Hybrids

Kia's Niro concept, a subcompact-sized urban hybrid, is making its U.S. debut at the Chicago Auto Show today. First unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Niro points the way to possible future models for Kia, a potential rival for models like the Nissan Juke and upcoming Honda Fit-based...

Hybrid SUVs and crossover utility vehicles remain rare compared to the growing array of hybrid passenger sedans and hatchbacks. So we've been eager to test the new 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, one of only four hybrid crossovers. MORE: 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Is It Hybrid Enough To Matter?...

The Honda Civic Hybrid and Natural Gas get a few changes for the 2014 model year.

The Volkswagen Golf GTE will join the GTI and GTD in the pantheon of sporty Golfs.

Remember the Lexus LF-NX, the jaw-dropping concept for a new compact crossover from Toyota's luxury brand? It's been making the rounds at auto shows since last fall, scaring small children in many cities. Well, looks like Lexus will dial down the styling considerably when it hits the showrooms...

Downsizing isn't just a concept reserved for road-going vehicles--the world of motor racing is adopting the theory too. Smaller engines, turbocharging and hybrid technology is all the rage, with this year's F1 grid adopting all three in an effort to remain relevant. Nissan's ZEOD RC Le Mans car is...

For the last decade or so, Toyota's Prius hybrid has been the go-to car for buyers wanting something a little more fuel efficient, a little greener than the norm. While still immensely successful, today's Prius has more or less lost its unique selling point--a host of plug-in vehicles has taken...

Taxes are rarely popular, but if they're to be accepted by the populace the bare minimum they have to do is make sense. Virginia's annual tax on hybrid vehicles did not make sense. Proposed and enacted early last year, the tax added a fixed yearly sum to the cost of running a hybrid vehicle, in an...

Starting in 2018, all new taxis in London will need to be capable of running as zero-emission vehicles--a policy recently announced by Mayor Boris Johnson. That's quite a promise, and a significant engineering push will be needed to make it happen. But already, several manufacturers are working on...

While Mercedes-Benz and other German luxury automakers (Audi, especially) are betting on diesel powertrains on a larger scale in helping to make their lineups more fuel-efficient, they're starting to concede that to some luxury shoppers, plug-in hybrids are seen as a 'greener'...

Audi has a plug-in hybrid concept vehicle for most months of the year, and January's, on show at the Detroit Auto Show, is the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept. From the car's moniker alone you can deduce most of it's key attributes. "Allroad" means it has pseudo-off road crossover styling cues...

A change in Federal crash-test procedures downgraded the safety rating of Toyota's iconic hybrid.

French automobile maker PSA, responsible for the Peugeot and Citroen brands, has just sold the 50,000th example of a drivetrain we've not yet seen in the U.S.--diesel hybrids. PSA launched its diesel-hybrid system at the beginning of 2012. It's used in four different models on sale throughout...

Electric cars are quiet. Perhaps that's a statement of the obvious, but for many owners, it's one of their cars' best features. Little noise, a smooth drivetrain, low running costs, environmental responsibility--it all adds up to an appealing package. Regulatory bodies seem to feel electric cars...

Solar power has proven itself better for static charging than it has for on-vehicle use, even if Australia's Solar Challenge race has shown solar cars to be possible under certain, very specific conditions. The trouble is, electric cars draw too much power and take up too small an area for solar...

Launching early next year, the 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe is the second stage in BMW's i-car program, dedicated to vehicles with electric drivetrains. While it isn't a full battery-electric vehicle (or range-extended EV) like the i3 city car, electric power is still an important part...

The Toyota Prius was named 'Best New-Car Value" by Consumer Reports.

Jeep has only recently nailed its colors to the diesel mast, but already the famous off-road arm of Chrysler is looking to other propulsion technologies--namely hybrid vehicles. Executives at the company have called the move to electrification "inevitable", according to Drive--but they're also...

Ford is reportedly considering green powertrains for future Mustang models.

Honda's Insight has never enjoyed the success of the Toyota Prius or even Honda's own Civic Hybrid, and it looks like the writing is now finally on the wall for the budget hybrid hatchback. According to Autoblog Green, sources within the company have revealed that some preparation procedures...