forbidden fruit
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Volkswagen's up! minicar is one of our "forbidden fruit" cars. It's small, green, clever, does 56 miles per gallon, and is entirely unavailable in the U.S. That's unsurprising, given that it's even smaller than Volkswagen's own Polo, the Fiesta-sized subcompact also denied to U.S. buyers. VW is rightly proud of the car though, and following the four concepts it showed us at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, it's revealing another four concepts at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, starting Tuesday. If desecration of the English language is a pet hate of yours, then look away now. The four concepts...
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Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel: Forbidden Fruit First Drive
There are - believe it or not - advantages to living in England. Okay, so the weather is as depressing as the stereotypes suggest, and the average price of gas is currently around $8.17 per gallon, but we do occasionally get cars denied to those on U.S. shores. One of those is the Jaguar XF...
Antony Ingram -
Forbidden Fruit: 60 MPG BMW 1-Series Due At Geneva Show
When it comes to diesel cars, the choice in the U.S. is a little thin next to the selection of diesels on sale in Europe. After all, where else could you buy an example of the "Ultimate Driving Machine" that can average 60 miles per gallon? Just such a car will be launched at the 2012 Geneva Motor...
Antony Ingram -
Ford: Fiesta-Based B-Max Minivan Isn't Coming To U.S.
Remember the Ford B-Max? Of course you do. Ford's small Fiesta-based minivan, previewed in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, is most recognizable for its innovative doors, and lack of a B-pillar. Unfortunately, motorists in the U.S. won't get to enjoy the space and innovations, as...
Antony Ingram -
Citroën DS5 Diesel, Four-Wheel Drive Hybrid: Forbidden Fruit
Back in 1955, French carmaker Citroën launched one of the most dramatic-looking cars ever made. It was named the DS, in French pronounced Déesse, meaning "goddess". Many thought that appropriate given the striking, avante-garde looks, and today it's often considered one of the greatest...
Antony Ingram -
Ford's 1.0-Liter EcoBoost: Focus For Europe, Fiesta For U.S.
Ford launched the latest engine in its expanding EcoBoost family at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, back in September. At only one-liter in capacity, it's the smallest EcoBoost yet, and continues the downsizing trend seen with the other EcoBoost units. Ford of Europe has now confirmed that the engine...
Antony Ingram -
The regular Volkswagen Up minicar, revealed in full at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, is already a favorite "forbidden fruit" of ours. What's not to like? It's a well-built, well-equipped, compact city car with a fuel-efficient gasoline 1.0-liter engine. It's perhaps one of the closest cars in ethos that VW has built to the good old Volkswagen Bug. Sadly, as with our other forbidden objects of desire, Volkswagen has no plans to sell the Up in the U.S. In fact, it still seems to be vacillating on whether to offer the larger Polo subcompact. At launch, the Up will only be available as a...
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Forbidden Fruit: Kia Ray Electric Car Not Due In U.S.
Kia might be a car company growing in quality and reputation in North America, but it seems we aren't in line for every vehicle the company produces. While the U.S. is one of the strongest markets for electric cars, Kia's new Ray EV won't be hitting American shores, according to USA Today. Instead...
Antony Ingram -
Sixties Surf Style, 21st-Century Green: VW Buggy Up Concept
Back in in the Swinging Sixties, a small, light, fiberglass car was making a big splash up and down the West coast. That car was the Meyers Manx buggy, a Volkswagen Beetle-based buggy with very little in the way of bodywork but a heck of a lot of style, the brainchild of Californian Bruce Meyers...
Antony Ingram -
Forbidden Fruit: More Information On Honda Brio Minicar
There's something about the Honda Brio, a sub-Fit minicar now on sale in the Indian market, that really grabs our attention. Maybe it's the funky styling with its sharp creases, unusual weight and money-saving all-glass hatchback, or maybe it's the promise of 52 mpg combined economy, but either way...
Antony Ingram -
Kia Rio Ecodynamics: Forbidden Fruit At 2011 Frankfurt Show
For fans of ultra-economical vehicles living in the United States, life just isn't fair sometimes. While the European market gets to play with dozens of high MPG turbodiesels, we're often told to make do with small capacity gasoline engines that don't come close to matching diesel, even if they're...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Brio Global Minicar: Forbidden Fruit Gets Good Reviews
It's one thing Honda not sending its new Brio minicar over to the United States, so economy car fans are unable to sample its 52 mpg delights. That would all be okay if we found out it was a terrible car, but unfortunately for us, the first reviews coming from overseas are singing its praises. One...
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...