2011
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While it may come from the same company as the Hyundai Elantra, our 2011 Kia Forte hatchback weekend test car is nothing like that curvaceous, fuel-efficient compact. Instead, the Forte is aiming for a kind of European performance niche--closer to a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta than the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic the Elantra targets. In that goal, Kia has pretty much succeeded. Our Forte test car was quietly stylish, with a no-nonsense interior and brisk performance that makes it easy to imagine using as a rewarding day-to-day driver. It just didn't get particularly stellar gas mileage. Euro...
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To Celebrate 100 Years, Chevy Sells Its One Millionth Cruze
Chevy has announced sales of the one millionth Cruze on the day that marks the automaker's 100th birthday.
Kurt Ernst -
How Scary Are Electric Cars? BOO !!! It's A Nissan Leaf Batt-Mobile!
Electric cars are incredibly dangerous. They electrocute you if you take them through a car wash. In fact, just looking at them is dangerous. Why, they might cause heart attacks because they're so ... different. OK. Turning off the sarcasm key on our computer, we give you--for your Halloween...
John Voelcker -
Want A Long Range Electric Car? Nissan Doesn't Think You Do
If you're holding out for an electric car that gets similar range to your fossil-fuelled car, then don't hold your breath for one from Nissan. That's the message implied by Nissan North America's director of product planning and strategy, Mark Perry. Speaking with Auto Observer, Perry says there is...
Antony Ingram -
Mazda Takeri Concept: Clean Diesel Sedan Due At Tokyo
We're starting to see the first concept cars due at December's Tokyo Motor Show filtering through, and while many are excited for the design, the choice of powertrain is important too. The 2011 Mazda Takeri Concept certainly looks striking, with Mazda's new KODO "Soul of Motion" design language...
Antony Ingram -
Mitsubishi Boss Confirms Hybrid Diesel Drivetrain Option For 2014 Evo XI
Mitsubishi has already hit the headlines today after it announced an update to its engine technology to improve fuel economy across its range, but now U.K.-based Autocar says Mitsubishi Boss Osamu Masuko has confirmed that the next Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution will be powered by a diesel-electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
You've gotta hand it to automakers. However tight the noose of emissions regulations and MPG targets gets, the engineers always find a way to wriggle free with ever more impressive fuel economy figures. Mitsubishi's way of meeting ever tighter targets is to update its MIVEC variable valve timing and lift system, and adding automatic stop-start technology in several current models. The Outlander Sport compact SUV, Lancer sedan and Lancer Sportback are all set to receive the new 138-horsepower 1.8-liter gasoline engine which Mitsubishi claims brings about a 12 percent improvement in fuel...
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Got a 2011 Nissan Leaf? Here’s What Your 6 Month Service Is Like
While some lucky 2011 Nissan Leaf owners have had their cars now for nearly 8 months, most are in the magic six-month honeymoon period of owning their new electric hatchback. But what happens when you get to six months of ownership and it’s time for your first Nissan Leaf service? As...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Which Cars Are Getting Traded In For Electric Cars? We Find Out
In the last nine months, we’ve seen over 10,000 plug-in cars sold in the U.S. alone, with Nissan taking the lion’s share of new plug-in car sales with its 2011/12 Nissan Leaf. Mass-produced electric cars still very much a niche market, so anyone buying one can be legitimately thought of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Losing Libel Case With Top Gear In UK High Court
A British judge ruled against Tesla Motors in its lawsuit for libel against the BBC show Top Gear, which had shown the carmaker's Roadster electric sports car seemingly out of electricity.
Antony Ingram -
Should Range-Extended Cars Have a "Battery Saver" Mode?
At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show back in March we learned an interesting bit of information about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's European cousin, the Opel Ampera. Unlike the Volt, the Ampera is to be equipped with a "battery saving" mode, whereby the driver can hold back the electric mode for when they...
Antony Ingram -
Consumer Reports Pans 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid For Unrefined Drivetrain
The magazine Consumer Reports is deeply trusted by many car buyers for its analysis of auto reliability, so when it pans a car, automakers sit up and listen carefully to its criticisms. We suspect Hyundai Motors America is sitting bolt upright about now, because in its November issue, the...
John Voelcker -
Here at Green Car Reports, we bring you the latest news in the world of green cars, covering everything from cars that get great gas mileage through to hybrids, alternative fuels and of course, plug-in cars. While we can tell you the latest news in the world of plug-in cars as well as share our own professional opinions of the cars available today, we can’t always tell you what it’s like to live with a specific electric car day in, day out. And when we do, it’s normally because we’re sharing our own experiences of owning green cars we’ve purchased as our own...
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First 2011 Nissan Leaf Electric Car Delivered To Canada
O Canada, you've given the world so much: Keanu Reeves, Celine Dion, Pamela Anderson Lee Ritchie Salomon, poutine. Now, the world -- or at least Nissan -- is giving you something in return: your very first 2011 Nissan Leaf. The vehicle was purchased by Ottawa resident Ricardo Borba and delivered by...
Richard Read -
2011 Nissan Leaf Outside U.S.: More Expensive, More Features
In the past year the 2011 Nissan Leaf has launched in many different countries across the world, from Japan through to Ireland and Australia to Canada. But while you probably know the Nissan Leaf’s sticker price varies from country to country, you may not know there’s a few subtle...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Misses The Point, Offers Would-Be Leaf Owners 2011 Armada
Imagine this situation: You’re a fan of Nissan’s all-electric 2011 Leaf and you’ve put your name down on the waiting list to get one just as soon as it starts to be delivered in your area. But instead of getting an email telling you when you can visit your local dealer to finalize...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Video: Irish Cannonball Run 2011 Nissan Leaf Home And Dry
A few weeks back we brought you news that a team entered into the famous Cannonball Run, this year held in Ireland, would be doing the trip in a 2011 Nissan Leaf. We missed the end of their journey as the excitement of the Frankfurt Show got in the way, but we're pleased to report the ESB ecars...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Chevrolet Equinox Sounds Quiet Enough For Better MPG
There are many ways of making a vehicle more fuel efficient. Improvements in engine technology, materials, rolling resistance and aerodynamics can all contribute towards making a car easier on gas than its predecessor. How about making it quieter? You may think making a car quieter at speed might...
Antony Ingram -
We pick five accessories and modifications that will dress up your Leaf electric car to make it more functional, more stylish, or just cooler.
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Electric Car Revenge is Sweet in Amsterdam With 100 Nissan Leafs
The Amsterdam premiere of the move "Revenge of the Electric Car" is expected to attract fully 100 Nissan Leaf electric cars from all over Europe.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Kia Rio Ecodynamics: Forbidden Fruit At 2011 Frankfurt Show
For fans of ultra-economical vehicles living in the United States, life just isn't fair sometimes. While the European market gets to play with dozens of high MPG turbodiesels, we're often told to make do with small capacity gasoline engines that don't come close to matching diesel, even if they're...
Antony Ingram -
3 Best-Selling Hybrids: Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Sonata Hybrid
For a few years now, hybrid sales have been stalled at 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. market. But for the first seven months of this year, the total is at the low end of the scale: Hybrids represented 2.06 percent of sales from January through August, and just 1.98 percent of sales in August alone. The...
John Voelcker -
Mazda's Skyactiv-G 1.3 Gets 70mpg, No Hybrid Tech Needed
The 2011 Mazda2 is already one of the most fun small cars on the market, sharing its platform with Ford's Fiesta. It's pretty economical too, but with Mazda's next generation of gasoline engine, it'll become very efficient indeed. The 1.3-liter Skyactiv-G unit soon to be found in the Mazda2 gets 30...
Antony Ingram -
Quiet As A... Cannonball? Nissan Leaf Enters Road Trip
While dozens of supercars will be revving up their engines ready for the start of Ireland's upcoming Cannonball Run, the ESB ecars team will be off to a much quieter start. The ESB team's 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first electric car to participate in the Cannonball Run which starts this Friday...
Antony Ingram