2020
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The Explorer Hybrid isn't particularly impressive in its fuel economy numbers, but Ford says it's part of a strategy to make the Hybrid uncompromised.
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Report: Tesla to build Model Y in Fremont, release Model S refresh in September
Tesla could be stepping a refresh of the Model S up to September, and planning to make the Model Y crossover in California.
Bengt Halvorson -
First drive review: 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC electric crossover charges ahead, luxury first
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC400 SUV is Mercedes’ first long-range fully electric vehicle, its fastest-charging EV, and a quiet and comfortable family vehicle.
Bengt Halvorson -
How the 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 3-row crossover gets compact-car economy
The Highlander Hybrid is rated up to 34 mpg and can seat up to eight; that gas mileage beats any other three-row vehicle without a charge port.
Andrew Ganz -
Tesla Model Y might be made in California after all
CEO Elon Musk revealed that the company has made more space to assemble its upcoming compact crossover in Fremont, California—although Nevada remains a possibility.
Bengt Halvorson -
Mercedes-Benz EQC Edition 1886 electric SUV kicks off a new era
Against the bustling backdrop of the New York auto show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a vehicle that it says celebrates its humble roots—in 1886, when Karl Benz is credited with inventing the first automobile. The Mercedes-Benz EQC 1886 Edition is positioned to show off the extensive range of...
Bengt Halvorson -
Facing its first three-row hybrid rival, the 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid that bowed Thursday at the 2019 New York auto show boasting one big number: 34 mpg combined, according to the automaker’s estimates. That’s 10 mpg higher than early estimates for the 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid. MORE: Toyota shores up against electric-car threat, by sharing hybrid tech Though EPA ratings will come closer to its February 2020 on-sale date, the 2020 Highlander could best its relatively frugal predecessor by 6 mpg combined thanks in part to a new front-wheel-drive version. The outgoing...
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2020 Kia Soul EV first drive review: 243 electric miles in the box
The newest version of Kia’s boxy electric car—or crossover—goes faster and farther on a charge, with much of its goodness intact.
Matthew Askari -
2020 Ford Escape revealed: Hybrid returns teasing nearly 40 mpg, plug-in hybrid version with 30 electric miles
The 2020 Ford Escape hybrid will manage up to 550 miles of range, according to the automaker and eventually offer a plug-in hybrid variant.
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Tesla Model Y: Latest price, range, specs for new crossover SUV
The 2020 Tesla Model Y borrows some of the same underpinnings of the Model 3 sedan, and marries it to what so many American families today want: a crossover utility vehicle shape. As such, the Model Y has the potential to amount to an even greater sales success than the Model 3. The California...
Bengt Halvorson -
Electric crossover charge: These are the rivals to the Tesla Model Y
As Tesla finds its sea legs as a larger-scale global automaker, the launch of the Model Y small crossover is its most critical test since the California company started in 2003. No other Tesla has faced this much competition. No other Tesla has faced much of any. When Tesla first delivered the...
Green Car Reports -
Tesla Model Y: Comparing some of the details vs. Model 3
Tesla CEO Elon Musk prefaced his introduction of the company’s more affordable upcoming electric SUV, the Model Y, Thursday night, by noting how hard achieving at-scale mass production of Model X has been—and what a difficult year 2018 had been for him and Tesla. “It was pretty...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla’s Thursday night reveal event for the 2020 Tesla Model Y electric crossover SUV, just as previous events from the automaker, was raucous and packed with enthusiastic fans, including many who appeared to relish everything uttered by CEO Elon Musk. What made this event a bit of a departure—and perhaps a sign of the times—was that Tesla was prepared to release quite a few facts and figures and specifics about multiple production versions. At first look—for a vehicle that won’t arrive for Americans until late 2020—Tesla was ready not just to build the...
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2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid will carry a price tag over $50k
Although Ford plans to woo electric-vehicle fans—and attract a new crowd to plug-in vehicles—with its upcoming, Mustang-inspired all-electric crossover, arriving next year, it’s the fully redesigned Explorer that will probably continue to do the heavy lifting for Ford on the...
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Kia Soul EV rated for 243 miles, improved efficiency
In just one model year, Kia has more than doubled the rated driving range for the Soul EV. The 2020 Kia Soul EV, which is expected to reach dealerships this spring, will go 243 miles on a charge—four more miles than the Kia Niro EV—according to the EPA, in ratings that were released...
Bengt Halvorson -
Toyota Corolla Hybrid rated 52 mpg: Why Toyota says it won't cannibalize Prius sales
Last week the U.S. EPA released final fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Toyota Corolla lineup. They include a confirmation of what Toyota had claimed when it introduced the lineup last fall: that the Corolla Hybrid will carry an EPA combined rating of more than 50 mpg. The 2020 Toyota Corolla...
Bengt Halvorson -
Road-trip mission: 2020 Porsche Taycan charging is free and very fast
As Porsche is finding out with its Taycan electric car, it’s not always easy being the first—or the fastest. The 2020 Porsche Taycan will be the first production model built on an entirely new 800-volt architecture that helps allow much faster road-trip charging than any other electric...
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid signals the start of a big electrified push
As Ford prepares the first of several fully electric vehicles, for what amounts to a rapidly expanding niche, the automaker is also working on rolling out electrified versions of its existing mainstream lineup. After finding plenty of success many years ago with its Ford Escape Hybrid, and then...
Bengt Halvorson -
The Porsche Taycan, when it arrives toward the end of 2019, will likely have the quickest, highest-power DC fast charging of any production vehicle. But Porsche apparently is already setting its sights higher. Yesterday, as part of a research consortium that includes BMW, it presented a prototype for using CCS-standard charging hardware at up to 450 kw at 800 volts, which can also operate at 400 volts for cars that don't have 800-volt systems. Porsche says that the new hardware promises charging rates three to nine times faster than what’s currently available. DON’T MISS: Porsche...
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Here’s why Kia Soul EV and Kia Niro EV both get big 64-kwh battery packs
One key specification in the 2020 Kia Soul EV that was revealed at the LA Auto Show this week was a bit unexpected: its inclusion of a large, 64-kwh battery pack. That leaves two vehicles—the Soul EV and the 2019 Kia Niro EV—with the same big battery. And both will be arriving at U.S...
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Kia Soul EV has more punch, faster charging, and a lot more battery
At the LA Auto Show, Kia revealed a completely new generation of its Soul—including, once again, an all-electric Kia Soul EV that makes overtures to urbanites who need box-on-wheels utility, affordability, parking ease, and some design flair but also want an electric car. The Soul EV is, once...
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid aims for 50 mpg—Prius tech meets frugal mainstream
With the introduction of a 50-mile-per-gallon Corolla Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota is keeping true to a mission it undertook a long time ago: democratizing hybrid technology, and making it mainstream. The carmaker has long aimed to deploy its hybrid system aggressively into pretty...
Bengt Halvorson -
Toyota Corolla hybrid will join Prius next year
The redesigned 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan will soon spawn a hybrid variant, the first gasoline-electric version of the automaker's popular compact car. Toyota made the announcement Thursday as it unveiled the Corolla sedan at simultaneous events in California and China, underscoring the model's...
Andrew Ganz -
It's a long(er) story? 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC scraps 200-mile range estimate
On Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz revealed initial specs for its EQC mid-size electric SUV, with a quoted range of 200 miles from an 80-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Now, perhaps following criticism that 200 miles won't make its new electric SUV competitive even with older offerings, the company updated its...
Eric C. Evarts