2012
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If you want a car that's both sporty and economical, there aren't many choices under $20,000. The Honda CR-Z is one of those choices, but both gearheads and green-minded buyers have criticized the car for failing to offer enough of what they want. As revealed by our sister site MotorAuthority, Honda has teased an updated CR-Z on its Japanese website. It's unlikely to bring about any fundamental changes, but it should showcase a selection of mid-life improvements to increase its appeal to buyers. The video doesn't reveal a great deal about the updated car, but it does feature a new, LED-laden...
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Buying A 2012 Tesla Model S: Pros & Cons Of 'Tesla Way' To Order
At last, my number's been called. As the holder of reservation number P 717 for a 2012 Tesla Model S, I've waited more than three years after putting down a $5,000 deposit on the sleek, all-electric sport sedan. Since then, Tesla has kept my interest percolating with e-mail updates and promotional...
David Noland -
NASCAR Star Builds Racing Prius In Toyota Charity Challenge
Think of the high-gas mileage Toyota Prius, and you’re unlikely to make the jump to the high-octane, big-buck world of NASCAR racing. But thanks to the $50,000 charity Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge event being sponsored by Toyota ahead of the 2012 SEMA show, the two worlds will collide...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
August Set To Be Best Month Yet For Chevy Volt Sales
At the start of each month we report sales figures on each electric car currently on sale in the U.S. Over the last few years, the highest electric sales have been a two-horse race between the 2012 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Chevrolet Volt. And for several months now, the Volt has been leading. That...
Antony Ingram -
GM Recalls 2012 Chevrolet Sonic For Faulty Windshield Washer System
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, General Motors’ popular subcompact car, is being recalled to fix a potential fault with the windshield wiper hose. According to the official recall posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s SaferCar website, the recall affects 44,668 cars...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Five Official Nissan Leaf Accessories You Can’t Buy In The U.S.
As with many other cars sold around the world, there are small differences between the 2012 Nissan Leaf sold in the U.S. and the 2012 Nissan Leaf found in other countries. While Leaf owners in other countries may end up paying more for their cars, they often get more features included as standard...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Whether you drive gas, electric or anything else, there are dozens of different factors that affect your car's efficiency. That's why, even though Tesla Motors claims a range of 265 miles for its 85 kWh Model S, we've been eager to see how far it can go in realistic day-to-day driving. Thanks to Motor Trend, we now know. The magazine borrowed Tesla CEO Elon Musk's own Model S and ran it through a series of tests, culminating in a drive down I-15 and then up the Pacific Coast Highway to measure its range. Starting with a full charge from the California Speedway, where the team logged...
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2012 Coda Vehicles Recalled For Airbag Flaw
Coda is one of America's newest auto brands, and now, it's undergoing a time-honored rite of passage: its first official recall. According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Coda recall stems from improperly installed side-curtain airbags. Although the...
Richard Read -
Graduating From College? Get $1,000 Off A 2012 Toyota Prius C
As any graduate will tell you, the first few years out of college can be exciting, but financially tough. So for any recently-matriculated graduate, owning a car that gets good gas mileage is an important way to save those precious pennies and get out of debt as fast as possible. Now Toyota wants...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Tesla Model S 'First-Rate Car': AutoNation CEO
While many are in agreement that lower prices will be a major catalyst for tempting people into electric cars, some things are worth paying that little bit extra for. Could the 2012 Tesla Model S be one of those things? For Mike Jackson, CEO of auto retail company Autonation, then the answer is...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Tesla Model S: Early Buyers Get 1 Year Of Data Free
If you've got a brand new 2012 Tesla Model S sitting in your garage--or you're soon to have one delivered--then life is probably pretty sweet right now. Not that it can't be improved, of course. Drivers of Model S cars in Signature trim, denoting the first models delivered, also get a year's worth...
Antony Ingram -
How Toyota Made The 2012 RAV4 EV More Aerodynamic
As most electric car fans will tell you, it’s much easier for automakers to build an all-electric car from scratch than it is to repurpose an existing gasoline model with an electric drivetrain. In the case of Toyota’s RAV4EV however, the Japanese automaker, with help from Californian...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Motors may have been initially cagey about its production figures while the first few cars were being delivered, but as production gathers pace the company is revealing more details on Model S deliveries. In one of his regular Inside Tesla features on the Tesla Blog, Tesla vice president of sales and ownership George Blankenship confirms production and delivery numbers, two months on from the first car reaching its owner. Blankenship says that the 100th production Model S has now left the line, of which 74 are for delivery to the first reservation holders. The other vehicles are being...
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Fisker Karma: No. 2 Best Selling 4-Door Luxury Car In Netherlands, But...
After a week involving fires, financial woes and recalls, it looks like things may be looking up for Fisker Automotive: its 2012 Karma plug-in hybrid is the second best-selling 4-door luxury car in the Netherlands. As PlugInCars reports, Fisker’s founder Henrik Fisker is ecstatic. “How...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Mitsubishi i Electric Minicar: Drive Report VIDEO!
We liked the 2012 Mitsubishi i electric minicar we drove last week rather more than we expected. Its main handicap, even in city usage, is its low electric range. We didn't test the car to its limits, and indeed the range indicator may be slightly pessimistic (much safer than being optimistic...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S: Electric Luxury Sedan Ultimate Guide
Finally, after several years of teaser images, videos, clips, auto show appearances and more, there are finally production examples of the 2012 Tesla Model S driving around on the streets Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has been working tirelessly to put the Model S on the market, and CEO Elon Musk even...
Antony Ingram -
Will Chevy Volt Sales Hit 40,000 This Year (Ampera Included)?
After being flayed for not achieving its 2011 sales goal for the Chevy Volt, you might think General Motors would shy away from further volume predictions for its innovative range-extended electric car. Not so. CEO Dan Akerson said in late June that the company thought it would sell 35,000 to...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Karma Fire Due To Faulty Cooling Fan, Recall Underway, Factory Says
Well, that was quick. On Saturday, just eight days after a fire badly damaged a 2012 Fisker Karma, the company has completed its forensic investigation, announced the cause, and started a recall for the part in question. Fisker concluded that the fire was caused by an internal fault in a sealed...
John Voelcker -
It took a while, but we've finally had a chance to spend time with the smallest plug-in electric car sold in the U.S. The 2012 Mitsubishi i (also known as the i-MiEV) is a battery electric minicar roughly the size of a Mini Cooper. The little hatchback has four doors, four usable seats, and a lot more space inside than you'd imagine from its egg-shaped exterior. While most i-MiEVs we've seen were white, our test car was a startling shade of Raspberry Metallic purple that led us to nickname it Professor Plum--and made it almost impossible to photograph in sunlight. During our four-day test...
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Where's The Cheapest Place To Buy A Toyota Prius In The U.S?
Have you ever wondered whether you're paying over the odds for a car, compared to your neighbors in other states? We all know that prices differ abroad, but there can sometimes be hundreds of dollars between a car in one state, and the price people pay in another. We decided to investigate the...
Antony Ingram -
How Many Karmas Has Fisker Built So Far? We Say 2,000-Plus
For roughly six months, Fisker Automotive has said it's sold "about 1,000" of its Karma range-extended electric luxury sedan, globally. Then, on July 31, we spotted a brand-new 2012 Karma at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach, California--so new it still had dealer plates. Its...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S: Yes, It Really Does Perform That Well
The 2012 Tesla Model S is the most anticipated all-electric car of 2012, but it is also the most enigmatic. That’s because even though it launched back in late June, access to -- and time behind the wheel of -- the Model S has been strictly controlled by Tesla. Our own 1-hour test-drive...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Why Prius Buyers Choose C Over Liftback: Price, Ride, Normality
Toyota’s new 2012 Prius C subcompact launched earlier this year, but it is already winning itself fans among old and new hybrid car drivers alike. Around $5,000 cheaper than the 2012 Prius Liftback, it offers the same 50 mpg combined as its larger sibling, but why are some car buyers choosing...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Model S 'Get Amped' Tour: 5,000 Test Drives In Sight
Fourteen of the planned sixteen cities have been completed on the “Getting Amped Tour,”
George Parrott