2012

Customers served by the Japan Post Network's Minami Kanto office will be able to spread enthusiasm for electric vehicles with a unique set of stamps starting in February. The delivery company has partnered with Nissan to offer a new collection entitled "Nissan Electric Vehicle History." Believe it...

One million hybrids is certainly a lofty goal for any automaker to achieve and if anyone can do it, it is Toyota.  According to a report from the Nikkei Newspaper in Japan, the company plans to double its hybrid production by 2011 with an anticipated volume of 1 million units per year. As the...

New York City often startles people, and it stayed true to form in a recent analysis done by McKinsey & Company for the city's PlaNYC planning group, "Exploring Electric Vehicle Adoption in New York City." In particular, one of the report's conclusions may come as a shock to many...

All good things must come to an end, and it's the same with the wildwood weed ... err, with California's HOV-Lane access perk for owners of three hybrids: the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda Insight. They are set to expire on December 31 of this year. Originally passed in 2005, the law...

Per the press release linked below, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a letter of intent with Fisker Automotive that outlines the terms of a production and licensing agreement for the Fisker Karma Program. Under the supply arrangement...

New American carmaker Fisker Automotive has secured access to an additional $115.3 million in private equity funding to develop plug-in hybrid cars.  This funding is necessary for Fisker Automotive to access a $528.7 million U.S. Department of Energy conditional loan that will, in part, help speed...

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., (Nasdaq: QTWW) today announced that its Clandestine Electric Reconnaissance Vehicle (CERV) all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid electric vehicle is proudly displayed by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) at...

Nearing the end of our 2010 Detroit Auto Show coverage brings us to a vehicle that got a lot of media attention, though it's unclear when it will actually arrive in the U.S. That's the BYD e6 electric crossover, which could become the first Chinese vehicle sold in the U.S. The crisply styled...

According to a report from the Maeil of South Korea, Ford Motor Company signed a deal with leading battery supplier LG Chem.  The deal involves LG Chem. supplying Ford with lithium-ion cells for all of the companies future plug-in vehicles. Ford has previously worked with Johnson Controls-Saft for...

With the "Green Car Challenge" segment of his soon-to-be-terminated 10 pm show, Jay Leno has been a frequent proponent of electric cars--among them the upcoming electric version of the Ford Focus. Now that car has a name, as Ford happened to mention during a 2010 Detroit Auto Show press event. The...

We're back home from the mind-numbing madness of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, unpacking, sorting press kits (well, these days they're just USB drives), and trying to work out what we thought of it all. This year, there's no question about the best green car there: It was the 2011 Ford Focus compact...

The Twist Is They Are Coming From Nissan

Ford was on a roll at this year's Detroit Auto Show. It launched its new 2011 Ford Focus compact sedan and hatchback, which got rave reviews, and its 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid won North American Car of the Year. The company added a late-breaking press conference on Monday to make a further...

The automotive market in Japan has very few similarities to the automotive market here in the States.  Japanese buyers tend to select compact, fuel efficient vehicles whereas here in the states we still like gas guzzling, large vehicles.  The difference between the buying habits of both nations...

Only four electric vehicles really matter at the Detroit Auto Show: the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the 2012 Nissan Leaf, and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, plus the current 2010 Tesla Roadster. They're on sale, or destined for volume production. The rest fall into two categories:  low-volume...

Ford Continuous To Surprise With New Cars In Detroit

Coming off the successful launch of its 2011 Ford Fiesta subcompact at last month's Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford is following up with its even more important 2012 Ford Focus compact. This will be the first complete redesign of the North American Focus in more than a decade, and at last U.S. buyers...

Mercedes entered the entry level luxury vehicle category years ago with it C230 Kompressor coupe.  The vehicle was a capable model with strong performance, solid handling and a refined driving experience.  Mercedes buyers showed little interest and sales were unexpectedly low.  Then BMW entered...

Last April Hyundai unveiled their first ever plug-in hybrid at the Seoul Motor Show.   Known as the Hyundai Blue-Will, the concept is scheduled to make its debut here in the states at the 2010 NAIAS just weeks away.  Though only a concept, the company has stated that it may be a preview for...

According to Mercedes, the next generation S-Class will launch with a plug-in hybrid model available immediately. As Thomas Weber of Mercedes research and development said in an interview with Autocar, "It makes a lot of sense to bundle the high-price tech option to the sort of customers willing to...