2011

It all started with Leonardo DiCaprio, who showed up at the foot of the red carpet in his very own Toyota Prius. Within a couple of years, alighting from a Prius hybrid--or any other hybrid, including the hulking Cadillac Escalade Hybrid luxury full-size sport-utility vehicle--was de rigeur for any...

After several rounds of delays and price increases, electric car startup Fisker says it will start production next month for the Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid priced at $95,900. The company raised $150 million earlier this month at a $600 million valuation, and its backers include storied venture...

Toyota announced this week that it had ended what it called a “decade-long debate” by decreeing that the plural of Prius would be Prii henceforth and to the end of time. Okay, they didn’t say that last part. Toyota unveiled the winning word at the Chicago Auto Show this morning...

Earlier this week MINI announced via their Facebook fan page their newest addition to the social media community—MINI Motorsports. The point of the fan page is to promote the brand’s participation in motorsports around the world and not just from corporate sponsored...

Hyundai is no friend to cheating spouses, that's for sure. Of course, neither is Congress (despite the recent Craigslist antics of former Representative Chris Lee). But perhaps we should start at the beginning. 'Vast defect' ?!?!? We've gotten several notes over the past few weeks from Colorado...

Oh dear, Nissan. You’re struggling to fulfil worldwide demand for your first ever production electric vehicle, and then you go and put the price of your revolutionary car up. At least, that’s what buyers in Europe are faced with from March 1. Even before the first Nissan Leaf has been...

Fabulous creations that electric cars are, they're still machines designed by mere mortals and as a result, they may occasionally go wrong. As they're operated by mere mortals too, you may find one time that you're unable to reach your destination on a charge thanks to a miscalculation, or you've...

You’ve seen the adverts, been to the test-drive and placed down a $99 deposit for Nissan’s all-electric Leaf. Of course, there’s something you probably weren’t told about at the time of reserving a place in the queue. Patience. Save for a few hundred lucky individuals, the...

Charge Anxiety, the fear that your electric car won’t charge up as quickly as you need it to may be one step further away if you’re a 2011 Nissan Leaf owner willing to throw caution to the wind and hack your $25,000 bundle of joy. At least that’s the message coming from a select...

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show is quickly approaching with the opening day being on March 3rd. As with most shows, manufacturers are using the show as a springboard for their concept cars and model debuts. Smart is no exception and has announced that they will be debuting a new concept car called the...

Auto marketers and PR people have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. It lets them connect directly with users and fans, but it also transmits facts, leaks, and rumors at lightning speed. That meant that this morning's BMW press conference, telecast live from BMW Welt in a snowy Munich...

Silent cruising in a seemingly impregnable fortress of fine leather, sensuous wood, and hand-built steel and glass is the ultimate goal of hyper-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce. Which means it's not too surprising that the automaker has confirmed the development of an all-electric version of its...

The 2011 Nissan Juke is a unique car. It isn’t just its styling or the clever advertising; no, it is the entire package. The Juke is what Nissan is calling a sport cross, but what does that really mean? For Nissan, it means a car that has a lifted ride height, standard turbocharged engine and...

It's the sign of a successful car launch: Dealers add blatant markups to the sticker price, charging thousands of dollars extra because buyer demand exceeds supply, and dealers have the only supply. Now it's happening to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the range-extended electric car that went on sale in...

In a renewed push for clean energy, President Obama called for one million electric cars to be on American roads by 2015 last month. But is that goal realistic? The government released a report this week saying that by its “conservative” estimates for 2015, the electric car supply in...

It’s been a mainstay of British eco-chic for nearly a decade, but the little Indian four-wheel ‘car’ which can be found buzzing around the streets of London will no longer be sold in the U.K. In an email earlier on today addressed to all G-Wiz owners Rudi Schogger, MD of...

Announced last week just three weeks ahead of its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Nissan ESFLOW Concept two-seat all-electric sports car has already created quite a stir. With a lightweight Aluminium chassis, composite body and the same laminated lithium-ion battery pack found in the 2011...

Love them or hate them the veritable Land Rover isn’t exactly the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet. But at the upcoming 2011 Geneva Motor Show LandRover will be unveiling a concept development vehicle that it hopes will make the brand a little more environmentally conscious. Dubbed...

Until last spring, Toyota had never seemed that keen on producing an all-electric car, claiming battery technology just wasn’t ready for an all-electric car - despite having produced an all electric crossover SUV back in the late 1990s. Since then however, things have changed a lot. Not only...

Just how do you hide a 2011 Chevrolet Volt? In a Cave? Under a bridge? Switch badges with a Prius? Hide it in an oil refinery? How about the planet Dagobah? These are just some of the tongue-in cheek methods being suggested by Chevrolet Volt owners nationwide to help the 2011 Chevrolet Customer...