Honda Takes on the Hybrid Motorcycle

For a few years now, hybrids have been all the rage in the consumer car market. The Prius has been elevated to the status of an icon and Honda is now trying to catch up with its revived Honda Insight. But what about motorcycles, where Honda has been the unquestioned world leader for years?

The added weight and complexity has previously kept the word “hybrid” from squeezing in front of the word “motorcycle,” but now Honda thinks they’ve found a way to build and market hybrid motorcycles. According to the Mainichi Shinbun, Honda will begin releasing the hybrid motorcycles in the 2010s, which will be followed up by electric motorcycles in 2011.

Honda will be adapting the hybrid system it uses on its current cars to work with motorcycles of engine displacement between 200 and 1000cc. It would probably be too cumbersome to use on smaller bikes, but Honda hopes to increase fuel efficiency by about 50% with the hybrid bikes.

Now, the real question for all you bikers out there is this: would you ride one?

Audi RS5 will debut in Detroit

I have a good news and a bad new for our American readers. Lets start with the bad one. According to Audi RS6 Project Manager Jens Koch, the twin-turbocharged V10 sedan won’t be hitting the U.S. market in its current iteration. The guys from Audi thought that the four-door body style would be more appealing to Stateside consumers rather than the Avant, but as far as seems, there’s too much energy and expense involved in making the V10 power plant pass the more stringent sniffer standards in the U.S.

Maybe you are starting to wonder what is the good news. Am i right? Well, Audi will take the wraps off the RS5 this January in Detroit, with the next RS4 debuting shortly thereafter. They even plan to further their goal of taking on BMW’s M division and Mercedes’ AMG lineup with more Quattro-branded vehicles.

Peugeot Prologue - Mono-volume SUV

The car you see in the pictures will be named Peugeot Prologue, in fact a concept that is the future model of the forthcoming Peugeot 3008.

This concept is Prologue, a car which Peugeot says it has emerged as a merger between two worlds.The SUV`s and the mono-volume`s worlds most likely.

The prototype`s interior is extremely modular and equipped with the latest technology,the hybrid drive-train at the same level, with a heat engine connected to the wheels together with electrc motors, with a total powe of up to 200 HP.

What is interesting is that the vehicle can operate not only one of the two engines, but can operate both of them simultaneously.

Alfa Romeo 149/Giulia : the succesor of 147

Afla Romeo 147 is not a reliable car anymore, an you know it. Nobody was execting so see a succesor for this car, but the guys from Alfa Romeo decided to build a new five-door hatchback, tipped to receive a new nameplate ouside the three-digit number designation, positioned slightly above the three-door MiTo hatch.

As for the new the new MiTo, the styling is expected to borrow the themes laid out by the 8C Competizione, which should translate better to the increased dimensions of the 149/Giulia over the more cartoonish looks of its smaller sibling.

We expect to see a wide range of gasoline and diesel engines, which could be topped by a 265-horsepower GTA version. According to our trustable sources, the 149 will be unveiled in a bit over a year fron now at the Frankfurt Show for market roll-out anticipated in late summer 2009.

Dodge Challenger Concept designer leaves Chrysler

Big name designers often skip from one job to another in the automotive world. Chrysler seems to be losing more than its fair share of artistic types, as the Auburn Hills-based automaker has lost two top designers in recent weeks. First, long time design chief Trevor Creed retired. Now Dodge Challenger Concept designer Micheal Castiglione has left for a smaller, more diversified design house. Castiglione has joined Ken Okuyama Design as their chief designer where he will work on everything from eye glasses and furniture to trains and planes. Okuyama also has some automotive interests, including the K.O 7 open wheel and the interesting-looking K.O 8 coupe (above). During his 15-year tenure with the Pentastar, Castiglione's best work came in the form of the Dodge Challenger Concept, but he also worked on the Jeep Compass concept and the Chrysler 300 production car.

Four-door Audi A1 headed to Paris

Click above for high-res shots of the Metroproject concept

The small car market is heating up fast, even for upmarket brands like Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the latter of which has the majority of the market cornered with its MINI sub-brand. The Bimmer competitor from Ingolstadt plans on attacking that market with its A1 subcompact, but unlike the Metroproject concept from Tokyo, the new A1 due to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show will sport four doors. Europeans are likely to get a production model spawned from the concept, which will likely be built in Brussels, Belgium and be introduced as a 2009 model. An electric model could follow shortly thereafter. Will the U.S. be blessed with another Germanic mini car? Audi's elusive Magic 8-Ball currently says "Not Likely," but with sales of the MINI going strong it's entirely too early to count it out completely.

Top Gear reviews ZR1, hard to get past Corvette looks

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Corvette ZR1

Let's not beat around any shrubbery with this: Top Gear magazine has reviewed the Corvette ZR1, and the quotes you need to know are, "The dynamics are better than an Aston DBS...," and "...[M]ake no mistake. What we have here is one of the truly great supercars."

Of course, there are caveats: it looks like a Corvette, the interior doesn't match those of its supercar rivals and the steering could use more feel. The latter quip is why you get other critiques like "...you don't get the precision of a 599." To have a UK magazine critique a Corvette against a 599 is probably the opposite of the insult it might appear to be on the surface. But don't take our word for it, follow the link and read for yourself how the ZR1 has "the performance and the chassis to match an SLR 722." It's not a bad way to start the week...

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Corvette ZR1