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Around a week back, the Minister of Science and Technology in China, Wan Gang, had an announcement. According to him, during the upcoming 2008 Olympics, the country would be meeting on the streets a thousand units of clean vehicles. Half would be powered by electricity and would have zero emissions. The other half would be running on hybrid fuel and would have low emissions.

At present, the country has implemented Euro 4 emission standards. Wan Gang also disclosed that the city of Beijing is currently working hard so that the emission standards would be up to par with European standards on emission. The Minister shared, “We are set to adopt a long term strategy by tapping into the most advanced technologies in the auto industry. Hybrid cars have become a worldwide hit in auto exhibitions. The global auto industry will definitely set their sights on developing energy-saving cars.”

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Cars.com recently released its 2008 Hybrid Buying Guide which is intended to help consumers choose which of the 2008 model hybrids are going to be the best buys. Cars.com also disclosed that they designed the guide to assist consumers in choosing which hybrid would suit their lifestyle. The guide also has specifications, price, and fuel efficiency numbers of the top chosen vehicles. One could also find comparisons of the chosen hybrids with non-hybrids.

Here are Cars.com’s top ten 2008 model hybrids:

1. Toyota Prius

MSRP: $21,100

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Audi officially revealed the new Audi Metroproject Quattro, a design study for the forthcoming Audi A1 as the German auto maker ventures into the sub-compact segment.

The Audi Metroproject Quattro is powered 1.4 liter TFSI engine that produces a total of 150 horsepower mated with a S-tronic Direct Shift Gearbox. Working as a hybrid, a 41 horsepower electric motor sits in the back allowing for a fuel-economy range of 48 mpg. This could mean that the A1 will most likely come with a hybrid variant in its lineup.

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Honda’s Tokyo Show offerings include a compact-coupe concept which paves the way for a successor to the highly successful CR-X coupe which went out of production in 1997. The Compact Renaissance Zero, or simply CR-Z, should be considered as Honda’s second attempt to revive the CR-X concept, following the poorly received Remix prototype that premiered at last year’s L.A. Show. While the CR-Z is definitely much better looking than the Remix concept, we can’t say that we’re exactly thrilled with its appearance and especially with the rear end which looks, well, just hideous. In the teaser press release, Honda says that the CR-Z is equipped with a gas-electric hybrid system which achieves both clean performance and a high level of torque.

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Autocar reports that the Bentley Arnage will be replaced with a new model for the 2010 model year. Amid speculation that the Veyron-engined Arnage built recently and described by Bentley as a “prototype” is an indication of the next-generation Arnage’s powerplant – almost 1000 hp – the word is that the 2010 Arnage will have an aluminum spaceframe chassis produced by Audi, an aluminum body, and possibly a hybrid version of the current 6.75 liter V-8 using the transmission developed for the Audi Q7 hybrid or the hybrid transmission currently under development for the next Audi Quattro.

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This is a hybrid 4-wheeled vehicle powered by a combination of a liquid-cooled V-twin gasoline engine and an electric motor. It is also designed with a unique dual-scythe suspension that enables cornering with a lean (banking) like a motorcycle despite the 4-wheel format. There is also a dual arm-lock system that keeps the machine upright when at rest without a stand. It offers excellent performance and maneuverability with a machine width roughly equivalent to that of a 2-wheeler.

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Mazda has released images of its Taiki Concept ahead of the car’s Tokyo Motor Show debut later this month. Fourth in the Nagare design series — which includes the Mazda Nagare, Mazda Ryuga and Mazda Hakaze — the Taiki furthers the flowing design theme of the previous show cars.

The front-engine rear-drive Taiki is powered by Mazda’s next-generation RENESIS rotary engine, although Mazda failed to release any further information about the drivetrain. Mazda says the design of the two-seat Taiki “was inspired by the image of a pair of Hagoromo – the flowing robes that enable a celestial maiden to fly in Japanese legend – floating down from the sky.”

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DETROIT (AP) _ U.S. sales of new hybrid cars were up 49 per cent in the first seven months of this year, due largely to a boom in sales in the Midwest, an auto information and marketing company said Monday.

Oklahoma led all states with a 143 per cent increase in hybrid sales compared with January-July 2006, said Southfield-based R.L. Polk & Co. Hawaii was the only state to report a decline in hybrid sales.

Hybrid sales were up 57 per cent in the Midwest, the most of any region. The Toyota Prius and the hybrid version of the Toyota Camry were the most popular models there. Hybrid sales rose 52 per cent in the West, 49 per cent in the Northeast and 42 per cent in the South.

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Crossover vehicle sales have grown substantially since the mid-1990s to about 2.4 million last year. Listed are the top-selling crossovers in the United States for the first eight months of this year:

Vehicle Sales

Honda CR-V 147,454

Toyota RAV4 117,534

Ford Escape/Hybrid 116,605

Toyota Highlander/Hybrid 83,121

Ford Edge 78,044

Chevrolet HHR 72,153

Chrysler PT Cruiser 71,243

Hyundai Santa Fe 62,509

Chevrolet Equinox 62,385

Saturn Vue/Hybrid 58,538

Source: Autodata Corp., Ward’s Automotive Group

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PARIS (AP-CP) _ French auto company PSA Peugeot-Citroen plans to cut costs _ and up to 8,000 jobs in Europe _ and focus on selling cars in emerging markets in an effort to improve profitability.

The job cuts, disclosed Tuesday, would represent nearly 12 per cent of its European work force.

Europe’s second-largest carmaker has suffered four years of sliding profitability, because sales failed to meet expectations earlier in the decade and chronic overcapacity.

The plan drawn up by chief executive Christian Streiff sets a target for boosting its operating margin to between 5.5 per cent and six per cent by 2010, compared with 2.7 per cent in the first half of this year.

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