicked in.

There is a huge bulge in the bonnet which makes the X6 ActiveHybrid appear to be all performance, but really it’s there to help conceal all the hybrid technology. Overall, the exterior styling is either love it or hate it. If you think it’s ugly all I have to say is that when I was driving it down busy Spring Garden Road in Halifax, three attractive girls sitting on a bench enjoying ice cream all stared intensely with one of them yelling out “nice car!” with a smile as I drove by. Enough said.

The interior is very much typical BMW with all the goodies you would expect. The seats are immensely comfortable. Stealing a Jeremy Clarkson line is the only way to describe them: “it’s like sitting on a fat dog”. The headup display is quite neat and the display screen which tells you what all the supposed fuel efficient technology is doing at any given moment is also cool, but very distracting. The X6 only has seating for four, but those two lucky passengers seated in the back get just as many controls as those in the front as they can control the climate, they can reline their seats, and they have a decent sized screen for watching their favourite DVD.

But then, my original point comes into play again. The X6 ActiveHybrid is kind of pointless. A CUV that only seats four? The whole purpose of a CUV is for added utility and space. The X6 will also do miserably in most off-roading conditions thanks to those fat high performance low profile tires.

But probably the biggest problem is so-called efficiency set up. A hybrid that returns 12.3 L /100 kms at best is almost as useful as a supercar that does 0-100 in 10 seconds. It just isn’t logical. A hybrid is meant for fuel and emissions savings and a performance car is meant for thrills on and off the track. BMW tried to put both together into a car that isn’t logical to begin with and came up something that makes even less sense, especially considering the price tag. The X6 ActiveHybrid will set you back $99,900. That’s $20,000 more than a regular X6 V8 and makes me wonder who in their right mind would spend $20,000 more to save a bit more gas.

To be fair, X6 ActiveHybrid’s existence isn’t really BMW’s fault. It’s the fault of those who want their cake and eat it too – those who want to be skinny yet won’t excercise or those who critisize polititians, yet don’t vote. These fools are the reason BMW has made one of the most illogical vehicles in recent memory.

Performance and efficiency is truely a hard thing to acheive and if we made a few compromises such as not insisting on driving big SUV’s every day of our lives, we’d likely be able to have both. Because the thing is, BMW has been making a vehicle that has both performance, efficiency, style and versitility for some time.

It’s called the Mini Cooper S.

Price: $99,900

Pros:

• Head turning looks
• Excellent V8 power
• Excellent handling capabilities
• Same performance as V8, but a bit more efficient
• Comfy seats

Cons:

• Ridiculous price premium
• Virtually no off-roading capabilities
• Lackluster fuel efficiency considering complicated hybrid set up
• Distracting display screen
• Inability to easily use electric motor only

Overall: 6.5/10

Special thanks to Campbell Harbord of Halifax BMW

Fisker has announced that they will be taking their highly anticipated Karma on a tour of North America in the hopes of generating more buzz. Tke Fisker Karma is dubbed as being a premium plug-in sports hybrid. Fisker is claiming that the Karma can run up to 480 kms on the electric battery alone before the gas engine kicks in. Pretty impressive. If it can hold its own on the track, colour us very impressed!

The Karma has made limited appearances at car shows and at private parties where one has to pay to just take a look at it. Kind of snobby, Fisker, but this new tour should help shake that image.

The Karma’s Canadian stops will be in Toronto on June 6th, Calgary June 18th, and Vancouver June 24th.

Obama’s new fuel efficiency standards will come into effect in 2016 which is great for the environment, but a headache for most manufacturers who are struggling to meet the standards in time.

At the risk of becoming hypocritical, the President asked that his 2009 custom Prestidential Limo be transformed into a hybrid as soon as he got into office.

During his recent trip to North Carolina, Obama was asked how the hybrid transformation of his ride was coming along. His answer? It’s not.

The 2009 limo that Obama gets shuffled around in is cutsom made for the man himself by Cadillac. Among many other things, it carries heavy duty weapons on board, emergency medicine, and is bomb proof. Naturally, all of this translates into substancial amounts of weight gain. If fact, Obama’s limo weighs roughly three times more than the average car! So, Obama was told by the Secret Service that it’s not possible.  The limo needs to be able to make quick getaways in emergency situations and, frankly, hybrids can be as slow as Heidi Montag.

Instead, the limo uses a heavy duty diesel for power, which allows it to make quick getways along with exceptional efficiency.

It was a good idea while it lasted, Barack, but your safety is likely more important.

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.

Looks like Mercedes-Benz is actually serious about meeting CAFE standards and not paying any more fines anymore.

The next iteration of the benchmark setting S-Class is expected to switch up its game under the hood and go hybrid only. At least for the U.S. This would likely mean the same fate for the new S-Class in Canada as well.

Apparently S400 hybrid sales are currently doing so well that it seemed only logical to hybridize the S-Class lineup. The S400 hybrid has a 3.5-liter V6  for 295 horsepower along with a mild electric motor assist. This is good enough to get the big heavy executive sedan 9L/100 kms combined. Not bad considering the gas version of the S550 get a 15.8L/100 kms city rating.

There will be one exception to the hybrid only rule being enforced on the S-Class however. AMG versions are expected to keep performance purists happy as they will stay gas only and deliver the same or better numbers that we are all used too. Except for mileage that is. The AMG S-Class currently gets 19.3 L/100 kms city. Yikes.

The supposed successor to the peppy CRX hatchback of the early 90′s is apparently doing well in its home country.

Honda has taken 8,000 orders of the new hybrid after only 3 weeks of it being available for order. Not bad.

What is bad is the lackluster efficiency the car gets considering its size and its hybrid set up. The CR-Z gets 6.5 l/100 kms city and 6.1 l/100 kms highway. Comparitively A Honda Fit can get 7.1 l/100 kms city and 5.5 l/100 kms highway with just a regular gasoline engine. It also has a much cheaper starting price.

Still, the CR-Z promises to be performance oriented as it is one of the few hybrids (perhaps only hybrid) to offer a 6-speed manual transmission. 40% of Japanese who ordered a CR-Z so far have checked the 6-speed manual box in the option list.

But then you look at the horsepower numbers: 122 horsepower and 128 pound foot of torque. Extremely weak numbers on paper for a so-called performance oriented vehicle, despite the hybrid technology. The CR-Z better be extremely light like its CRX predecesor if it wishes to retain any credibility.

Although if the 8,000 number of CR-Z’s already ordered is any indication, credibility won’t really even matter.

“No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a (Toyota) Corolla. So there are not enough idiots who will buy it” -Audi of America President on the Chevolet Volt.

“They’re for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are” – Audi of America President on electric vehicles.

We’re not sure how Johan de Nysschen still has his job after making comments like that, especially since they are now proving to be immensely hypocritical.

Audi’s E-tron concept, an all electric sports car, will indeed make it into production for the 2012 year. The E-tron is supposedly only 88 pounds heavier than its gas engine twin the R8, so that combined with  309 horsepower electric motors means some serious competition for the Tesla Roadster.

The newly introduced A1 will also become electrified as it makes its debut at the Geneva Auto show. It’s going to have a Wankel range extender, so expect the little hatchback to do quite well for city driving.

With expectations of a Q5 plug-in hybrid and an A8 hybrid Concept already debuted, we guess Audi doesn’t think the Chevy Volt is for idiots anymore since both will cost a much larger premium for a car that gets worse mileage than a Toyota Corolla. We’re just sayin’.

Think next time you speak, de Nysschen!

Move over Toyota, Ferrari wants to take your hybrid crown away. Yes, Ferrari. Even though red is the colour of choice for any true Ferrari enthusiast, you can expect to see many green Ferraris in every sense of the word in the coming years.

Even though the Head of Ferrari is playing the role of Debbie Downer for the 599 hybrid’s launch date, the above shot is indeed the 599 hybrid version in green taken at this year’s Geneva Auto Show.

And Ferrari isn’t going to stop there. The Chairman of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo says that he would like to see every Ferrari owner have the choice of a hybrid option no matter which model they are interested in. And soon too.

Says Montezemolo “This is a first step of a long project and we want within three years, maximum four, to have a hybrid Ferrari car ready for every single product of our range. This is our goal. In three years we aim to cut emissions by a minimum of 35 percent.”

Even though they are not volume sellers, supercars tend to chug as much or sometimes more gas than most large SUV’s so this is welcomed news.