2013
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General Motors has just officially, finally confirmed news that this site has previously reported: The 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar will be launched in the first half of next year An all-electric Spark EV model will be offered in selected regions of the U.S. and other markets New front-end styling The 2013 Spark shown this morning on stage in Detroit at a celebration of Chevrolet's 100th birthday has a slightly restyled front end, very possibly to comply with U.S. safety standards that differ from those in Asia and Europe, where the car is already on sale. The U.S. version of the Spark will...
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GM's First New Battery Electric Car: 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV To Launch In U.S.GM [NYSE:GM] had hoped to announce its latest green vehicle tomorrow morning, at a nice, orderly, staged press event to celebrate Chevrolet's 100th birthday. But one of its hometown papers jumped the gun and broke the news: The largest domestic car company will launch a small battery electric...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Planning Midsize Plug-In Crossover: ReportFisker is planning to build a midsize crossover on its Nina platform, and the vehicle will be positioned against the upcoming Tesla Model X.
Kurt Ernst -
2013 Dodge Compact Sedan: More Info On Chrysler's Most Crucial CarThe most important car that will be unveiled at next January's Detroit Auto Show may be the new 2013 compact sedan from Dodge, the first all-new vehicle designed by the combined Chrysler-Fiat companies. This morning, spy shots have leaked out and GreenCarReports has a small nugget of information on...
John Voelcker -
2013 Ford Escape Crossover Will Boost Gas Mileage, Drop V-6The 2013 Ford Escape, the first entirely new design in more than a decade for its popular compact crossover, will be officially unveiled next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. But before that, Ford is starting to trickle out bits and pieces of information to build buzz. The 2013 Escape will be...
John Voelcker -
2013 Fisker Surf Station Wagon: Teaser Video Copies TeslaIn the automotive world nothing puts a new car in the spotlight faster than a well-edited, cleverly produced commercial. So when the Fisker Automotive, the electric automaker known for using a model in swim-suit and high-heels to sell is 2012 Karma Sedan, announced its 2013 Fisker Surf...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Chevy Spark minicar, bound for the U.S. in 2012, will get minor front end changes required to meet U.S. safety standards.
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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: 2013 Fisker Surf Official UnveilingThe 2012 Fisker Karma extended range electric car (plug-in hybrid) may have been sold on its sexy good looks, and sporty performance -- but now the luxury sedan has a more practical sibling -- the Fisker Surf. Unveiled today at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, the 2013 Fisker Surf is a crossover wagon...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Fisker Surf Concept: Preview Of Plug-In Karma Shooting BrakeWith Fisker just starting to deliver its first Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedans--no, still not a single road test by any journalist--attention now turns toward the Frankfurt Motor Show. Next week, the company will pull the covers off a concept for what it says will be the next model in the Fisker...
John Voelcker -
Mazda To Launch Hybrid Version Of Mazda6 Mid-Size Sedan SoonWhile Mazda prepares to unveil its new CX-5 crossover and launch its new SkyActiv engine and transmission technology, it's also quietly developing a hybrid model as well. In March 2010, Japan's small but scrappy maker of "Zoom Zoom" cars signed a deal to license Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive...
John Voelcker -
A123 Gets Lithium-Cell Deal For Unspecified GM Electric CarAnother shoe dropped today, revealing one more little piece of General Motors' electric-car strategy. GM said this morning it had awarded a production contract for nanophosphate lithium-ion cells to A123 Systems, to be used in "future GM electric vehicles" that will be "announced at a later date"...
John Voelcker -
Will GM's First All-Electric Car Be A Chevy Spark Minicar?Sometimes news comes out of adding up little pieces of information. Doing that with a few items from the past week, we're beginning to wonder if General Motors might launch an all-electric car in the U.S. in the next couple of years. Based on recent spy photos from renowned photographer Brenda...
John Voelcker -
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact just going into production this month is the smallest car sold by Chevrolet in the U.S., but the bowtie brand isn't finished downsizing yet. Today, General Motors confirmed that the Chevrolet Spark minicar will be sold in the U.S. GM's executive director of North American product communications, Jason Laird, confirmed with GreenCarReports that it would arrive "next year," with a launch during the first half (January to June) as a 2013 model. In January 2009, before its bankruptcy and government-backed refinancing, GM had announced that the Spark would be...
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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco: Video Tour At New York Auto ShowFirst came the news that the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu would have only four-cylinder engines, following the path set by the 2011 Hyundai Sonata and other midsize entries. Then came the official unveiling of the line at last week's New York Auto Show, complete with projected gas mileage numbers. The...
John Voelcker -
2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Gets 38 MPG: Live Photos, PreviewToday at the New York auto show, General Motors pulled the wraps off what it says is Chevrolet's first global mid-size sedan, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. And while the Malibu is a completely new car, with significant upgrades in safety and technology features, the true draw for those interested in...
Bengt Halvorson -
2013 Chevy Malibu LTZ Concept Gets Only Four-Cylinder EnginesIt may be named after an exclusive Los Angeles beach community, but the Chevrolet Malibu is going global. In a big way. Chevy has just released a teaser photo and a few details of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ concept car it will unveil at the Auto Shanghai 2011 show, just 36 hours before media...
John Voelcker -
Winner: $845K Porsche 918 Spyder Is Now World's Priciest Hybrid CarWe’ve known for some time that Porsche’s 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show would eventually enter production but today, more than two years out from its debut, Porsche has announced that the order books have officially opened. We can confirm that the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Detroit Auto Show: Ford C-Max Hybrid & Energi Plug-In ConceptsWhile Toyota dominates global hybrid production, Ford was the first company to launch a hybrid SUV: the Ford Escape Hybrid, in 2004. Now, Ford is pioneering another hybrid model: the small minivan, or as Europeans call it, the people carrier. Hybrid mini-minivan Between 10 and 10:30 am today at the...
John Voelcker -
Whilst the 2013 Volkswagen Golf Blue eMotion might be responsible for many of the company's EV headlines, their smaller Up concept is possibly even more intriguing. The Wolfsburg maker has just revealed the third in a trio of electric taxi concepts. Following Berlin and Milano versions, the latest concept is resplendent in the familiar black colour scheme of London taxi cabs. According to U.K. magazine Autocar, Volkswagen is "deeply considering" putting its electric taxi concepts into production by 2013 in a pre-emptive move to prepare for likely future legislation forcing drivers in...
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Paris Motor Show: Ford Confirms C-Max Hybrid And Plug-In MinivansSince launching the Ford Escape Hybrid in 2004, Ford has confined sales of its hybrid-electric vehicles to North America. But that's about to change. In European markets, where up to 50 percent of new cars are fitted with high-efficiency diesel engines, Ford has focused its efforts over the last...
John Voelcker -
More Hyundai EVs: Korean Maker To Show Electric SUV In 2011Not a week after Hyundai announced its plans to launch the i10-based BlueOn electric subcompact in 2012, the South Korean manufacturer has announced its plans to launch another all-electric vehicle by the end of 2011. The new EV is said to be based on a small cross utility vehicle (CUV) that...
Antony Ingram -
2013 BMW Megacity EV: Autocar Reveals More DetailsIt's easy to forget that BMW have already produced two EVs - the 2009 MINI-E, which is undergoing trials in the U.S. and elsewhere in the hands of individuals, and the 2009 ActiveE concept based on their 1-Series Coupe. BMW are busy working away on another EV though, one that will wear the famous...
Antony Ingram -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2013 Chevrolet SparkYesterday's Chevrolet press conference at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show was a pretty muted affair. While Chevy unveiled one concept car--the Aveo RS--the photos and details had been released several days before, so there seemed to be little real news. The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze was also there, but it...
John Voelcker -
2013 Chevrolet Spark: Just Too Small For U.S. Buyers, Or Not?We've covered the 2013 Chevrolet Spark a couple of times before, but now there's a drive report of the European version, courtesy of Motor Trend. We're not entirely sure we agree with their conclusion, though. Granted, the Spark is the smallest Chevy ever. But Motor Trend winds up its road test...
John Voelcker