2011

Sales of the new 2010 Volkswagen Golf (MkVI) are picking up pace all around the country and considering the car’s solid feel, classy styling and German engineering, it’s easy to understand why. Oh, did we mention that it’s also available with a dual clutch transmission and a frugal...

If you're lucky you may already be on a waiting list for the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Or perhaps you've decided to get the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. If your next car is electric it could easily immunize you from fluctuating gas prices and ensure low running costs. But what will that shiny new electric car be...

What does a pizza delivery teen, a taxi driver and a courier have to do with EVs? Not much right now, but could these and other professional drivers hold the key to truly prove that EVs have what it takes to hit the big time, or do they risk condemning EVs to the history books forever? Chinese auto...

Electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf require lots of lithium and other precious heavy metals to make them go. Today's sources of lithium are far and few: Bolivia has something like 40 percent of the world's deposits, while Russia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina have some. This weekend, the...

Want to be among the first to lease a 2011 Smart Electric Drive? You’re probably too late, as the brand only plans to make 1,500 of them available globally.

The small-car band wagon is piling high with automakers, including those from Detroit, with vehicles like the 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2011 Mazda2, and 2011 Chevrolet Aveo either in showrooms already or on their way. Suzuki has recently moved the other way, introducing what many consider to be its first...

The electric revolution is underway. With testbed vehicles including the Mini E, and big-name models like the Ford Focus EV and Nissan LEAF on the way within a year or two, it's no longer a question of whether electric cars will come back.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf is out and about testing, and some intrepid fans have caught it in the wild.

They may have struck a deal to transfer control of the old NUMMI manufacturing facility, but as of yet, Toyota and electric-car manufacturer Tesla have no firm deal to produce vehicles together. The Wall Street Journal says a recent stock filing reveals the companies haven't yet inked a deal that...

 The 2010 Tesla Roadster is seen by many as the ultimate boy's toy. But Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs added another car to his garage today by walking through the Nissan Leaf signup process live at the Apple WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2010 live on stage. In photos snapped by Apple...

Could the Polo Still Come to the U.S.?

New Federal standards for higher average gas-mileage in vehicles sold from now to 2015 will save consumers money on fuel. But the cars themselves are likely to cost more, according to a study released yesterday by the National Research Council. Regular readers know we've been saying that it'll be a...

Mac or PC? Leaf or Volt? The car you drive says a lot about your personality and your outlook on life, be it a big SUV or a Smart. With the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt both set to hit the roads this Fall, is one a PC and the other a Mac? And if so, which is which? Are Leaf owners more...

The all-new 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is currently rolling into dealerships across the country and potential customers will be happy to know that they will be entitled to a $900 tax credit under the Internal Revenue Service’s Alternative Motor Vehicle provision. The standard and long-wheelbase...

Aside from the electric Volt, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has been touring the auto show circuit long enough to make it a familiar face well before it hits dealerships. But now Chevy has priced its new compact sedan, starting at $16,995. And that means it really will soon show up at dealers, toward...

By the end of this year, several fully modern, highway-capable electric vehicles will go on sale. Sooner or later, one of them will get into an accident. What should emergency responders do when faced with a high-voltage battery pack that could kill them if mishandled? To prepare first responders...

It's been more than a year since Volkswagen confirmed it would sell its Polo subcompact in the U.S. But the company also said it would modify the Polo to make it more suitable for the U.S. market, which prefers sedans to hatchbacks. Now, the other shoe has dropped: VW has just unveiled the Polo...

So who are these strange people who might want something as unusual, as perplexing, as downright radical as an electric car? More specifically, an all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf compact hatchback? Turns out they're the same people who wanted the last most radical type of family car: a...

The surprise partnership between Tesla Motors and Toyota announced two weeks ago generated a lot of head-scratching. The big question is, What does Toyota get out of the deal? It's easy to see what Tesla gets: more capital (Toyota will invest $50 million in Tesla just before its planned public...

Launching a brand-new car make is a tough task; just ask General Motors (RIP Saturn). But if you're electric-car startup Coda Automotive, you have at least one plus (it's a pure electric car, which is sexy) to offset several potential minuses (who's Coda? it's made in China? I can't buy one outside...