Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive is going to have its work cut out for it when it comes to meeting its self-imposed deadline of bring the Karma sedan to market by the fourth-quarter of 2009. To complicate matters even further, the automaker is now rumored to be working on three more plug-in hybrids. That would represent a truly serious undertaking for such a small automaker. To ease matters slightly, all four models would use the same basic underpinnings -- including the most important piece of all, the lithium ion battery and its assorted bits. Fisker has recruited Quantum Technologies, a company which has seen success building vehicles for the military, for help in creating the drivetrain for its electric vehicles. Reportedly on the drawing board are a coupe, a convertible and an SUV, all of which should go a long way towards meeting Fisker's goal of selling 15,000 vehicles a year by 2011.


[Source: Channel 4]

Update: Video of the live reveal of the Vue plug-in hybrid is available after the jump.

click above for more high-res images of the Vue hybrids

Saturn showed off the second and third hybrid versions of the Saturn Vue today at the Detroit Auto Show, both of which use GM's two-mode hybrid technology just like the big Tahoe and Yukon hybrids. For the smaller Vue, however, the entire system has been repackaged for a front-wheel-drive application. Where versions 2 and 3 differ is the battery technology. Version 2 comes late this year using the more common nickel-metal hydride type battery packs in combination with the General's direct-injected 3.6L V-6 to give a reported 50% boost in fuel economy. Version 3 comes late 2009 at the earliest and swaps the nickel battery for a lithium-ion unit. Those batteries will come with a plug that allows the owner to get a full grid charge in about 4-5 hours. That's enough juice to run around at city speeds for about 10 miles without starting the engine. If they meet their Job 1 target, GM will likely be the first manufacturer to put a plug-in hybrid into production.

[Source: General Motors]

We briefly interrupt coverage of the LA Auto Show for a moment to bring you a preview of what General Motors has planned for the '08 Detroit Auto Show. At dinner with a group of bloggers last night, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz spilled the beans. GM is going for a full personality split in January with their fastest cars ever and some of their most environmentally friendly. The long-awaited Corvette ZR1 will finally drop alongside the new Cadillac CTS-V. On the other side of the coin, Saturn will show the next three generations of green in the shape of the Two-Mode Hybrid Vue, the plug-in version of the Two-Mode Vue and a Saturn-badged version of the Opel Flextreme that debuted at the Frankfurt show in September. Let the mind games begin!

[Source: Bob Lutz]