2012
-
MINI Brings Crossover To Model Line-up
-
Small Electric Cars To Get Louder For SafetyAgreements On Minimum Noise Levels Get Made By Safety Advocates
Jonathan McGrew -
Coda Close Series C Round Funding, Investment Now $125m.Californian based EV start-up, Coda Automotive, have successfully closed their third round of investor financing. The company, which plans to produce 14,000 of their all electric sedan by the end of 2011 also announced they will be setting up offices in Singapore. Coda has been quietly working away...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Snapped on the Street: Fiat 500 Electric Car Visits Palo AltoThe great thing about having your company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is that you never quite know what you'll see on the street. There are lots of expensive cars like BMWs and Bentleys floating around. There are also a disproportionate number of Tesla Roadsters, since the company is...
John Voelcker -
Why Can't Toyota's Plug-In Prius Recharge Its Larger Battery?Toyota has come under some fire from electric-vehicle enthusiasts for what some perceive as a grudging, halfhearted approach to building vehicles that plug in. Its first U.S.-market plug-in vehicle--not including a thousand or so RAV4 electric crossovers a decade ago--will be the 2012 Toyota Prius...
John Voelcker -
3 Green-Car Trends: Smaller Cars, More Turbos, Luxury HybridsEveryone has opinions. But if you had to wrap up what's happening in green cars today by naming three trends, what would they be? The ever-eager publicists at auto-classified site AutoTrader.com sent us their list of three changes in the world of eco-friendly vehicles. We've reproduced them below...
John Voelcker -
Ford has already confirmed that its boxy C-MAX will be arriving in the U.S. late next year and now the Blue Oval has revealed that hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the car are in the pipeline, although only European plans have been announced thus far. But with the U.S. being the world’s biggest market for hybrid vehicles, you can rest assure that these eco-friendlier models will eventually make their way into local showrooms as well. The C-MAX is essentially a roomier version of the new 2012 Ford Focus and is more closely related to an MPV rather than a hatchback. Local production is...
-
Prius Plug-In Hybrid: It Won't Compete With the Leaf or VoltWe've been thinking a lot about the prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid since our test drive of a prototype last month. And about the rest of the plug-in cars that will come to market over the next two years. To our surprise, we decided we don't think buyers will directly compare the Prius...
John Voelcker -
Next Generation MINI Cooper To Run On Only Three-cylindersIn a Move Reminiscent of the Geo Metro, MINI Changes Engines
Jonathan McGrew -
Buying a Green Car: It's All About Being Seen Being GreenOn the surface, buying a "green car" often doesn't make sense. Or rather, it doesn't make dollars and cents: The extra cost of the necessary technology--whether it's a hybrid, a clean diesel, or a plug-in electric car--is often never recouped in fuel savings. So why do people do it? Turns out it's...
John Voelcker -
OK, We Get It: Adam Carolla Likes, and Hates, Electric CarsAs if legitimate news outlets didn't have enough trouble covering electric vehicles sensibly, now we get the comedians weighing in. Late-night talk-show host and stereotypical grumpy guy Adam Carolla recently lit into electric cars, in an interview with Gizmodo's Jason Chen in which he was invited...
John Voelcker -
Ford Doubles Down on Flex-Fuel Vehicles; Do Carbuyers Care?It must be something in the water. Yesterday, we learned that every 2011 Buick Regal will offer flex-fuel capability as standard. Now it's Ford's turn; the company announced today that it will have doubled the number of flex-fuel models it builds by the end of the year, fulfilling a 2006 pledge...
John Voelcker -
We've written several times about the accelerator-pedal recall for 2004-2009 Toyota Prius models. While plans for the recall were announced last fall, now Toyota has sent out letters inviting Prius owners to bring their cars in to dealers for the update. The recall came after it was discovered that certain floor mats in several Toyota and Lexus vehicles--among them the Toyota Prius hybrid--could get wedged under the accelerator pedal, producing unintended acceleration. Until it could design the modification to the pedal, Toyota urged owners of the affected vehicles to remove their driver's...
-
Volkswagen Golf Blue-E-Motion Previews Future EVVolkswagen is intent on becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018 and that means being the top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric vehicles. Recently the automaker announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains, and now it has unveiled the all-new Golf...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla Outlines Production Details For 2012 Model STesla's first all-original car, the upcoming Model S sedan, is already on pre-order sale and should be launched by late 2011 if there aren’t any major development stumbles. In the lead up to its showroom appearance, Tesla has revealed an expected price tag for the Model S of $49,900 and confirmed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen: Natural Gas Is Just As Good For Racing As DieselA couple of months ago, we told you about Volkswagen's 2010 Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition, a specially trimmed version of its clean-diesel Jetta sedan that commemorates the TDI Cup racing series, now in its third season. But VW has other green racing activities elsewhere too. Our sister site Motor...
John Voelcker -
First Pre-Production Opel Amperas Roll Off The LineThe 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle isn’t due to hit showrooms until the end of the year but the first pre-production examples are already rolling off production lines at a GM assembly line in Warren, Michigan. Now, the first pre-production Opel Amperas, Europe’s version of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota Prius Owners Are Sensible and Level-Headed, In Other WordsAh, yes, it must be about time for another outburst of Prius stereotyping. Three, two, one ... there! Did you hear it? Over there, in the slightly shrill tones of the ever-shrinking but still testy New York Observer (still printed on orange paper, so Nineties)? The paper attempted to survey New...
John Voelcker -
Just a month after being turned down for low-interest loans by the U.S. Department of Energy, the reclusive V-Vehicle Co. has shown a drivable prototype of its affordable, green V-Car to Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and members of the press in Baton Rouge. While no photos were allowed, many more details have emerged of the car and its equipment. V-Vehicle says the V-Car would sell in the very low five figures--perhaps for no more than $11,000. Before now, the mystery car had been seen only by a handful of investors. Loan quest ongoing Under interim CEO (and noted venture capitalist) Ray...
-
Earth Day Special: The 'Hybridest' Green Cities in the U.S.Today is Earth Day, and in honor of that event--it started 40 years ago as a nationwide teach-in on environmental issues--we bring you a list of the greenest cities in the United States. It's not actually our list; it comes from Cars.com, which based its ranking on the percentage of car shoppers...
John Voelcker -
Preview: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In HybridWhile the Toyota Prius is the world's most popular hybrid vehicle--with well over 1.5 million sold globally since 1997--it's become almost an accepted part of the automotive landscape. And with plug-in vehicles seen as the next big thing, will the Prius fade away? Not if Toyota has anything to say...
John Voelcker -
The 50th Anniversary Talking MINI Cooper In Dealerships Now$5,000 And a Mission Control System Can Be Found On the Camden
Jonathan McGrew -
MyFord Educates Drivers To Get Better MPG On 2012 Ford FocusReal Time Info and Real Time Eco-Routes Deliver a Green Experience.
Jonathan McGrew -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Drive Report: The Invisible Plug-In?One of the nice things about being part of a larger network is access to other sites' content. In this case, we're pleased to be able to point ACE readers toward a drive report of a prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid from our sister site GreenCarReports.com. The 2012 Prius Plug-In will be...
John Voelcker