2010

It's all very strange. Just last March, Chrysler definitively killed the Ram Hemi Hybrid pickup it had been developing for several years. RIP Hemi Hybrid. Now comes a mysterious post on fan site Allpar.com that proposes that the company's Ram 1500 pickup truck will offer a Cummins 5.0-liter...

The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have been rivals since their respective introductions—with the Mustang beating most to the punch with the 1964 ½ Ford Mustang debut. GM quick answered the Mustang with the Camaro, but the Camaro wouldn’t stay ahead of the Mustang for most of...

One of the great things about auto shows is the chance for journalists to drive prototype cars, especially at the Los Angeles Auto Show, known for its green-car test drives. We got a chance to spend 20 minutes behind the wheel of the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric car, with Volvo's Lennart Stegland in...

We took a look a few weeks ago at the five electric cars we reckoned you should do your best to see at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Our list included the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Coda Sedan, the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV and the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Our opinion hasn't changed -...

This afternoon, Honda unveiled its plans for an all-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback to be launched globally in 2012. The announcement came at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The announcement represented a full circle of sorts, since Los Angeles was the home of many of the 300...

Earlier this year we were all excited to hear about Volvo’s offering to the world of electric vehicles - the Volvo C30 EV. Debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the S40-based car offered a eight hour recharging time using a 240V, 16A supply, a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a...

Since its introduction to the U.S. market in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 or Miata, as it is known here in the States, has been one of the all-time best two-seat roadsters in sales. However, you might have noticed that the Mazda Miata doesn’t get a lot of press these days, especially not in the...

Proposition 23 was defeated last night, putting an end to a much ballyhooed piece of cleantech-stopping legislation that was also causing some qualms in the venture capital community. The proposal would have halted California’s AB 32 law, which requires the state to roll back greenhouse...

Urban taxi service may be the equal of any proving-ground torture test. Taxis are driven hard, up to 20 hours a day, and must handle both bad roads and bad drivers. Those that survive without falling apart should do fine in civilian duty. Which is why Better Place chose Tokyo to test out its...

Honda will jump into the electric-car and plug-in-hybrid fray at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show with a new EV concept. The automaker also confirmed it will lay out the plans for a new plug-in hybrid platform during the L.A. show, which opens to the media on November 17. Honda's entries into the...

Before unveiling the redesigned 2011 Jetta, Volkswagen decided to drop a special treat into the lineup of the 2010 model--a TDI Cup Street Edition. Like the old SCCA Showroom Stock categories, the TDI Cup competitors are recognizably production models with some racing equipment added on. Hoping to...

For those that live near San Francisco you might have seen a couple of 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles and possibly an Audi TT with an interesting roof top camera attachment. Those familiar with the Google Maps Street View program probably are saying, ‘Silly, that is just a Street View car taking...

The news came via a Facebook status from another automotive journalist: "Interesting. Phrase 'Electric cars are gay' pulled from Ron Howard movie." To which we could only respond, huh? [UPDATE: Turns out that there's even a Tesla angle too.] Turns out the upcoming movie The Dilemma, starring Vince...

We've seen Onstar from General Motors. We've heard about iPhone apps that allow you to keep tabs on how your 2011 Nissan Leaf or Smart Electric Drive are charging too, and some energy companies are wanting to develop services that keep you updated on the status of your EV. Smart-Grid technology is...

Tesla has recalled 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 models due to a low-voltage cable that might be defective. A 12-volt auxiliary cable is the culprit. The cable could lose power, which would affect the headlights, taillights, turn signals/hazard flashers, and airbags. On one vehicle, the cable caused a...

Who says MINIs are to small to be big contenders? Certainly not it parent group BMW or the people behind the scenes at MINI that develop the little car for all different types of segments. During the summer we reported on the MINI Takes the States event, which had the cool and clean MINI E, as well...

As you might have already gathered, the Volkswagen empire is rather big. Owning Volkswagen (obviously) and Audi and having a large stake in Porsche, they're one of the biggest and most profitable car companies on the planet. Two marques you don't see Stateside though that also play a big part in...

For those of you who aren’t aware, the Honda Jazz is the sister car to the U.S. specification Fit. Much like a Acura NSX was a Honda NSX in markets other than the U.S., Honda sells the Fit under the Jazz name in its home market, as well as, other geographies around the world. Recently...

The 2010 Paris Motor Show is upon us and amongst the supercars and superminis lie a veritable feast of electric vehicles. Whilst we've known about many of the cars due to be shown for a little while now, for many it will be the first opportunity to see the newest EV concepts and production cars up...

We love new announcements, especially in the automotive industry. There is something about watching the progression of technology that is very gratifying. However, sometimes we don’t get all the information at the same time. Recently, Left Lane News reported that Toyota would be producing a...