Hybrid and Fully Electric Cars at the New York Auto Show

A number of greener cars are being showcased at the 2016 edition of the New York International Auto show. This year almost every automaker is highlighting their hybrid and electric vehicles. As explained by Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel in New York, hybrids and pure electrics are a “mainstay” for the industry.The show opened on March 23 and will run until April 2.

General Motors

There has been a lot of buzz around GM’s new affordable all electric family car called the Bolt What makes this car noteworthy is its 200-mile range all for around $30,000 after federal tax incentives. This is the first electric vehicle from GM since it launched its electric and gas powered Volt.


Hyundai

Hyundai has introduced multiple versions of a vehicle called the “Ioniq” which includes a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full-electric versions all in the same body. The Korean carmaker plans to sell more green cars by 2020 than any other maker except Toyota.

Toyota

Toyota, is already at the top of the heap in the green vehicle space with more hybrids that everyone else combined. The company has unveiled a new line of its industry leading Prius that has dominated the sector for ten years now. The plug-in Prius Prime will have an all-electric range of 22 miles and a projected average 58 mpg for nonelectric use.

SUVs

In the SUV space Toyota is also a dominant player with its hybrid version of its Highlander. Honda showed off its new Acura MDX “sport hybrid” option. Honda is setting its sights to lead the green car space as it has announced that two thirds of its sales will be hybrids or other clean technologies by 2030.

The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is a mid-size crossover SUV and it is scheduled to go on sale this summer as a 2017 model. These SUVs will compete with a range of vehicles including a plug-in hybrid version of the new Mini Countryman crossover SUV that is expected to be available next year. Other greener SUV competition includes plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE (nee ML), Porsche Cayenne, and Volvo XC90.

Exotics

There are also other more exotic hybrid cars on display at the auto show. One such vehicle is the Koenigsegg Regera supercar. Although it can hardly be described as a green vehicle, it does qualify as a hybrid. It combines electric drive with a V-8 engine to generate more than 1,500 horsepower. Another exotic hybrid that is appearing at the show is the Maserati Levante is available in hybrid form.