DUBLIN, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Global Market Review of Automotive Electric Motors - Forecasts to 2014″ report to their offering.

While electric DC motors have long since raised the comfort levels for front seat passengers, there are signs that such motors are appearing in the rear seats too. Imtiyaz Syed, vice president, engineering, Intier Automotive Seating, told us: “Power is definitely coming to the rear seats as well. For example, rear seat heating systems are fairly common in premium cars. There are also powered stow systems in the third row whereby just pressing a button, the whole articulation takes places so that the seat folds and stows into the floor automatically. We have also developed the ability to power removable seats. With our design, the seat is automatically connected and powered when installed in the vehicle and disconnected when removed without the consumer having to [physically] disconnect the seat before removing it.” (more…)

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For the automotive industry, 2008 will be a year to forget. Due to the collapse of the financial industry, car sales plummeted to levels not seen since the early 1990s, when the country’s population was 50 million people fewer.

Edmunds.com, the premier resource for automotive information, also noted the following trends during 2008*:

Used Cars Fared Better Than New Cars – Used car sales were down only 8 percent compared to 2007, and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales were flat. During the same period, new car sales fell by more than 16 percent. (more…)

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire - December 9, 2008) - With the recent drop in the price of oil, new doubts have been cast over the future of hybrid and electric vehicles. Many manufacturers and designers of electric vehicles have faced technical and financial challenges in the past few months. Such challenges combined with large capital investments in research and development necessary for these cars, have prompted some analysts to predict a reversal of the trend towards green vehicles. (more…)

Toyota Prius and hybrid versions of Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Toyota Camry pay back price premium after one year

October 2008 Issue

YONKERS, NY — With gas prices soaring, Consumer Reports’ latest analysis of owner costs shows that drivers can save anywhere from $500 to $4,250 over a five year ownership period by choosing selected hybrids rather than similar conventional gasoline–powered vehicles.

Six of the 12 hybrids CR experts looked at — Toyota Prius and hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, and Toyota Camry — can save consumers about $500 to $4,250 even without tax credits, and pay back their price premium after only one year. For several of these hybrids, owners can save even more by taking advantage of federal tax credits.

CR experts compared the five-year owner costs of 12 hybrids with those of similar conventional vehicles using Consumer Reports’ new-car owner-cost estimates, introduced in the April 2008 issue.

The Toyota Camry hybrid, which gets 34 mpg overall in CR’s tests, saves the most money, about $4,250 over five years compared with a similarly equipped four-cylinder Toyota Camry XLE, which gets 24 mpg.

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