AMP Electric Vehicles used the Detroit Auto Show to introduce an all-electric Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. This newest member of AMP’s converted all-electric family runs on two electric motors and retains all of the interior space and trimmings of a gasoline Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.

At the SUV’s introduction, AMP noted that the EV Grand Cherokee continues in its “strategy of beginning with an already great vehicle, which we then electrify for retail and fleet customers who are looking for a zero emission vehicle and in this case maintain the benefits of an up-level SUV package.”  Read more...

Over the past few years, the world had seen a huge shift in the automotive industry. The culture is leaning towards a more environment friendly and “green” technology for cars, trucks and SUVs. Manufacturers all over the world are investing huge amounts of money into research and development of hybrid, diesel, electric, and natural gas technology for many of their upcoming automobiles.

However, just as more acceptability towards hybrid vehicles (including SUVs) is happening, forecasts of a drop in demand for some models have surfaced as well. News is now coming out that four hybrid SUVs will either be discontinued or no longer sold in certain markets. These include one very popular model, one that has always played second fiddle, and two that you might not even have known were hybrids.  Read more...

35 new Hybrid and Plug-in Models Will Showcase at the LA Show, November 16-27

The Los Angeles Auto Show will be open for the press on November 16 & 17 and for the public November 18 through 27. Over 50 vehicles will debut, and many more new models will be on exhibit. The auto industry has been a relatively strong part of the economy, and all expectations are that it will continue its momentum at the L.A. Show.  Read more...

Is there a market for a $250,000 or higher hybrid SUV? Bentley seems to think so.

The company confirmed it will produce an SUV starting with a 2014 model. Later year models will be offered with a choice of a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Certainly, a Bentley SUV hybrid would be aimed at those drivers who are looking for an ultra-luxury driving experience. As Bentley chairman and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer put it in a Motor Trend interview, “for all of the hundreds of thousands of SUV customers that are around the world and drive all kinds of vehicles, they would have a product to differentiate themselves.”  Read more...

Many hybrid cars and SUVs are developed for sale in a specific country or perhaps two.  Mitsubishi is looking to change this pattern with a new hybrid SUV slated for availability in 2013.

The plug-in hybrid SUV is, to this point, unnamed. However, the company says it will carry the MiEV brand name. According to the company, the vehicle is part of a new Mitsubishi strategy to build cars that can be sold globally rather than for specific markets. “This [SUV] is not only for customers in developed countries like Japan, the United States, and Europe,” said Yoshikazu Nakamura, senior executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s global electric vehicle business. “The next target might be China or other developing countries like Brazil or India.”  Read more...

After 6 years of losses nearing $260 million dollars, Elon Musk and Tesla Motors may have finally turned the corner. Following last month’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) that raised $226 million, it now appears that Tesla has struck a deal with the mighty Toyota.

You may recall our excitement back in May, when we reported on Toyota’s plan to create a hybrid version of the current RAV4 sport utility vehicle. We estimated the price of the hybrid RAV-4 to be around $30,000 and fuel economy to come in somewhere around 32-35 mpg.  Read more...

Next week marks the two year anniversary of HybridSUV.com, our first hybrid vehicle blog launched under the Hybrid Kingdom. It is hard to believe that what started with a simple announcement and a commitment to bring our readers the most up to date information on hybrid sport utility vehicles, today includes more than 50 hybrid and electric vehicle websites.

To say that hybrid SUV’s have had their fair share of ups and downs over the past couple of years would be an understatement. Looking back at the nearly 100 posts since we first went live in 2007, it is interesting to watch these vehicles as they have progressed from being relatively unknown, to being labeled by some as an oxymoron, to surging in popularity with a dozen models available by 2008.  Read more...

Rumors of Volkswagen’s plan to build a hybrid version of the Touareg have been floating around for more than two years now (see here and here). There was even an official press release on vw.com in March, 2007 stating -”Volkswagen has already sent clear signals here, and has been committed for some time now to developing second-generation biofuels. The Group will also offer hybrid vehicles in the future: it will launch a hybrid version of the Audi Q7 and the Volkswagen Touareg in 2008, followed by a hybrid in the compact class.”.  Plans change quickly in the automotive world.  Read more...

Just two months after they began selling their first hybrids, the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango, it appears the hybrid SUV party will end early for Chrysler, LLC.

From a press release issued today, “In response to the continuing global economic slowdown and auto industry contraction, as well as the market’s continuing movement toward smaller vehicles, Chrysler LLC is announcing…the pull-ahead of the closure of the Newark (Delaware) Assembly Plant.  Read more...

While there are many factors to consider when buying your next vehicle, in the midst of soaring gas prices, none might be as important as “miles per gallon”, better known as MPG. And if you’re considering the purchase of a new or used sport utility vehicle, you’ve likely discovered that some SUVs get very poor gas mileage while others do as well or better than many cars. (None currently beat the new Toyota Prius.)  Read more...