Many more hybrids to hit Australian shores

The Frankfurt auto show looks like it might have held some good news for Australia, with many more hybrids potentially hitting Australia in the next few years:

• Porsche will be releasing its new Cayenne GTS in 2008, with a hybrid version joining the lineup in 2010. The hybrid will be powered by a direct-injection V6 engine combined with an electric motor, similar to Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. No word yet on the price of the car when it reaches here, but it’s likely to be at least a few thousand dollars more expensive than the $94,700 that the current V6 Cayenne goes for. Here’s a video of the hybrid powertrain and how it works:

• Citroen will offer every model with a diesel-hybrid variant by 2012, according to reports out of Frankfurt. All the models currently offered in Australia have been marked for hybrids, with the C2 and C3 using Peugeot’s 1.6 litre diesel-electric hybrid, and larger vehicles such as the C5 and C6 using the UrbanHybrid powertrain, featuring a V6 diesel mated with an electric motor. Citroen hopes to keep the traditionally high cost of hybrids low by finding innovative ways to save costs elsewhere in the car, such as reducing the number of parts required in the interior. The C4 is likely to be the first hybrid to hit Australia, potentially reaching here by the end of 2008.

• Volkswagen has been reported by Automobilewoche magazine in Germany to be following Citroen’s lead and will start offering hybrids next year, with the eventual goal of offering hybrid options in all its models. No word yet on when the models will reach Australia, though.

(Source: Carsguide.com.au, Drive.com.au, Autobloggreen)