Hybrids entering into auto mainstream market
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Consumers will see in the 2007 model year a wider variety of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. Two of Canada’s best-selling sedans, the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, offer hybrid models to consumers.
Ford of Canada will now become the first automaker to bring hybrid vehicle production to Canada with the Oakville Assembly Complex (OAC) adds hybrid versions of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX to the assembly line over the next four years.
Ford Motor Company expects to sell 250,000 hybrids worldwide by 2010. Because hybrid technology is currently prices above conventional gasoline engine-based vehicles, British Columbia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island are offering $1,000-$3,000 hybrid consumer tax incentives.
The Saturn VUE Green Line hybrid SUV brings a new level of affordability to the segment. The hybrid powertrain costs only $2,600, keeping the vehicle in the $30,000 price range. Saturn VUE Green Line gets 20 per cent better fuel economy than its gas-powered counterparts, and boasts 20 per cent more power. The VUE Green Line is one of 12 hybrid vehicles GM will launch, on vehicles ranging from cars to SUVs.
Toyota’s 2007 Camry is available in a hybrid form.
Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) powertrain includes a four-cylinder gasoline engine, a small 105-kilowatt electric drive motor, an ultra-small inverter with a compact 244-volt nickel-metal hydride battery.
With the launch of the Lexus GS 450h, hybrid technology moves into the luxury sedan market. “The GS 450h is the world’s first passenger car that combines luxury features with hybrid power, performance and fuel efficiency,” explains Stuart Payne, director for Lexus in Canada. “It’s also the first full-hybrid in the world to feature a front engine and rear-wheel drive. As such, the GS 450h is a groundbreaking vehicle.” The Lexus uses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.
Lexus also offers a luxury SUV, the RX 400h, in hybrid configuration.
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