Green
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Automotive journalists aren't known for putting their money where their mouth is. Lots of us talk about loving the planet, owning the environmental mantle, and yet somehow we all drive MINI Coopers and Mazda MX-5 Miata roadsters. Not me. I think I just signed up to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The idea's been bubbling up for a while. A long time ago, when a Taurus died on us unexpectedly, we ended up with a 2004 Toyota Prius in our household. We're not conscientious objectors to performance cars--I mean, I've owned Mustangs and Mercedes-Benzes--but the Prius happened in our lives just at the right...
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BMW MegaCity Urban Electric Car To Be Built of Carbon Fiber
We don't know what it looks like yet, but another detail emerged yesterday on BMW's upcoming tiny MegaCity urban electric vehicle: It will be built out of carbon fiber that is partly made in the U.S. BMW will partner with composites expert SGL Group to construct a new plant in Moses Lake...
John Voelcker -
Ditch Your (Electric) Car in the Best Bike Towns In America
Sometimes, a car--even an electric car like the 2011 Nissan Leaf--isn't the best way to transport yourself on errands or to work. Bicycling's one of the greenest alternatives to gas-powered travel, and when it comes to biking-friendly commutes, a handful of cities have a huge advantage over others...
Martin Padgett -
Green Car Megadeal: Renault-Nissan-Daimler Could Save Smart
This morning's deal bringing Daimler AG into the Renault-Nissan alliance has lots of interesting details--but first and foremost, it could be what Smart needs to survive in the long term. Today in Brussels, the CEOs of the companies involved--Renault-Nissan's Carlos Ghosn and Daimler AG's Dieter...
Martin Padgett -
How the 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco Stays Slim, Trim & High-Mileage
We've written already about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco high-mileage model launched at the New York Auto Show. Now we've had a chance to sit down with Gary Altman, GM's vehicle chief engineer for compact cars-North America, and find out exactly how they did it. In addition to predictable...
John Voelcker -
Forecast For The Future of Small Plug-In Car Companies: Bleak
Last month was was a pretty great one for mainstream automakers planning to deliver plug-in vehicles. Publicity a-plenty, state and Federal grants announced, pricing revealed. The message from Detroit and Japan is clear: If you like it then you shoulda put a plug on it ... But with so many of the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Well, it's done. The public are streaming in, and the two media preview days of the 2010 New York Auto Show are over. It wasn't a hugely significant show, but clearly the apocalyptic meltdown that automakers were experiencing last year has lifted. Sales are starting to come back, slowly, and while they're still at just two-thirds the level of three years ago, there's no more free fall. Beyond that, with the issuance of final 2012-2016 fuel-economy rules, automakers have a single clear set of standards they must meet, and they're already planning to do just that. With the new era in mind...
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Sarah Palin Shilling for Socialist Subaru Liberals? Not So Much
Usually it's a good thing when a major political figure mentions an automotive brand. Unless, perhaps, it involves tax dollars and automaker bankruptcy rescues, but hopefully we're past that now. Still, some Subaru drivers may wonder whether they should feel a little nervous now that telegenic...
John Voelcker -
First 2011 Chevrolet Volt Rolls Off the Line, But Not For Sale
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt took another step last week in its long and highly publicized gestation, with the first complete vehicle rolling off the production line at GM's Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant. On Wenesday, March 31, the first model of the mass-produced electric car built in North America...
John Voelcker -
NY Auto Show Puzzler: 'Darker Side of Green' = New Lexus Hybrid ??
Hmmmmmm. First Sarah Silverman, now "The Darker Side of Green." What exactly is going on with Lexus these days? The ominous message is the tagline for an interactive web video called, logically enough, Lexus Dark Ride. It'll be released May 13. "Young, energetic, tech-savvy" It's meant to attract...
John Voelcker -
2010 New York Auto Show: Mazda To Launch Diesel Mazda6 in 2012
Yesterday's Mazda press conference mostly focused on its 2011 Mazda2 subcompact, but the company also dropped a bombshell. Starting in 2012, it will sell a clean diesel version of its Mazda6 midsize sedan in the U.S. And it expects the car to return 43 miles per gallon on the EPA highway cycle. The...
John Voelcker -
2010 New York Auto Show: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, At Last
For a few years, the only full hybrid sedan sold in the U.S. was the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Then came the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which won North American Car of the Year and upped the ante considerably. Now Hyundai has raised the bar again. Its 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, available this fall, is...
John Voelcker -
One year ago, Scion previewed its iQ mini-car, the smallest model yet from a brand known for its small, quirky cars. Today it revealed the production version of the 10-foot-long 2011 Scion iQ. The little "three-plus-one-seater" will go on sale between January and March next year, powered by a 1.3-liter engine producing 90 or more horsepower mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel economy is expected to be in "the high 30s," comparable to the two-seat 2010 Smart ForTwo, which is EPA-rated at 33 mpg city, 41 mpg highway. A Mini-er, Smart-er mini-car Exactly 10 feet long, five...
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2010 New York Auto Show: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Hybrids originally came from mass-market brands--Toyota, Honda, then Ford--before they ascended into loftier realms (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche). Now Ford is taking its well-received hybrid sedans upscale, by adding a hybrid model to the 2011 Lincoln MKZ lineup. The MKZ, although it shares a...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf Priced: $40K in Japan, $33K for U.S. Buyers
Pricing for the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car, eagerly awaited for many months, has now been set for both Japanese and U.S. markets.
John Voelcker -
U.S. DoT Asks Scientists, NASA To Probe Toyota Acceleration
In the face of continuing suggestions that random electronic interference may be causing unintended acceleration in the Toyota Prius and other vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has asked for independent studies on the topic from two scientific organizations. Despite multiple recalls...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz Decides All U.S. S-Class Cars To Be Hybrids
While our colleague Nelson Ireson was driving the (very un-green) 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico this week, he heard an interesting item that's much more along our lines. It is: Mercedes-Benz plans to sell only hybrid models of the S-Class in the U.S. when the next generation car arrives...
John Voelcker -
Future Mazda Hybrids To Use Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive Technology
Mazda has long been known for its high-efficiency, fun-to-drive gasoline engines. It's also developing diesels. But the company had little ongoing research in hybrid and electric cars aside from its unusual hydrogen rotary hybrid research vehicle. Now the mystery of where Mazda will find that...
John Voelcker -
The trend started in Europe, and now every car make seems to have a green sub-brand. For a while, Chevy used the "XFE" label, but its highest-mileage 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is to be called the Eco. The EPA hasn't released final gas-mileage figures, but Chevrolet expects the 2011 Cruze Eco to be rated at 40 miles per gallon, on the highway cycle, when fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox. The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco (along with the LT and LTZ models) gets its high fuel efficiency in part from a small 1.4-liter engine with variable valve timing, turbocharged to extract 138 horsepower. Other...
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No Nissan Leaf Electric Cars For India, At Least For Now
Nissan's ambitious plans to build and sell its 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car around the world will not include populous India, at least not initially. According to Indian Autos Blog, the CEO and managing director of Nissan Motors India said the company had no plans to introduce the Leaf to the...
John Voelcker -
Spy Shots Show Honda Fit Hybrid Testing, But Is It For U.S.?
Honda is continuing to develop the 2012 Honda Fit Hybrid, a version of its popular and versatile subcompact that uses a mild-hybrid system with a smaller engine for even higher gas mileage. Spy shots published by our sister site Motor Authority show the Honda Fit test car, complete with black tape...
John Voelcker -
DoE Says No, Denies Secretive Startup V-Vehicle Loan Request
Looks like secretive startup V-Vehicle Co. won't be joining Ford, Nissan, Tesla, and Fisker in getting government guarantees for low-interest loans to invest in advanced vehicle technology. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Energy turned down a $321.1 million loan application by V-Vehicle (VVC)...
John Voelcker -
GM's Future City-Car Vision: Autonomous, Electric, Two-Wheeler
What does personal transportation look like in a new century, when more than 60 percent of the world's citizens live in cities and the number of vehicles on the globe could rise to 2 billion? Would future urbanites accept the idea of moving around in pod-shaped electric two-seaters with only two...
John Voelcker -
Story of Runaway Toyota Prius Questioned by NHTSA and Toyota
More issues are surfacing in regards to the runaway Prius story from last week involving momentary celebrity James Sikes, whose runaway incident in a 2008 Toyota Prius made headlines for days. Last week, Jalopnik reported on the financial troubles of Sikes, who filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The...
Eric Loveday