The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 is a special car – it’s the world’s first diesel full hybrid. It uses a combination of diesel and electric power, offering up four wheel drive, 200 bhp and emissions as low as 99 g/km of CO2. It is also now available for order!

Chas Hallett, Editor-in-Chief at What Car? commented on the award for the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4: “The world’s first production diesel hybrid is the best hybrid the What Car? team has driven. The joint power sources work together seamlessly and emit only 99g/km of CO2. This means the car is exempt from both road tax and the London Congestion Charge. The SUV sector continues to be popular, and we can see a waiting list for the Peugeot growing very fast.”

Morgan Lecouper, Marketing Director commented: “Peugeot has long paved the way in diesel engine development and HYbrid4 is at the fore of automotive technology. Having the 3008 HYbrid4 being recognised in this way by What Car? is an honour and one we are extremely proud of.”

Having sold out of the 3008 HYbrid4 limited edition, the range offers two versions: a 99g/km CO2 at £26,995 and 104g/km CO2 at £28,495.

The HYbrid4 combines the fuel efficient 2.0 litre HDi 163 bhp diesel engine and a 37 bhp electric motor – an ideal combination for a hybrid vehicle as it provides excellent out of town fuel consumption of 74.4 mpg, and CO2 emissions of 99g/km on the Combined Drive Cycle.

Should you get one? Well, in theory a diesel hybrid is the best combination as you get the natural economy of a diesel mated to an electric motor. However, you get added weight with both motor types. However, you can’t argue with the sense that zero road tax offers and the exceptional figure of 74 mpg.

By choosing the Limited Edition Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 owners will benefit from being the first with this unique driving experience, with an enhanced specification.

The Limited Edition version has distinctive features from the 3008 HYbrid4 range that include special style items, all designed to emphasise the unique nature of the vehicle and its technological features. Externally, this includes dark tinted headlamps with integral chrome LED daylight running lights, a special Pearl White exterior body colour and chrome door handles.

Internally, the exclusive touches are the special two-tone leather trim, a fascia completely covered in leather and a numbered aluminium plate on the centre console. Guérande-coloured overstitching features on the door trim panels, central arm rest and the fascia, and a special leather steering wheel with aluminium detailing. A full length Cielo panoramic glass roof and front parking sensors complete the extensive high-level specification.

The Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 range starts with a £26,600 model, with CO2 emissions of just 99 g/km and deliveries commence for the UK market in November 2011.

The price for the special Limited Edition Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 is £29,995 and exclusive UK customer deliveries start in October.

So, is it worth a look? The spec is good and in light of today’s current climate of 130p per litre for petrol and 137p per litre for diesel, I’d definitely say so. Peugeot are making some excellent cars at the moment and this sort of economy makes sense without scrimping on interior space or interior quality.

In recent years, Lotus has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence, what with the immense popularity of cars such as the Exige, which whilst not being massive production models have a reputation as being tremendous when it comes to performance. Equally, the Evora has taken everyone by surprise, offering two rear seats but maintaining the fun factor that makes a Lotus so special.

The BBC has a new article that includes some in depth information on what’s happening at Lotus, including what is bound to be one of the worst kept secrets in motoring – the new Esprit supercar. I really can see Lotus becoming a very significant name in motoring, especially if hybrid technology is used. If anyone can ‘add lightness’ whilst adding normally heavy electric batteries, it’ll be this company…

Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept

Subaru have gone through a massive transition of late – the biggest of course being the move from a saloon to a hatch for their Impreza model. The more ‘grown up’ image has been reflected through other models and this Hybrid Tourer Concept is the culmination of much work – with a huge number of elements revised to provide performance, economy, comfort and ability.

Here’s the official word from Subaru:

Striking style
The absence of B-pillars gives a heightened sense of light and space in the cabin, providing occupants with an unobstructed view of the outside world. The swept-back panoramic windscreen and a height-adjustable dashboard afford the driver a similarly unhindered vantage point.

At the front, a bold grille featuring Subaru’s now-trademark ‘wing’ motif sits in between a pair of modern headlights. However, it is in the side profile that Subaru’s evolving design language is best appreciated. The rakish, up-swept belt-line leads from the nose backwards to the chunky C-pillars, creating an air of purposefulness and understated aggression. Large 14-spoke alloy wheels fill the subtly flared arches.

Vitally important on any grand touring car is a refined and relaxing interior space and the Subaru Hybrid delivers exactly that. With ample room for four, occupants are cosseted in a stress-free, open environment. Even in the back, despite utilising an AWD system, the engineers still managed to create a flat floor, so rearmost occupants will enjoy an extremely comfortable journey.

‘Boxer’ hybrid revolution
The innovative hybrid system uses Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed, direct-injection, turbocharged petrol ‘Boxer’ engine, allied to two electric motors – Subaru remains the only company to mate this engine layout to a hybrid drivetrain. The electric motors are powered by lithium-ion batteries – a 10kW item at the front and a 20kW unit at the rear.

In normal driving conditions the direct-injection petrol engine is used, but at lower speeds and start-up, the rear electric motor drives the car. The forward electric unit, which is mainly used as a power generator, kicks in to assist performance and efficiency while tackling inclines. Subaru’s in-house designed Lineartronic automatic transmission is featured, further boosting fuel efficiency and driving performance.

Paul Tunnicliffe, Managing Director of Subaru UK, said: “The Hybrid Tourer Concept perfectly demonstrates our commitment to environmentally-friendly innovation. This vehicle shows that our engineers are capable of developing something which is both technically advanced and stylistically enthralling, hinting at our future design direction.”

For me, the greatest feature remains the gullwing doors. They look so cool but are of course the realm of supercars and concepts alone. Great effort Subaru, I hope many of the other features make it on to a production model!

Toyota Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept

Toyota’s new concept car is the Auris HSD full hybrid concept. What the ‘full’ part means is that the car is capable of being driven by petrol, electric power or a combination of both. Partial hybrids are not set up to do this, being permanently a synergistic setup. The concept previews at the Frankfurt Motor Show, in what will be a World debut.

So what’s so special about this concept then? Well, firstly it uses the class-leading Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain from the latest Prius, which should mean super-economy if driven ‘properly’. Secondly, we’re looking at a car that emits less than 100 g/km of C02 – so your wallet will benefit from free road tax, year after year of ownership (or until the government deems that even lower regulations need to be in place/they need more money from the driving folk).

Startlingly, this is a car that will cover 0-62 in around 10 seconds. Whilst this isn’t hot hatch territory, it’s far better performance than many other economy models out there, meaning that we’re starting to get close to having the best of both worlds.

Naturally the bodyshape has been analysed in order to reduce drag and increase slipperiness (a good thing to make the car use less fuel), and there’s even a further development with solar power for ventilation.

And the greatest thing? The road-going production model is scheduled to be made at the Toyota Burnaston factory, so our own fair Isle will be responsible for one of the most responsible cars on the road. Sales will sometime in the second half of 2010.

Amazingly, more than two million Toyota hybrid models have been sold around the world since 1997, with more than 200,000 of them making their way to the UK. And who said that we don’t care about the environment? Perhaps what’s most impressive is the statistic that more than 11 million tonnes of CO2 less has been pumped into the environment, thanks to the use of these green cars.

I’m sure we can all agree that this can only be a good thing, even if the Prius offers the same driving enjoyment as… well let’s not go there and just celebrate the good environmental news!

In other news, Lexus remains the only premium brand in the UK to offer three full hybrids as part of its range: GS 450h, LS 600h and the newly-launched RX 450h. Together, these models will comprise over 45% of Lexus sales in the UK in 2010.

By the early 2010s, Toyota plans to offer 10 different hybrid models in the UK. In July, Toyota announced that it would manufacture a hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, in the UK from mid-2010, a critical first step in the company’s plans to offer a hybrid version of every model in the early 2020s.