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st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The Toyota recalls have made headline stories for at least a week now. The company is working feverishly to fix the problems and rebuild a possibly tarnished image. Just when things could not possibly get any worst for Toyota, they just did. According to the New York Times, the Japanese government has ordered the company to investigate a possible defect in regards to the Toyota Prius. The focus of the investigation regards the braking system of the vehicle. Complaints have come in from many Prius owners stating that the brakes have stopped working...
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New Hybrid Braking Issue: First Prius, Now Ford Fusion HybridAnother day, another hybrid braking problem. Only this time, it's not Toyota. It's Ford. Late yesterday, Ford announced a "customer satisfaction program" that will ask that owners of 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid models built before October 17 to bring the cars to their...
John Voelcker -
Chicago Employs Nations First EV Charger Fed Solely By Windst1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Chicago, commonly referred to as the "Windy City" perhaps fittingly now holds the title of having the first wind powered electric vehicle charging station in the U.S. Officially, the station is located in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb a distant 30 miles from the...
Eric Loveday -
UPDATE: Braking Issue In 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid, Recall TBDUPDATE: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal inquiry into the brakes of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. It has now received 124 complaints of faulty brakes, out of roughly 37,000 of the cars sold to date in the U.S. Toyota said it would cooperate fully with the...
John Voelcker -
UPDATE: Toyota Admits Braking Problems, On 2010 Prius OnlyThings are moving fast in the land of Toyota safety issues and recalls. Yesterday, we told you that the 2010 Toyota Prius was being investigated for braking problems in Japan. Today, Toyota has admitted that most 2010 Prius models (those built between the start of production last spring and late...
John Voelcker -
Is Woz's Prius Acceleration Just Toyota's Wacky Adaptive Cruise?UPDATE, February 8, 2009: Speaking in a sort-of-webchat on Digg, Toyota president Jim Lentz said of the Woz complaint, "We are working with him on the operation of the cruise control." Please forgive us while we quietly smirk. ++++++++++ It's obviously pile-on-Toyota week. Transportation Secretary...
John Voelcker -
Citing allegations of braking loss or slippage, Japan's Ministry of Transportation ordered Toyota to launch an investigation into possible brake problems in the new 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. That car, currently in short supply globally and also the best-selling car in Japan, is the subject of 14 complaints from drivers in Japan and more than 100 in the U.S. 2010 Prius only, not earlier models Toyota's investigation will be restricted to the third-generation 2010 Prius, introduced in the U.S. early last year. It will not cover either the first-generation (2000-2003) or second-generation...
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Audi's Green Onslaught: A3 Sedan, A8 Hybrid, e-Tron Tesla-FighterIt's going to take Audi a long time to live down its U.S. chief's infamous quote that anyone who buys a Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is an "idiot." But after sticking to diesel for a long time as its sole green strategy, Audi is now storming ahead into smaller, hybrid, and...
John Voelcker -
Toyota and Lexus Recalls: Is Your Hybrid Affected?So much has happened around the Toyota and Lexus accelerator safety recalls over the last week that it's hard to keep it all straight. So we're taking our first stab at it by sorting out the impact of the recall on the many hybrids offered by Toyota and Lexus. The full scope of the latest recall...
John Voelcker -
Will Jaguar Have the First Hybrid Born From Jet Turbines?"Born From Jets" may be the slogan of recently-saved-from-death Swedish Saab, but one day it may prove more appropriate for British carmaker Jaguar. The company has been awarded funding from the U.K. government to develop a small jet turbine as a range extender for a future hybrid luxury car. Its...
John Voelcker -
Secretary Chu Makes Official Announcement, Nissan To Receive 1.4 Billion for Leaf Production in U.S.Last summer Nissan was preliminarily approved to received a significant amount of money from the federal government to help them build the Leaf EV here in the U.S. Many doubted that Nissan would receive the money from the government due to the public reaction against a foreign company receiving...
Eric Loveday -
Toyota Greens a Dealership, Honda Makes Hydrogen With Solar PowerFor automakers, being green can extend well beyond the vehicles themselves. This week, hybrid pioneers Toyota and Honda each showed off new infrastructure projects that burnish their green credentials beyond well beyond the vehicles they sell. Honda started producing hydrogen to power its fuel-cell...
John Voelcker -
Ford was the first U.S. automaker to offer a hybrid, introducing the Ford Escape Hybrid crossover in 2004. It recently expanded its portfolio with the well-received 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. More recently, the company has announced plans for limited numbers of plug-in hybrids, as well as electric versions of its Transit Connect small delivery van and of the new 2012 Ford Focus compact. Leading the charge is Nancy Gioia, who became Ford's director of global electrification efforts last year. In her trademark red jacket, she sat down with GreenCarReports.com to discuss Ford's work in hybrids...
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Ford CEO: Fuel-Efficient Engines Pose Tough Fight for HybridsFord has built hundreds of thousands of hybrids since 2004, but unlike Toyota, it hasn't staked its future on the pricey technology that mates an electric motor to a combustion engine. Ford's CEO Alan Mulally says that's because hybrids will face continuing competition from increasingly more...
John Voelcker -
GM To Build Its Own Electric Motors for Future HybridsGeneral Motors will become the first U.S. automaker to design and build its own electric motors for hybrid and electric cars, the company said today. While Toyota and Honda have long made their own motors, until now GM--along with Ford--has purchased them from third-party suppliers. GM views the...
John Voelcker -
Honda to Build Hybrid That Beats Prius MPGThe Honda CR-Z Hybrid shown in the picture may beat the Prius in terms of performance when it comes to market later this year, but it falls well short of the Prius in terms of fuel efficiency. The Prius can return a whopping 50 mpg in everyday driving while Honda only expects the CR-Z to return...
Eric Loveday -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: Lutz Lays Out (Some) GM Plug-In PlansCleaning up a few odds and ends from last week's 2010 Detroit Auto Show brings us to General Motors' future product plans for plug-in hybrids. In the crush of reporters asking questions (known as the "scrum") after a GM announcement, a few more nuggets came to light. GM showed its striking and...
John Voelcker -
GM Marketing Manager Behind Awful Volt Dance Is ReassignedYou heard it here first, folks. Maria Rohrer, the Chevrolet Volt marketing manager responsible for the remarkably awful "Volt Dance" at last month's Los Angeles Auto Show, has been reassigned. An internal General Motors memo last week said Rohrer would become director of Chevrolet truck...
John Voelcker -
We've always been fond of the 2010 Mazda Mazda5 small minivan, which gets rave reviews for its sporty character and good roadholding. Because it's smaller than more conventional full-size minivans like the Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna, it has always sold in smaller numbers. But it's the enthusiast's minivan--and better on gas mileage to boot. Now Mazda has released the first photos of the all-new 2011 Mazda5, which it will formally unveil at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The European model, which goes on sale this fall, will see roughly a 15-percent improvement in its...
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UPDATE: Low-Thirties 2011 Chevrolet Volt Price Is AFTER Tax CreditUPDATE: Well, it sounded too good to be true, and perhaps it was. We asked GM spokesman Dave Darovitz for comments on CEO Whitacre's "low-thirties" price for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Darovitz tells GreenCarReports.com that while Chevy "has not officially announced final Volt pricing, a price in the...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Promises Affordable Fuel Cell Vehicle By 2015Several automakers believe that fuel cell powered vehicles will become a viable solution for mass production in the distant future. In particular, Honda and General Motors have both displayed progress in development and real world testing of fuel cell powered vehicles. Toyota has also...
Eric Loveday -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: Hyundai Blue-Will Plug-In Hybrid ConceptWe somehow omitted one hybrid concept until now in our 2010 Detroit Auto Show coverage; it's the Hyundai Blue-Will four-door sports sedan, which is unusual in both name and looks. Some loved it, some loathed it, but we're as interested in its plug-in hybrid powertrain as in the rather nervous...
John Voelcker -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: Chinese BYD e6 Electric Crossover To Come To U.S.Nearing the end of our 2010 Detroit Auto Show coverage brings us to a vehicle that got a lot of media attention, though it's unclear when it will actually arrive in the U.S. That's the BYD e6 electric crossover, which could become the first Chinese vehicle sold in the U.S. The crisply styled...
John Voelcker -
Radical SRZero Electric Supercar To Endure 16,000 Mile RoadtripIf you think driving an electric sports car across the country is ambitious, wait till you hear what Radical Sportscars is planning. The UK-based company announced the creation of the Imperial College London’s Racing Green Endurance team today and concurrently unveiled their SRZero supercar...
Robert Scardino