Mar 25, 2009, 13:42 GMT
Hamburg - The big car makers presented a flurry of alternative driving concepts and eco-cars at the recent Geneva Motor Show leaving many a motorist wondering when such cars will be available in the showroom.
The next three years will bring a number of cars onto the roads that have so far only been seen as concept studies at big motor shows or circulated on the internet as teaser images. Yet much of what we have seen lately remains hype and may only appear on our roads 10 years from now.
Car makers are under enormous public and government pressure to build cleaner cars that are no longer dependent on fossil fuels. Since 2004, plenty of progress has been made on hybrid, electric drive and more efficient combustion engines.
But with the car industry feeling the brunt of the global financial crisis, it is unclear whether some of the big car manufacturers will survive this year.
The big players such as Toyota, VW, Honda and Daimler have the necessary research capacity for a technological breakthrough and to finance production of the new models. Others such as General Motors, Ford and Fiat are in a dismal position. But entirely new niche car makers may yet take the industry by surprise.
The following is a list of some full hybrid, mild-hybrid, electric, fuel cell and other eco cars in the planning:
Audi has announced that it will offer a hybrid version of its Q5 Crossover model in late 2010 fitted with lithium-ion batteries. According to German press reports, Audi is also planning a small family car similar to the VW Up! range after 2011 that would include an electric vehicle.
BMW is currently testing a fleet of electric MINI cars in the United States and Germany with a lithium-ion battery pack taking the place of the rear seat. The car, however, is still too expensive for mass production. In Geneva, BMW presented the Concept 7 Series ActiveHybrid which is scheduled for production later this year.
Combined with an eight-cylinder petrol engine, it has an additional electric engine integrated in the gearbox. BMW is working on a modular hybrid system for every model range.
The ailing General Motors company, Chevrolet, hopes to make a big comeback with the launch of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid late in 2010. But at a price of at least 40,000 dollars, it is way beyond the means of the average buyer. GM is planning 26 hybrid vehicles by 2014. The big question remains: Will GM survive 2009?
Peugeot-Citroen is actively pursuing an electric drive programme. By the end of 2010, it aims to offer the first electric cars in cooperation with Mitsubishi based on the iMiev which is available on the Japanese market this year. A Hybrid diesel combination will be available in 2011 in the Citroen DS5 Hybrid family hatch.
The Dutch manufacturer, DuraCar, is planning the first 100 per cent electric delivery vehicle, the Quicc! Diva. Mass production is scheduled for next year. It has a range of 150 kilometres and a top speed of 120 km/h.
Fisker presented a production-ready, hybrid-electric 'eco-chic' sports car, the Karma, at the Detroit Motor Show. Production is expected from mid-2009 at a basic price of just under 90,000 dollars. The car travels 80 kilometres on electric power alone before the fuel engine takes over from a generator that supplies more electric power.
Honda is aggressively pursuing its hybrid plans and plans to sell half a million hybrids per year by 2010. The model line-up includes the Jazz hybrid supermini and petrol-electric CR-Z sports Jazz Hybrid.
The Mercedes ML450 SUV is the product of the Two-Mode hybrid partnership between GM, Chrysler, BMW and Daimler.
The launch is planned later this year. Mercedes unveiled in Detroit three alternative drive variants as concept cars: The Blue- Zero E-Cell, the Blue-Zero E-Cell Plus (hybrid) and the Blue-Zero F- Cell with a hydrogen fuel cell. It is unclear when and in what shape they will be produced. Mercedes is planning an A-Class electric vehicle 2010 and a Smart EV.
The Swiss-based car company, Mindset, is planning to go ahead with the production next year of its electric vehicle that has a range of about 200 kilometres and a top speed of 140 km/h. The Mindset is equipped with an electric motor supported by a combustion engine. The price tag is expected to be around 75,000 Swiss francs (63,000 dollars).
The British-based Ronart Lightning company is building a 700 hp electric sports car, the Lightning GT, next year and the production run of 200-300 vehicles is already sold out. It claims the NanoSafe batteries can be recharged in just 10 minutes with a range of 400 kilometres. The battery unit delivers power per unit weight and volume several times that of lithium-ion batteries. The price tag is well over 300,000 dollars per vehicle.
The Porsche tuning firm Ruf is planning an electric Porsche 911 (eRuf Porsche 911) for 2010 fitted with a lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. The small electric motor in the rear is no bigger than a washing machine and has an output of 205 hp.
The US Tesla Roadster company is allocating 250 Tesla Roadsters for the European market this year at a price of 99,000 euros. The 100 per cent electric car has a range of 365 kilometres and a top speed of 200 km/h.
Toyota plans to launch the new plug-in Prius Hybrid in July this year. It has so far sold 1 million hybrids in the US and is the market leader in the field. The Japanese car maker claims the new model is more powerful and economic even though it is powered by the basic nickel-metal hydride batteries.
Volkswagen (VW) is pursuing several drive concepts including downsizing combustion engines, clean diesels, hybrid, electric, natural gas and second generation bio fuels. The VW Golf TDI Hybrid has a consumption of 3.8 litres per 100 kilometres and goes on sale in 2010/2011. The VW Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid is also planned for 2010/2011.
VW CEO Martin Winterkorn says other car makers should 'come clean' on e-power claims, adding: 'We are still a long way off from having the electric car for everybody that is affordable.' VW is planning its first mass electric car in the Up! small car family in the next decade.
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