They are environment friendly!!

They are cheaper to maintain on the long haul!!

They help you to save on your tax payment!!

….There were myriad reasons why so many people thought it worthwhile buying a hybrid car!

The net result is: Starting from the year 2000, till mid- 2006, the sales curve of hybrid cars depicted a definitive upward trend. However a fall in the fuel price had somewhat interfered with this steep growth (within August to November the sales fall to 19,000 to 32,000).

Cut to 2007. Scenario has changed a bit…tax incentives, at least for Toyota cars are fading out, but people have started to take environmental factors more seriously. Under this circumstance there zoomed in another factor in a rather big way and that relates to the gas price!  According to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Gas prices will average slightly more than $4 a gallon by 2015 and just over $5 a gallon by 2020.

With soaring gas price, the fuel economy and emissions regulations are going to be even stricter over the next decade, not in the USA alone, but also in Japan and in the EU countries.

And gas prices during the next few years are going to determine the fate of hybrid cars in a big way.

Keeping with the gas price/pollution control regulations factors, the leading auto manufacturers, especially Toyota and Honda…two world leaders in manufacturing hybrid cars are going to give special emphasis on more environment-friendly greener and cleaner cars, reports Japan Times.

The three US biggies— GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler unit are also planning to take green route for competing with Japanese manufacturers in the face of soaring fuel prices in the forthcoming decades.

However, Toyota is one step ahead: It has already started thinking about incorporating alternative technologies apart from their usual gasoline-electric hybrid. As the experts predict; the environment protecting technologies will emerge as the ultimate winners. While fuel cell vehicles hold no such hope for commercial viability in the near future, the ethanol powered cars have earned relatively greater popularity particularly in the countries like USA.

The ‘J’ factor is expected to rule the hybrid market in these coming years too with the Japanese automakers fast catching up with the new technologies. “(Japanese automakers) are working to develop the technologies, but it is too heavy of a burden to pursue all of them,” as declared Fujio Cho, vice chairman of Toyota and chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, in the recent past. The survival secret of hybrid cars in the following years lie in better gas mileage (as for instance, the next generation Prius can offer you a princely 90+ mpg) and in the plugging in technology.

To summarize it all, the future hybrid cars are going to retain their popularity over the coming years with their green features such as ultra-low emissions and fuel efficiency. And the next generation hybrid cars are targeted at the consumers who are more sensible towards environment and for whom hybrid means necessity, not indulgence in luxury.

Growing Interest in Streetcars in the USA

Traffic congestion!!  

Pollution!!

Soaring gas prices!!

Welcome to the reality of US urban living. Every sensible soul seems to be screaming, “Oh! Stop this chaos! Give me a break!’’

But where is the solution? While many people have come to see a possible solution to environmental hazards and fast diminishing energy storage–and their number is increasing day by day—in the hybrid cars, it is still the smaller segment of the population that is driving down the roads in expensive Toyota Priuses or Honda Accords.

In order to effectively tackle the environmental pollution caused by the vehicles, we must consider a complete revamp of the public transportation system. And the recent enthusiasm surrounding streetcars in the USA sparks off new hope in the minds of those concerned about the deteriorating environment.

The streetcars are not new phenomena in the USA; but people in the USA seem to suddenly wake up to its potential as the most environment friendly public vehicle only of late. The buzz is in the media too; everywhere you will come across the speculations about a possible comeback of the streetcars in the USA! (Check with USA Today)

You can already find the streetcars rambling through the tracks in San Francisco, Portland, Charlotte and New Orleans.

More and more cities— about three dozen of them- - including the cities like Tucson, Birmingham, Ala., Miami and Trenton are weighing up the pros and cons of investing in such a mode of transport.

Columbus is finally all geared up for its modern streetcar system.

The Minneapolis city’s 2007 budget includes the researches on revival of the streetcars in the city.

All these trends are pointing towards one definite trend: a resurrection of Streetcar system across the USA. And there is no reason why it should not be welcomed by the greater section of the population. Let’s just check its benefits:

• A passenger carrying capacity of a streetcar is lot higher than that of ordinary buses.
• The usage of fuel per passenger per mile is also lot lesser than any other means of public transport.
• Streetcar tracks can be installed sans expensive infrastructures like that is needed in building subways. As Shelley Poticha, the President and CEO of Reconnecting America likes to put it, “It can be built quickly, inexpensively, right into the street to get around without a car more easily.”
• Most important of all, they provide a pollution free means of transport as the electric streetcars offer you carbon free transit.

While a section of people worry over the possible tax hike following streetcar projects, the business community displays a generally upbeat response; in fact the projects are expected to fetch good amount of investment from the developers who see a possible tourist influx in the areas due to the appearance of the streetcars.

Different people have different reasons to rejoice over the revival of streetcars in the USA. As of us, thumbs up for those Mayors who are taking firm steps for reintroducing this pollution friendly transport system in their cities.

Cars have always been the hottest in the boy’s toys list. Whizzing past in a fast-moving car might have been the ultimate fashion statement for the men of past century. But today if you want to be regarded as stylist, you have to be politically correct even with your car and one aspect of political correctness is environment-consciousness. So today when we are fast moving towards a post-petroleum era, you can not afford to ride a fuel-sucking conventional SUV and claim yourself to be trendy. A cool dud like you should go green in a true blue way….you must drive a hybrid car!

If hybrid car has not been in your agenda so far, first of all you must get yourself acquainted with the top picks of the pack; much have changed since 1997, when the Toyota Prius hybrid first hit the roads of Japan. The latest hybrid models took the design and innovations to an unbelievable degree of excellence where concept and reality merge into one!

Take the example of General Motors’ latest concept vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. Combined with Volt’s E-Flex flexible propulsion system, this new generation hybrid car is all set to offer the world the most efficient energy solutions.

Toyota has really moved beyond its Prius model that is already an icon in the green-car segment. The latest offerings from Toyota are the Camry and the Highlander respectively. The new Toyota Camry hybrid is a midsize car with a 4-cylinder engine and armed with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

For the lovers of more compact cars, there is this Lexus GS 450h which comes with a 6-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. 

Then of course the Honda —-once a king in hybrid segment and still is. In place of Honda Insight, you now get these two highly sophisticated hybrid models…the Accord Hybrid and the Civic Hybrid. The bonus points include the futuristic designs and other hi-tech amenities.

All the leading automakers are scurrying about to gab the market of more environment friendly cars. The consumer thrust also is definitely towards greener cars.

The future of the world seems to ride on these new generation hybrid cars; what about you?

In this high paced twenty first century world, who cares to listen to conscience?

Well, a sizeable section of the population seems to be doing exactly that.

How? —Simply by investing in a hybrid vehicle!

After all, we all should contribute something for making the environment better; at least we can help prevent its further deterioration. A hybrid car can help you to do your bit! And as we all have been taught in our school days that rewards await those who listen to their conscience; it really does pay owning a hybrid car. Some of the recent studies confirmed the fact that you can actually save lot of cash in the long haul if you opt for a hybrid car instead of an ordinary vehicle.

Soaring gas prices; add to it the stricter environmental rules; owning car—cause enough for a big headache! Now there is no doubt that a hybrid car is all politically correct as it helps you to go green. But people are still doubtful whether it will be monetarily beneficial to purchase and own a hybrid car with all its hi-fi range of electronics and oversized banks of cutting edge batteries plus an electric motor in addition to internal combustion engine!

Here is the good news for the doubting Thomases!

The latest report by Los Angeles-based IntelliChoice—one of the most reliable auto buyer’s guide— tend to clear all your dilemmas regarding a hybrid car. Their latest report based on automotive cost of ownership data revealed that hybrid cars will give you better cost-effectiveness than their conventional cousins over a five year/70,000 mile period.

In spite of their greater upfront costs, the hybrid cars save on cash as you consider the cumulative factors of

• Fuel cost
• Federal tax credits,
• License fees
• Moderate maintenance costs

But the real catch however lies in hybrid cars’ lower depreciation value/greater abilities of retaining values which is almost five and ten percent than the conventional vehicles.

Still not convinced? Consider this: a Prius owner over a five years period will save $13,408 more than the owner of a similar-size sedan. The rest 21 hybrid models on the market today are not far behind in performance either.

So why not stay true to the old planet while saving on some good cash all the way?

Bloomberg reported today that Detroit automakers are working on improving hybrid cars while Toyota pushes hybrid trucks, stating “General Motors Corp. promised to make a hybrid car that travels 40 miles on a battery before its gasoline engine kicks in. Ford Motor Co. introduced a redesigned Focus compact with a voice-activated music player to attract young buyers.”"Toyota Motor Corp., meanwhile, showed off a five-passenger, 381-horsepower pickup, while the star of Honda Motor Co.’s presentation was a sports car with a V-10 engine.”

In an odd twist, the Japanese aim for the big and powerful while American companies shy away from fuel guzzling trucks and SUVs.

If you’re looking to buy a 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid, you may be in for a treat, at least according to reviewers.

Automotive.com writes that it “may be the best of the midsize sedans. The Accord simply does everything well. It may not be best in class in every single area, but we can’t think of anything it does poorly. And the coupe packs the Accord’s attributes into a sporty two-door.”  ReviewCars.com also liked it, overall, and gave it a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

The MSRP is $18,225 - $29,300 and MPG is 21-29/30-37 (City/HWY).