2008
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Shopping for a used car can be one of life’s more frustrating experiences. If you know what you’re looking for in terms of year, make and model, the trouble is often in finding the specific car you’re seeking. If you're just shopping for a used small car, and you're flexible regarding year, make and model, chances are good that your search will prove far less frustrating. Consumer Reports feels your pain, and a recently compiled chart shows you which CR-recommended 2007 and 2008 models have depreciated the most. In other words, it shows which reliable, used small cars are...
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Peugeot Sets Electric Car Lap Time at Nurburgring in EX1 Concept
How fast can an electric car get around the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany? Until recently, the fastest official time for an electric car stood at 9 minutes and 52 seconds. Recorded last year in a BMW Mini E racing car, it was the first time an all-electric car had completed the course...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla V Top Gear: Top Gear’s Track Record With Electric Cars
It’s been two weeks since Californian electric automaker filed papers against the BBC’s Top Gear for libel in relation to a segment the popular entertainment show did on Tesla’s all-electric Roadster back in 2008. By now you’re probably familiar with the details of the case...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Jaguar To Make a Come Back With Small C-Segment Luxury Sedan?
If you are a Jaguar fan then the X-type is no stranger. Jaguar tried to introduce the car about a decade ago to compete with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class—basically the entry-level luxury segment. The car was nice to look at from the inside out and a bargain with all-wheel drive...
Jonathan McGrew -
Jaguar Revisits the X-Type: Rumblings of a New Small Sedan
Jaguar has seen a lot of change in the last couple decades. Now no longer owned or controlled by Ford Motor Company, Jaguar is looking to see what it needs to do to sell more volume and stay in the luxury car market. You might remember the X-Type sedan, the company’s foray into the small...
Jonathan McGrew -
Fatal G-Wiz Crash: Confirmed - Another Car Was Involved
Just over a week ago we discussed the aspect of electric car safety, specifically that of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles or NEVs, after 47-year old mother Judit Nadal was tragically killed in her Reva G-Wiz in an accident in London, U.K. Our earlier story was based on initial reports that Mrs Nadal...
Antony Ingram -
Last summer, Karl Stracke, the vice president of global vehicle engineering of General Motors, said the company planned to test three battery-electric vehicles in different global regions. This morning, the company's Opel unit announced that it would test a fleet of Opel Meriva small minivans converted to electric power in Germany. Opel is launching the test in conjunction with German power company MeRegioMobil. GM didn't specify the size of the electric Meriva fleet. Goal: Electric cars as energy storage With leisurely acceleration and a mere 40-mile electric range, the fleet of MeRegioMobil...
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Hyundai To Debut New Entry-Level Coupe In Paris
We Might Finally See a Tiburon Replacement
Jonathan McGrew -
Hawaii: Island Paradise for Electric Vehicles As Well As People
You'd be forgiven for thinking Hawaii is the center of the electric vehicle universe. Wednesday, Nissan announced it would be one of the first markets for the 2011 Leaf electric vehicle. Then yesterday South Korean manufacturer CT&T signed a deal with the state's governor, Linda Lingle, to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Hyundai Veloster To Replace Hyundai Tiburon
All a Part Of Hyundai’s Plan To Bring Seven Vehicles In Two Years
Jonathan McGrew -
Story of Runaway Toyota Prius Questioned by NHTSA and Toyota
More issues are surfacing in regards to the runaway Prius story from last week involving momentary celebrity James Sikes, whose runaway incident in a 2008 Toyota Prius made headlines for days. Last week, Jalopnik reported on the financial troubles of Sikes, who filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The...
Eric Loveday -
The Punching Bag Hits Back: Prius Crash Was Driver Error, Toyota Says
Few automotive engineers believe in so-called "sudden acceleration". But until recently, there's been no way to determine what a driver what doing when he (or she) swears that he was pressing the brake pedal with all his strength even as the car accelerated. Now, that's changed. Federal...
John Voelcker -
As we've noted before, so-called sudden acceleration is a confusing, messy, and very uncertain subject. Now a certain San Diego citizen seems to be caught in the cross-hairs of media scrutiny over what is and isn't technically possible in a Toyota Prius--let alone smart to do--if the driver claims the car is accelerating out of control. Welcome to the strange saga of Mr. Sikes and his Seemingly Suddenly Accelerating Prius. Media frenzy There's been more media coverage of the Sikes case than we could possibly do justice to. But in one sentence: There seems to be a growing possibility that Jim...
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2007 and 2008 Honda Fit Recalled For Potential Fire Hazard
We've always been big fans of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback, with fuel economy ratings of 28 mpg city, 35 mpg highway for the five-speed manual model. In its review of the newest 2010 Honda Fit, our sister site TheCarConnection lauded the Fit for: City-friendly steering and maneuverability...
John Voelcker -
Algae-Powered Prius Plug-In Helps Hybrid Go Even Greener
We've written before about Prius plug-in conversions, but here's a new wrinkle: a 2008 Toyota Prius plug-in that's also running on biofuel derived partly from algae grown specifically as a source of fuel. It's the "Algaeus," a project of the Veggie Van Organization in Santa Monica, California. The...
John Voelcker -
Want To Go Even Greener? Power Your Prius on...Algae ?!?!?
There's something about the Toyota Prius that makes people want to modify it. Maybe it's the Hybrid Synergy Drive system, maybe it's the electric running, maybe it's even the car's shape. We're not quite sure. Now, joining the growing parade of Prius plug-in conversions (whether professional or...
John Voelcker -
Two-Mode Troubles, or How GM Just Can't Catch a Break
They're selling slow, they lose a lot of value, and amidst the general gloom, GM's Two-Mode Hybrids are not the ray of hope they hoped for
John Voelcker -
Does the Smart ForTwo Have Competition on the Way
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Auto Industry Task Force Member (aka EPA Head) Drives A Prius
Detroit learns that few of the President's auto task force members drive cars from GM or Chrysler
John Voelcker -
Parchment's Purchase of Prius Police Car Bothers Buy-American Bigot
One man is trying to stir up anti-import feeling in a small Michigan town
John Voelcker -
Priuses Tough Enough for Linebacker, Mean Enough for Road Rage
Toyota Prius drivers don't always fit the cultural stereotype; consider the NFL linebacker, or the man arrested for road rage
John Voelcker -
2009 MINI Cooper Clubman: Will You Rock One in 2009?
The MINI stretches out for its consumer legs.
Jonathan McGrew