RAM TRUCK REPORTED THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER HYBRID
General Motors’ full-size hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there’s little indication Chrysler’s would either, unless the automaker were to offer them at an extremely favorable price point. That seems unlikely.
But for now, it seems that the only hybrid pickup trucks Ram will offer are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using federal stimulus funds via a $48 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Ram trucks will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.
Either way, the good news for mileage-conscious pickup truck buyers is that Diaz suggested other technologies from Fiat are likely to make their way to the Ram Trucks division at some point.
2011 TOYOTA IQ EV PROTOTYPE
Toyota iQ all-electric prototype will make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The EV prototype is currently being tested on European roads, with a potential market launch through a leasing programme in 2012. The Japanese company will also bring the car in the USA (as a Scion) and is also investigating its viability in other regions.
The iQ EV is equipped with an electric motor fed through a newly developed, flat and compact lithium-ion battery that is mounted under the car’s floor. According to Toyota, the battery pack doesn’t reduce the regular iQ’s load area or passenger space. The all-electric version of Toyota’s mini car is said to have a potential driving range of up to 65 miles or about 105 kilometers.
In addition, 2011 Toyota iQ EV prototype will join three more new models at the firm’s Geneva Salon stand including Yaris HSD hybrid concept, the European market variant of the Prius+ minivan with seven seats, and a closer to production concept of the FT-86 rear-wheel drive coupe.
Jom komen!