Renault Fluence Z.E - close but no cigar

I'm not a fan of French cars, to say the least, but Renault have actually managed to impress me a bit with their huge investments in electric cars that are actually usable for normally sized people who may also be carrying some luggage. One of these is apparently set to hit the market as soon as next year, and it's called the Renault Fluence Z.E.

This is a 4,75 meters long, 4-door sedan, so you should be able to fit your entire family in there. Of course there's always a downside... The range of the car is a mere 160 kilometers, and that's under perfect conditions. In other words this is a pure commuter- or city-car, completely useless for any kind of road-trip. What I don't get is why Renault didn't think to include a range extender in this car, making it a serious contender to the upcoming Opel Ampera/Chevrolet Volt? This is close, Renault, but no cigar.

Photo: Automotorblog.com

Too little, too late, Audi

Apparently Audi are aiming to launch a Q5 hybrid in 2011. That's two years from now, and way too late to jump on the hybrid-wagon. Who will buy a car with old hybrid technology when there are plugin-hybrids available or right around the corner that will take you to and from work on battery power alone (in a time when fuel prices will probably be soaring again, like they did in 2008)?

Volvo seems to have understood this, and have abandoned their plans for a V70 hybrid, focusing on launching some kind of plugin hybrid model in the V70 size range in 2012.

So, Audi, could we hope for a Q5 plugin-hybrid, or will it be a hopelessly outdated hybrid with marginally lower fuel consumption than its diesel counterpart?

Photo: Captain Nandu Chitnis, Master Mariner

Chevrolet Volt - impressive figures

GM's upcoming plugin-hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, just keeps getting more interesting. In fact, I believe this car could help turn GM around, leaving Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Lexus RX400h in the dust.

According to this article in the swedish Auto Motor & Sport, the fuel consumption for the Volt is incredibly low, 1,6 liter/100 km, measured using the standard ECE R101 cycle. Plus, it looks a heck of a lot better than the Prius and Insight.

Personally, I can't wait to see this car on the road.