Patent ID: 7077224

Claim:
A hybrid vehicle that is equipped with an engine and a motor as power sources and that runs with one or both of the engine and the motor being suitably selected, comprising: heat impartation element capable of imparting heat to the engine or parts associated with the engine; an intention determination element that determines whether or not a driver intends to start driving the vehicle before the engine is started; a heat impartation control element that imparts heat to the engine or the parts associated with the engine using the heat impartation element until preheating of the engine or the parts associated with the engine is completed, if the intention determination element determines that the driver intends to start driving the vehicle before the engine is started; and a running control element that performs running control of the vehicle while using the motor as a power source and refrains from starting the engine until the preheating is completed, wherein the intention determination element determines that the driver intends to start driving the vehicle when at least one of the following is fulfilled: (i) a condition that a shift lever is shifted to a position enabling the vehicle to be driven, and (ii) a condition that a vehicle speed has exceeded a predetermined speed.