After all that talk about Honda's Prius-fighter, the Japanese automaker has released the first photos of its all-new dedicated hybrid model that will bear the name Insight after Honda’s first hybrid model. Although the Japanese company has labeled the Insight as a concept car, don’t expect to see many differences on the production model that’s slated to go on sale globally in mid-2009.

A reader has tipped us off that Honda may be developing a dedicated natural gas fueled hybrid for display at the 2008 Tokyo International Motor Show. While we’ve been unable to substantiate this information it does raise a question that has been in the back of our minds for some time. Why don’t Honda sell their natural gas powered Civic GX in Australia?

Shanghai, August 11 (Gasgoo.com) Jiangnan Auto, a subsidiary of China Zotye Holding Group which is a local manufacturer of scooters and ATVs, will roll out an oil hybrid model in Changsha this October, reported Changsha Evening newspaper.

Monash University scientists have revolutionised the design of fuel cells used in the latest generation of hybrid cars which could make the vehicles more reliable and cheaper to build.

Already labeled “Best Concept” by AutoWeek Magazine upon its world debut at the Geneva auto show last March, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid has been voted “Specialty Concept Car of the Year” by a jury of 25 professional North American automotive journalists. The award ceremony took place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

In a pioneering move, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, launched India’s first hybrid car – the globally acclaimed Civic Hybrid.

A cryogenic pressure vessel developed and installed in an experimental hybrid vehicle by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory research team can hold liquid hydrogen for six days without venting any of the fuel.

Aptera Motors, a small US based company has produced a three-wheel, two-passenger prototype hybrid vehicle called Aptera. It’s not the first hybrid car but this one is able to travel 230 miles on a gallon of fuel. That is about 200 more miles per gallon than what was suggested for automakers by 2020 in an energy bill signed in December 2007 by George W. Bush.

A growing number of plug-in hybrid electric cars and trucks could require major new power generation resources or none at all— depending on when people recharge their automobiles.

The next generation of electric and hybrid cars may be a step closer thanks to new and improved polymer membranes that allow the development of bigger, safer, and more powerful lithium ion batteries, according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 18 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine.

Land Rover unveiled a vision of its future today at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show) with the world debut of the LRX hybrid concept - a bold evolution of Land Rover design that indicates the brand’s progressive shift into new areas of the market, while remaining true to its core values.

The Honda CR-Z, a lightweight sports hybrid concept vehicle, and the FCX Clarity, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle set to begin limited retail marketing in summer 2008, are bringing some of the most advanced environmental technologies from Honda to the 2008 North American International Auto Show.