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Hello again everyone. I hope your summer is going well. This month's issue is actually a little bit slimmer than usual, but we had an unexpected delay in a piece on luxury hybrids, so we're one feature short. To try and make it up to our loyal DCN readers, I've expanded our monthly “Who’s Got Hybrids Now?” feature to be a full-on contest—the Who’s Got Hybrids Clean Car Scavenger Hunt!
That contest fun, plus updated vehicle news, and an update on my very favorite subject—the hybrid minivan—is in this month's issue.
Let's get to it,
Scott Nathanson
UCS National Field Organizer &
HybridCenter.org Administrator
In this issue:
- Honda Going Heavy on Hybrids? Bullish Insight sales in Japan seem to have Honda high on hybrids. Honda has announced that it is pushing up its release dates on both its Fit Hybrid and its anticipated CR-Z hybrid sports car in late 2010. And after shelving its plan to use diesel engines to improve mileage on bigger models, new Honda CEO Takanobu Ito noted that Honda is moving away from its “small hybrid only” strategy and is accelerating the development of a new type of hybrid system. The new system will mount two electric motors on medium- to large-sized vehicles, an approach similar to that taken by Toyota and GM. More on this story at the Hybrid News Center.
 New Lexus Hybrid Generating Excitement: I will have far more to say about the luxury hybrid in the future. But in the meantime, after somewhat lackluster overall sales of Lexus hybrids, combined with Toyota’s decision to back off it’s “performance hybrid” tagline, it seems giving a luxury car increased focus on fuel economy is generating some buzz. Toyota has announced that its first dedicated Lexus Hybrid, the four-cylinder HS250h sedan, has received advanced orders in Japan equaling six months of anticipated sales. It’s also interesting to note that this hybrid will actually be the cheapest vehicle in the entire Lexus lineup. Part of the demand in Japan may also be the fact that it’s eligible for a maximum 267,000 yen ($2,870) in "eco-car" tax breaks. Given Lexus sales plunged nearly 40 percent in the last year, this should come as welcome news to Toyota, as well as being an interesting indicator to the market as a whole. More over at the Hybrid News Center.
- GM’s Revamped Mild Hybrids May Not be so Hollow: We haven’t been shy about critiquing GM’s “Green Line” hybrid system on vehicles like the Vue, Aura, and Malibu as “hollow” because of their low tech approach and poor fuel economy improvements. Well, it looks like GM’s not giving up on the system, but is instead kicking it up a notch. Due in 2011, the revamped system features a high-tech lithium-ion battery pack which delivers four times as much power (up to 120 Volts versus the current 36 Volts), is 24 percent smaller, and is 40 percent lighter. Preliminary reports are noting a somewhat “mild” 15-20 percent fuel economy bump, and should cost less than their “two-mode” system that delivers a 25-40 percent fuel economy improvement. In the past, GM has only put out a few thousand “mild” hybrids each year, so how widespread the application of the system will be may determine the overall efficacy of this approach. Find more on this and other plug-in hybrid news over at the Hybrid News Center.
 When I was young, we had a Chevy station wagon. As our family grew and we had more carpooling, long trips, in-laws, etc. we took great advantage of the rear-facing seats in the back of the car to handle extra passengers and keep to one car.
Back in the 70s, it was about convenience, but now, for me in my own wagon, the need to hold more than five passengers is about gas prices and minimizing our carbon footprint. The era of the rear-facing seats is over unless you’re an infant, and in America, the option for fuel-efficient six-plus passenger vehicles remains elusive.
Personally, I’m on my last year of waiting. The air conditioning in my Saturn has broken, and with my elder son headed to third grade, the convenience of having more than five passengers has become a need. So my pining for a hybrid minivan has now become more matter-of-fact shopping.
The most fuel-efficient six-plus passenger vehicle on the U.S. market right now is the Toyota Highlander Hybrid coming in at 27mpg combined city and highway. My current wagon gets 24mpg in the Environmental Protection Agency’s new, more accurate, fuel economy tests. I’m not thrilled with just a 3mpg bump, especially at the hefty manufacturer's suggested retail price of around $35,000.
 I always said that if I had to settle for less than my dream of the 35mpg Toyota Estima Hybrid, I would at the very least not go below my current vehicle’s fuel economy. My only lower-cost option would be the Mazda 5, which is a well-reviewed vehicle coming in at 24mpg. The interesting thing about the 5 is that it’s really kind of a “back to the future” vehicle, meaning that like older U.S. minivan models like the Toyota Previa (the platform which the Estima was originally built on), it’s a compact minivan.
The compact design makes it more like a car to drive and park (rather than a boat, which is how I felt driving the Chrysler Town & Country rental the last time I was in Florida), and, to be frank, I think it looks more sporty and cooler than the Highlander Hybrid. And while my need for six-passengers is fairly constant, the need for that many passengers plus lots of storage space is not. It’s one or the other, so a compact minivan just makes lots of sense for me in the UCS axiom “drive the most fuel efficient car that meets your every-day needs.”
 It seems the Japanese and European market is looking at this class of vehicle in this way, as there is a growing trend there to actually use compact car platforms for minivan applications. In Europe, there are about 15 models like these compact minivans, usually equipped with a diesel engine. Ford, Mazda, Toyota, and Kia, among other companies that also have a significant U.S. market, produce these vehicles in Europe. In Japan, Honda just rolled out the Freed minivan which is actually based on the virtually sub-compact Fit platform powered by a 118-horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine linked to a continuously variable transmission. With the Fit Hybrid on its way for 2010 (see DCN Newsbytes above), could there be a chance of an ultra-efficient Freed Hybrid?
Seems that GM might have its designs on the compact hybrid minivan concept, as there are reports that they may be developing a minivan on the Chevy Cruze compact sedan platform called the Orlando. GM's VP of global program management Jon Lauckner said that "the Chevrolet Orlando is built on the same basic vehicle architecture and component set as the Chevrolet Volt" and that adapting some of the Volt's plug-in technology is "certainly something we can take a look at." Even without the plug-in drivetrain, the Orlando reportedly gets 40 mpg highway.
Similarly, there is some speculation that a Prius-platform minivan may be in the works for Toyota. It seems a bit of a stretch to me given their reluctance to market the Estima here, plus the fact that they are actually phasing out the Alphard Hybrid minivan in Japan (also note this story which finally clued me in as to how you could name any vehicle “Alphard”). Also in the speculative realm is a Honda Odyssey-type hybrid minivan “next year” but the only official announcements in this category from Honda for 2010 are the Fit and CR-Z (see DCN Newsbytes above for more on that).
 To me, the compact minivan is the natural extension of the success in “crossover” vehicles in America. The problem with crossovers is they’re essentially streamlined compact five-seat SUVs. Giving consumers a more car-like ride that allows for carpooling, carting the in-laws, and a little extra storage for those long trips simply makes sense for a very large segment that wants more fuel-efficient options but can’t handle the $35,000 pricetag for a Highlander Hybrid.
Me, I’m a dreamer. I’m probably going to patch up the air conditioning system the best I can and try to survive the winter in the hopes that the automakers will finally bring what I believe is a home-run vehicle to U.S. consumers. Whether it’s hybrid or not, I think there are just too many tools already in their toolkit, and too many reasons, for the automakers not to seize on this opportunity.
Who’s Got Hybrids? Clean Car Scavenger Hunt
Okay folks, let’s have some fun. Below you’ll find a partial picture and two hints for five “Who’s Got Hybrids?” drivers. Be the first person to email me the names of the five correct hybrid owners at hybridcenter@ucsusa.org and you will win a free HybridCenter “Cool Car—Cool Planet” T-shirt!
Good luck!
 • I get a 10 percent hit on my fuel economy when I run the A/C.
• Usually I save “love” for animate objects, but this car is an exception.
 • Grill gives something away
• A “user friendly” hybrid
 • Car helps get rid of aircraft fuel economy guilt
• Say “Cheese!”
 • Not much to say, other than “Great!”
• Same state as UCS Clean Vehicles home office
 • Car Was…Born in the U.S.A.
• Hybrid helps make the right statement to their customers
Remember when you’re done with our hunt, help us load up new models, testimonials, and fun pictures by sending your hybrid-owning friends to join our “Who’s Got Hybrids?” family.
I hope you had fun with our little contest and I hope your August is cooler than mine (which shouldn’t be hard to do given my busted A/C).
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