Plug In Hybrid

It accelerates with a big husky twist of its electric motor. Actually, you can even chirp the front tires if you push the go-button hard enough -- very unlike a golf cart. It corners confidently and brakes crisply and, if it's no Ferrari, it certainly won't embarrass itself on the 110 Freeway, otherwise known as the Pasadena Grand Prix. It's comfortable, practical and -- graded on the curve of five-seat family hatchbacks -- reasonably attractive. Think German-made-dishwasher pretty.

General Motors Corp., losing sales to fuel-efficient cars from Toyota Motor Corp., is developing a hybrid-electric vehicle with a battery that recharges at any outlet, said GM officials familiar with the plan. The so-called plug-in hybrid would travel more than 60 miles on a gallon of gasoline, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the research is secret.

Re "From 0 to 60 in 40 watts," editorial, April 29 Finally, plug-in hybrid technology is getting the attention it deserves. As a former GM employee on the EV1 electric vehicle program, we proved that the best way to get people to use less oil is to give them the opportunity to use none -- without compromise in performance, safety and convenience. The public embraced that concept more easily than the automakers, and we were collectively gutted when GM abandoned its EV programs. It has been difficult to get the large automakers to embrace plug-in hybrids because of an intangible conflict: To produce and market a car that is clean and quiet, you inherently imply that your core products -- larger cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles -- are none of those things.

There's a lot of redefining going on at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, particularly among performance- and luxury-oriented auto makers as they fold fuel efficiency and sustainability into their designs. The new direction BMW showcased Wednesday with the North American debut of its i8 plug-in hybrid and i3 all-electric concept cars combines the efficiency of a ho-hum commuter with the exhilaration of a sports car. Both concepts will be going into production. The i3 will have the distinction of being the first premium electric vehicle to come to market in 2013.

Toyota Motor Corp. is selling the most reliable cars in the U.S. auto market, Consumer Reports said Monday. The top seven spots in this year's predicted reliability report are all held by Japanese brands. With the exception of Cadillac, domestic brands  - most notably Ford Motor Co. vehicles  - were well below average. German brands were the best cars coming out of Europe. The magazine, which annually issues a report about auto reliability, said Toyota's three brands - Scion, Toyota, and Lexus - swept the top spots in its study.

Pretty soon, if you Google "hybrid car," one of the search results may be Google. Google Inc. on Monday unveiled a program to speed up the development of so-called plug-in hybrids, which can run for limited periods on electric power and deliver significantly better fuel economy than the Toyota Prius and other hybrid vehicles. The search-engine giant's philanthropic arm, Google.

Money couldn't buy him love, but it could buy him an Aston Martin. A 1964 Aston Martin DB5 originally owned by former Beatle Paul McCartney sold Wednesday at an auction in London at the hammer price of $496,613. The hammer price is what an auctioned item sells for before any fees or commissions. According to RM Auctions, the Canadian company that held the auction, McCartney ordered the car during the summer of 1964 and owned it for six years. In that time, the Beatle is believed to have put some 40,000 miles on the car, and a 1967 Time magazine profile said "Bachelor Paul" "is a movie addict, loves 'the look of London,' and tools around town in a spiffy blue Aston Martin DB5. " Photos: Sir Paul McCartney's Aston Martin DB5 The DB5 was the first Aston Martin that McCartney purchased and was ordered in the Sierra blue paint you see here.

A new National Research Council report says the U.S. may be able to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 in light-duty cars and trucks. The highly ambitious goal could be reached, the report says, through a combination of more efficient vehicles and the use of gasoline and diesel alternatives such as bio-fuels, electricity and hydrogen. "To reach the 2050 goals for reducing petroleum use and greenhouse gases, vehicles must become dramatically more efficient, regardless of how they are powered," said Douglas M. Chapin, principal of MPR Associates and chairman of the committee that wrote the report.

Volvo hopes to prompt an adjective other than "safe" when customers think of its cars. In a media event at its Volvo Monitoring Concept Center in Camarillo on Monday, the company showcased an ambitious new effort to up-market its entire vehicle lineup and un-stick the brand from its no-man's-land, stranded between the middle class and premium markets. Volvo was liberated from Ford Motor Co. in August 2010, and, though it is now owned by the Chinese auto maker Geely, its relationship with its new owner is more financial than industrial, said Volvo Chief Executive Stefan Jacoby.

Federal safety regulators have given the Chevrolet Volt an all-clear. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that it did not identify a safety defect, concluding that the car does not pose any unusual risk of fire. In closing the book on its investigation into Volts catching on fire, NHTSA also issued new guidelines for how emergency personnel and tow truck operators should deal with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids that have been damaged in severe accidents.