2017
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Toyota is the king of electrified powertrains. With more than nine million hybrid vehicles sold worldwide at this point, and well over 5.5 million of those wearing a Prius badge, no other automaker comes close. Yet somehow that expertise and market domination hasn’t resulted in any higher-volume electric car; at present, Toyota doesn’t have a single pure EV in its stable. Although finally, later this year, it will have a car that many owners will be plugging in every day, and truly using as an EV, in all 50 states: the Prius Prime, a special plug-in version of the Prius that this...
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2017 Hyundai Elantra Eco gas mileage road-trip report
Road trips are an integral part of the American myth, with writers from de Toqueville to Jack Kerouac setting out to experience the variety and beauty of the huge country. Vehicle launch events, on the other hand, are heavily scripted—with pre-set drive routes often designed to highlight a...
John Voelcker -
2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio prices start at under $20,000
The 2017 Smart ForTwo Cabrio starts at $19,650.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 BMW i3 electric car: longer-range battery, but current 81-mile model to stay
The 2017 BMW i3 may be offered with two battery-pack options.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Chrysler Pacifica fuel economy review
They say you never really forget how to ride a bike, but if you're Chrysler, you may temporarily forget how to build a minivan. That's just what happened for the company that invented the multi-purpose vehicle more than 30 years ago. Its last generation of Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge...
Andrew Ganz -
2017 Ford Escape quick drive review
The Ford Escape has been a hugely popular small crossover SUV since its 2001 debut, and after a quick drive in the updated 2017 model, we're reminded why. While it's not the most capacious entry in the segment, the driving experience is more rewarded and the interior quality remains top-notch even...
John Voelcker -
The all-electric range of every type of plug-in car has risen since their introduction in 2011, and will continue to increase with further boosts in battery energy density. This means that not only electric cars will get longer ranges, but so will plug-in hybrids. The latest maker to join the parade of increased electric-range announcements is Ford, for the 2017 model of its Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid mid-size sedan. DON'T MISS: 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid, Energi: Software Tweaks For Drivability Improvements Typical of Ford's lowkey approach to cars with plugs, the press release on the 2017...
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2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT quick first drive
The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage gets a host of updates, but remains a very basic economy car.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS diesel on hold, facing further EPA scrutiny
Sales of the 2017 Mercedez-Benz GLS350d are on hold in the U.S. while it awaits a certificate of compliance from the EPA, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman said this week. The diesel SUV, which is the automaker's base offering in the GLS range, is slightly different than the 2016 version that was sold last...
Aaron Cole -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV sales could go as high as 80,000, says analyst
The question of how many electric cars can be sold in a single year remains a topic of hot debate as the U.S. market awaits the launch of the 200-mile Chevy Bolt EV at the end of this year. The world's best-selling electric car, the Nissan Leaf, had its highest-sales year in the U.S. in 2014, when...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV electric car to be GM-Lyft self-driving car testbed
It's the season of autonomous-car announcements, apparently. This week Google and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced that the Silicon Valley giant would use the Detroit automaker's 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans for its self-driving car research. Now, General Motors has said that the Lyft...
John Voelcker -
2017 BMW i3: up to 114 miles of range from 50-percent battery increase
For its fourth year on the market, the 2017 BMW i3 electric car gets a huge boost in battery capacity and hence its EPA-rated range. The battery capacity rises 50 percent, from 22 to 33 kilowatt-hours, and the company says the rated range for the battery-electric version will be up to 114 miles...
John Voelcker -
Electric-car advocates are often passionate, with memories long enough to remember GM's 2004 destruction of its pioneering fleet of EV1 electric cars. Since then, the company has built and sold two generations of the Chevrolet Volt, with the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV imminent within a year—before Nissan, Tesla, BMW, or any other plug-in pioneer manages to field a 200-mile electric cars below $40,000. Despite that, at least some electric-car owners and fans seem to retain a considerable undercurrent of skepticism about Detroit's largest automaker and its intentions. DON'T...
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2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited gas mileage review
The 2017 Hyundai Elantra small four-door is an all-new version of a car that came from humble roots to being a major player in the highly competitive compact sedan market. The last version, launched for 2011, blended eye-grabbing design and a features-for-money equation that brought it into the...
John Voelcker -
VW diesel fallout: hot-selling Porsche Macans finally certified by EPA
The 2017 Porsche Macan was held up due to a lengthy emissions-certification process.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan priced below $15,000
The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 will start at $14,830.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq product team discusses U.S. hybrid, electric markets
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq lineup of hybrid, electric, and plug-in hybrid hatchbacks won't hit the market until late this year, but Hyundai product executives are eager to talk about the cars. At a roundtable during last week's New York Auto Show, product planning vice president Mike O'Brien and...
John Voelcker -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq preview
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq made its U.S. debut at the 2016 New York Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime is the second-generation plug-in hybrid Prius.
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2017 Kia Niro hybrid SUV: are electric, AWD versions in the works?
The 2017 Kia Niro, slated to go on sale late this year, will be Kia’s first dedicated hybrid, for which there's an entirely unique body style. Yet compared to other such hybrid-exclusive vehicles, like the Toyota Prius family, the former Honda Insight, and the upcoming Hyundai...
Bengt Halvorson -
How GM plans to market Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, Bolt EV electric car
Hybrids are pretty well-known at this point, and battery-electric cars are conceptually simple: You plug them in like a mobile phone. But explaining plug-in hybrids to car buyers at large—it's a hybrid, but it also plugs in, but only for double-digit range—has proven to be very hard. As...
John Voelcker -
2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid: 22-mile range, styling updates: Live photos and video
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, the new plug-in hybrid version of the world's best-selling hybrid car, was unveiled this morning at the New York Auto Show. The second plug-in version of the Prius hybrid, it will carry an EPA range rating of 22 miles from the 8.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack, according...
John Voelcker -
2016 Toyota Prius Prime: details on 120 MPGe plug-in hybrid, all-electric mode
The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime replaces the Prius Plug-In, and it directly addresses nearly everything that current owners of that model have wanted. There’s a longer, 22-mile electric driving range, better drivability, and exceptional 120+ MPGe fuel efficiency. It even has one driving detail...
Bengt Halvorson -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq debuts in NY: 110-mile Electric range, 25-plus for Plug-In: Live photos
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq lineup of hybrid, electric, and plug-in hybrid hatchbacks made its U.S. debut today at the New York Auto Show. Unlike the all-white models shown in the world debut a few weeks ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the U.S.-spec models were silver (Electric), blue (Hybrid), and...
John Voelcker