Honda confirmed in a press release today that it will be adding two new hybrid vehicles to its lineup in 2010, the CR-Z and the Fit Hybrid. The CR-Z is a re-imagining of the company’s CR-X sports compact from the 1980s. The CR-Z will feature a sport drive and a hybrid powertrain in an effort to blend white-knuckle driving with fuel-consciousness. The Honda Fit Hybrid has long been considered a prime candidate for the hybrid treatment, as the standard, internal-combustion subcompact already gets over 30 mpg combined. With a hybrid drivetrain, the Fit just may become the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the market.
Last month, the U.S. government’s General Services Administration (GSA) said that it would be buying $210 million worth of new, fuel-efficient or alternative energy vehicles. Each of the cars purchased would be replacing vehicles that were already at the end of their service life, so this wasn’t just frivolous spending, but the government did enact new regulations regarding energy consumption. The GSA has announced that the U.S. Postal Service will be getting 6,500 new vehicles.
Toyota is currently dealing with over 100,000 back orders for their new 2010 Prius hybrid, but that’s not stopping them from thinking about the future of the model. Reports from Japan indicate that Toyota will be producing about 20,000-30,000 plug-in Prius models per year starting in 2012. This follows recent reports that Toyota will begin leasing a small fleet (about 500) of the cars later this year for testing prior to a full product launch.
