BMW's "Refined" Concept X5 eDrive with Plug-in Hybrid Powertrain Heads to NY Show

Joining the new M4 Convertible as well as the X4 crossover, facelifted X3, 4-Series Gran Coupe and ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe at BMW's New York Auto Show booth later this month will be a "further refined" version of the production-intent Concept X5 eDrive plug-in hybrid that we first saw at last year's Frankfurt motor show.

XCar Reviews Range Rover Hybrid, Doesn't Quite Get It

Starting from this fall, Land Rover added hybrid versions for the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport to its range. The first ever hybrid models in the history of Land Rover combine a 3.0-liter SDV6 turbodiesel engine linked to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with a 35kW (47hp) electric motor/generator.

With a total system output of 335hp (340PS) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, the Range Rover Hybrid sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 7 seconds and has an average fuel economy of 44.1 mpg UK (36.7 mpg US, 6.4 l/100 km).

XCar took the Range Rover Hybrid for a spin and found that it’s exactly like any other Range Rover (which is good), only more economical.

However, as the hybrid model is only offered on the top-spec Autobiography model, there’s a big problem: it costs £98,400 in the UK, the same as the 510hp V8-powered Range Rover. The question is: will fuel costs really matter for customers who can afford to spend that much on a car in the first place?

By Dan Mihalascu

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BMW Has Already Sold All i8 Models Allocated for 2014

We knew BMW’s new i3 got off to a good start, but it looks like the more expensive i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is doing well too. According to the carmaker’s global sales chief, Ian Robertson, BMW has already sold the 2014 supply for the i8.

However, the executive didn’t say how many units of the i8 sports car (due to be introduced in mid-2014) will be sold next year. The BMW i8 is priced from €126,000 in Germany, while in the UK it has a base price of £99,125. In the United States, BMW will offer the i8 from $135,700.

Robertson told Reuters news that there are nearly 10,000 orders for the i3 electric car, for which deliveries started in mid-November in Germany. The BMW i3 will arrive in U.S. dealerships in the second quarter of 2014.

As a reminder, the BMW i8 features a plug-in hybrid powertrain featuring a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder twin-turbocharged petrol engine developing 231 PS (228hp) and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque that drives the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic gearbox and a synchronous electric motor developing 96kW (129hp) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque that turns the front wheels via a two-stage automatic transmission. There’s also a 5 kWh lithium-ion high-voltage battery with liquid cooling.

The car’s combined system output of 362 PS (357hp) and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) allows it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Average fuel economy is estimated at 2.5 l/100 km (113 mpg UK, 94 mpg US) – obviously, including the use of the battery.

By Dan Mihalascu

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New 2014 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Flies to LA for World Premiere

Billed as the world’s first seven-passenger gas-electric hybrid SUV, the third generation of Toyota's Highlander Hybrid made its first appearance in front of a crowd today at the LA Auto Show.

Besides the new body and interior that are common with the regular 2014 Highlander, the hybrid model comes with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine paired to an electric drive motor-generator and electronic on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD-i). Fuel economy and output figures have not yet been announced.

Toyota claims that, thanks to a new raft of technologies, including enhancements in suspension performance, and optimized electric power steering, the new Highlander Hybrid will provide "a more dynamic driving experience".

The new hybrid SUV will go on sale in the States next February available in two trim grades, the limited with a starting MSRP of $47,300, and the Limited Platinum that adds features such as a Panoramic Moonroof, heated steering wheel, and heated perforated leather second-row captain’s chairs, for $49,790. Both prices exclude a delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $860.

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Lexus Shows and Tells More About New RC Coupe

Just as the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show officially opened its doors that will remain open for the public until December 1, Lexus dropped a more comprehensive set of photos and shared some additional (but not yet full) details on its new RC (just don't call it an IS Coupe, even though that's what it is at heart).

The powertrain information concerns the Japanese domestic market model that will launch worldwide in the second half of 2014. In its home market, Japan's best attempt yet against the BMW 4-Series will come in two initial flavors, the RC 350 and the RC 300h hybrid.

In RC 350 trim, the coupe sports Lexus' dual injection 3.5-liter V6 lump capable of producing 314hp (318PS) at 6,400 rpm, and peak torque of 280 lb.-ft. (379Nm) at 4,800 rpm, paired to an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift with paddle shift transmission adapted from the IS F sedan. According to Lexus, "in manual (M) mode full torque converter lock up from second to eighth gears allows for down changes in just 0.2 seconds."

The milder and more frugal sibling of the RC 350 is the RC 300h, Lexus' first production hybrid coupe. It uses a dual-injected 176hp (178PS) 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine linked to a 105kW (141hp) electric motor driven through an electronic continuously variable transmission with six step gears in a sequential shift-matic feature, with the system delivering a combined output of 217hp (220PS).

Lexus said that it will offer both rear and all-wheel drive versions of the RC, pointing out, however, that "availability will vary by market".

Information regarding the RC's lineup for North America, Europe and other regions around the world will be announced at a later date.

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