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Thanks to the strong financial incentives offered by the Cash-For-Clunkers program, the average gas mileage of new vehicles sold in the U.S. during August reached a record high: 23 miles per gallon, up 8 percent from the 21.2 mpg in August 2008. The calculations were done by the trade journal Ward's Automotive News, which compiles its Fuel-Economy Index based on reported sales of cars and light trucks, their engine options, and EPA fuel economy ratings. Best since $4/gallon gas The 23-mpg average is the best recorded since August 2007, when gasoline neared peak prices of $4 a gallon or more...
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VIDEO: Electric 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster ReplicaSure, Porsche is planning an electric vehicle, but it won't be in showrooms for years, and it probably won't ever be as charming as this 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster. If a carbon neutral vintage Porsche replica turns you on, check out this eBay listing posted by Jack Rickard. Jack is an EV...
Robert Scardino -
Final Aptera 2e Styling Leaked, We Drive the Electric 3-WheelerTo green-car fans, the idea of an ultra-aerodynamic electric two-seater sounds pretty familiar, right? Think the late, lamented EV1 from General Motors, subject of the controversial documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car? But for more than 4,000 people who've put down deposits on the 2011 Aptera...
John Voelcker -
Well, Why NOT a (750-Horsepower) Chevrolet Corvette Hybrid?The 2010 Chevrolet Corvette goes like stink. Its 430-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 is the epitome of all-American performance. And that's just the base car. The supercar contender ZR1 model heads straight into the stratosphere. The Vette is an icon, and GM messes with it at its peril. So a throwaway...
John Voelcker -
Coming Up: Toyota Prius To Be Sold In Multiple Body StylesSince it was launched in 1997 in Japan, and 2000 in the US, the Toyota Prius has only been sold as a single body style. From 1997 to 2003, it was a subcompact four-door sedan. Since then, it has been a midsize five-door hatchback, thoroughly redesigned for 2010. Now, Toyota executives told its...
John Voelcker -
Preview: 2011 Mazda2Mazda will launch its global subcompact, the Mazda2 five-door hatchback, in the US market roughly a year from now. Its first appearance in North America will be at December's 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. Price is likely to be around $16,000. It is based on the same platform as the eagerly awaited...
John Voelcker -
It's well known in the car industry that a diesel engine costs 10 to 20 percent more to build than a gasoline motor of equivalent output. That's because diesels have to be sturdier, and these days all US-bound diesels are fitted with turbochargers to boost their power. Now a European executive has come right out and said it: Americans are going to have to pay more for diesels. And that's where we pause, because we're not convinced US buyers will pay the premium--especially for brands just launching diesel for the first time. Europe: Much cheaper diesel In Europe, where diesels take half the...
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Frankfurt: Ah, the French! Renault's 4 Electric Car ConceptsFrench carmaker Renault, whose partner Nissan recently unveiled its 2012 Nissan Leaf compact electric hatchback, showed no fewer than four separate electric-car concepts at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. All labeled ZE for "zero emissions", they are: Twizy ZE: A tandem two-seater with performance...
John Voelcker -
Frankfurt: Volkswagen's Radical 170-MPG Diesel Two-SeaterCovering all the green-car bases at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled not only the E-Up electric city car concept but also the L1, a radical 170-mpg tandem two-seat diesel hybrid streamliner it says it will sell by 2013. The L1 name refers to the European concept of a "1-Liter" car...
John Voelcker -
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 -
Drag Race Video: 2010 Toyota Prius vs 2009 Toyota PriusWhich is faster, the 2010 Toyota Prius or its predecessor, the 2004-2009 Prius? On paper, the 2010 should win. Its engine is larger (1.8 liters vs 1.5 liters) and more powerful (134 total horsepower vs 104 hp). It's even got a lower coefficient of drag, the very respectable 0.25. This morning we...
John Voelcker -
It's time: the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show is upon us, and High Gear Media is live at the biggest, hottest Messe in the world to bring you the latest on green cars, diesels, electric cars, hybrid electric vehicles, E-REVs, and NEVs right here at GreenCarReports.com. We've previewed the Frankfurt show for you in the past few weeks, and now we're launching our CoverItLive updates and Twitter feeds to keep you updated on the latest breaking news from the show floor and the annual night of previews that begins in a few hours, on Central European Time. The doors to the eleven halls at the Frankfurt...
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Frankfurt Auto Show: Plug-In Hybrid Mercedes S-Class ConceptEvery other year, Mercedes-Benz unveils a "Vision" concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show that points the way to cars it will launch in future years. This year's concept car looks just like a standard 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Instead, it's the mechanical parts that are remarkable: It's a...
John Voelcker -
Most Popular August Posts: 2010 Prius Reference Guide Romps, AgainWe're a bit late on what's usually an end-of-month recap of the five most popular posts on AllAboutPrius.com. But, hey, we had a long Labor Day too ... and now we're back in business. So here they are for August. Unusually for us, compared to July's most popular posts, three of our Top Five are...
John Voelcker -
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: 36-39 MPG in Real-World UseHybrid vs diesel: It's a longstanding green-car conundrum. Which is better, a hybrid-electric vehicle that recaptures wasted energy in a battery and uses it to assist the gasoline engine, or an efficient modern clean diesel that goes further on a gallon of fuel? The answer depends in part on your...
John Voelcker -
Volt Buyers 'Idiots'? Audi President Is The One Who's WrongWe were going to let it slide, really. Just because the U.S. president of a major automaker calls the buyers of another carmaker's product "idiots" is no reason for us to sink to name calling. But the hoohah has continued, and the misunderstandings seem to be growing. We thought it was time to...
John Voelcker -
Final Version of Production Prius Plug-In For Frankfurt Auto ShowWhile literally hundreds of Toyota Prius owners have laid down thousands of dollars (in some cases, tens of thousands) by now for plug-in conversions, Toyota has proceeded slowly. Now it is showing what it says is the final version of its prototype Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor...
John Voelcker -
As of November, you'll have two choices if you want a compact five-door hatchback with a clean diesel engine. One is the brand-new 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which was just given a base price of $30,775 today by Audi. It'll start arriving in dealerships in November. Longstanding diesel champ: Golf TDI The other is the 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI, the latest in a longstanding and popular series of Volkwagen diesel hatchbacks and sedans. It was just priced at $21,990. and we think it will may become the biggest clean-diesel winner in the US market. The 2010 Audi A3 TDI and 2010 VW Golf TDI share a basic...
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Toyota Prius Plug-In To Launch at Frankfurt Auto ShowToyota will show the final version of its prototype Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show two weeks hence, trying to keep up with the flurry of electric, hybrid, and diesel concepts to be shown there. With numerous concepts from German automakers, and GM pulling out all the...
John Voelcker -
2010 Dodge Caliber: Fewer Engines, 30 MPG Highway, Better InteriorThe Dodge Caliber hatchback has never been at the top of our compact-car list, in part because of its lousy gas mileage compared to the competition. Now, Chrysler has simplified its engine and drivetrain options to improve the gas mileage of the 2010 Dodge Caliber slightly, along with its platform...
John Voelcker -
Do Toyota Prius Hybrids Cause Cancer? [sigh] No, They Don't.Auto "influencers" are the people you ask whenever you have a car question. By virtue of editing AllAboutPrius.com and other High Gear Media sites, we're known as sort of a de facto influencer. And so we get some of the most random questions you can imagine. The latest was from the mother of a High...
John Voelcker -
BMW's Newest, Greenest Concept: Vision EfficientDynamicsBMW's legendary M series performance cars use big, brawny, turbocharged gasoline engines. The 2009 BMW M5, for example, has a 500-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-10. How many cylinders ??? Where ??? But the concept car BMW will unveil in two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show promises "the performance of an...
John Voelcker -
Preview: 2011 Volkswagen PoloBack in March, VW confirmed it would sell the Polo in the US in 2011. The five-door hatchback model was unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, and now Volkswagen has released details of the three-door hatch as well. US details to come It's like that VW will also offer a four-door...
John Voelcker