Zoomi Life

Chrysler officially declared bankruptcy last week amongst cries from various political parties and pundits over the whys and hows of the deal. Despite billions in government bailouts and massive cutbacks by the company–even the restructuring of agreements with United Auto Workers and several of Chrysler’s debtors–the company could not avoid the inevitable.

Read More: Chrysler, Fiat, Bankruptcy and Renewal: Can Fiat Win U.S. Over?

Unimpressed with the marketing blitz of Honda and Toyota’s hypermiling challenges, Ford set out to hold one of its own. The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid issued a 1,000 mile challenge. While I’m a big fan of the Insight and the great mileage it showed in real-world demonstrations, their hypermiling challenge was as rigged as the Toyota one was. Ford, on the other hand, seems to have been serious about making it realistic.

Read More: Fusion Hybrid Gets 81.5mpg in Hypermiling Challenge

Henry Ford’s great-great-granddaughter will be auctioning off a Ford Fusion Hybrid next month at a charity benefit for Heal the Bay. The environmental organization focuses on improving coastal water bodies in Southern California and is holding a fund-raising auction on May 28 during its Bring Back the Beach gala.

Read More: Elena Ford to Auction Fusion Hybrid to Benefit Heal the Bay

Hyundai showcased two hybrids at the Shanghai Auto Show this year: the Santa Fe and the Avante (aka Elantra). The popular gasoline versions of these vehicles will soon be available in hybrid versions. They expect to increase efficiency, fuel economy, and reduce emissions by up to 60% in each vehicle.

Read More: Shanghai Auto Show: Hyundai’s Two New Hybrids

Mazda is famous for two things: fun cars and Wankel Rotary Engines. The company has two cars in its lineup right now it’s testing as hydrogen models: the Premacy and the RX-8. The Premacy is a mini-van and the RX-8 is a sport coupe and both use rotary engines.

Read More: Mazda’s Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid

As the hybrid war between Honda and Toyota commences, Honda has taken it up a notch by offering a sporty hybrid concept, the CRZ. Based on current CRZ design, the new 2011 version will have better body styling for minimizing drag as well as a higher-horsepower engine than the Insight.

Read More: 2011 Honda CRZ Hybrid Sports Car

Unveiled at the New York Auto Show in early April, the Mercedes ML450 hybrid will be released in the U.S. and Canada before it is seen in the rest of the world. The ML450 is a crossover sport utility vehicle.

Read More: Mercedes ML450 Crossover SUV Hybrid Coming to USA First

Designed to showcase Buick’s vision of “business on the road,” this multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was developed in China and is a hybrid utilizing the GM Hybrid System. The design of the vehicle is a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

Read More: Shanghai Auto Show: Buick Unveils Business Concept Hybrid

This year’s Shanghai Auto Show sure does seem to be all about the eco-vehicles. Changfeng introduced a hybrid SUV called the CS7. This one is a pure hybrid that is a really unqiue PHEV.

Read More: Shanghai Auto Show: Changfeng CS7 Hybrid

Toyota’s Certified Used Car program is now extended to include hybrids like their Prius. This means their warranties on used vehicles that have been certified will now include all of their hybrid models as well.

Read More: Toyota’s New Certified Used Hybrid Program