2012

While a handful of Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric cars have been destroyed in fires, potential Volt buyers are not deterred by sensationalist media reports around the blazes, says trade journal Automotive News.

With new corporate average fuel economy rules now taking us to 54.5 mpg by 2025, gas mileage will be the focus of new-car development for years to come. With its 15 years of experience in hybrid-electric vehicles, Toyota seems well positioned for steady improvements. Now, there's a chance that...

Electric cars are normally considered to be pretty efficient when compared to gasoline-engined cars, but if you want to buy the most efficient electric car on the market today you’ll have to buy a 2012 Mitsubishi i. Ranked number 1 in the EPA’s Annual Fuel Economy Guide, the 2012...

Chevrolet announced today at the Los Angeles Auto Show that its Volt extended-range electric car will qualify for solo access to California's HOV lanes, a feature deeply desired by many of the state's car buyers. A 'Low Emissions Package' will be fitted as standard equipment to all Volts sold in...

Where the standard Fiat 500 minicar is all about "aaaaahhhhh", the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth we revealed a few weeks back is much more about "GRRRRRRRRRR". This time the 500 has shed all its cutesy looks and gained a wide stance and aggressive bodykit. The style is in keeping with a long history of...

Fisker Automotive, maker of the plug-in Karma sports sedan, hasn’t had an easy time of late, thanks to the Karma’s rather low EPA fuel economy rating and slower-than-expected initial production volumes. But that is all behind the firm, company Chairman Ray Lane told Reuters yesterday...

Earlier today, Toyota released the first images of its 2012 Prius C compact hybrid hatchback that will arrive at U.S. dealers next year. The 2012 Toyota Prius C will be the fourth member of the growing Prius family, joining the classic Prius five-door hatchback, the 2012 Prius V wagon, and the 2012...

Toyota is doubling down on its best-known model for gas mileage, the Prius hybrid. It's already added two models to sit beside the 2012 Prius five-door hatchback, and now, the last new addition to the Prius lineup has been revealed. The 2012 Toyota Prius C, the first compact Prius since the...

One week ago we brought you news of British brothers David and Alexander Madgwick, who'd set out on a tour across North America at the wheel of a Jaguar XF diesel. 2,884 miles later, they've made it from New York to Los Angeles in the most efficient model Jaguar has ever produced. The economy over...

Every carmaker ramps up production on a new vehicle slowly. So Fisker Automotive struck back at the thesis of a GigaOm article yesterday that suggested the company was delaying the production schedule for its 2012 Karma extended-range electric luxury sport sedan into the middle of next year...

In an effort to meet future fuel economy requirements, more manufacturers than ever are considering selling diesel models in North America. The next carmaker considering diesel sales could well be British sports and luxury car maker Jaguar. According to Motor Authority, a British-registered...

A fire in Mooresille, North Carolina last week involving a 2011 Chevrolet Volt has led Duke Energy to advise its customers against charging the plug-in hybrid at home in case it starts a fire. But is the advice justified, or just another example of what happens when irrational fear of a new...

Have you ever dreamed about just walking into your local Fisker dealer and ordering a Karma plug-in luxury sport sedan? Very few of us have the funds to afford the $95,900 starting price of a 2012 Fisker Karma, but that doesn't mean we can't imagine doing it. The youngest member of the High Gear...

The 2012 Tesla Model S all-electric sedan isn’t due to roll off the production lines for another 8 months, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants the world to know that the Californian-based automaker is already putting plans in place to ensure that Model S owners won't be running out of charge...

No sooner has Tesla announced a new "gallery" in the heart of oil country, than the Palo Alto-based electric car company has now revealed plans for three more retail stores in North America. The stores are part of the preparation for the upcoming 2012 Tesla Model S sedan that's due to go on sale...

Toyota has confirmed that its official charging station for the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be available to all customers, fully installed, for just $999.

Only a handful of 2012 Ford Focus Electrics are likely to be sold by the end of calendar 2011.

Once upon a time, the only real reward for being a good teacher was to see your students get excited about a subject or do well in exams -- but now a lucky teacher has been rewarded for his good work with a year-long loan of a brand-new 2012 Mitsubishi i. As Plugincar contributor Eric Loveday...

If we could name one person who epitomized those who hate electric cars it would be Fox News’ Senior Vice President of Business News and presenter Neil Cavuto -- but in a recent segment on his show Cavuto met his match in the form of 2012 Chevrolet Volt Owner Eric Rotbard. Playing off the...

Car companies are taking several different directions towards making their cars of the future more efficient. Some are going down the hybrid route, using electric motors to assist and occasionally take over from gasoline engines. GM is taking a two-pronged approach, with the range-extended Volt and...