News
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Sometimes we get nicely produced video, and sometimes we get our codriver to shoot it on the fly. For the 2012 Toyota Prius V station wagon we drove last week, it was very much a case of the latter--complete with a mutli-tone "bong" interruption from the Toyota Entune system. Our one-minute video, below, is a quick summary of the much lengthier review of the car we published earlier. READ MORE: 2012 Toyota Prius V Station Wagon: First Drive Review Overall, we found the 2012 Prius V remarkably similar to the Prius hatchback in driving behavior. It feels a little heavier (the difference is...
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Protoscar Lampo3: Best Electric Sports Car You Can't Buy Yet?Protoscar isn’t new to designing and building electric car prototypes. The Swiss firm, who specializes in design and engineering, has previously revealed the Lampo and the Lampo2, both prototypes for electric sports cars. For 2011, the firm has taken a new direction with the Lampo3...
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Toyota Prius V Station Wagon: First Drive ReviewToyota executives will go to extraordinary, absurd lengths to avoid defining the body style of the new 2012 Toyota Prius V. Bob Carter, brand sales chief for Toyota Motors in the U.S., first responded with confusion over the question. Presented with a list of alternatives--sedan, hatchback...
John Voelcker -
Porsche Wants High-Performance Electric Cars, Testing Plug-In PanameraPorsche recently took the wraps off its second hybrid model, the new 2012 Panamera S Hybrid, as well as confirming development of an electric sports car and the announcement that a number of zero-emission ‘Boxster E’ prototypes are already running around Germany. Add to that the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
No, Justin Bieber Didn't Run Out of Charge in an Electric CarOh no, not again. It’s only a few weeks since the Top Gear boys were spotted in Lincolnshire trying to find somewhere to charge two electric cars after forgetting failing to plug them in the night before. And now electric cars are in the firing line again. This time we’re hearing...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
High Gas Prices Changing Vacation Plans, Even House PurchasesThere's more than a 3-to-1 chance that your gas price fell last week. The price itself depends largely on what state you live in, but the average price of a gallon of gasoline rose in just 12 states, staying the same or falling in the other 38, according to the average pricing on GasBuddy. But...
John Voelcker -
Any press relations firm will tell you that in the modern world companies need an active Internet and social media presence in order to best sell a product, but what if you could go one step further and create your own social media network? That’s exactly what Toyota is planning, with the announcement that it is partnering with renowned cloud computing company Salesforce to develop a private social network for Toyota customers and their cars. Due to launch in Japan in 2012, the unimaginatively named Toyota Friend will offer electric car and plug-in hybrid customers a chance to connect...
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Recall Alert: 2012 Honda Civic Fuel O-Ring Affects 1,156 U.S. CarsWhen it comes to recalls they can generally come about in one of two ways: the government requires a company to recall a car due to a number of safety complaints or the auto manufacturer voluntarily makes a recall announcement. Obviously, the second situation is the more desirable because it can be...
Jonathan McGrew -
2012 Fiat 500C: Worth the Soft Top?So we have written about the 2012 Fiat 500 and a little bit about the 500C Cabrio. However, the thought came to our mind through a recent First Drive completed by our partner site, TheCarConnection.com, that maybe the Cabrio isn’t worth the extra cost. Now hang in there with us; the thought...
Jonathan McGrew -
Mazda 1.3-Liter Engine Boasts 50% MPG Gain Over Current 1.5-LiterIf you have driven by the gas pump recently then the interest in cars with more fuel-efficient gasoline habits probably doesn’t surprise you. Most manufacturers are trying to accommodate the change in consumer perspective, especially in the U.S. automotive market. Mazda is onboard with their...
Jonathan McGrew -
2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid First Drive ReportWhen Volvo announced its plans to produce a plug-in hybrid station wagon capable of comfortably seating five, providing reasonable luggage space, a combined fuel economy of 150 miles per gallon, and the ability to tow just under 4,000lbs, many of you told us that you couldn’t wait to find out...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Zero Announces Recall of Zero S, Zero DS Electric MotorcycleElectric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles has announced the recall of certain model year 2009 and 2010 Zero S and Zero DS motorcycles, to replace the front brake caliper bracket. Under heavy braking, the original front brake caliper bracket may be subject to deformation, which can cause...
Kurt Ernst -
We hate to say it, but the words “electric car” and “delayed” just appear too frequently together. As we approach the middle of 2011 we’ve seen lots of automakers slip behind on electric car schedules, whether that’s delayed launches, delays in deliveries or even legal delays, but we’ve not yet heard of a delayed motor racing series. Until now, that is. Bearing bad news, the European-based EVCup - a specially designed electric car race series designed to bring electric cars to the big-bucks world of motorsport - has announced that its seven-event 2011...
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Bosch Predicts Diesel Sales To Reach 10 Percent Of U.S. Market By 2015Diesel models may account for more than half of all new car sales in Europe but in the U.S. their numbers still hover around just 3 percent of the market. This in part because of a national memory of the noisy and polluting diesels of three decades ago, and in part because diesel fuel and engines...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Advice: Better Gas Mileage, Used Small, All-Wheel-Drive SUV--UPDATEUPDATE: Well, we got a note from Denise: I bought a car today. It's a certified pre-owned 2005 Toyota RAV4, single owner, 41K miles. The only thing I need for it is an iPod adapter! It's really nice, fabulous condition, and I did fairly well on both the price and trade-in. What do you think of her...
John Voelcker -
New Management, Structure, Cash For Electric-Car Maker Think?Back in January, we toured the Think electric-car assembly facility in Elkhart, Indiana, "the RV capital of the world." We got some striking photos of hundreds of the City electric two-seater cars that Think was gearing up to sell, assembled in the U.S. out of kits shipped from the manufacturing...
John Voelcker -
2011 Smart Electric Drive On The Streets Of London: DrivenWhat makes the perfect city car? Compact dimensions are a good place to start, so you can sneak into small parking spaces on a crowded street and squeeze through gaps that would leave other traffic impatiently waiting. Nippy acceleration is useful too, so you aren't left lagging at the lights...
Antony Ingram -
Could Your Local Diner Get In The Biodiesel Business?Biodiesel has gathered a cult following over many years, but outside of a few companies and co-ops, getting an assurance on consistency and quality--especially above b20 (20 percent biodiesel), or for a newer vehicle--can be an issue. Springboard Biodiesel has a solution, and could turn your...
Kurt Ernst -
There's nothing like a rant from an old friend to focus the mind. We recently read a profanity-laced note from a high school pal excoriating all the major automakers for not selling small, high-mileage diesel cars and trucks in the U.S. We referred him to an article about why we can't buy small European diesel cars in the States. After further discussion, it made sense to turn it into a list. So, here are our five reasons why automakers are reluctant to bring diesel-engined cars and light trucks into the U.S. market. As we said: Before you start flaming us, understand: These are the reasons...
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Does The Toyota Prius Hybrid Hold Up? Consumer Reports: YesGas prices are going up, smaller cars are better than ever, and once again, U.S. car buyers are turning their sights toward higher gas mileage. For that, there's nothing that beats the 2011 Toyota Prius, with its 50-mpg combined EPA rating. But will that Prius hold up? Will the battery pack and...
John Voelcker -
Volvo Tests Inductive Charging (Just In Time For The C30 Electric)EV automakers face an uphill road. Not only do they have to make great looking cars that offer all the amenities of their gas-engined equivalents, but they've also got to assuage public concerns about the EV charging infrastructure -- an infrastructure that lies largely outside their control. Now...
Richard Read -
Aptera Struggles Toward Production Of 3-Wheel Electric Car, MaybeOne of the most remarkable--and most delayed--of the promised new generation of electric cars is the three-wheeled Aptera 2e. The unusual, highly aerodynamic vehicle was designed by a startup automaker in Southern California. The resin-bodied car was a finalist at last year’s Auto X-Prize...
George Parrott -
Chevy Prepares for Volt Production Increase, 60,000 by 2012It’s only four months since General Motors announced that it was upping production of its 2011 Volt to meet the strong consumer demand for its first full-scale production plug-in vehicle, but now the automaker has said it will be undertaking a series of upgrades to its Detroit-Hamtramck...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan Juke: Why Nissan Is Doing Right By Their Customers With $400 CheckTruth in advertising might seem like fiction to some, but the there is such a thing as being accountable for misleading advertising. The automotive industry has a lot of facts to keep straight when it comes to this, especially when some cars can have 100s of option combinations. Unfortunately for...
Jonathan McGrew