concepts
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Electric city cars are not a new concept, but in aiming vehicles at a city environment it can side-step many of the issues normally associated with EVs, such as short range and high pricing. Those issues are even less likely with the Hiriko electric car, which is designed to fill the "first and last mile" problems. "First mile" refers to the distance between an individual's home and the start of a mass transit system, and "last mile" is the other end--between getting off the bus, train or tube, and reaching your workplace. For those who use mass transit, this can sometimes result in an...
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Army Diesel-Hybrid Concept: Twice The MPG, Just As Fierce As Humvee
For U.S. armed forces, green is mostly seen these days as accents in beige battlefield camo. But reducing the cost and risk of delivering very expensive diesel fuel in vulnerable military convoys has long been a Pentagon goal, and one way to do that is to make all military vehicles more fuel...
John Voelcker -
Honda Hybrid Concept S: Global People Mover At Beijing Auto Show?
China's auto shows, which alternate between Beijing and Shanghai--just as Frankfurt and Paris alternate in Europe--are already significant global events with dozens of world premieres. Honda is taking its turn today, launching concepts for both a sedan and what it calls a "new-value passenger...
John Voelcker -
Hiriko Electric Car: Clean, Green, Out-Parks Smarts
When Smart launched its ForTwo over a decade ago in Europe, the company heavily played the car's ability to park nose-on to a curb, thanks to its short length. Parking a Smart is hardly difficult anyway, but in crowded cities like Paris, Rome or Madrid, every inch helps. Still, that perpendicular...
Antony Ingram -
Pininfarina Cambiano: Eco Sport Sedan Teased Ahead Of Geneva
Best known for its work with companies like Ferrari, Italian design house and coachbuilder Pininfarina also works on its own concepts from time to time. One of these will be on display at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show that begins in early March. According to Pininfarina (via Autoweek) the new concept...
Antony Ingram -
Infiniti Range-Extended Electric Sports Car Due At Geneva
Strewth. The halls in Detroit are still buzzing with the world's press, and Infiniti is already teasing us with a car it's set to display at March's Geneva Motor Show. It's not just any old car though - Infiniti has plans to unveil an electric range-extended sports car concept, a year after parent...
Antony Ingram -
We'd be tempted to say that Smart is playing to stereotypes by unveiling a pickup concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). However, there's nothing stereotypical about a small, all-electric, city-car based, convertible pickup. In fact, the Smart For-Us Concept we previewed a month ago is nothing, if not original. There might be a good reason that nobody has ever unveiled a small, all-electric, city-car based, convertible pickup before, but then concept cars are all about pushing the boundaries. The small element is a given, because it's a Smart. Smarts are small. It's...
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Toyota NS4 Plug-In Hybrid Concept: Is This The Next Camry?
After a surprisingly perfunctory Detroit Auto Show launch of the 2012 Toyota Prius C small hybrid hatchback, Toyota unveiled an all-new plug-in hybrid concept car, known as the NS4. The company challenged multiple engineering teams to design an all-new mid-size sedan model for the global market in...
John Voelcker -
Toyota NS4 Plug-In Hybrid Video: 2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview
Even the most ardent hybrid car fan would struggle to say they're the sort of vehicle to get your pulse racing. Today, Toyota released an official video of its upcoming plug-in hybrid concept, the NS4. Last month, Toyota (via Motor Authority) previewed the NS4 concept. Due at the 2012 Detroit Auto...
Antony Ingram -
Tata's Expansion Continues: Manza Hybrid Due At Delhi Show
As recently as five years ago you could be forgiven if you'd never heard of Indian automotive giant Tata. Now, the company is best known in the States for its ownership of Jaguar Land Rover, and if you're a Green Car Reports regular, the tiny Nano minicar. In its native India Tata is much more...
Antony Ingram -
Smart For-Us Pickup Concept: Detroit Auto Show Preview
It's not easy being small. You go unnoticed in crowds and have to ask taller people to reach objects on high shelves for you. With cars though it's not always a bad thing, or at least that's what Smart will tell you. When your business is making small cars, you extol the virtues inherent in lack of...
Antony Ingram -
Suzuki Regina Concept: 2011 Tokyo Motor Show Live Photos
One of the cars we were most excited to see at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show was the Suzuki Regina concept, one of the trio of city car concepts revealed by Suzuki in Tokyo. As a light weight, compact city car powered by a regular gasoline engine it could be considered a fairly old-fashioned take on...
Antony Ingram -
As thousands of members of the press decend on Tokyo ready for the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show to open on Wednesday, Green Car Reports brings you a preview of the electric and plug-in cars we're expecting to see at the show. From tiny micro-commuter concepts to electric sports cars the line-up is particularly diverse, with each manufacturer covering several niches. Honda Honda's electric car range kicks off with the large AC-X concept, a plug-in hybrid vehicle with clear styling links to the hydrogen fuel cell FC-X Clarity. Like several of the Japanese makers, Honda is also downsizing with the Micro...
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Mazda Takeri Concept: Clean Diesel Sedan Due At Tokyo
We're starting to see the first concept cars due at December's Tokyo Motor Show filtering through, and while many are excited for the design, the choice of powertrain is important too. The 2011 Mazda Takeri Concept certainly looks striking, with Mazda's new KODO "Soul of Motion" design language...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Mute Electric Car Shows Promise
Following the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year we speculated on the problems that small volume, odd-looking electric cars could do to the EV industry's reputation. The outlook at Frankfurt was much more upbeat. Despite the absence of Nissan and its Leaf, several other carmakers had exciting...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Nils Electric Car Concept: Frankfurt Live Photos
Two weeks ago we brought you images of the Volkswagen Nils electric car concept to be revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. The car has now been unveiled and Green Car Reports can bring you a full gallery of Volkswagen's smallest electric car concept to date. The Nils looks very similar to the...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Opel RAK e Electric Concept
At this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show there’s a very clear theme among concept cars: ultra-small urban runabouts. Now Opel -- the European arm of General Motors -- has joined Audi, Volkswagen, Smart and many others with its own take on a lightweight electric-powered urban runabout. Called...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Full Electric Car Preview
We thought the 2011 Geneva Motor Show was one of the best ever for electric cars and green vehicles, but the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, starting in less than a week, is shaping up to be even better. We'll be covering the show in-depth next week, but in the meantime we've rounded up all the electric...
Antony Ingram -
Life is so unfair sometimes. Car companies have been dangling the carrot of smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles in front of us for a few years now and though we've managed to grab vehicles like the MINI, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta (and the Chevrolet Spark is on the way), we're still denied many of the small, high-MPG vehicles found in markets across the world. Here at GreenCarReports we've come up with a list of some of the cars we'd love to buy - if only the carmakers let us. Daihatsu A-Concept: MPG and dimensions unknown As a concept car there are no figures set in stone for Japanese...
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Concepts To Make Electric Cars Cool: VW Bulli, Nissan Esflow
The 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March brought a number of new models out of the closet. But for the green car fan, two concepts were the gems of the show: the return of the legendary Volkswagen Microbus, and an electric sports car from Nissan that just might be affordable. Bulli for the Microbus The...
George Parrott -
Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class Compact Car: NY Auto Show Video
Last week's New York Auto Show had few out-and-out concept cars. One was the Scion FR-S sports coupe, a striking deep red shape that wowed crowds throughout the time we were there. Despite its 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine, it's not inherently on the green end of the scale. But another...
John Voelcker -
Suzuki EcoCharge Concept Hybrid: 2011 NY Auto Show Live Photos
While the Kizashi Apex Concept shown at Suzuki's New York auto show stand showed off the brand's motorsports and motorcycle heritage, the Kizashi EcoCharge Concept here shows the direction for the hybrid version of the Kizashi that Suzuki has confirmed is under development. Pop the hood, and the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Suzuki Kizashi EcoCharge Concept Hybrid: 2011 NY Auto Show
Suzuki has had a rough time of it lately, with its only new product being the well-received but still low-volume Kizashi sports sedan, halfway between a compact and a midsize car. But for this week's 2011 New York Auto Show, they're display a couple of Kizashi concepts that point toward what the...
John Voelcker -
Buick Envision Concept: Plug-In Hybrid SUV From Shanghai
The guessing games continue, with General Motors releasing more details about its Buick Envision concept car that give tantalizing hints of a concept stuffed with technology, but without the benefit of too many metrics. Following the release of a sketch two weeks ago, now GM has released a whole...
John Voelcker