It is no secret that General Motors is working on its own hybrid/electric car, the Volt, while Honda and Toyota are planning to extend their hybrid ranges at the LA and Detroit Auto Shows in a few month's time.

The Chevrolet Volt was first seen as a concept car at the Detroit motorshow in 2007 with an ambitious target of reaching production by late 2010. To that end, development mules have already been seen on the road and General Motors says that by the end of the year fifty Volt prototypes will be on the road.

GM describes the Volt as a "plug in hybrid" where the batteries can be charged using the domestic electricity supply. On a full charge the range is claimed to be 40 miles. According to GM half of all Americans live within 20 miles of their workplace meaning customers may never need the 1.4-litre petrol engine. The internal combustion engine charges the batteries on the move (when required) to extend the Volt's range, though there is no conventional transmission linking the engine to the wheels.

Honda is thought to be working on a hybrid version of the new Jazz (known as the Fit in some markets), along with a new purpose-built five-door hybrid and a petrol-electric coupé similar in style to the CR-Z concept. The five-door car is powered by a 1.3-litre engine that drives through a continuously variable transmission and is supplemented by Honda's Integrated Motor Assist. Pricing is rumoured to aggressively undercut the Toyota Prius.

However, Toyota has plans to launch an all-new version of the Prius, plus a new Lexus-branded derivative. Other developments for the Prius may include plug-in capability. The updated Prius will be revealed at January's Detroit Motor Show.

The Chevrolet Volt should also appear at Detroit although it is possible that GM will unveil the hybrid towards the end of this year at the LA Auto Show and it has been confirmed that it will be rebadged Opel/Vauxhall for the European and British markets.

John Lambert - 20 Aug 2008