Hyundai Motor America, the largest automaker to report Tuesday, said its U.S. sales rose 38 percent last month to 42,656 vehicles from 31,005 the previous year.The gain was led by sales of the Sonata, which totaled 17,505. That was more than double a year ago. The automaker introduced turbo and hybrid versions of the model.
Inside these posts: hybrids
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Power says electric cars just don’t have the spark
A well-known auto industry forecasting firm on Wednesday suggested that the heavily promoted battery-powered vehicles about to appear are headed for a much slower takeoff then some auto makers and industry analysts expect.
In a new study, J.D. Power & Associates said sales of electric cars are likely to remain low for several years and won’t make up more than a small slice of the global market even 10 years down the road. Get the full story »
BMW exec: Alt-fuel cars to stay niche
Ask Jim O’Donnell, president and chief executive of BMW North America, about the automaker’s plans for alt-fuel vehicles, and he assures that the luxury nameplate will be there — with the 5-Series passenger cars and X3 crossover front and center.
But he also is convinced that hybrids, electrics and any combination will remain niche markets rather than supplant internal combustion for autos for some time.
“The price of gas in Newark (N.J.) was $2.38 a gallon when I left to come here this morning,” said O’Donnell, in town for the BMW Golf Championship this week at Cog Hill in Lemont. “Without a substantial increase in that, the U.S. market is not going to turn to alternative fuel vehicles.” Get the full story »
Lincoln MKZ hybrid to cost same as gasoline car
When the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid sedan goes on sale in the fall, the price will probably surprise a lot of people. The sticker price will be $35,180 — exactly the same as the non-hybrid version of the car.
Hybrid cars generally cost considerably more than non-hybrid versions of the same car. In many cases the extra cost of the car can cancel out what the owner saves on gas. Get the full story »
Honda to sell electric plug-in hybrid by 2012
Honda Motor Co plans to launch a plug-in hybrid and battery electric model in 2012 as part of its strategy to push to the front of a race by global automakers to develop more fuel-efficient cars. Japan’s No.2 automaker was one of the world’s only car makers to offer gasoline-electric cars during the past decade but has begun looking like a laggard without a “strong” hybrid or concrete plans to mass-produce pure electric cars. Get the full story »
Ford aims to reinvent Explorer, recapture sales
Ford Motor Co. is counting on a leaner and greener makeover of its Explorer to find new buyers for a once hot-selling sport utility vehicle that powered the automaker’s profits a decade ago. Get the full story »
