Green Car News

  • BMW i3 Coupe concept

    Though BMW is still some months away from launching its i3 electric hatchback and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, the brand is already looking with an eye to the future of its electric car range. At this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW is displaying the latest member of its i Series, in concept form for now. Dubbed the i3 Coupe Concept, we wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the car follows the i3 hatch into production, especially if enough positive feedback is received. The i3 Coupe Concept wears the latest version of BMW’s “stream flow” design language, which is...

  • Joel Ewanick at the 2010 LA Auto Show
    Fisker Hires Ex-GM, Ex-Hyundai Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick

    When it comes to automotive executives, perhaps none is more resilient than former General Motors marketing head Joel Ewanick. Dismissed by GM last July over an expensive sponsorship deal with English football club Manchester United, Ewanick has been named as Fisker’s interim head of global...

  • Venucia E30 (Chinese version of Nissan Leaf electric car), Guangzhou Auto Show [photo: ChinaAutoWeb]
    What Do You Call A Nissan Leaf In China? How About Venucia E30?

    Despite lower-than-predicted sales of its Leaf battery electric hatchback, Nissan is pushing ahead with its aggressive electric-car program. At the Guangzhou Auto Show yesterday, its Chinese partner unveiled its own plug-in electric car, the Venucia E30. And, surprise, surprise, it looks just like...

  • 2014 Audi R8 first drive
    Audi Planning Diesel Hybrid Supercar With Le Mans Tech

    Audi is said to be interested in developing a diesel-electric hypercar to compete with upcoming rivals from McLaren, Porsche and Ferrari. The new model would sit above the current R8 supercar in Audi's range, giving the company a road-going platform on which to extol the virtues of its Le...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV
    2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Priced At Less Than $32,500

    Chevrolet has released more details on its 2014 Spark EV, ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Along with official photos of the electric Spark, Chevy is hinting at a price "below $25,000 with incentives", meaning a pre-incentive price of under $32,500. That puts the pre-incentive price more or less...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Energi
    2013 Ford Fusion Energi Pricing: Higher Than Chevy Volt After Incentives

    Were you expecting the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi to undercut its nearest rival, the 2012 Chevrolet Volt? If so, you might be in for a surprise. Ford has announced an entry-level price of $39,495 for the Fusion Energi in SE trim. That's $350 more than the Chevrolet Volt's starting price of $39,145...

  • 2014 Ford Fiesta

    Along with the new, ultra-fuel-efficient 2014 Ford Fiesta with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine, Ford's subcompact gets a number of other changes for the 2014 model year. These include a revised interior that adds a 6.5-inch LCD touchscreen display and optional MyFordTouch infotainment system in an all-new dashboard layout. Ford is touting the revised Fiesta's "dramatic" and "distinctive" personality, with "expressive and fun" looks and a host of new features that bring the several-year-old subcompact up to date. MyFordTouch added Perhaps most notably, the 2014 Fiesta will get the...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt plugged into Coulomb Technologies 240V wall charging unit
    European Conflict Continues Over Incompatible Electric-Car Charging Standards

    Europe may have its own single currency and be subject to many of the same laws, but for electric car owners the business of charging isn't as simple. European Union countries still have no standardized charging format, and auto industry specialists consider it the main hurdle to EV adoption in...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    Hybrid Resale-Value Leaders: Toyota Prius C, Ford Fusion Hybrid

    It's good news for many owners of hybrid vehicles, who are not only enjoying great fuel efficiency but could find their vehicles worth more when they come to sell. The Ford Fusion Hybrid, Toyota Prius C and Chevrolet Volt all ranked highest in their respective categories for resale value, in two...

  • XP Technology concept vehicle
    Rejected For Loans Tesla Got, Inflatable Car Firm Sues DoE 3 Years Later

    Oh, those DoE loans. They arose in the recent U.S. presidential debate--not just once or twice, but three times--and continue to generate debate. So here's more fuel for the fire: A company rejected three years ago for loans is now suing the DoE. Its proposed product? An inflatable electric car...

  • Zipcar
    Will Zipcar Add Ridesharing--Further Reducing Need For Cars?

    Those in the car industry can see a paradigm shift approaching. And it could start to make things quite difficult for car companies. More people than ever before are living in cities. These congested spaces are becoming less and less suitable for cars--and a whole generation is growing up, buying...

  • Audi A2 Concept, Frankfurt Motor Show, September 2011
    Audi Plans 200 MPG-Plus High-Tech Small Car

    In mainland Europe, where gas mileage is measured in liters used per 100 kilometers (l/100km), a 'three liter car' doesn't usually refer to engine capacity. Instead, it means 3L/100km, or around 78 MPG. And now Audi wants to make a one-liter car--the equivalent of 235 MPG. Revealed by What Car, the...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid

    General Electric is adding a large fleet of 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids to its growing fleet of plug-in and electric vehicles. The 2,000 Energi models will join GE's existing fleet of Chevrolet Volts and other plug-ins. The deal is Ford's largest delivery of plug-in vehicles so far. For GE, it now means that 10 percent of its fleet, or around 5,000 vehicles, is now made up of alternative-fuel vehicles. That goes some way to reaching GE's initiative to convert half of its global fleet to alternative fuel vehicles, a scheme which it dubs "ecomagination". Ford's C-Max Energi is...

  • Honda demonstrates Green Wave technology  -  Japan, 11/2012
    Honda Demonstrates 'Green Wave' Tech Designed To Ease Traffic

    Have you noticed how much poorly synchronized lights—or traffic that's trying to go faster than the lights permit—can add to congestion? A new system in the works from Honda aims to provide a simple interface for smoothing traffic flow, while increasing safety and gas mileage. The idea...

  • Proterra Electric Bus
    GM Ups Investment In Electric-Bus Maker Proterra

    General Motors' venture capital arm GM Ventures has invested for the second time in Proterra Inc, an electric bus maker. The Greenville, South Carolina company makes the EcoRide, a battery-electric bus that achieves the equivalent of 24 mpg in a diesel-engined bus. Proterra's EcoRide can also be...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S, brief test drive, New York City, July 2012
    Tesla Model S Price Increase Coming, But For New Buyers Only

    Much of economics is simple: Makers of desirable, popular products can raise their prices--to some degree. One example: Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] confirmed in a blog post yesterday that it would raise prices on its 2013 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan in the next two or three weeks. But...

  • Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2013
    Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2013: Our Six Finalists

    From a respectable list of 13 different vehicles, we've narrowed the contenders down to six finalists. They're the cars that will compete for the Green Car Reports 2013 Best Car To Buy Award. We'll announce the winner on December 10, either a single vehicle (like the Nissan Leaf, our 2011 winner)...

  • Tesla's retail store concept
    Injunction To Shut Tesla Store Denied In MA, Dealers To Fight On

    Score one for startup carmakers trying to do things differently. Last Friday, a judge denied a request by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association for an injunction that would have shut down the Tesla Store in Natick, which opened on September 28. If the dealers' request had been...

  • 2013 Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost live photos

    How small is too small, when it comes to engines? Those of the "no replacement for displacement" school of thought might be thinking more about performance than they are gas mileage, but at what point does downsizing actually start to harm gas mileage, rather than help it? As carmakers strive to attain better MPG figures, many are beginning to build smaller engines, often turbocharged to make up for the lack of displacement. High tech, not-so-high MPG Ford's eagerly-awaited 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder EcoBoost is one such example. Designed to replace a naturally-aspirated 1.6 four-cylinder in terms...

  • 2012 Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid
    2013 Volvo V60 Diesel Plug-In Hybrid Enters Production

    Diesel hybrids are now no longer a new concept--even if none are sold in the U.S.--but Swedish carmaker Volvo is the only company offering a diesel plug-in hybrid. That car, the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid, is now in full production at the maker's Torslanda plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo V60...

  • Honda Brio  -  Indonesian-market version  -  Driven, 11/2012
    Honda Brio: Quick Drive

    It takes driving an emerging-market car like the Honda Brio—as we did briefly this past week—to understand just how much the small cars we get here in the U.S. (and Europe) have improved over the past decade or so. The five-seat Brio is about a foot shorter than the Honda Fit but about...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Ford Hybrids' Fuel Economy Failing To Live Up To EPA Ratings?

    This is starting to look not so good. It appears that two new hybrid cars from Ford--the 2013 C-Max Hybrid hatchback and the 2013 Fusion Hybrid sedan--may not deliver real-world gas mileage that's anywhere near their 47-mpg EPA ratings. Automotive journalists have been quietly discussing this for a...

  • 2011 Toyota Corolla
    2013 Toyota Corolla Continues Unchanged, New Model Next Year

    While the Honda Civic is just about to enjoy a mid-cycle refresh, Toyota's Corolla is reaching the end of its current life, and new model is expected next year. Until then, the 2013 Toyota Corolla remains much the same as the 2012 car--so don't expect much excitement. For the 2013 model year, the...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S Signature
    2012 Tesla Model S: Consumer Reports Joins Chorus Of Praise (Unofficially)

    It isn't easy to impress Consumer Reports. Fisker Automotive knows this better than most, after its Karma range-extended sedan was savaged by the magazine earlier this year. In contrast, the 2012 Tesla Model S looks to have gone down rather well, CR describing it as "a revelation". High praise...

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