American Hybrid Cars
The term American made is becoming harder to distinguish nowadays, but most people when they use it are referring to the major American based car companies: Ford, GM, and Chrysler. One of the companies had simply refused to engage in the hybrid market, because it wasn’t cost feasible, and the other two were late to the game, but all of them are quickly taking steps to catch up to the Japanese competition. When hybrid cars were first introduced, many considered them to be gimmicky and unrealistic, similar to how the first electric cars were received, and this thinking might have kept American hybrid cars from getting serious consideration.
Ford’s original stance when it came to the hybrid vehicle was to aim at one thing Americans truly love: the SUV. One of their first models was a hybrid SUV; the company is still adding more hybrids to their production line. Although, their approach to selling their hybrids was much more conservative than the Japanese, they are starting to turn a profit, which will allow them to continue to expand their hybrid offerings and keep them competitive with foreign car companies.
General Motors chose to originally ignore the hybrid craze, because they didn’t feel it was a worthwhile investment at the time, but have since done a complete turnaround, because of the success of foreign hybrid cars. The first GM attempts were met with negative reactions due to such a mild introduction of hybrid technology. They vehicles only used an electric engine to help the gasoline engine and while they offered a small improvement to gas mileage, the increase in cost was not worth the benefit; they have since switched to developing competitive hybrid engines and have introduced them all across their production line. The biggest benefits come in the SUV and Truck department.
Chrysler never gave hybrids the consideration they were due and after spending a lot of money to develop a hybrid engine, they found there wasn’t enough interest to continue and had for the most part stayed out of the hybrid market, until recently. They have come forth with plans on developing hybrid vehicles, but nothing is concrete as plans continue to be canceled and re-opened.
Choosing to buy American made hybrid cars is a good way to combine the benefits of going green and the pride of the USA. While Toyota is currently dominating the hybrid market and will continue to do so for a few years, American companies are working hard to catch up and produce products that are better options to foreign choices. Whether you go with higher fuel efficiency or more power, you need to evaluate your requirements and go with the car that best suits your lifestyle.
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Eco Friendly Cars
Eco friendly cars, despite the primary concerns of demographics and pricing issues, have seemed to form a niche in the American auto industry. Cars such as the first generation Honda Insight (2000-2006) and the first generation Toyota Prius (1997-2001) were the pioneers of the hybrid movement, with millions of people finally viewing such cars with interest and appreciation. Demographics were an initial concern but that has changed in recent years.
Fuel economy became a concern for SUVs after a time period of where bulky and heavy people movers were bought without a thought of what it would cost the Earth in the future. After the ending of the heavy SUV trend, a new issue of how to save money emerged. Partially due to the economic recession, car companies of all kinds have either partnered up to work on future models (Chrysler/Fiat/Mercedes-Benz) or have deleted some of their own brands in the hopes of rebuilding itself (GM). Ford’s EcoBoost technology promises to deliver the power of a V8 with the fuel efficiency of a V6. Cars equipped with the engine option have been limited to the Ford Flex but the technology will be introduced in the Explorer, Fusion and F-150.
Another company that has taken the reigns of the eco-friendly movement is Volkswagen, a company already known for its diesel powered automobiles. The company has taken steps to improve its efficiency by designing smaller engines (used with sister companies Audi and Porsche) and using lighter structural designs to decrease weight and increase efficiency. Results of the changes have been seen in the newly redesigned Porsche Cayenne and Audi A4.
Both cars have been redesigned using a lighter structure, the Porsche using different engines to improve the first generations downfall. Audi has increased the fuel efficiency of the A4 by using a more rigid design and by using a more aerodynamic body. Increases in coefficient drag (Cd) result in the vehicle using less power to “glide” through the air, allowing the driver to use keep a constant speed (or less) to improve their car’s mileage.
Although the car industry has been hit in the last decade, the downturn has only inspired new ideas. With the introduction of EV’s (electric vehicles) such as the Chevy Volt and Mini Cooper E, drivers will have even more options to choose from. In the next decade, increases in North America’s EPA fuel economy standards and the introduction of the European Union’s Euro 5 standards, it will be interesting to see how customers and companies respond to the ever changing conditions of the automobile industry.
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Used Hybrid
Looking to buy a used hybrid? You would obviously be looking at price, make and condition of the vehicle like you would if you were buying any other kind of car. But with used hybrid cars, the condition of the car is much more important as things the efficiency and proper operation of the car would depend on it. Earlier the first car that would come to mind would be the Toyota Prius but with the recent recalls most people are a bit wary of buying a Prius. That being said, the Prius is still a good choice, as long as you remember to buy it from a respectable used car dealership. If you’re buying the Prius from a respectable used car dealership, they would’ve corrected the engineering flaws that the Prius has been infamous for lately. Though whether the earlier models have these flaws or not is still up for debate. The best thing a person shopping for a Prius can do is look for any warnings for the specific year of that particular vehicle.
Now people are looking at other brands of hybrid vehicles, mostly because of Toyota Prius’ tarnished image. Cars like the Ford Escape and the Honda Insight are becoming more popular because of this. These cars function differently, and provide different benefits depending on your driving habits. There are some technical things a person needs to consider before buying a hybrid car and these differ from brand to brand because of the systems they use. Though some common points do exist, like, you would definitely have to check the electric motor for wear and tear. The gasoline engine would need to be checked for wear and efficiency, the power storage cells will need to be checked for ability to retain a charge.
You have to also make sure that the electrical systems of the care are in proper working order. If all these are in good condition buying the car would be a good decision. The primary reason why most people buy a hybrid car is because it’s so much more cost effective, but if it’s poorly designed or has some malfunction, it might end up costing you more. Another thing to consider is if the vehicle is certified by the used car dealership. As long as one remembers all these details and is thorough while checking for defects, there’s no reason for a hybrid used car to be as good as a brand new one.
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