Hatchbacks
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It's been said that the only global carmaker Toyota is really worried about is Hyundai. This year, the legendary Prius hybrid—which celebrates its 20th anniversary—has some new competition. This is the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq. It's a hybrid, but there are actually three models of the Ioniq. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: first drive review In addition to the hybrid, which will be the volume seller, there's a battery-electric version that has no gasoline engine at all. There's no Prius competitor for that, although at the end of 2017, there will be an Ioniq Plug-In hybrid that...
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Honda WR-V: how to make a crossover from a small hatchback
Crossovers are so popular right now that several automakers are even trying to pass off conventional hatchbacks as high-riding utility vehicles. The latest example of this trend is the Honda WR-V, a new pseudo-crossover for the Indian market. Despite the extra plastic body cladding and...
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Hyundai Accent confirmed for U.S. as well as Canada (update)
In a U.S. where all the new-vehicle buzz seems to be about light trucks—especially crossover utilities and SUVs—is there even a place for a new subcompact sedan? That's the question posed by the launch of the 2018 Hyundai Accent, the latest generation of the Korean maker's smallest...
John Voelcker -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: first drive review
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq isn't one car but three, with a unique choice of powertrains. The volume seller will be the Ioniq Hybrid, a dedicated hybrid (as is the Toyota Prius) with a 58-mpg combined EPA fuel-economy rating for its base model. But you can also get it as a battery-electric car (starting...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen e-Golf to end when ID electric hatchback launches?
The Volkswagen e-Golf will arrive in dealerships this spring with a higher-capacity battery pack that gives the electric car an EPA-rated 124 miles of range. The number equals the rating of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, and is the highest range offered by any electric car that's not a Chevy Bolt EV or a...
John Voelcker -
2018 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback unveiled at Chicago auto show
Over the last 10 years, the Hyundai Elantra has emerged into the top tier of compact sedans, joining longstanding leaders like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Jetta as well as more recent contenders like the Chevrolet Cruze and Subaru Impreza. The last-generation Elantra...
John Voelcker -
The 2017 Subaru Impreza is one of the most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive vehicles in the U.S. market, and has been for many years. The entirely redesigned 2017 Impreza rides on new underpinnings, but it's easily recognizable as an evolution of the company's popular compact sedan and hatchback. One of a few firsts for this year's Impreza, however, is that it's now built in Indiana rather than imported from Japan as previous generations were. DON'T MISS: 2017 Subaru Impreza review It joins the larger Legacy sedan and Outback crossover wagon in a greatly expanded assembly plant, meaning that...
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2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car: new owner's first impressions
As the first mass-priced electric car with more than 200 miles of range to hit the market, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has attracted a great deal of attention. It's won numerous awards, including the Green Car Reports 2017 Best Car To Buy title, and received rave reviews from a wide variety of media...
John Voelcker -
Science Guy Bill Nye buys Chevy Bolt EV, his seventh electric car
Bill Nye, better known as "The Science Guy" on the popular PBS children's series that bears his name, loves electric cars. He drove one of only a few hundred original GM EV1 two-seat electric cars almost 20 years ago. Three weeks ago, he took delivery of a brand-new "Kinetic Blue" 2017 Chevrolet...
John Voelcker -
2018 Nissan Leaf: what we know so far about next electric car (updated)
The Nissan Leaf is by far the highest-volume electric car ever sold, with total sales now having passed 250,000 units. First launched in 2011, the Leaf got some updates for the 2013 model when production for North American sales moved from Oppama, Japan, to Smyrna, Tennessee. It got a battery...
John Voelcker -
Far more Chevy Bolt EVs likely to be sold than compliance requires
General Motors only needs to sell a relatively small number of Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars to satisfy California's zero-emission vehicle mandate.
Stephen Edelstein -
Thinking of buying a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV? Read the owner's manual!
General Motors issued the owner's manual for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
The next-generation Ford Fiesta was unveiled in Europe earlier this week.
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Hatchback renaissance: are they seen as utility vehicles now?
Honda predicts steady growth in the compact hatchback segment.
Stephen Edelstein -
CA dealer offers Fiat 500e electric car at $49 a month, $0 down in Black Friday weekend deal
While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles refuses to say how many electric Fiat 500e cars it's sold over the past several years, there are likely more than many people think. We know the number is at least 7,000 from recall notices, for instance. And FCA is continuing with aggressive efforts to sell the...
John Voelcker -
2017 Ford Focus Electric preview
The 2017 Ford Focus Electric has been one of last electric cars remaining in the current model year for which we haven't had information. Now Ford has released a few specifications, and a photo of a 2017 Focus Electric window sticker sent by a reader fills in more of the gaps. The good news: after...
John Voelcker -
2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: 124 miles of range, more motor power, LA Auto Show debut
Later this morning, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf will be unveiled at the second of two Los Angeles Auto Show media preview days. Along with the many updates made to other models in the 2017 Golf lineup, VW's electric car gets a 50-percent boost in battery capacity and a more powerful electric motor...
John Voelcker -
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric will get a range increase to keep pace with competition.
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2017 Nissan Versa Note gets updates before LA Auto Show
The 2017 Nissan Versa Note gets styling updates, but no mechanical changes.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV: video review of 238-mile electric car
From the outside, this car looks like a tall hatchback, not all that remarkable, maybe a bit bigger than some of the smallest cars around. But from the moment you open the door and get behind the wheel, it's clear that this is no ordinary Chevrolet. In fact, it's Chevrolet's first-ever mass-market...
John Voelcker -
LG Chem: GM to sell 'more than 30,000' Chevy Bolt EVs next year
A very brief article on a single sentence uttered on Tuesday by an executive at Korean battery maker LG Chem has reverberated around electric-car circles for most of this week. The executive was vice president Kang Chang-beom, and he spoke on a conference call for financial analysts on the topic of...
John Voelcker -
Green Car Reports 2017 Best Car To Buy nominee: Chevy Bolt EV
The announcement of the Chevrolet Bolt concept car came like a thunderclap at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. After unveiling the 2016 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, General Motors CEO Mary Barra rolled out a bright orange five-door hatchback electric car. It would have 200 or more miles of range, she...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf S quietly gets 30-kwh battery upgrade, higher price
For 2016, the model year just ending, the Nissan Leaf electric car got a larger-capacity battery for all but its lowest trim level. The Leaf SV and SL models this year have been fitted with a 30-kilowatt-hour battery, up from the previous 24-kwh capacity, that boosts their EPA-rated range from 84...
John Voelcker