Today, we've got a pair of stories on internal combustion, covering Mazda's innovative and fuel-efficient new SkyActiv-X engine and a dismissive comment on electric cars from a Japanese CEO. Also, a new Twitter poll to take and an update on U.S. plug-in electric car sales. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

If you think of the global auto industry as a sports league, which are the up-and-coming teams that may just surprise us in electric cars? Take our Twitter poll to share your views.

The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid won't arrive in the U.S. until late this year, but it's now on sale in the U.K. and we've got the details.

We updated our August electric-car sales roundup with data from Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Smart—one of which launched an all-new electric vehicle last month. Read it to find out which one.

A world in which all cars are electric is a "comic-book" fantasy, said one Japanese executive; we explained why he thinks that.

How about an electric car with 400,000 miles? The 2012 Chevy Volt nicknamed Ol' Sparkie just passed that milestone.

Mazda's new SkyActiv-X engines, running on what it calls Spark-Controlled Compression Ignition, promise diesel fuel economy from a gasoline engine. We drove it, and we explain why it's so important.

The IIHS says mid-size pickup trucks do well on crash safety but lack advanced active-safety systems that provide further protection.

Finally, if you want to go into the car business, Williams Engineering will have an off-the-shelf electric-car platform available.

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