2012

With the 2011 Honda CR-Z headed for dealerships this summer, and the 2010 Honda Insight struggling to make a sales impression, the third of Honda's three new hybrid models is being cued up in Japan. The 2012 Honda Fit Hybrid (which will go on sale in Japan this October as a 2011 model) has now been...

Last October, Simon Hackett and Emilis Prelgauskas set a new distance record for a production battery-powered vehicle: a hugely impressive 313 miles in a 2008 Tesla Roadster. That's around 70 miles more than the EPA's rated range for the world's best -known EV. Unfortunately for them, not even a...

What exactly is needed for electric cars to become mainstream?  It's a question the auto industry has been asking time and time again over the past few years. Over time, the answer has changed. While electric car owners will likely tell you that the only thing they really need in order to live...

Following the successful launch of Bosch’s parallel full-hybrid technology (in models such as the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne S), the key international automotive supplier is also increasingly investing in the development of powertrain technologies for all-electric vehicles. With the...

We've been watching it roll closer for years, and now it's all but here: A new era of electric cars. Just three or four months from now, the first highway-capable electric vehicles sold in volume by global automakers will appear in showrooms in California and other regions. By the end of 2011...

Not a lot of buyers end up choosing between a Toyota Prius hybrid and a Cadillac Escalade full-size sport-utility vehicle for their new car. Now, in addition to its top-of-the-charts gas mileage--50 mpg on the EPA combined cycle--there's another reason to opt for the Prius: Its earlier models have...

The Toyota Prius is the quintessential hybrid vehicle, with an instantly recognizable shape and a place in history confirmed by the South Park "Smug" episode. It seems like it's been with us forever, but in fact, Toyota only sold its very first 2000 Prius in the U.S. just 10 years ago. To celebrate...

The Fiat and Alfa Romeo Brands Could Sell Where You Don’t Expect Them

Many global automakers have research outposts in Silicon Valley. BMW's is one floor of an unremarkable office building in downtown Palo Alto, while Volkswagen's much larger Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) occupies a whole building in an office park nestled in the foothills above Stanford...

Autonomous engine stop-start systems, designed to save fuel by turning off a car’s engine when at a standstill, are increasing in popularity, especially in Europe, where fuel prices are often double what they are here. In many cases, the addition of an engine stop-start system can net fuel...

It's no secret that Porsche has a new found love affair with vehicle electrification, having recently unveiled its first hybrid model ever, the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, as well as teasing fans with high-performance hybrids such as the 911 GT3 R Hybrid and 918 Spyder. Porsche even confirmed...

The convoluted twists and turns of possible Prius production in the U.S. have taken another unexpected bend. A Toyota executive has now told Reuters that the company intends to build the quintessential hybrid in the States, but not until its next generation is launched. That would be in 2016, since...

The big news in green cars today will be the noon release of pricing and ordering information for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM's upcoming range-extended compact electric car. But GM had more noteworthy news today, all the way from the other side of the world. General Motors, the company pilloried...

Hot hatches. The Europeans love them, we--as a whole--apparently hate them, and consequently miss out on some amazing cars that our cousins across the Atlantic have been enjoying for years. But that’s all about to change thanks to stylish newcomers like the 2011 Ford Fiesta and upcoming 2012...

Is There Such a Thing As Too Small

MINI’s ambitious plans to launch a slew of new models shows no signs of slowing. Not only are there new coupe and roadster models planned for the Cooper platform, but a new-generation ‘Moke’ off-roader previewed by the recent Beachcomber concept is also reportedly in the works. Now there are...

Fisker has finalized its purchase of the GM factory where it will build its new plug-in hybrids.

Having recently visited Smith Electric Vehiclesin Kansas City, Missouri, president Barack Obama is now on his way to the Compact Power battery plant located in Holland, Michigan. The specialized plant will be supplying the upcoming Chevrolet Volt range-extended vehicle with its lithium-ion battery...

Super sexy Silicon Silicone Valley darlings Tesla Motors might be feeling a little motion sickness after the ups and downs of its first two weeks on the stock market, but its most recent hire brings a whole new level of retail chic to its aggressive sales plans. You'd be forgiven for thinking that...

Next year will see several major automakers test the waters with their new electric offerings, with cars like the new Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid all available by then. However, the real electric onslaught is expected to come in 2012, a timeframe that will allow...