2012

So what's the least expensive plug-in car in the U.S.? That ought to be pretty simple to figure out, right? Just compare the base price for every electric car, add in mandatory delivery fees, and see which comes in lowest. Which is why we got confused this morning when we read Toyota's Bob Carter...

Toyota has announced pricing on two new models from its Prius family: the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In and the 2012 Toyota Prius V. And it's clarified that both trim levels of the plug-in Prius are likely to qualify for a Federal tax credit of $2,500.

Mercedes Benz is hoping a targeted television advertising campaign, accompanied by low-interest financing, is all it will need to reignite U.S. interest in the Smart brand.

Toyota has just launched the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at the Green Drive Expo held in Richmond, California. Toyota will most likely launch the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, to be held in mid-November. Just this...

Although it’s almost a year since the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt officially launched in key electric car markets, the majority of the U.S. population have yet to see their first highway capable electric car. So its no surprise that automakers are spending a lot of time and...

The IIHS has named the 2012 Chevy Sonic a "Top Safety Pick," signifying that the car has scored high in crash testing and comes with standard electronic stability control.

Startup carmaker Fisker Automotive has probably learned a lot of lessons about the timing of auto launches. Although the car went into production in March, it still hasn't been approved for sale by various U.S. regulatory bodies--including the Environmental Protection Agency--as of this month...

“In America, we like everyone to know about the good work we’re doing anonymously,” Jay Leno explained to Top Gear’s James May, discussing his views of the green-car mentality in the U.S. His point: The models we buy affirm their conscientiousness (and our own) with...

The Ford Transit Connect, in both gasoline and CNG versions, has begun deployment for taxi duty from coast to coast.

While Toyota is still struggling to get itself entirely back to normal after the devastating March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami, the company has a number of new green cars coming along this autumn. It is pulling forward the launch for the redesigned 2012 version of its best-selling Camry...

Bamby Cars Limited has begun building a replica of the world's smallest production car, the Peel P50. You can park it anywhere, but there isn't much room for luggage.

The 2012 model year has brought some subtle changes to the 2012 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, despite "decontenting" that makes a comparably equipped 2012 Volt cost more than the 2011 model.

It's one thing Honda not sending its new Brio minicar over to the United States, so economy car fans are unable to sample its 52 mpg delights. That would all be okay if we found out it was a terrible car, but unfortunately for us, the first reviews coming from overseas are singing its praises. One...

Cylinder deactivation has been used with great success on V-6 and V-8 engines for years, but now Volkswagen is bringing the technology to their four-cylinder, 1.4-liter TSI engine.

California's electric-car advocates are often "true believers," and they can be single-minded in the pursuit of what they believe is right. But the nuts-and-bolts experience they've gained during the state's 15 years of electric-car use can be invaluable--which is why policy-makers and car...

Half a century ago, automatic transmissions had two or three speeds, and progress has come slowly since then. Today, many cars are still sold with four-speed automatics, though five- and six-speeds are the new normal. Next year, Chrysler will introduce eight-speed automatics on its full-size...

We're beginning to sound like a broken record: One of the ways carmakers will meet new, tougher gas-mileage requirements will be to use smaller, more efficient engines in their vehicles. Those may be 1.0-liter three-cylinder engines in subcompacts, but they may also be more powerful V-6 engines...

Overall, we liked the 2012 Ford Focus Titanium edition a lot, though its $27K price tag startled us, the gas mileage was a little lower than expected, and the MyFordTouch system did not seem ready for primetime to us.

It's taken a long time to arrive, but Ford's fuel-efficient 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is now available as an option on both the 2012 Ford Explorer and the 2012 Ford Edge crossover utility. It's the first time any Ford Explorer has been offered with a four in the model's 22-year...

If you’ve got a 2011 Nissan Leaf SL you probably ordered it with the included $700 rapid charging port, capable of recharging its 24 kilowatt-hour battery pack to 80 percent full in a little under 30 minutes using an off-board rapid charger. But direct-current rapid charging stations using...