The picture is not that clear especially when one considers the effort of GM in developing the Volt and the Buick crossover. But with the announcement of General Motors that it will be withdrawing from its partnership with Toyota at the NUMMI or New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated, the move of re-branding the Prius may be a logical move.

The withdrawal was made after a final agreement as to which future product line up should be developed cannot be made between the two parties.

A spokesperson from GM North America informed the press that the joint venture between Toyota and their company has no future units planned for production.

The Prius though is already set for production at the California NUMMI plant since the plans of doing it at Mississippi did not materialize. The production at the NUMMI factory will also allow Prius to meet the increasing demand for hybrid vehicles.

The re-branding of the Toyota Prius is a great offer that might be too good to decline. Some worry though that with all the paper works, approval, and production, the re-branding of the Prius as a GM product may intersect with the timeline of the Volt which is due for release by late 2010. Toyota on the other hand is sure to be very happy with this development…

The Karma which may source some of its parts from the Powertrain Integration LLC unit of GM is scheduled to debut come the Detroit Auto Show in January 2009.

The hybrid car from Fisker will race from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds and will have a top speed of 125 mph. It will also utilize a regenerative braking to optimally utilize energy during deceleration.

The car will have two driving modes: A stealth drive is geared towards saving fuel and relaxed driving conditions while a sport drive will allow the driver to use the full power of the engine.

The design of the car was focused on using aluminum panels to keep the weight ideal and placing the battery on a center console for even distribution of weight. The sleek design makes use of long continuous line terminating with a long hood and lowered posture.

The manufacturer offers optional solar panels which may help the car cool when it is parked and help in the recharging of the battery. It may also come with solar panels that can be used at home to generate electricity during day time for household consumption and charging the car at night.

The sports sedan is scheduled to hit the market in the last quarter of 2009 with a starting sticker of $80000.

More Hybrid Car News can be found on HCO!