Concept to show styling direction of new, more affordable, hybrid vehicle

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Honda will reveal a concept version of its new small hybrid vehicle, to be named Insight, at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show, October 2, the company announced today. The new Insight Concept shares styling cues with the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle and will provide an early look at the highly-anticipated five-passenger hybrid vehicle.

Going on sale in the U.S. next spring, the all-new purpose-built Insight will come to market at a price significantly below hybrids available today. From this unique position in the marketplace, the Insight
will advance the affordability and accessibility of hybrid technology to a new generation of buyers. (more…)

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–High gas prices, the housing crisis and general economic uncertainty are motivating consumers to look for the least expensive cars to own and operate. A new study by Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, indicates that many compact and subcompact vehicles are actually better choices than hybrids for consumers looking to save money. The data also suggests that only one hybrid, the Honda Civic Hybrid, would break into the top ten least expensive vehicles if gas prices were to increase to $5 per gallon. The results are based on Edmunds.com’s True Cost to Own^SM data, which accounts for total vehicle costs over a five-year period. (more…)

Study Finds Few Hybrid Cars Are Good Investment, Only For Some Drivers

COSTA MESA, Calif., July 9 /PRNewswire/ — With high gas prices, hybrid cars are a more affordable option than ever in terms of gas mileage, but only a handful of hybrid cars make solid financial sense, and only for some consumers, according to a new study by NADAguides.com, a vehicle pricing and information website.

Using current gas prices for ten major metropolitan areas, the company studied the number of miles needed to recoup the extra cost of buying a hybrid car over its gasoline-only counterpart. “We recognize that every
driver’s situation is different and that some people will achieve a return on the extra investment of a hybrid car much faster than others,” said Tara Baukus Mello, senior writer and lead market analyst for NADAguides.com. (more…)

PARIS, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Valeo announced today that it has signed a contract with Peugeot Citroen to equip more than one million vehicles with its Stop-Start technology by 2011.

“This is an important contract,” declared Thierry Morin, Valeo Chairman & CEO. “The confidence expressed by the PSA Group through this contract shows that our strategy is supported by automakers. Our objective is to develop, as of today, affordable solutions accessible to the greatest number of motorists.” (more…)