After a several-year absence, Honda is bringing back the Civic Hybrid, offering it as an option for both sedan and hatchback buyers for the 2025 model year. While if will offer as much as 50 mpg fuel economy, the new hybrid will put more emphasis on performance than past versions, the automaker said Tuesday.
A quarter-century after launching the first Prius, Toyota Tuesday introduced its 19th hybrid, the 2025 4Runner. The automaker’s “portfolio approach,” offering a mix of hybrids, PHEVs, EVs and fuel-cell vehicles has become controversial — but may be vindicated by slowing growth in the EV market. In this Q&A, Toyota’s U.S. brand boss David Christ talks about why giving customers a choice makes sense — while also laying out plans for even more electrified models in the near future.
They may still represent only a small share of the new car market but electrified vehicles are becoming increasing desirable, according to Consumer Reports. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric models make up seven of the models in the non-profit publication’s 2024 10 Top Cars list. For the first time, that includes a Tesla product, the Model Y, thanks to the automaker’s increasingly ubiquitous Supercharger network. Meanwhile, BMW and Subaru topped the CR Brand Report Card rankings.
Since it made its debut a full quarter-century ago, there’ve certainly been reasons to praise the Toyota Prius for its fuel-sipping hybrid powertrain. But it hasn’t scored big in either the performance or fun-to-drive categories. Now, with the latest-generation hatchback, it’s an entirely new game. And it’s won over our reviewer.