Daimler CEO presented with German Sustainability Award 2010

According to a survey published by the Center for Automotive Management at Duisburg-Essen University, German car buyers expect to pay less for electric cars than the costs for automakers and they are less focused on brand names. Christoph Rauwald with Dow Jones Newswires wrote a brief story on the findings. Here’s an excerpt and link to the full-story:
FRANKFURT (Dow Jones) – German car buyers are less focused on brand names when it comes to purchasing an electric vehicle, but the price they are willing to pay is far below the …

The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) studied the fuel costs of 16 hybrids over five years and they compared the costs against their purchase price and financing fees. In a study released in late July, only one of the 16 hybrids cost less to buy and run than its gasoline counterpart. Can you guess which one? It probably not the one you would expect.

Here’s an excerpt of the BCAA research study and a link to the full article for those interested:
Twelve years after Honda introduced the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle …

As the consumer’s awareness of environmental responsibility grows, so does the PR pumped out by the marketing arm of Mercedes-Benz. And, marketers at Mercedes-Benz want to make sure you know about their growing fleet of efficient and environmentally compatible production vehicles, which now includes 58 fuel-efficient BlueEFFICIENCY models. Here’s one of several environment related press releases hitting the presses now:
AMG Market News/Source: Mercedes-Benz/Stuttgart/July 21, 2009:

As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz also accepts responsibility for its future. The Stuttgart premium car maker is underscoring this conviction with its “Road …

smart fortwo will qualify for the highest voucher level of $4,500 upon the trade in of an eligible vehicle. When this voucher amount is applied to the purchase of a new smart fortwo, smart USA will be offering payments as low as $99 per month for qualified customers.

I’ve barely heard of the new car company, but it appears we all may soon based on the players getting involved. Camille Ricketts published a good piece on the topic:
If you haven’t heard of the V-Vehicle Co. before, you’re in good company. The stealthy new car maker just unveiled plans to produce a fuel-efficient vehicle that could change the game for greener cars — before most of them even hit the market. The company already has a factory in the works in Louisiana, thanks to John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins …

Available in the Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHYBRID (Summer 2009)

Oil Obit News/Daimler PR/Stuttgart/January 15, 2009: The ADAC (German Automobile Association) has awarded its “Gelber Engel 2009” (Yellow Angel) to Daimler AG and its systems partner Continental in the Innovation & Environment category. The Stuttgart carmaker was selected for the award by Europe’s largest automobile club in recognition of its lithium-ion battery, the first such battery ever to be successfully integrated into a production passenger car. The Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHYBRID featuring this pioneering technology will have its market launch in summer …

The following is the MBUSA press release for the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid
The Mercedes-Benz S400 bluehybrid includes a lithium-ion battery
Mercedes-Benz is launching its first passenger car model equipped with a hybrid drive system in summer 2009 – the S 400 BlueHYBRID. The combination of a modified V6 petrol engine and a compact hybrid module makes the S 400 BlueHYBRID the world’s most economical luxury saloon with a spark-ignition engine. The NEDC combined fuel consumption is a mere 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres. This makes for the world’s lowest CO2 emissions in …