The auto industry – especially in the US – is in an incredibly strange place right now. Everyone was gearing up for the EV revolution, but it’s increasingly looking like it won’t happen in the very near future. Because car manufacturers still do that some To meet efficiency standards (at least for now), they’re turning to hybrids to help fill the gaps. Hybrid market shares are rising as more automakers partially electrify their lineups, but it’s possible that not every car is truly suited to that type of powertrain. That’s where the question I asked you guys last week came up: I wanted to know which car you all thought should never get a hybrid powertrain.
Which car would it be punishable to give a hybrid powertrain to? For me the answer is: neither. Electricity will only improve a car’s performance and efficiency, even if it gains a few kilos in the process. Fortunately, some of you see the world the same way I do, but not everyone does. A few of you have made good points about lightweight sports cars, muscle cars that are all about their big, naturally aspirated engines and the fact that we shouldn’t go back to electric cars. However, some of you crazies were complaining about cars that were already on sale. Never change.
Anyway, I have to stop yapping. Scroll down and check out the cars that your fellow Jalops think should never get a hybrid powertrain.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
The simplest answer in a while: Mazda MX-5. Being light has been part of the heritage for more than 35 years. It is already very fuel efficient and the extra cost and weight of the batteries would dilute what is special about it.
Submitted by: Xavier96
Lotuses
Everything from Lotus. Their whole tactic is “simplify and add lightness”, and hybridization does the opposite of both things. They have even managed to make EVs lighter. The Evija weighs half a ton less than the Rimac Nevera, while also delivering more power.
Submitted by: MrMcGeeIn3D
Everything with a manual
Every car and truck with a manual transmission. And any car that still weighs less than 3000 pounds (I’m talking about you BRZ and Miata).
Submitted by: cones
Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV
Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV series cars.
With the current US car market, it honestly wouldn’t be a huge surprise for companies to push back on EV development in weird ways, but it would be pretty disgusting if cars that were introduced as EVs suddenly became hybrids instead.
Submitted by: Connor Paull
Chevy Corvette
The Corvette. Yes, the E-Ray is a fast car, but they will all be gone when the tech support ends. Any enthusiast model that has potential collector status or such a following that someone could potentially buy it new and keep it for decades should not become hybrid. For regular cars for daily drivers, why not go hybrid? The equivalent petrol versions are now so poorly made that they won’t make it to 10 years, so just go hybrid as durability is a moot point.
Submitted by: Tex
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
I’ll say the Mitsubishi Evo if they ever get enough money to make one again. Those rally machines are always the little engine that could, and they used to, even the X was and still is a relevant performance car. The main draw was how much power could be unlocked with relative ease, something EVs can’t really do at the moment… but I think a mild hybrid setup should be feasible with a manual transmission.
Submitted by: Agon Targeryan
Muscle cars
The Ford Mustang fastback and the Chevrolet Camaro. I think Ford knows better, but I feel like GM is trying to make it up there.
Submitted by: Marcus C
Ferraris
Ferrari, just look at their logo, the horse, a purebred horse. With a long history of powerful engines, a Ferrari without the iconic and recognizable ICE roar would no longer be a Ferrari. Take La Ferrari, which failed to capture the same allure as a real Ferrari. The spell is lost.
Submitted by: Luc Desaulniers (minardi)
Honda foreplay
Definitely the latest 6th generation Honda Prelude BF1
It looks too much like the 5th generation Toyota Prius XW60 in a two-door coupe version, especially from the front. Both are also hybrid!!
Not to mention the latest Prelude still has a framed door instead of a frameless one, and an opening trunk, along with hatchback-style rear windows. These are not negative things at all, but it only makes the Prelude look more and more like the Prius coupe
If I have money and can buy a brand new Prelude, the first thing I’m going to do is debadge and replace the Honda and Prelude logo with the Toyota and Prius logo
Submitted by: Derry
Ariel Atom
I’m going to nominate the Ariel Atom because it is still a street legal vehicle. It should be a fun lightweight toy that you throw around the corner at your local track, hence the exoskeleton design. A hybrid system would make the car significantly heavier and detract from what the car was built for. I know I’m coming here, but honestly any car you see on the road can operate as a hybrid. We already have hybrid versions of iconic sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911.
Submitted by: Giantsgiants
Some of you get it
Frankly, there’s no reason not to hybridize anything. It makes everything better, from Civics to 911s. Even luxury cars and large trucks benefit from an even smoother step-off and greater torque.
If for some reason we have to keep just one car purely ICE, we might as well make it the Miata, which is efficient enough yet is often bought as a limited-use toy. Making it a hybrid wouldn’t yield much in terms of character, performance or fuel savings you’ll pay back at the pump.
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At least everything mild-hybrid.
It will either increase low-end torque and speed efficiency, or maybe even both.
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No. There is no valid argument for insisting that the performance of any car must be deliberately controlled on all fronts in the name of ‘purity’.
Submitted by: BuddyS & potbellyjoe & Steve65
#opinion #cars #hybrids #Jalopnik