#Plug-inHybridElectricVehicle

Over half of Cadillac’s dealer network will sell the new ELR range-extended electric car after it begins arriving in showrooms next month.

At the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi unveiled a trio of concepts that gives us a preview of the design direction the automaker plans on heading towards.

When Opel/Vauxhall first announced that its Ampera plug-in hybrid electric vehicle would participate in the 13th International Monte Carlo Rally for alternative energy vehicles, it made a point to challenge the Tesla Roadster, which won the previous two years.

For years Honda has relied on its Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, designed to help improve fuel economy without adding a lot of additional cost. A more basic system than Toyota’s two-mode, it doesn’t speak to Honda’s engineering prowess and has become out-dated.

The next General Motors product to get a plug-in hybrid powertrain, like the one that will be introduced in the Chevy Volt, may be a Buick.

Toyota has announced that it will lease 500 plug-in hybrid-electric Prius models starting this year. These will be the first plug-in version of the Prius on the road and will feature new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold more energy than the conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries used in other hybrid systems.