You need to plug in the car
Usually, whenever you talk about electricity, almost everyone’s mind jumps to the outlet. In that, you have plug-in a hybrid every night before you go to sleep. However, that could not be more untrue. Hybrids today don’t need to be plugged in; engineers developed regenerative braking.  Whenever you brake, that friction and energy that is produced is harnessed and stored in multiple batteries in the car.  However, there are some hybrids that you do plug in that get better gas mileage because they stay plugged up over night. There are some hybrids that have regenerative braking and plug in technology together.

Hybrid batteries need to be replaced.
With the charge of a hybrid battery staying between 40%- 60%, automakers have greatly extended the hybrid’s battery. There is, however, the standard warranty that comes when you buy a hybrid that includes the batteries, so if something goes wrong you’ll have the warranty.

Hybrids are a new phenomenon
The first gas-electric patent was filed in 1905.  However, when the self starter was introduced in 1913, gasoline engines became more prevalent and easier and cheaper to make.

People buy hybrids only to save money on gas
Saving gas at the pump is probably the foremost outcome of owning a hybrid, but the majority of owners actually have them for environmental reasons. A hybrid car sends a message. It sends a message that “I care about the environment.” That’s what some people want others to know about them. (bumper stickers are cheaper)

Hybrids are expensive.
Beginnings in 2006, hybrids were available in 10 different models. The price varies largely. Some hybrids barely cross the $13,000, while other companies have luxury hybrids that can cost up to $60,000.  Hybrids do add about $3,000 to the price tag of any car, but that figure is dropping rapidly.  

Now, they’re at it again. Nissan unveiled the new Sentra earlier this year and it will be in the hands of dealers in the fall. Nissan is almost in the same position as it was in the 90’s. They’re banking on the remake of the Sentra to boost them into car heaven. Nissan sold 119,000 Sentras in 2005, and they’re looking to increase that number substantially for 06-07. Since the car does not launch until the fall, Nissan will not see the benefits until late 07.

And, with any redesign, there are always people who see otherwise. Not everyone is convinced the new Sentra is enough to help Nissan. When the car was debuted earlier this year, there were mixed reviews about it on their website.  A company is never in a good situation when they’re banking on a redesign to get themselves out of murky water. 

Hopefully this redesign will renew hopes throughout the entire auto industry.

GM sales fell nearly 16 percent due to cut back in rental company sales.  Rental companies are now switching to Honda and Toyota. Trucks and SUV sales were also down a whole 10 percent.  This was a record setting year for foreign auto manufactures and most analysts suggest that things will continue this way until Ford and GM refocus and revamp their strategy.

However, it seems, at least through commercials, that GM and Ford are both busy advertising about their fuel flex vehicles that are hitting the market. But, I’ve actually yet to see a fuel flex vehicle on the road. So, I wonder if GM and Ford’s strategy will work.  

GM still thinks it has some life left in it.  Just like Saturn, Pontiac will get an image make over.  They looked to modern European design to infuse Saturn with for new life, but they will take a different approach with Pontiac.  They will look back into Pontiac’s past.  Pontiac’s new focus will be providing high performance rear-wheel-drive cars.

This plan, which is not final yet, will phase out the front-wheel-drive Pontiacs over the next two years.  These will be replaces with rwd models.  Some of these models will be brand new, while others will be rwd versions of current ones.  

This move may reduce the volume sales Pontiac will incur,  but GM is focusing on more streamlined line-ups from its brands.  

After the analyst announced the “buy” status, GM’s stocks rose $1.86 or 7.6% to $26.34 per share. Merrill Lynch’s John Murphy announced that the capacity reduction plan will boost shares by about $4 in the future.

Now, there are two ways to interpret this “reform” of hers. We could say she is legitimately concerned about our dependence on foreign oil, or she’s making a political stab at George Bush. There is a small chance that she wants people to see that she has a date that we can look ahead to and marvel at and then realizes that not much has happened since GW announced his concern. And, do remember that she is one of the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination.

Nevertheless, she thinks that tax credits, private investment, and new research will push our country into a heavenly bliss when it comes to being dependent on foreign oil. She hopes that these incentives will help auto makers to bring more fuel efficient cars to the U.S. and help scientist make ethanol more useful.

The “new research” that she wants to occur would be in ethanol. Ethanol defiantly has a future in the U.S., but it’s taking a long time to become popular. Clinton wants ethanol gasoline or E85 to be in at least 50% of America’s gas stations by 2015. While this is a good goal, E85 currently is only at 1% of all America’s gas stations. If E85 was at 50% of all gestations in a few years, I can almost see this goal being met.

Diesels have flourished in Europe because of expensive gasoline and tax breaks for diesel.  Many European governments promote diesel because it emits less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  On top of lower fuel prices, diesel drivers experience increased fuel efficiency.  The diesel engine is a more efficient design than the gasoline powered engine.  

So, what’s stopping diesel engines from invading our cars here in America?  It may still happen but there are a couple of obstacles.  

First, diesel fuel is not cheaper than gas here in the States.  We enjoy lower gas prices than our European friends, and our government does not offer the nice tax breaks on diesel like most European governments.  Therefore, diesel is harder to come by and more expensive in the U.S.  
   
The main reason for the tax breaks in Europe and lack of them here is a difference in the way we set up environmental standards for our vehicles.  This is the second obstacle.  In Europe the focus is on low carbon dioxide emissions but here in the States the EPA wants low levels of nitrogen oxides and particulates.  This is because nitrogen oxides may be carcinogenic and particulates help form smog.  

To accomplish the first goal they will build new plants in the U.S. and Canada starting in 2008.  Honda already produces 1. 4 million units in North America.  These proposed expansions will bump that number up to 1.6 million.  Even at this time almost 8 out of 10 Hondas and Acuras sold in North America are made here.  

The other focus will be to lower emissions across the board on all of their vehicles.  Honda already has the current lowest Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) but they are not satisfied.  Their goal is to lower emission by 5% by 2010.  

Rick Wagoner, Chairman and CEO, calls the first quarter an “important milestone.”  However, he is still cautious and maintains that profits are not the only important step needed for the auto maker right now.  He is mainly interested in restructuring the company and offering new cars.  The redesign of the Saturn brand is a central part of the new plan.

 He may have seen this coming or he might just be a generous guy because last year he pledged not to earn a salary or accept a bonus until Ford was profitable again.  However, that move did not silence the critics for long.