Daimler
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Whenever we're asked whether electric-car startup Tesla Motors will make it, we respond with our own question: What's the last carmaker started from scratch in the U.S. by entrepreneurs that's still with us, and when did it launch? The answer is Chrysler, and the year was 1924. In other words, starting a car company is a tough, tough challenge. And it takes a whole lot of cash. No Roadsters after 2011 The question of Tesla's survival cropped up again on Friday, when the Wired Autopia blog revealed that the company doesn't plan to sell its Tesla Roadster after 2011 due to tooling changes at...
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If Texans Don't Want 2010 Smart ForTwos, Will They Rent 'Em?Several months ago, we previewed Car2Go, the car-sharing program planned in Austin, Texas, featuring Smart ForTwo mini-cars. Now a pilot program with 200 Smarts has launched for the 13,000 employees of the city of Austin. It's the first U.S. version of a scheme that started in March in Ulm...
John Voelcker -
Rumormill: BMW and Toyota To Swap Mini, iQ Platforms?
While it may not evoke as much car lust as this past weekend's unveiling of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, BMW is rumored to be in negotiations with Toyota to borrow their iQ mini-car platform. In return, Toyota is reportedly interested in BMW's Mini division. Japan's largest automaker...
Robert Scardino -
Germany Aims For A Million EVs By 2020
Electric vehicles may be a common sight on the autobahns in the next decade. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is intent on putting more EVs on the roads and her Cabinet is finishing a plan to do just that. The program would offer financial incentives beginning in 2012 to aid in the production and...
Robert Scardino -
Rumor Confirmed: Mercedes-Benz To Produce Electric SLS AMG Supercar
Less than a week after it was first reported, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its intentions to build an electric version of the SLS AMG Supercar. The all-wheel-drive green dream machine will pack 526 horsepower and 649 pound feet of torque. Power will be stored in a 400-volt liquid cooled...
Robert Scardino
