2014
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If you're currently shopping for a fuel-efficient vehicle, the Chevrolet Camaro probably hasn't appeared on your radar. With combined economy of 22 mpg for the most efficient, V-6 automatic model, that's not a huge surprise. But given some time and some of the finest young engineering minds as part of the EcoCar 3 Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, perhaps it's in with a chance. General Motors is providing some sixteen North American universities with Camaros as part of the DoE competition, The Detroit News writes. Students will be tasked with redesigning the muscle car icon into a...
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2014 BMW i3: What Staff Training Ride & Drives Revealed
With deliveries of the first 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric cars now just days away, BMW has busily been training service personnel and dealership staff on its new and radical design. And an informed post on BMWBlog by a dealership employee who went through the multi-day course offers some new...
John Voelcker -
2014 Mercedes-Benz E 250 BlueTec Diesel: Fuel-Economy Review
In recent years—especially in the time since EPA fuel economy ratings have become more realistic—40 miles per gallon on the highway has become like a sort of high-water mark for non-hybrid cars. Even in 2014, there remain relatively few subcompact or compact sedans that top the 40-mpg...
Bengt Halvorson -
2014 BMW i3 Electric-Car Production Rises To Meet Strong Demand
BMW is on track to build twice as many i3 electric cars in 2014 as it originally planned.
Stephen Edelstein -
Three Years Later, Most Consumers Don't Understand The Chevy Volt
Chevrolet's range-extended electric vehicle, the Volt, has been on sale for more than three years now. Its sales of 58,000 units so far are still small compared to more conventional vehicles, but many people will have seen one on the road by now--and seen TV ads or information on the internet. Even...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Will Build Electric Cars In China; Model S On Sale There This Week
We've expected it for some time, but now it's been confirmed: Tesla will build electric cars in China in the next three to four years. While Chinese production won't replace the company's facilities in the U.S, it will give Tesla a foothold in an ever-growing market--and help it avoid China's hefty...
Antony Ingram -
They say that honesty is the best policy. It's also said that the truth can hurt. Ford is experiencing both of these with its C-Max Hybrid--with lower sales since the company dropped its official EPA-rated mileage figures. The C-Max Hybrid was launched to great fanfare in 2012, touting EPA combined mileage of 47 mpg. That matched Ford's larger, sleeker Fusion Hybrid, and beat the Toyota Prius V's 42 mpg combined rating. It soon became apparent though that journalists and owners alike were struggling to replicate the lofty mileage claims, with figures in the high-30s not uncommon. Our own...
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Chevrolet Volt: Range-Extended Electric Car Ultimate Guide
The Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car has been on sale since December 2010--but it's still one of the most popular electric vehicles on sale. At the moment, the Chevy Volt is fairly unique in the plug-in car market, in that it's neither a traditional hybrid vehicle, nor a full...
Antony Ingram -
U.S. Head Of Mercedes-Benz Savages Tesla, Saying It Has 'Limited Potential'
"Don't bite the hand that feeds you" is a popular saying, but perhaps "don't criticize the company you're sharing technology with" should be another. The latter would apply to Mercedes-Benz, whose U.S. boss Steve Cannon criticized Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] at the New York Auto Show. Perhaps Cannon...
Antony Ingram -
Famous Tuner Saleen Releases Tesla Model S Hot-Rod Sketches
No matter how fast a car is, there's always someone who'll want to make it faster. That's why you'll find as many companies tuning high-end cars as there are modifying pony cars or basic subcompacts. And it's why Saleen is developing its own hot-rodded version of the Tesla Model S electric sedan...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Accord Hybrid Remains In Tight Supply; Buyers On Waiting Lists
The Insight may be Honda's flagship hybrid model, but that hasn't stopped the Japanese automaker from putting it out of its misery recently, with no replacement on the horizon. Luckily, another Honda hybrid is doing rather better--with demand actually outstripping current supply. According to Wards...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Now In Production
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will be the first Mercedes-badged electric car sold in the U.S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Most of the world's truly significant cars have been striking, even polarizing, designs. But some unusual, even polarizing, designs have been colossal failures. And it remains unclear which category the 2014 BMW i3 will fall, in the different global markets in which BMW is selling it. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW i3: First Drive Of BMW's Radical New Electric Car Now one of the most ardent advocates for BMW's electric-car efforts has written a piece in which he looks at the challenges facing the BMW i3. The blog post, Is the BMW i3 "Too European" for the U.S. Market?, is remarkably forthright in...
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Want A Tesla Model S Convertible? Newport Engineering Says It'll Build You One
In theory, convertibles are the perfect way to enjoy electric motoring. What better way to experience your zero-emissions car than with the roof down--enjoying the silence, the sounds of nature and the wind in your hair? Tesla's first car, the Roadster, offered just such an experience--and one...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mazda 3: Gas Mileage Review Of Sporty Compact Hatchback
Auto writers tend to like Mazdas; they generally perform and handle well, and are far more fun to drive than the anodyne Fords, Hondas, and Toyotas that outsell them in the compact and mid-size categories. The newest crop of Mazda cars and crossovers, built around the company's highly...
John Voelcker -
Had To Happen: Hacking Into A Tesla Model S Electric Car
"Jailbreaking" used to mean... well, breaking out of jail. In the modern world though, it typically refers to the process of cracking software codes to take greater control of applications and user interfaces. It's rife in the world of smartphones, and now it's possible with electric vehicles...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Sets Record For Single-Month Sales In Norway
In the last few years of electric car sales, the only records cars have been breaking are their own. Nissan, for example, has just had its best March ever for Leaf sales. And we know that global electric car sales have doubled each year for the past few years. But now, reports The Wall Street...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Ford Escape: Great Small SUV, Not-So-Great Gas Mileage
The previous model of Ford Escape was a popular car in the U.S. from 2001 through 2012--not only for its utility, but also for the availability of a hybrid model. At 32 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive form, the Escape Hybrid was comfortably one of the most economical crossovers on the market...
Antony Ingram -
Modern vehicles are derided in some circles for their complexity, but in reality cars are more reliable today than they've ever been. Sure, stuff still goes wrong--but it usually does so with such infrequency we just notice more. Cars go and stop when we ask, and they're capable of massive mileages with relatively basic maintenance. But what about even more complex vehicles, like a Lexus CT 200h hybrid hatchback? Well, you could always take them to pieces to find out just how every one of those complex components stands up to daily usage. Sounds extreme? Perhaps. But also very thorough...
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2014 Nissan Leaf Domestic Content: Now Closer To Volt, Focus Electric
Last fall, we learned that the first year of U.S. production of the Nissan Leaf electric cars, built in Smyrna, Tennessee, had only 15 percent North American content. This year, the numbers are somewhat better--and they bring the Leaf closer to the domestic-content percentage of other plug-in...
John Voelcker -
2014 Cadillac ELR Recalled For Stability-Control Software Issue
GM will recall 656 2014 Cadillac ELR coupes to fix a software glitch.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford Parodies Divisive Cadillac ELR Ad With 'Upside' C-Max Video
Why do we work so hard? Because hard work means "anything is possible"--and maybe you'll get a nice pool and a fancy car out of it. At least, that's the answer if Cadillac's "Poolside" ad for its ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe was to be believed. MUST SEE: Tesla Model S To Get Titanium...
Antony Ingram -
2014 BMW 535d xDrive Diesel Sedan: Fuel Economy Drive Review
For 2014, BMW offers diesel engines in its three sedan lines, and now we've spent a long weekend with the mid-size 5-Series sedan fitted with the fuel-efficient engine. Given the depth-of-winter test schedule, its xDrive all-wheel-drive system was very welcome--and almost a necessity for our...
John Voelcker -
2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: Gas Mileage Review
If ever any car brand should have offered a hybrid before now, it would be Subaru. Now we've driven the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, its very first hybrid offering. It's a much better car than the Crosstrek on which it's based, but little of that improvement has anything to do with the hybrid...
John Voelcker