The news about a greener powerplant under the hood of the Mitsubishi under the hood of the eleventh generation Evo is not really new since this have been rumored leaking from the development team.

The CEO of Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko, though did not give out a lot of details about the development of the sporty sedan but emphasized on the aim of the company to produce more fuel efficient cars and also lowering the emission of their car models.

The move of Mitsubishi to give the Evo XI a hybrid system is a big step. This is considering that the rally inspired cars are well love by sporting fans who are most likely not big fans of hybrid technologies.

The Evo X is schedule to end its run by 2013, and the next generation Evo with the diesel-hybrid setup to come after shortly.

Experts speculate that the Evolution XI may be able to blast from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds. And that the car will be having lesser carbon dioxide emission while doing that.

The Mitsubish Evo is not really big in the market of the brand in the United States with a very small niche market for rally ready four wheel drive vehicles. So the move to make it run on diesel from gas might actually drive away som fans who power and speed who do not want the 286 horsepower of the current Evolution to drop.

Ernst and Young’s survey covered the globe with China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan as its respondents. For this survey, Young asked 1,000 vehicle owners about their willingness to purchase an alternative fuel vehicle within the next three years.

These surveys were done to help out Ernst and Young’s powertrain initiatives. The company plans to focus on business opportunities and issues which companies may face due to the development of eco-friendly alternative transportation solutions. The survey was also specifically designed to measure consumers’ interest and certain decision factors regarding the purchase of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

The survey also revealed important factors which displayed China’s purchasing attitude. For one, the lead factor that influences their purchase is saving money. This was followed by the car’s environmental impact (86%), the safety features (69%) and government incentives (60%). All seven countries who participated in the survey chose to buy EVs because of fuel saving opportunities.

According to the survey, consumers were also concerned about several things regarding the EV’s power supply (they’re not sports cars, are they?). The vehicle’s driving range was the top concern in China (73%), followed by the visibility of charging stations (69%), and the serviceability and reliability of the vehicle (64%) tied with safety (also at 64%).

Although U.S. consumers are not known to choose hatchbacks over sedans, Lexus is counting on fuel efficiency of their hybrid and its sporty handling to win over consumers to the side of the Lexus CT 200h. The 200h will only have the 2010 Mini Cooper and the A3 from Audi as its competitions.

The 2011 CT 200h will use a new platform that has a MacPherson struts in front and a trailing arm and double wishbone on the rear. This is just one aspect to fulfill their commitment to provide a sporty ride experience combined with superior handling for the CT 200h.

The hybrid system under its hood will be the same as the 1.8L 2010 Prius from Toyota. The HS 250h has a more powerful engine with a 2.5L displacement. The 200h can run on pure electricity just for about a mile while cruising at around 28 mph.

Aside from the Normal, Eco, and EV modes, the CT 200h will have a Sport mode that will give the driver faster response in terms of steering and the throttle.

The S500 PHEV is another step towards the goal of Mercedes Benz to achieve their goal of mobility with zero emissions. The car relies on a V6 gas engine that works in combination with a 44kW electric motor which can output 60 horsepower. The system depends on lithium ion batteries that can store as much as 10kWh of energy.

The hybrid set up works well with the overall configuration of the vehicle. The Vision S500 can go from 0 to 100 km/h in a matter of 5.5 seconds. Despite the power and the speed, the S500 can still give you an excellent fuel mileage of 73.5 mpg. The 74 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer add to the other great numbers the car gives consumers.

The Vision S500 PHEV may take a while before we see it rolling out of the Mercedes Benz dealerships. The car manufacturer though promises the public that their engineers are crunching the numbers to make the car fit for long distance and everyday driving. The features are very ideal and the top executives of Benz see the car joining the S- Class releases of the near future.

The technology used for this PHEV might well be used for the other vehicles of the Mercedes Benz fleet. This is very feasible because of the compact components which will allow the car maker to package it with their other products.

The Vision S500 PHEV can run for 30 km on electric power alone. The range is very ideal for city driving. Just imagine the effects when cars roam the streets without any emission. The car makes use of the combustion engine in tandem with the electric motors when more power is needed during high speed driving and when dealing with inclines.

The Vision definitely gives us a glimpse of the future.

Allocations for the $455 million are as follows:

1. $419 million will be devoted to fund transportation projects that will include express lane automation, biodiesel ferries, vanpool vehicles, HOV lanes, safety infrastructure programs for bikes and pedestrians, and commute reduction initiatives.
2. The activities of the Community Economic Revitalization Board will be supported with $20 million of funding.
3. $10 million will aid the development of projects focusing on renewable energy technology for housing projects and public facilities.
4. Biofuel processing facilities and other biomass energy initiatives will be perked up by $6 million.

Legislations will serve as the foundation of these initiatives and investments to control damage to the environment and explore other options for energy production.

Proposals to pass laws on limiting the emission of green house gases are being pushed. Market incentives are also being put in place to encourage moves from all sectors. Some laws have been enacted in seven states of the US and four provinces of Canada in support of these moves.

Tax exemptions are also being lobbied to entice the public to buy hybrid passenger cars, trucks, and duty vehicles. Tax exemptions for the state of Washington will be stretched from 2009 to 2014.

Standards are also being set to drive the improvement of technology towards better energy efficiency.

Today, with their innovative concept, Italdesign revealed that the hybrid coupe is a two-seater and can achieve a top speed on the road at 186 miles per hour, or 300 kilometers per hour. It can also be accelerated from an amazing zero to 62 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds.

In the recent year, Audi was open to the ‘green campaign’ even on automobiles. This is in line with the unified efforts of different industries to be more conscious of the environment’s state. True enough, Audi is with this campaign.

Why the next six years?

No matter what, companies still have to consider money more than anything else. This is probably the reason why they’re not rushing things. Besides, they have to undergo a long process since it entails applying new technologies for an eco-friendly output.

And even if the market is open to such units now, we still can’t say that they’re willing to shell out financially. People can always rave about something without patronizing it. So six years could be enough time to prepare the market for a greener pasture.

An additional twist to this update is the plan of the manufacturer to revive the A2 small car. Not only that, they’re also planning to launch an environment-friendly Roadjet wagon. The concept has been shown already last year 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show.

All these units are expected to have small engines for both gasoline and diesel. It will also have drivetrains that are hybrid and electric. Keeping the weight lighter is the use of aluminum in the units.