Auto Shows
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Toyota announced this morning that it would launch a family of Prius vehicles, and unveiled a concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show that may foreshadow the shape of a new Toyota Prius coupe. The FT-CH concept shows a possible shape for a highly aerodynamic compact hybrid (or CH) vehicle. Toyota ascribes to it "spirit and functionality" that "thrives in the inner-city environment" with nimble, responsive handling and maneuverability. Smaller, lighter, less thirsty It is lighter, and hence even more fuel efficient, than the current 2010 Toyota Prius. It is also 22 inches shorter than the...
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2010 Detroit Auto Show: Volkswagen New Compact Coupe Hybrid ConceptNow that VW has launched its new 2010 Golf hatchback, it will turn its attention to the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta sedan, which shares mechanicals with the Golf. This morning at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, VW will take the wraps off a new hybrid concept vehicle called the New Compact Coupe. It's widely...
John Voelcker -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2012 Ford FocusComing 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...
John Voelcker -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Chevrolet Aveo RS ConceptThe current 2010 Chevrolet Aveo sedan and hatchback, the Korean-built subcompacts that are GM's contenders in that growing segment, are no longer competitive against upcoming entries like the 2011 Ford Fiesta, rated at 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway. But that will change when a brand-new and entirely...
John Voelcker -
Detroit Auto Show Preview: Volvo C30 Electric CarVolvo has now released more details of the all-electric C30 concept car it will launch at next week's 2010 Detroit Auto Show. We covered early details a couple of weeks ago; here's the rest of the story on the little electric hatchback with no tailpipe. The electric C30 concept car will let the...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz To Launch Pricey Plug-In Hybrid S-Class In 2012After lagging in development of hybrid and plug-in cars for years, Mercedes-Benz is now attacking the new technology with a vengeance. The latest proof: reports that it will offer a pricey plug-in hybrid version of its next S-Class large luxury sedan in 2012. The British magazine Autocar writes...
John Voelcker -
An electric Fiat 500 has been rumored for several months now, including before the lengthy October press conference where Chrysler laid out its survival plan. But now, it appears that Chrysler will show an electric Fiat 500 mini-car as one of two concepts it will have on display at next month's Detroit Auto Show. Chrysler said it won't hold a press conference there, because it has no new production models to unveil. But the electric 500, plus a Lancia Delta rebadged as a Chrysler, are rumored to be its signature concepts at Cobo Hall next month. 75-mile range, 60-mph top speed An electric...
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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Electric Volvo C30 HatchbackAdvance news on the green concept cars to be shown at next month's Detroit Auto Show continues to trickle out. The latest: a further evolution of the all-electric Volvo C30 three-door hatchback concept. It's the second European electric concept car. It joins the BMW Concept ActiveE electric car...
John Voelcker -
Detroit Auto Show Preview: BMW Concept ActiveE Electric CarA little more than a year ago, the all-electric Mini E stole the limelight at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. Now, BMW has released details of its next all-electric concept car, which will formally debut at next month's Detroit Auto Show. The BMW Concept ActiveE electric car is based on the BMW...
John Voelcker -
The Volt Song: What Happened, and What It Could Have BeenAnd we thought our piece on the LA Auto Show's Volt dance was pointed. Hah! Look here. Or here, followed by here. Or here. Ouch. Like a good journalist, we wanted to know more. So we asked for an interview with Maria Rohrer, Director of Global Volt Marketing Operations at Chevrolet, to understand...
John Voelcker -
2011 Chevy Volt Dance: Hey GM, We Want Our Bailout Back, NowWe don't use a lot of profanity here at the global GreenCarReports.com headquarters. But there were a whole bunch of horrified OMFGs floating around once we finally got to see the notorious Volt Dance that was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. We write about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt...
John Voelcker -
2012 Infiniti EV: Is It the Fluence?While Infiniti plans for its first electric vehicle, some recent evidence points to the shape and size of the future four-door EV.
Martin Padgett -
The smallest Honda sold in the U.S. is the 2010 Honda Fit, lauded for its almost infinite combination of interior configurations as well as its sporty driving and handling. But while Honda makes cars even smaller than the Fit for Asian and European markets, it hasn't sold them here. Its latest concept, unveiled at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, explores what a stylish and ultra-compact Honda urban car, stuffed with passenger amenties, might look like 10 or 15 years hence. P-NUT, eh? There's a strong dose of whimsy--some might say "cutesiness"--to the Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport design...
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Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept Seats 4, 70 MPG: 2009 L.A. Auto ShowVolkswagen has just taken the wraps off its Up! Lite concept, which will, the automaker says, prefaces a production car that's just two years away. The four-seat concept car has a promised fuel-economy figure of 70 mpg (and carbon emissions of 65 g/km) from a hybrid diesel 0.8-liter two-cylinder...
Martin Padgett -
MG6 Retains Some Of Its British RootsBeing Manufactured in Britain is the Only Right Thing For an MG
Jonathan McGrew -
Full Details: Audi e-Tron Electric Supercar, Competition for Tesla?Yesterday we brought you the first images of the Audi e-Tron concept car from the Frankfurt Auto Show. Now, we have all the technical details of this stunning supercar propelled purely by electrons. Until now, all we knew was that the e-Tron was based on the regular R8 sports car, with the side...
John Voelcker -
Frankfurt Auto Show: Is VW's E-Up Electric Car the Next Beetle?With the Frankfurt Auto Show now underway, Volkswagen came out with both guns blazing to underscore its green-car credentials. The latest VW concept is the E-Up, a battery electric version of its Up mini-car, with 80 miles of range. It follows the L1, an ultra-high-mileage diesel two-seater that...
John Voelcker -
Audi’s R8 E-Tron Concept Breaks CoverVisually, the biggest difference between the regular R8 and the 2009 e-Tron is the electric version’s concealed bodywork.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
We've written before about upcoming tiny, powerful engines that perform like much bigger versions but get far better gas mileage. Now, British sports-car maker Lotus has used those lessons in an engine designed just for the extended-range electric vehicles of the future. At next week's Frankfurt Auto Show, the company will show its three-cylinder, 1.2-liter Range Extender engine-and-generator set, designed to be fitted into series hybrids, or extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs). Series hybrids on the way: Fisker Karma, Chevrolet Volt The first series hybrid to hit the market is likely to...
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Mini Coupe Concept Celebrates 50 Years of Minis, Targets Audi TTOn Wednesday, August 26, 1959, a new type of small car was unveiled in Austin and Morris dealerships across Britain. Many buyers didn't know quite what to make of the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin 7even (yep, that's what they called it--for a very short while). It had seats for four, it was just 10...
John Voelcker -
Sparking a Revolution in GM’s Lineup: 2013 Chevrolet Spark to Shape the Future?Giving Way to Suburbans Are New Concepts Like the Spark
Jonathan McGrew -
2011 Chevrolet Volt-alike Spied in Opel Ampera DragEuro-Volt to get airing at the Geneva motor show.
John Voelcker